By the time you
read this, we will know if planning in California has changed in
dramatic and fundamental ways. Even if Proposition 90 on the
November ’06 ballot is (was) defeated, we can anticipate more or
similar efforts in the future. The assault on planning and
environmental regulations has been cleverly packaged to appeal to
the public’s fear of eminent domain after the Supreme Court’s
Kelo Decision – we will have to wait and see how this continues
to play out at the state and local levels.
Also on the ballot
are (were) a number of expensive infrastructure bond measures. Even
if some or all of these do (did) not pass this time, the Governor
and the State are now focused on infrastructure improvements, so we
will also have to monitor closely how that focus becomes realized in
the coming months. That and the Governor’s Global Warming bill have
made for a hectic election season in Sacramento - stay tuned for
more on these issues in the (near) future.
This summer,
representatives from our eight chapters gathered in Walnut Creek for
a Chapter Summit to help plan the direction of AEP for the
next two years. It was a very enjoyable and rewarding event, and we
want to thank Dev Vrat, Joan Douglas, and Lynne Bynder for its
planning. The Chapters identified the following three main goals to
focus on over the next two years:
To these ends, we
will be hiring a consulting firm before the end of the year to
update and improve our website and its services to industry
standards. Look forward to online registration for local and
state-wide events, even with credit cards, connectivity to all
chapter websites and the state website, regular maintenance and
monitoring of all websites to keep information current, avenues for
member interaction and comment. One major idea was to create more
real time notification of members on “breaking events” especially
proposed legislation or regulations that affect our members. Look
for it!
This year, we have
already increased promotion and marketing of AEP in a number
of ways, including “CEQA 101” presentations to the League of
California Cities, American Planning Association, and joint
workshops with the Urban Land Institute. We are continuing to
increase our visibility in Sacramento to state representatives and
agency leaders. I will be working with our Executive Board and
Stefan/George Associates to craft a comprehensive program that will
promote AEP to other professional organizations and the state. We
will use the joint NAEP-AEP Conference in San Diego in 2008 as a
focal point to help increase AEP membership. We welcome any
suggestions you may have on ways to effectively promote AEP – Think
about it!
In the coming
months we will be developing plans to identify, train, and retain
leaders, both at the chapter and state levels. We have
already started by providing leadership training at the Chapter
Summit, and we will continue offering opportunities to train our
current and future leaders (i.e., 2007 State Conference sessions).
Another important aspect of this training is how to provide
officer transition when turnover occurs on a chapter or the
state board. As new people cycle onto boards and existing officers
cycle off - we must find ways to maintain continuity and our
“corporate memory” through this process of change.
We will also be
identifying ways our chapters can attract new members and retain
existing members at the local level. If you have never been active
in your chapter or at the state level, or you were in the past but
felt “burned out.” I encourage you to contact your local chapter
board, our state board members, or myself and let us know how you
would like to participate in the future. You may only have time or
interest in a specific task or program, but let us know that too. We
are investigating forming new chapters in the Central Valley,
Redding, and other locations where we want to expand member services
and activities. Watch for more on this soon!
We are trying to
find ways to provide valuable services to our NAEP members as
well, as evidenced by the “NAEP News” items in the Environmental
Monitor. If you are an NAEP member in California and you have ideas
on ways we can better serve you, please contact Brian Smith with URS
Corporation, our NAEP Liaison via phone or e-mail. Two upcoming
events I want to highlight before I close my message. First, the
2007 AEP State Conference is in Shell Beach near San Luis Obispo on
April 29 – May 2 next year. It may be a bit out of the way, but we
know it will provide a high quality, resort-style conference
experience so make your plans today to attend!
Second, the 2007
NAEP National Conference is April 22-25 in Orlando, Florida. If you
have never attended a NAEP Conference, I highly recommend them, even
if your work or interests are purely in the CEQA realm and you have
no interest in NEPA or national legislation or regulations. Last
year was my first national conference after joining NAEP and I found
many of the panels and events provided information that was directly
applicable to my CEQA work and personal professional development. I
know the NAEP and AEP conferences are very close together (one
week), and certainly we do not want our state conference to suffer
attendance due to its proximity to the national event. However, I
simply ask you to consider participating in the NAEP event,
especially in two years when we will sponsor a Joint NAEP-AEP
Conference in San Diego in 2008 – I can promise you this will be
an event to long remember! In closing, we would be very interested
in any ideas you have on new or better services we can provide – we
are here to help you” (no, we are not the government). Remember,
this is your organization, so Be Involved! Thank you…
