Friend of the Grid,
The Midtown/Downtown Grid is the heart of our city. It is the economic engine that fuels our region. It is the cosmopolitan core that gives our city an identity. It is also the home to tens of thousands of our city’s citizens. From bookstores and galleries, parks and the river, to restaurants and nightlife, the Grid has it all. The businesses, the organizations and the people of the Grid make Sacramento the vibrant, world-class city that it is.
Despite the critical role we play in the city, the interests of the residents of the Grid are ignored at City Hall. On numerous issues, the interests of the outlying areas take precedent over residents of the Grid in making decisions for our neighborhood. Two critical examples:
Development -- Massive, upscale residential developments are consistently favored over affordable middle and working class projects that would be affordable options for those of us who live in the area.
Homelessness – Time and again, decisions are made to ensure that whatever the city chooses to do for our homeless population, it does not happen in “My Backyard”. While most of us on the Grid do not have backyards, NIMBY attitudes too often mean that, instead of employing rational, effective, cost efficient solutions, the homeless end up on our doorsteps.
It is time for a change in the power dynamic in our city. It is time for our community’s interests to be taken seriously at City Hall. Vote the Grid is being created to empower our community. To register, inform and engage voters from all walks of life, all across the Grid. It will use the best of the Grid, music, art and people, to excite and motivate voters and build a more engaged, involved community.
Please join us to discuss the needs of our community and how the organization can fill those needs. We will be meeting on Wednesday, February 10th, 6 pm at the Fungarden (1050 20th St). RSVP requested to devinlavelle@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Devin Lavelle
14 comments:
Really? Your deal? What was the ill fated lobbyist group we tried a few years ago? SLR?
Sacramento is not a world-class city. It's the capital of the what might be the most famous state. I speak from someone who's spent a lot of time on the Pacific Rim. I'm sure if I spent time on the Atlantic side, it would be New York for sure. The capital of California, if you ask most anyone in the world, is LA. Although once in a rare while it is San Francisco or Hollywood.
For the Homeless problem, I like how the explanation of the NIMBY attitude means, "Not in 'the Grid'". Yes, I agree! Send them off to Del Paso were God and Man intended for them to be. Let them dine at Lil Joes and drink the nectar mere mortals call Mad Dog 20/20 away from thine.
The tl;dr version: what a bunch of hooey.
you're just being so honry (how do you spell it?) because you're too far away for me to get at you.
It's annoying to have a terrible mayor that was elected by the voters outside the downtown core because almost all his stupid plans center on fucking with downtown.
As far as homelessness, I'd have to see what they propose. At this point, this is a tiny grassroots startup, I doubt if they are instantly going to lead to mass busing of the homeless.
I wish everyone would drop "world class" once and for all. There's like 5 American cities that qualify for that nebulous term.
That's a nice combo of ornery & horny.
-miller
which pretty much sums up smitty.
i think the word you may be looking for actually is contrary...
persesti = it appears as though smitty's contrary ornery-ness persestis.
Interesting to note that Smitty is the only one talking about the 'World Class city' - neither beckler nor the VtG piece mentions it. Apparently this is a big deal in Korea.
-omf
I hear Korea is the only country with no seasons.
Foster, reread the first paragraph of the "VtG" press release. I agree that this "world class city" stuff is nonsense. My god people, we don't even have a good falafel place downtown. Isn't that item number three on the world class cities checklist?
-biz
OK, I was owned. by Smitty and Biz no less. Next time I'll read the boring parts at the end of the manifesto too.
Yes, WCC status for Sac is, to quote rahm emanuel, retarded.
going to my shame hole now.
-omf
Your man shame hole?
-miller
RE: "affordable middle and working class projects"
i wonder if cities often get proposals for such projects. if votethegrid thinks housing development projects can't be "massive", and that they have to be middle and working class, are there examples of cities making that work? is it possible to build small, cheap housing and make money on it?
smitty's right about their NIMBY solution to NIMBYism. they made me laugh.
Sac has rejected "affordable middle and working class projects" before. That complex across from the Distillery was NIMBY'd by neighborhood groups for its original plans to include affordable housing. The affordable housing part was later left out. (In this case, "affordable housing" meant people making up to around $30,000/yr, which I'd bet is a whole lot of mid/downtown residents.)
BTW, the above is from memory, so I probably have some details wrong - no time to look it up right now, but the info's out there somewhere.
Korea, as you know, is very famous for being the only country with four seasons! Such as, winter, summer, spring and autumn. Plus we have kimchi! The worlds most famous food!
Ask any Korean about the above. I speak the truth!
I think my negative attitude on this group stems from reading too much political crap lately and reading between the lines. This sounds pretty Roxanne to me.
Oh, I forgot the other capital of California -- Las Vegas. I can count how many times I've heard Sacramento with one hand. It's not that I ask people the capital but when asked where I'm from I say California not USA! USA! USA!
so is the consensus that it's just better to pick apart this letter on the internet than to attend this meeting and see what it's all about and maybe try to influence what you think it should focus on. if someone more organized than slr wants to step up i'm all for it. except i have a yoga class.
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