HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-18-2014 Memo Item 10 Written Communications
City of Saratoga
Memorandum
To: Saratoga City Council
From: Crystal Bothelio, City Clerk
Date: June 18, 2014
Subject: Written Communications Item 10 – Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement and
Cooperation Agreement to Undertake CDBG
After the agenda packet for the June 18, 2014 City Council meeting was prepared, the
City received written communications on Agenda Item Communications Item 10 – Joint
Exercise of Powers Agreement and Cooperation Agreement to Undertake CDBG. The
written communications are attached to this memo.
Wednesday,
June
18,
2014
1:58:03
PM
Pacific
Daylight
Time
Page
1
of
2
Subject:FW:
City
Council
meeting
agenda
item
10
comments
Date:Tuesday,
June
17,
2014
9:43:05
AM
Pacific
Daylight
Time
From:City
Council
<saratoga_cc@saratoga.ca.us>
To:Chuck
Page
<cpage@saratoga.ca.us>,
Jill
Hunter
<jhunter@saratoga.ca.us>,
Howard
Miller
<hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>,
Manny
Cappello
<mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>,
Dave
Anderson
<davea@saratoga.ca.us>,
Emily
Lo
<elo@saratoga.ca.us>,
City
Clerk
[Crystal
Bothelio]
<ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us>
________________________________________
From:
Gpupdates
Sent:
Tuesday,
June
17,
2014
9:42:55
AM
(UTC-‐08:00)
Pacific
Time
(US
&
Canada)
To:
City
Council
Cc:
James
Lindsay
Subject:
City
Council
meeting
agenda
item
10
comments
Dear
Mayor
and
City
Council,
Thank
you
for
all
of
your
work
on
behalf
of
the
residents
of
the
City
of
Saratoga.
It
is
much
appreciated.
The
following
are
my
comments
for
your
consideration
regarding
your
agenda
item
10
for
your
June
18,
2014
City
Council
meeting:
Joint
Exercise
of
Powers
Agreement/CDBG.
As
you
know,
the
decisions
you
make
as
City
Council
members
on
behalf
of
the
residents
of
Saratoga
very
much
matter.
I
am
requesting
that
you
defer
item
10,
to
conduct
the
necessary
due
diligence
required
on
this
item
before
consideration
to
ensure
that
the
residents
of
the
City
of
Saratoga
are
best
served
by
your
decision
on
this
matter.
In
support
of
your
legal
requirements
of
due
diligence
in
conducting
the
business
of
the
people,
I
offer
the
following
for
your
consideration:
1.
affordable
housing
as
manifest
in
RHNA
and
HUD
programs
is
not
about
affordable
housing.
It's
about
government
assigned
housing,
taxpayer
subsidized
housing,
deed
restricted
housing
and
below
market
rate
housing.
It's
about
the
government
taking
control
of
what
is
now
a
free
housing
market.
This
is
occurring
through
a
process
known
as
"gradualism".
If
one
extrapolates
this
affordable
housing
program
to
an
end
result
that
is
unabated,
we
will
all
be
living
in
subsidized,
high
density,
government
assigned
housing
and
the
free
housing
market
will
then
collapse.
Is
this
what
you
want
for
your
children
and
grandchildren?
"Government
is
not
reason,
it
is
not
eloquence,
it
is
force.
And
force
like
fire,
is
a
demanding
servant
and
a
fearful
master."
George
Washington
I
do
not
want
to
live
in
high
density
housing
to
which
the
government
assigns
me.
People
have
a
Page
2
of
2
I
do
not
want
to
live
in
high
density
housing
to
which
the
government
assigns
me.
People
have
a
right
to
make
their
own
choice
of
where
they
want
to
live.
Fair
housing
laws
have
been
about
allowing
people
to
choose
where
they
live
free
from
discrimination
because
of
their
race
and
other
similar
factors.
2.
The
government
definition
of
affordable
housing
appears
to
be
30%
of
any
individuals
income.
It
seems
our
federal
government
is
trying
to
engineer
the
spending
of
the
American
people.
Note
the
parallel
with
the
Farm
Bill
regarding
food
costs
as
a
percentage
of
income.
If
interested,
see
the
movie
"King
Corn"
for
details.
People
have
the
right
to
spend
whatever
amount
they
choose
for
themselves
on
their
abode.
3.
Joint
powers
agreements
are
governance,
not
government.
In
reviewing
this
JPA
there
are
a
number
of
concerns
I
have
with
the
language
and
commitments
that
the
City
makes
that
obligates
our
residents
to
sustainable
development
principles
that
they
would
likely
not
otherwise
consent
to
if
they
understood
the
meaning
of
these
terms
and
the
intentions
of
this
program.
Please
see
the
following
references
on
this
topic:
*Rockefeller
Commission
report
on
Population
and
the
American
Future.
http://www.population-‐
security.org/rockefeller/001_population_growth_and_the_american_future.htm
*The
Unfinished
Agenda:
Environmental
Quality
Council
Citizens
Task
Force
sponsored
by
Rockefeller
Brothers
Fund.
www.geraldbarney.com/Rockefeller_Brothers_Fund/Unfinished.pdf
*Towards
a
Sustainable
America:
President
Clinton's
President's
Council
on
Sustainable
Development
http://clinton2.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/index.html
*Fair
Housing
law
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/FHLaws
*Westchester
County
HUD
settlement.
It
is
my
understanding
that
Westchester
County
has
complied
with
the
HUD
settlement
and
HUD
has
demanded
additional
terms
outside
of
that
settlement
which
Westchester
County
believes
are
unambiguously
beyond
the
settlement.
In
response,
Westchester
County
has
refused
HUD
grant
funds
and
the
myriad
of
strings
attached
and
are
looking
into
establishing
a
local
grant
program.
Wednesday,
June
18,
2014
1:58:33
PM
Pacific
Daylight
Time
Page
1
of
1
Subject:FW:
City
Council
meeting
agenda
item
10:
Joint
Exercise
of
Powers
Agreement
and
Cooperation
Agreement
to
Undertake
CDBG
Activities
Date:Tuesday,
June
17,
2014
6:05:22
PM
Pacific
Daylight
Time
From:City
Council
<saratoga_cc@saratoga.ca.us>
To:Chuck
Page
<cpage@saratoga.ca.us>,
Jill
Hunter
<jhunter@saratoga.ca.us>,
Howard
Miller
<hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>,
Manny
Cappello
<mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>,
Dave
Anderson
<davea@saratoga.ca.us>,
Emily
Lo
<elo@saratoga.ca.us>,
City
Clerk
[Crystal
Bothelio]
<ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us>
________________________________________
From:
Mark
Weisler
Sent:
Tuesday,
June
17,
2014
6:05:03
PM
(UTC-‐08:00)
Pacific
Time
(US
&
Canada)
To:
City
Council
Cc:
James
Lindsay
Subject:
City
Council
meeting
agenda
item
10:
Joint
Exercise
of
Powers
Agreement
and
Cooperation
Agreement
to
Undertake
CDBG
Activities
Dear
Mayor
and
City
Council,
I
am
concerned
that
the
proposed
agreement
gives
away
property
rights
and
changes
the
climate
and
culture
of
Saratoga
without
sufficient
discussion
and
approval
of
the
citizens.
I
don't
think
we
need
to
agree
with
terms
such
as
"cooperate
to
undertake,
or
assist
in
undertaking,
community
renewal
and
lower-‐income
housing
assistance
activities"
with
entities
outside
of
our
own
City
government.
I
request
that
this
agenda
item
be
deferred
and
that
a
community
workshop
be
help
this
summer
to
explore
the
ideas,
terms,
economics,
and
obligations
surrounding
this
proposed
agreement.
Thank
you
for
your
consideration.
-‐-‐
Mark
Weisler