Position Paper on the Environment

By Noreen Evans

I am a founding Board Member of the Institute for Ecology and the Economy, a long-time member of the Sonoma County Conservation Action, Concerned Citizens for Santa Rosa; and I received the "Upstream Swimmer" award by the Sonoma County Conservation Action, which recognizes the accomplishments of local environmentalists working against great odds.

CALIFORNIA'S FUTURE

Statewide, the three most important environmental issues are continued urban sprawl, coastal preservation, and water resources. In the Assembly I will formulate legislation discouraging urban sprawl by encouraging local jurisdictions to adopt local ordinances, General Plan policies, and design guidelines for city-centered growth, mixed-use, and higher residential densities. I will fight attempts to dismantle or weaken the Coastal Commission and oppose attempts to allow off-shore drilling.

Urban sprawl is a very serious problem. We lose good farmlands at an alarming rate on a daily basis. Using my experience in local government, specifically with land-use planning issues and CEQA requirements, I will work with local jurisdictions on providing funding for local projects that use responsible land-use planning methods.

In order to prevent another energy crisis, California must have a balanced approach to energy conservation and rate stabilization. First, the state should continue the successful conservation promotion efforts begun during the energy crisis, which resulted in a 20% decrease in usage. We must also invest in renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar; and support more oversight by the Public Utilities Commission. Finally, we have to link, both politically and socially, smart land use and transportation decisions to energy and other natural resource issues.

GROWTH CONTROLS

During my time on the Santa Rosa Planning Commission and City Council I have assembled a strong environmental record. As a Santa Rosa Planning Commissioner from 1993-1996, I championed growth controls; including limits on the number of new residential units that can be built in any given year. I've also been a champion of city-centered growth policies. As a candidate for the Santa Rosa City Council in 1996, I campaigned for a voter-approved urban growth boundary by putting an argument in favor of the measure in my own campaign literature and walked precincts in favor of the measure -- the measure passed successfully. In 2000, I supported and campaigned for Measure I, the Rural Heritage Initiative, to protect agricultural lands and open space from development.

WATER

Since 1993, I have fought to bring water to local farmers for irrigation, urban re-use and conservation. Every time Santa Rosa does a water rate study and proposes an increase in water rates, I have advocated for "conservation-pricing". I continue to work against weakening the Clean Water Act as it applies to Santa Rosa's use of the Russian River. I supported the adoption of a city-wide waterways plan for Santa Rosa, calling for preservation and restoration of Santa Rosa's numerous creeks and rivers. I spearheaded the restoration of Santa Rosa's beautiful downtown with the development of the Prince Memorial Greenway. In the Assembly I will fight to limit growth in water-scarce areas, encourage conservation and oppose any effort to privatize water resources.

TRANSPORTATION

I have worked tirelessly for alternative transportation systems. As a result of my initial efforts, Santa Rosa has adopted a comprehensive bikeways plan and built over $15 million in pedestrian safety improvement. I initiated the adoption of better urban design patterns, including a city-wide educational forum for developers and citizens about smart growth policies. I worked on the redrafting of Santa Rosa's design guidelines to require pedestrian-oriented development. Due to my work, Santa Rosa has adopted new guidelines and traffic-calming techniques in its General Plan.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

For the past 11 years, I have championed mixed-use development policies. I introduced and supported policies encouraging more affordable housing, in order to reduce commuters from outlying areas. I was one of only two Santa Rosa city councilmembers to support the recently-proposed jobs-housing linkage fee, and one of only two councilmembers to support requiring residential projects to include an affordable housing component. I have also been a long-time advocate for a living wage.

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION

When I was elected to the City Council in 1996, I immediately formulated a policy and city-wide plan to save local historic and scenic roads by providing them with General Plan protections; eliminating the policy of "improvement" and writing specific protections which identify the unique scenic and historic qualities of that road.