ASSOCIATION OF BAY AREA GOVERNMENTS ATTEMPTS TO MEET SECRETLY WITH ACTIVISTS
If you've been following our actions at the ONE BAY AREA meetings with other groups, including East Bay Tea Party, 9-12 groups, property rights groups, and other Tea Parties, you know that we have deeply upset the game the Government (Association of Bay Area Governments--ABAG, and Metropolitan Transportation Commission--MTC in league with their public/private partners, Silicon Valley Partnership and Greenbelt Alliance) is playing. The Delphi game is to pretend, and get you to believe, that your input is solicited to craft the plan when in fact it is already set up before you show up. This is a Regional Plan, a stepping stone to Mega Regions and then to Global Government. We haven't been going along to get along.
So out of the hundreds of people who attended their 'workshops,' in the 9 county Bay Area, out of the 7.5 million people in the Bay Area who would have questions about this plan if they knew about it, just four of us have been invited to a private meeting with ABAG-MTC.
Who are we? Heather Gass, East Bay Tea Party Leader; Mimi Steel, 9-12 Leader; Carol Tomlinson, Tea Party Leader; and me.
Here's the email they sent:
Ms. Koire:
The Executive Directors of MTC and ABAG are extending an invitation to meet with them at the MetroCenter to discuss issues and matters brought up at the Winter 2012 PlanBayArea workshops. There are three possible meeting times - one will be selected based on availability of invitees. Please reply to accept the invitation and indicate your preferred meeting date.
Thursday, Feb 16, between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm
Friday, Feb 17, between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Friday, 3/2/12, between 9:00 am 11:00 am
regards,
JoAnna Bullock
Senior Grant Administrator, Urban Planner
JoAnna Bullock JoAnnaB@abag.ca.gov
Association of Bay Area Governments
MetroCenter 101 Eighth Street
Oakland, CA 94607
I had been checking into the American Planning Association propaganda and saw that they have now put out a seminar on how to handle us. That's you and me. So this is what I sent back:
You must have gotten this guide from the APA.
"Preparation
Second, be proactive
Reach out to groups likely to oppose
Request a meeting with them to listen to
concerns and ideas
Do not try to change their minds –collect
their input
Encourage them to provide you with
materials (books, websites, etc.)
Research local activist networks"
But Heather wanted to get more information. I'm glad she did. Here's her exchange:
Ms. Bullock,
I have several questions about this invitation that need to be cleared up before I consider attending. Will this be a publicly noticed meeting subject the Brown Act and open to the public, Executive Session or an informal (private) meeting not subject to the Brown Act? Who are the invitees? Is this open to the public or to just a handful of people? Which MTC/ABAG Executive Directors will be in attendance? Also, I am unclear as to the purpose of this meeting? What “Issues and Matters” will be discussed. I would like an agenda for the meeting.
Heather Gass
-------------
Ms. Gass,
This is a invitation to meet informally with the executive director of MTC, Steve Hemminger and the executive director of ABAG, Ezra Rapport. The invitation was extended to the following attendees of the PBA public workshops:
Carol Thomlison
Rosa Koire
Mimi Steele
This will be an informal meeting, not a public meeting - no elected officials will be present so it is not subject to the Brown Act. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity to those that expressed issues and dissent at the PBA workshops to speak directly with the executive directors. The executive directors prefer no agenda - this is opportunity for open dialogue.
regards,
JoAnna Bullock
Senior Grant Administrator, Urban Planner
How bout that, folks? Now they want an 'open dialogue' outside of the eyes and ears of the public and for the sole purpose of finding out about us.
FORGET ABOUT IT.
NO GOOD GERMANS.
If you've been following our actions at the ONE BAY AREA meetings with other groups, including East Bay Tea Party, 9-12 groups, property rights groups, and other Tea Parties, you know that we have deeply upset the game the Government (Association of Bay Area Governments--ABAG, and Metropolitan Transportation Commission--MTC in league with their public/private partners, Silicon Valley Partnership and Greenbelt Alliance) is playing. The Delphi game is to pretend, and get you to believe, that your input is solicited to craft the plan when in fact it is already set up before you show up. This is a Regional Plan, a stepping stone to Mega Regions and then to Global Government. We haven't been going along to get along.
So out of the hundreds of people who attended their 'workshops,' in the 9 county Bay Area, out of the 7.5 million people in the Bay Area who would have questions about this plan if they knew about it, just four of us have been invited to a private meeting with ABAG-MTC.
Who are we? Heather Gass, East Bay Tea Party Leader; Mimi Steel, 9-12 Leader; Carol Tomlinson, Tea Party Leader; and me.
Here's the email they sent:
Ms. Koire:
The Executive Directors of MTC and ABAG are extending an invitation to meet with them at the MetroCenter to discuss issues and matters brought up at the Winter 2012 PlanBayArea workshops. There are three possible meeting times - one will be selected based on availability of invitees. Please reply to accept the invitation and indicate your preferred meeting date.
Thursday, Feb 16, between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm
Friday, Feb 17, between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm
Friday, 3/2/12, between 9:00 am 11:00 am
regards,
JoAnna Bullock
Senior Grant Administrator, Urban Planner
JoAnna Bullock JoAnnaB@abag.ca.gov
Association of Bay Area Governments
MetroCenter 101 Eighth Street
Oakland, CA 94607
I had been checking into the American Planning Association propaganda and saw that they have now put out a seminar on how to handle us. That's you and me. So this is what I sent back:
You must have gotten this guide from the APA.
"Preparation
Second, be proactive
Reach out to groups likely to oppose
Request a meeting with them to listen to
concerns and ideas
Do not try to change their minds –collect
their input
Encourage them to provide you with
materials (books, websites, etc.)
Research local activist networks"
But Heather wanted to get more information. I'm glad she did. Here's her exchange:
Ms. Bullock,
I have several questions about this invitation that need to be cleared up before I consider attending. Will this be a publicly noticed meeting subject the Brown Act and open to the public, Executive Session or an informal (private) meeting not subject to the Brown Act? Who are the invitees? Is this open to the public or to just a handful of people? Which MTC/ABAG Executive Directors will be in attendance? Also, I am unclear as to the purpose of this meeting? What “Issues and Matters” will be discussed. I would like an agenda for the meeting.
Heather Gass
-------------
Ms. Gass,
This is a invitation to meet informally with the executive director of MTC, Steve Hemminger and the executive director of ABAG, Ezra Rapport. The invitation was extended to the following attendees of the PBA public workshops:
Carol Thomlison
Rosa Koire
Mimi Steele
This will be an informal meeting, not a public meeting - no elected officials will be present so it is not subject to the Brown Act. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity to those that expressed issues and dissent at the PBA workshops to speak directly with the executive directors. The executive directors prefer no agenda - this is opportunity for open dialogue.
regards,
JoAnna Bullock
Senior Grant Administrator, Urban Planner
How bout that, folks? Now they want an 'open dialogue' outside of the eyes and ears of the public and for the sole purpose of finding out about us.
FORGET ABOUT IT.
NO GOOD GERMANS.
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