Green Party Questionnaire Response

By Lena Tam

City government is multi-partisan and I am committed to increasing public participation at every level of government, increasing accountability, and promoting citizen participation in decisions that affect our lives.

The recent court ruling enabling the City to buy back 40 acres of the Alameda Belt Line railroad for just under $1 million is a wonderful opportunity for the community. I am confident the City will prevail in the appeal process of the lawsuit. I would like to see this area redeveloped as recreational open space with a park that includes walking, biking trails and eventually a light rail connection to BART. After reviewing the City's 2006-2007 budget, it appears that the City does not have the money to maintain another park or municipally owned open space at this time without additional revenues. Ideally, the City could enter into a partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District and use some of the voter-approved park bond funds to pay for such a recreational amenity. Other funding possibilities in the future could include seeking voter support for a comprehensive City-sponsored park bond that would include a land acquisition fund, along with funds to pay for maintenance and upkeep of parks in the City. Most nearby cities enter into public-private partnerships, and I understand that the southern section of the Beltline could be developed into residential development. Another way to fund improvements is to have a future residential developer redevelop the northern section into a neighborhood park and turn it over to the City for use as trail or open space and then maintained in perpetuity.

Open Government:

I have been a long-standing advocate of open government in my leadership role as president of the League of Women Voters, both at the city and county level. I believe effective civic decision-making rely upon open public discourse about the issues. As a member and Chair of the Alameda County Planning Commission (2000-2005) and a member and now President of the Alameda Hospital Board (2002-present), I have promoted open and transparent government as a decision maker, encouraging public participation at all stages of planning and development. It is critical that the public be adequately noticed, and such notices use a number of outreach media: the press, the internet, and even through the cable T.V. channels. For large projects, perhaps civic organizations can be specifically contacted if they are likely to be interested "players." All noticing procedures should provide for enough time, have as much specific information as possible and be widely disseminated. The City and indeed, all governmental agencies, should be considerate as to the time of day, accessibility, and space in which hearings are held. I absolutely believe that citizens have the right to know and it is a basic requirement of governance that such a right be given freely to the greatest extent possible. Adequate notice means enough time for people to make arrangements to attend a meeting that is set at a reasonable time for working people.

Alameda Point:

• Alameda is an island and a part of a region which shares with neighboring cities the problems of density, traffic, pollution, and need for improved public transit. Our planning efforts must take into account and be coordinated with what is happening around us, be that protection and access to our Bay waters, wildlife protection, increased green space, or pollution control. The number of dwelling units and type of business and industry at the Point will be, in many respects driven by the economics of its development, and as a Councilmember, it will be imperative to facilitate a community-driven vision for the Point. I believe that the current proposals to build twelve single family homes to an acre will not allow sufficient open space and will reduce opportunities for public transit. We must look at this problem as a region and make our plans to grow in cooperation and coordination with what is being done around us. There should be density limits that allow for a mix of types of housing so that open space may be gained, height limits imposed so that what is built has the "look and feel" of the rest of the Island. We should employ the best in new technology for insulation, power consumption reduction, and use of recycled building materials. I believe that new construction can be done economically and environmentally sustainable, like the new main library.

• The main Island has a mix of housing types that build on Alameda's unique small town community spirit. The rich architecture of the "Victorian" neighborhoods also has differing vintages -- there are small neighborhood businesses, many with housing units above, and even some apartments. This variety gives Alameda its charm. Traffic can be reduced if there are neighborhood shops, public parks, and plenty of off-road walking and biking paths. Public transit around neighborhood "hubs" or "nodes" could also mitigate traffic that would be generated by new residential units. The quiet, pleasant nature of our residential streets is not dependent on uniformity of architecture, but of the way in which neighborhoods are encouraged and defined.

• There are two critical places where substantial changes must be made to mitigate the traffic problems: (i) at the point of exit from the tube into Oakland, and (ii) the route of traffic flow either into Chinatown/Oakland or onto the freeway. As a commuter from Alameda to Oakland Chinatown (I work at EBMUD in Chinatown), I have been tracking the proposals to alleviate traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety in Oakland Chinatown. There are differing views on whether the proposals will be beneficial to Alameda and to Oakland, much less the environment. Having a better way to access BART seems a critical place to start. I would favor a shuttle service or a light rail system that bring Alamedans onto BART to alleviate putting more cars onto Interstate 880, which has already exceeded its carrying capacity during commute hours. Public transit can be made more accessible. I would also like to see Alameda and Oakland work to increase the accessibility and availability of water transit options like the ferries, similar to Puget Sound in Washington or Vancouver, B.C. Added development will add traffic. As a City Councilmember, I can serve as a catalyst to encourage the use of public transit, bike paths, and shopping "on the Island," in order to reduce vehicle trips off the Island.

Yes, I favor campaign finance reform and public funding of elections. Through the League of Women Voters, I have advocated for such reforms. While Proposition 89 is not and does not address the impacts of millions of dollars spent by "Independent Expenditures" on behalf of candidates or initiatives, it is a start. The League has endorsed and signed the ballot arguments in support of Prop. 89.

Commercial Development:

Many communities have successfully balanced "main street" locally owned businesses with the presence of some appropriate larger retail. We should look for "best practices" where this has been done and employ them. It need not be an "either-or", but a carefully planned and controlled compliment of shopping opportunities to ensure that large retailers do not "drive out" locally owned businesses. The City Council could facilitate creating an environment to help small businesses open and thrive through redevelopment funding incentives. For example, setting limits on the number of small business in new developments (Alameda Landing), providing low-interest loans, waiving of some permitting "hoops," providing good pedestrian access, better transit, parking, and programs like "smart cars" could help. We need to balance economical shopping opportunities on the Island and minimize increased traffic on the bridges and through the tube that would further exacerbate the traffic on I-880. Families should have options in Alameda, from small neighborhood stores to mid-sized stores that provide lower-priced, larger amounts of standard household goods and foods.