Bay Area

Safety, Housing Plans Reach Next Stage in Update

Marin County Community Development Agency has completed a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Housing Element and Safety Elements updates to the 2007 Countywide Plan. The public comment period is open now through 4 p.m. on Nov. 21. Comments may be submitted by email.

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2022

Oakland Post

Neighborhood resiliency and safety have been prioritized as the ominous realities of climate change have grown more apparent and intense in recent years.

Updated drafts and Environmental Impact Report available for review

Courtesy of Marin County

The work to update Marin County’s housing and safety elements of the Countywide Plan is continuing to advance. These elements focus on housing needs and conditions, and climate change adaptation measures including wildfire, sea level rise and flooding concerns. Two updated draft components are now available for public review and comment.

Environmental Impact Report

In addition, the public can provide oral comments at a DEIR hearing that will be conducted virtually by the Marin County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 15 starting at 5 p.m. or thereafter.

Proposed Safety Element and Development Code Changes

The Draft Safety Element has been revised to incorporate direction from the Board and Planning Commission, edits from the State Department of Forestry, and public comments gathered in June 2022. The Safety Element is a section of the Marin Countywide Plan

The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will hold a joint virtual workshop on Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. to review and comment on those changes. In addition, the workshop will review and comment on a draft amendment to the Marin County Development Code to address sea level rise. The proposed Development Code amendments would modify the Bayfront Conservation Combining District standards to address sea level rise, as directed in the draft Safety Element.

The Countywide Plan serves as the guiding vision for the future of unincorporated Marin. Housing and safety updates to the Countywide Plan are mandated by the State of California every eight years and address how to meet the County’s housing needs at all income levels while addressing climate change resilience.

This is the first time County CDA has elevated the Safety Element into a separate document to discuss in public; previously the content was worked into other sections of the Countywide Plan.

Some sectors of Marin’s population are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For instance, natural disasters could be much worse for those in isolated households that have less reliable communication service, those with language barriers, those with physical mobility limitations, those without financial means to add safety enhancements around the home, and those who are unhoused. Preparing the Housing and Safety Elements together is a deliberate strategy to address equity and make sure the County can meet its housing goals in a way that prevents vulnerable residents from being placed in harm’s way.

Neighborhood resiliency and safety have been prioritized as the ominous realities of climate change have grown more apparent and intense in recent years. The Safety Element touches on how Marin can grow and evolve in a way that promotes resilience and adaptation in the face of the coming changes to its climate. It is mostly about plans to prepare and protect residents from harmful impacts of natural disasters.

Learn more at www.marincounty.org/HousingSafetyElements.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

SDA Churches Join Outreach Efforts to Find Solutions to Upsurge of Violence

Don't Miss

Research Finds Black Californians Prioritize Health, While System Fails to Prioritize Black Californians

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 24 – 30, 2024

Published

16 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 17 -23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 17 -23, 2024

Published

6 days ago

July 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Op-Ed Senate Bill 966 Threatens Health Equity in East Bay

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further. Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland. From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

Published

1 week ago

July 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

Special to the Post

My East Bay community is struggling to get by. A proposed State Senate bill would set us back even further.

Serving the East Bay community has been my life’s work and my greatest joy. After leaving the Bay Area to complete my seminary, I returned home to found The Community Church in Oakland.

From the outset of my time as the church’s pastor, I have been guided by the belief that my service must extend beyond the pulpit, because the health and economic needs of my community are so great. Our church has organized free food banks, COVID-19 testing clinics, and a housing and re-entry program for those suffering from addiction.

Through my service, I have seen the challenges that our community members are facing. Oakland, my hometown, has the third-highest rate of violent crime in the state. The local economy is strained. Oakland-based businesses are leaving our community because they’re struggling to get ahead.

Both East and West Oakland has disproportionately high rates of respiratory illness due to heavy air pollution. While our local efforts have brought some aid to those in need, we are also counting on our state elected officials to help us address the systemic health disparities afflicting the community.

Chief among the health concerns of community members is having reliable and affordable access to prescription drugs. Equitable access to medications gives us the peace of mind that we can keep ourselves and our families healthy and safe. Our community should not have to choose between paying rent or purchasing prescriptions.

Unfortunately, rather than taking action to combat soaring prescription drug prices, some California lawmakers are pushing legislation that could raise patient costs at the pharmacy counter.

The Legislature is currently considering SB 966, a bill backed by special interests that would undercut the few tools we have to keep prescription drug costs contained, letting big drug companies increase their prices, profiting on the backs of working families – some of whom already live paycheck to paycheck.

SB 966 would target the fundamental programs through which small businesses, unions, and government health programs are able to offer their employees and members quality and affordable healthcare. Millions of Californians rely on these plans to obtain essential medications at the lowest-possible cost.

The bill would make it illegal for employers and unions to incentivize the administrators of their prescription drug plans to negotiate for the lowest possible cost for prescriptions. Right now, small businesses and unions can choose to pay these administrators more for taking on big drug companies and securing discounts – a choice that will be outlawed under this bill.

As a result, employers will have no leverage to stop big drug companies from setting sky-high prices, disproportionately impacting working families.

As these health costs quickly add up, employers will have little choice but to pass the increases down to their employees. That means California patients will see higher healthcare costs and co-pays.

From my perspective, most concerning is that the bill would exacerbate the health disparities impacting my community and other underserved populations. If SB 966 becomes law, the most vulnerable may be forced to skip prescription doses, stop filling their prescriptions, and avoid essential care.

By rejecting this cash grab by big drug companies, our state elected officials can send a clear message that they stand with the community, patients, and working families.

We cannot afford SB 966.

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.