Hats off to Three MTC Commissioners

Hats Off to Three MTC Commissioners

Three MTC Commissioners:

• Jeannie Bruins, representing the cities of Santa Clara County;
• Damon Connolly, representing Marin County;
• Gina Papan, representing cities in San Mateo County

took a bold stand at the MTC Commissioners meeting on July 22.

They each voted to OPPOSE the staff recommendation to support SB-902, Sen. Scott Wiener’s latest version of heavy-handed housing policy, first introduced as SB-50 which was defeated earlier this year.  The vote was 13/3. 

SB-902, like so many of Wiener’s policy proposals, is a top-down provision to benefit developers, but damage communities. It would allow a city council to unilaterally disregard a local voter initiative. Without community input, they could change a zoning ordinance to allow up to 10 units of residential density per parcel currently zoned for a single-family home. The developer’s “by right” authority would over-ride the “by right” authority of local residents. The bill also removes environmental protections formerly guaranteed by CEQA.

Damon Connolly was the sole MTC Commissioner with the integrity to OPPOSE SB-995 (Atkins, Wiener). His single vote (15/1) is enough to stop MTC from taking bragging rights for unanimous support. SB-995 uses the deceptive language of “streamlining,” which really means dismantling environmental protections. 

These days many MTC commissioners and legislators are outraged that the Trump administration is weakening the National Environmental Policy Act. Yet in SB-995, the MTC Commissioners and state legislators take a page from the Trump playbook. 

MTC staff recommended support for two other bills— SB-288 and AB-3040, which passed unanimously, but should raise protest from everyday citizens. 

SB-288 is related to a long list of transportation projects, many of which have environmental impact. It would change “categorical” (thoughtful) exemptions to “statutorial” (absolute) exemptions. It’s self-serving and no surprise that MTC would favor state legislation that restricts communities from deliberating about MTC plans.  

SB-3040 increases the top-down power of the state Housing and Community Development Agency by giving them control over regional housing quotas. 

See the Nix the Nine Fact Sheet (right sidebar) for what you can do to stop harmful housing legislation.