350 Climate Hub – Help for making 7/16 Planning Commission meeting comments and ZOOM videos.

We encourage you to comment this Thursday TODAY to the County Planning Commission about the General Plan Update. It starts at 8:30; can send email, speak by ZOOM, or go to the Govt Center. Invite others to comment. Here is background; attachments of four comments submitted yesterday and link to CFROG’s sign-on letter; ideas to help us all be aligned; the how-to’s for commenting by email, ZOOM or in person::
  1. The deadline for comment to be printed in packets for the Commissioners was yesterday 5 pm.
  2. Deadline for comment for the record today 3:30 pm as is the deadline to register to speak to Commissioners by ZOOM tomorrow.
  3. Attached 350 VC Climate Hub comments that contain short version of recommendations about Regnerative Ag (350 VC Climate Hub Comment)
  4.  Attached Sierra Club’s statement in support of the proposed ban on natural gas connections in new construction. (Sierra Club)
  5. Attached Dietrick Institute comment with case more fully made for adding policy and program to promote regenerative agriculture. (Dietrick Institute comment)
  6. Attached Ron’s comment from Rincon-Vitova about how the calculated the Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Final Environmental Impact Report appear incomplete (Rincon-Vitova Comment)
  7. Link to CFROG’s sign-on letter — You can still sign until 3:30 today for the record
  8. The 350 Climate Hub PETITION WAS NOT SENT YESTERDAY. IT WASN’T WORKING PROPERLY SO THERE WERE TOO FEW SIGNATURES. I’ll send it by 3:30 today for the record and keep it running. Please try again if you had problems before and ask people to sign it–we have 36 and we can exceed 100 by Thurs am
  9. A lot of good policy is in the Draft Plan because of our hard work last year  submitting to the Planning Commissioners. 
  10. If you like our recommendation to make a policy and a program for promoting Regenerative Agriculture, you can help make that happen by endorsing it. 
  11. The Board will meet and finalize on Sept 1. We and 350 are aligned with CFROG to not call the General Plan a  Climate Action Plan (CAP) as they have intended. We want and deserve a stronger Climate Action Plan. If they call it a CAP, CFROG has a good case to sue them
  12. FYI  assembled more info about gas stoves https://world.350.org/ventura/2020/07/14/county-must-help-replace-gas-stoves-to-reduce-air-pollution/  and refer to that in the comment
  13. FYI assembled many points about the NASA mapping of methane plumes . https://world.350.org/ventura/2020/07/13/ventura-county-plan-eir-says-methane-super-emitters-dont-count/

Tips For speaking!

  • It would be awesome if each of you would comment on Thursday by ZOOM, by email or you want to go in person–they have arrangements for social distancing.
  • Speak on your issue or in support of some part of the comments we’ve attached or CFROG’s comments. There may be opponents of our ideas speaking–people organized by SoCal Gas and COLAB in favor of natural gas connections in new construction. They are filling people’s heads with incorrect statements about the costs.
  • We have been given 3 minutes in the past, but it’s possible we’ll only be given 2 minutes to speak, or even 1 minute if there are over 100 people.
  • What we talk about is not as important as that we show up and speak from the heart to help the Commissioners follow their highest vision in their recommendations to the Board.

WHAT DO I SAY?!?

If you can, please consider being aligned with these ideas if you speak on them:

  1. This General Plan is NOT our Climate Action Plan (our top point and CFROG’s bottom point) DON’T call this a Climate Action Plan.
  2. Applaud Sierra Club’s comment in support of banning gas connections in new construction (Sierra Club)
  3. Support 350’s comment requiring mitigations for air quality in and outside of homes of low-income POC. (You might add that every home is a school 7 days a week, children need broader protection from cumulative effects from multiple sources of air pollution.) (350 VC Climate Hub Comment)
  4. Optional: EJ requires investment in Community Public Health Workers speaking to peers about risks they face and guiding them through their options to protect themselves while we work on cleaning up the air pollution and other inequities in our community.
  5. Optional: Applaud 350 and Dietrick Institute request for a policy and program to promote regenerative agriculture. (Dietrick Institute comment)
  6. Optional: Suggest a program for the county’s food services to buy an increasing amount of local food.with benchmarks.

How can I make a good ZOOM better?

If you comment via ZOOM and use your camera, make it a performance. Face a window or light with no bright light behind you. When you speak from the heart and people can see your face, a powerful connection is possible and helps people believe what you say. Look into the lens. Tape notes right behind the camera lens (not down by the monitor or on the desk) so viewers can see your eyes.

Can I see the Draft Plan?

  • The draft general plan and environmental impact report are posted on a website at https://vc2040.org. They also may be viewed during business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Planning Division’s public counter on the third floor of the Hall of Administration.
  • Digital versions of the draft general plan and the environmental impact report are available through Ventura County Library services, https://www.vencolibrary.org/.
  • For more information, contact Susan Curtis, manager of the general plan update, at 805-654-2497 or by email at susan.curtis@ventura.org.
 You can do key word searches in the various Elements or parts of the Draft Plan: 
  1. Introduction
  2. Land Use and Community Character Element
  3. Housing Element (*The certified 2014-2021 Housing Element consists of Chapter 3.3 of the Goals, Policies and Programs document with supporting documentation in Chapter 3.3 of the Land Use Appendix. Click here to access the certified 2014-2021 Housing Element)
  4. Circulation, Transportation, and Mobility Element
  5. Public Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure Element
  6. Conservation and Open Space Element
  7. Hazards and Safety Element
    1. Indivisible Ventura previously published this post on the noise impacts of fracking.
  8. Agriculture Element
  9. Water Resources Element
  10. Economic Vitality Element
  11. Area Plans (combined)
  12. Glossary
You can  email longer written comments for the record to susan.curtis@ventura.org by today at 3:30 pm . It won’t go into the packets for the commissioners to have printed out at the Hearing. They try to look at everything online.

HOW TO COMMENT DURING THE PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING THURS JULY 16 (STARTS 8:30 AM): Learn how to comment during the Hearing on this webpage: https://vcrma.org/public-comments-for-planning-commission-h….

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE COUNTY WEBSITE:
“Due to social distancing measures, there is limited seating in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room. [Apparently there will be other seating nearby.”

SUBMIT A WHITE SPEAKER CARD OR PINK STATEMENT CARD TO THE CLERK:Names of public comment speakers will be called in advance to allow you time to walk to the Board Hearing Room so you may provide your comment. Please practice social distancing and remain six feet apart from others.

CALL IN PUBLIC COMMENTS USING ZOOM: Click here to register no later than 3:30 p.m. the day prior to the Commission meeting. Please provide your name, email, and the phone number you will be calling in from. You will receive an email with the Zoom meeting link and password by 5:00 a.m. the day of the Commission meeting.

THE LINK TO THE WEBFORM TO REGISTER BY 3:30 WED. FOR ZOOM CALL ON THURS:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zzeriBKbTAyH7fE5mjbjPQ

EMAIL PUBLIC COMMENT DURING THE MEETING: If you are watching the live stream of the Planning Commission meeting…please submit your comment, limited to 250 words or less, to the Recording Secretary at Planning.PCComments@ventura.org. This e-mail address will not be operational until the day of the meeting. Include in the Subject Line both the Agenda item number (CASE NUMBER PL17-0141) and the words “Read at Meeting.” Every effort will be made to read your comment into the record, otherwise they will be made part of the record if received prior to the end of the meeting. The General Plan is Agenda item number 6. The Agenda: https://ventura.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php…