REFUTING A FLYER: CASE STUDY FROM 'ONE BAY AREA'--THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA REGIONAL PLAN
We all know how important it is to be sure that our information is accurate when we're presenting it to the public and to our allies in the struggle against global governance. We received someone's flyer about ONEBAYAREA that was full of exaggeration and mis-information. It might feel good to put together something that gets people riled up, but as soon as they go out to take on the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Council of Government they'll get an unpleasant jolt. It's best to stick to the facts: they're bad enough!
Click here to see a refutation of the flyer making the rounds in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kay Tokerud, Project Coordinator for Post Sustainability Institute put this together--her comments are in bold.
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, North Bay Patriots 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.
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.