May 2007 Board Meeting SummarY

• Received a Quarterly Report from John Howe, Sunnyvale Council Member and Cities Association Representative to LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission).  LAFCO is a state mandated local agency set up to oversee the boundaries of cities and special districts.  LAFCO encourages orderly boundaries, preserving of agricultural and open space lands and discourages urban sprawl. John explained the LAFCO policies on annexation and the South County Agricultural Policy.  Board members were encouraged to contact LAFCO staff with specific questions.
• Margaret Bruce, SVLG Director of Environmental Programs, distributed a pamphlet on the organization’s Silicon Valley Clean and Green Energy Action Plan that contains the projects and initiatives that have been embraced by the SVLG’s members and Sustainable Silicon Valley’s CO₂ Report 2006.  She gave a brief overview of Sustainable Silicon Valley and encouraged cities to become members if they have not already done so.  Shiloh Ballard, SVLG Director of Housing and Community Development discussed the Green Building Initiative and invited interested Board Members to attend the Green Building Policy Workshop on Wed. June 27 at Adobe Headquarters in downtown San Jose.  Shiloh asked for input from the Board on discussion topics at the workshop.  A suggestion was to have a priority list for the private sector.  What would make the largest difference?  Justin Bradley, SVLG Director of Energy Programs, spoke on solar opportunities and encouraged participation at the Energy Summit on June 1 at Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose.  Former Sec. of State George Shultz will be the Keynote Speaker.
• Betsy Shotwell, San Jose Director of Intergovernmental Relations, informed the Board that the High Speed Rail discussions in Sacramento are tied to the Budget.  Discussions that are occurring in Sacramento.
• Jim Lawson, VTA State and Regional Government Affairs Manager, gave an update on the status of the 2006 Infrastructure Bond Initiative.  Jim discussed the MTC requirement that for VTA to receive its population based formula share of the infrastructure bond, VTA needs to resolve a Caltrain right-of-way agreement with SamTrans.  Jim stated this MTC requirement should not be imposed by MTC and he encouraged Board members to communicate this to MTC Chair Bill Dodd.

• City Reports: City Reports:  At each Board Meeting, members are encouraged to share information about upcoming events, recent milestones, best practices, etc. with other Board members. Members reporting:
• Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto announced that Affordable Housing Week is May 12-20 and the Board was encouraged to attend the Palo Alto Affordable Housing Bus Tour on Sat., May 19. Contact Bena Chang, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, bchang@svlg.net;  408.501.7870 OR Mimi Rayl; Palo Alto Housing Corporation; mrayl@paloaltohousingcorp.org; 650.321.9709 x18. Yoriko also announced the beginning of a second Farmers’ Market at California Ave. in Palo Alto.
• Mayor Joe Pirzynski announced that Los Gatos won the Bocce Ball Tournament.  Joe said it was a great event and encouraged cities to sign up for next year’s event.
• Kathleen King announced that her city is going through “garbage issues” and would like any Lessons Learned from other cities.  Don Burr responded that he had just come from a West Valley Solid Waste Management Authority Meeting.   The communities are going through a transition period.
• Sam Liccardo announced that San Jose has approved a number of high-rise multifamily buildings.  City Heights had a grand opening and there are a number of projects to follow.
• Nick Galiotto announced the dedication of the new Mountain View Parking Garage.  Nick distributed flyers and pointed out how the building does not look like a typical parking structure.
• Mayor Otto Lee informed the Board on the solar project at Applied Materials and gave an update on the new redevelopment plans for Downtown Sunnyvale.  The city is looking to begin demolition of the old structures within the next week.
• Mayor Al Pinheiro announced that he has sent a letter to each city council inviting them to Gilroy’s May 19^th opening of its transformed Downtown Streetscape.  The celebration is 3-9 pm and not only is the retail sector of the downtown transformed, there is new affordable housing being built adjacent to the Downtown.
• Mayor Jose Esteves announced that Milpitas is building a new library on North Main Street.
• The Board was reminded to have their cities’ Joint Policy Collaborative Committee member attend the June 7 meeting from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Santa Clara City Council Chambers.  This meeting will be a policy discussion of global warming/climate protection issues and how cities can take a leadership role.
• A reminder to participate in the Legislative Action Day with the League of California Cities, Wednesday, May 16.
• A reminder to encourage your colleagues to attend the Ethics and Leadership Camp for Elected Officials at Santa Clara University; June 27-28.
• Next Board Meeting is Thursday, June 7, 7 pm at the Santa Clara City Council Chambers.