You wouldn’t expect a document titled “Vibrant Communities and Landscapes” to make so many people this angry.
“We are writing to express our concern and dismay over the draft ‘Vibrant Communities’ document,” wrote the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) on behalf of more than 163 business groups, 325,000 employers and 3 million jobs.
“Radical and without precedent in California public policy,” wrote Michael Lewis, senior VP of the Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition (CIAQC).
These comments were sent to Ken Alex, director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, on Sept. 28. That was the final day of the public comment period for the draft of “Vibrant Communities and Landscapes.” It was only two weeks long.
“We strongly object to this inadequate amount of time to process a piece of policy this large and its potential impacts on the business community across not only L.A. County but the entire state,” wrote BizFed.
“We recommend that the document be scrapped,” wrote Lewis.
The “Vibrant Communities” document has cheerful photos of redwoods and sunflowers on the cover, but inside is a five-page plan to “consider land use in the context of California’s climate change policy,” and to ensure “that all Californians have equitable access to housing, health care, jobs, and opportunity.“
What does that mean, exactly?
According to the CIAQC, it’s “a new set of policies to govern every aspect of land use, transportation and air quality planning in California” written by eight state agencies without adhering to legally required procedures for new regulations.
The plan calls for policies that would allow new developments in previously-developed areas while discouraging “conversion” of open land. It envisions toll lanes (“priced express lanes”), fewer parking spaces (“reduced parking requirements for development”), and incentives for using transit in order to reduce “vehicle miles traveled” (VMT).
Driving, it seems, is the enemy of vibrancy.
But how is the government going to control how much people drive?
The answer can be found in a document released by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research last January. Thrillingly titled, “Revised Proposal on Updates to the CEQA Guidelines on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA,” the guidelines replace concerns about a project’s impact on traffic speed with calculations about the number and distance of vehicle trips it would generate.
A project that exceeds “existing city VMT per capita minus 15 percent” might be in trouble for having a “significant transportation impact.”
Developers have to “mitigate” the impact of their projects, perhaps by paying a lot of money to a government fund. A formula like “VMT per capita minus 15 percent,” being completely arbitrary, can easily be adjusted to generate more revenue.
California’s various climate policies drive up the cost of housing, electricity and transportation. But what do they do for the climate?
Nothing. Not one scientist contends California’s policies will alter the course of climate change. The state generates less than 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. We could kill all the engines and shoot all the cows, and the climate wouldn’t know the difference.
It’s as if the governor of California stood in front of you and said, “Take out your wallet, give me all your money, and I will stop the climate from changing.” Would you do it?
Don’t bother answering. The two-week public comment period is over.