By: Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, Kit Vaq and the Rev. Scott Denman
San Jose Mercury News, May 24, 2013
Something exciting is afoot in the Bay Area. Hundreds of people, working together across traditional divides, have crafted a plan expressing an innovative vision for our region's future. And last month, we learned this community plan would create a greener, more prosperous and fairer future than the plan created by "experts" in regional government.
The challenge now is getting elected officials in regional agencies to listen.
In July, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments will decide how to spend $289 billion in transportation funds and plan for 2 million new residents over the next 28 years. Under a new state law, SB 375, this regional transportation and land-use plan must reduce greenhouse gases 15 percent by 2035.
When dozens of community groups gathered at the start of this planning process three years ago, there was real danger that fighting for a piece of the pie would tear people apart. Instead, environmentalists and civil rights activists, homeowners and homeless advocates, faith leaders, public health experts and union members came together to fight for a regional plan that grows the pie.
They learned from each other and developed a shared set of priorities for the region: more money for public transportation and less for new highways; more affordable homes near low-wage jobs and good schools; and stronger protections against gentrification and displacement. These shared principles formed the basis of the "Equity, Environment and Jobs" scenario, a community alternative to the draft regional plan developed by ABAG and MTC. End result? A plan that runs a lot more transit service, puts more affordable housing near suburban job centers and protects families from displacement.
The regional agencies' draft "preferred" plan is in dire need of improvement. It puts 36 percent of struggling renters at high risk of being evicted from their neighborhoods. It wastes billions of dollars that could go to operate more local transit. And the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has expressed concern the regional housing plan may violate civil rights laws.
The alternative scenario offers a better blueprint for moving our region toward the best future for all Bay Area residents, including struggling families. Plus, it's the "environmentally superior alternative." That's according to MTC/ABAG's own analysis.
In embodying the core vision of SB 375 — more people living closer to better transit and jobs — our scenario outperforms the preferred draft in a host of areas. Models show lower greenhouse gas emissions, almost twice as many low-income residents able to stay in their neighborhoods, 83,000 cars off clogged roads leading to 165,000 more trips on public transit every day.
Unfortunately, MTC and ABAG commissioners may ignore the evidence and barrel forward with their flawed draft. Why? Some cite "fatigue" with the planning process. Others are unnecessarily concerned about a vocal minority shouting that climate change is a hoax and regional planning a United Nations conspiracy. And others think the current draft is "good enough."
Bay Area residents deserve more than "good enough." MTC and ABAG can turn a flawed draft into a final plan we can all be proud of, by incorporating three key elements of our alternative scenario: 1) maximize funding for public transit operations and provide a regional free youth bus pass; 2) strengthen incentives and policies to protect struggling families from displacement; and 3) reallocate housing more fairly throughout the region.
The voting members of MTC and ABAG are our local elected officials. In July they'll decide whether to adopt a plan that reflects the broad community consensus, or one that comes up short. We're asking them to make the right choice.
Sam Tepperman-Gelfant is a senior staff attorney at Public Advocates Inc. Kit Vaq is chairperson of ACCE Riders for Transit Justice. The Rev. Scott Denman is president of the Genesis Interfaith Regional Project. They wrote this for the San Jose Mercury News.
In my ongoing quest to become a real life Portlandia character, I've adopted an "I can cello that" attitude. And I don't mean pulling my bow across some strings to entertain the ears. I'm talking about throwing whatever I can find into everclear and mixing it with sugar syrup to entertain the taste buds. Today's victim: green almonds.
Acquired on an unfortunately rare trip to Berkeley Bowl last weekend, these green almonds cried out to me from the exotic fruit isle (which always seems like gilding the lily at a grocery store with seven kinds of mango and at least that many different types of apricot in the "regular" sections). Green almonds are only around for a couple weeks every year, and when I spotted them my first thought was "you need to get into a 151-proof bath, ASAP, my pretties." A quick google search on my phone turned up plenty of recipes for infusions of green walnuts to make nocino, but bubkas on using green almonds (other than for syrup, which didn't seem nearly intoxicating enough). 
Fifty-five green almonds came home with me from the store (for a whopping $2.50 - extortion I say!), and, undeterred by lack of internet instructions, I proceeded to cello the hell out of them. Everclear in mason jar? Check. Giant cleaver to cleave these babies in half? Check. Half a cinnamon stick, half a vanilla bean, and a few strips of zest from a lemon picked from our backyard to complexify the flavor a bit? Check, check, and check. Given that I don't know how or how strongly flavored a green almond infusion will be, I decided to forego the wide array of other flavorings people seem to add to nocino, from cloves to wine. 
