UBC study links living near highways to risk of neurological disorders

By Tiffany Crawford :vancouversun – excerpt

Researchers at the University of B.C. have found a link between living near highways and an increased risk of several major neurological disorders, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

The study, published this week in Environmental Health, found proximity to major roads may also increase the risk for multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s diseases, likely because of exposure to more air pollution such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.

Lead author Weiran Yuchi, and a team of researchers at the UBC school of population and public health, analyzed data for 678,000 adults between the ages of 45 and 84 in Metro Vancouver. The subjects were interviewed from 1994 to 1998, and again during a follow-up period from 1999 to 2003…(more)

And, as some are pointing out, living in close quarters is also unhealthy when it comes to spreading pathogens. Note: The “city” of Wuhan under quarantine has a population of 14 million people. That is big as the state of Ohio and dwarfs US Cities. These are the megalopolis “cities of tomorrow” pushed by the urbanists and world government enthusiasts. I prefer Jefferson’s ideal of independence and self reliance.

Another reason to oppose SB50 and state-ordered dense cities.

SMART tax opponents’ poll shows measure failing

By Will Houston : marinij – excerpt

Newly released poll results by opponents of SMART’s sales tax extension ballot measure show the measure failing to meet the two-thirds voter approval required to pass.

When asked by the Baselice & Associates firm in Austin, Texas, if they would support the 30-year extension of SMART’s existing quarter-cent sales tax under Measure I, Sonoma voters split at 63% yes and 31% no, and Marin County voters were divided at 61% for and 32% against, according to the firm.

When more information about the measure was presented to the 601 polled voters, support dropped to 43% and opposition grew to 49% in Sonoma. In Marin, support declined to 46% and opposition…(more)

Newsom hosts National Governors Association in San Francisco, says infrastructure projects a priority

By Christien Kafton : ktvu – (includes video)

Gavin Newsom hosts National Governor’s Association in San Francisco, says infrastructure is a priority

Christien Kafton reports from San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO – California Governor Gavin Newsom along with the governors of Maryland and Montana toured San Francisco’s latest major infrastructure project, the Transbay Transit Center.

California’s governor says major projects like this are critical to stimulate the economy and meet global climate change goals…(more)

We beg to differ over the need to stimulate the economy. If anything it needs to chill, and the need is to fix the old systems that are failing before investing and more new ones.

The real story behind SB 50 – The senate bill that will change your neighborhood, forever

By Jason Bezos : marinpost – excerpt

If powerful special interests in Sacramento get their way, the State Legislature will effectively eliminate local control of planning and growth, open the door to urbanization of suburban neighborhoods, and outlaw single-family zoned neighborhoods in California by the end of January.

Prominent legislators, such as State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), have been gaming the system and working in concert with corporate-funded lobbyists and “housing policy consultants,” to make sure that pro-development legislation, Senate Bill 50, is passed this month. If the Senate approves SB 50 in the next ten days, and Governor Newsom signs it into law, your community will never be the same, and there will be nothing your locally elected City Council can do about it…

Worse still, the cumulative impacts of SB 50 combined with the slew of new laws Governor Newsom already signed in the fall of 2019 — which include the new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) laws that allow all single-family zoned lots to approved for triplex development – will be overwhelming…(more)

Lawsuit accuses Reno of shady dealings with ordinance change

sfgate – excerpt

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A church built in downtown Reno nearly a century ago is among those suing the city over a change in a shade ordinance they say is intended to benefit a luxury hotel development that could have been subject to more stringent height-related restrictions.

The suit filed Jan. 6 in Washoe County District Court accuses the city of violating the state Constitution and open meeting law while letting neighbors be harmed, according to the Reno Gazette Journal…

It prohibited any structure more than 35 feet (10 meters) tall from casting a shadow on residential properties and downtown parks and plazas during the winter solstice. That’s the day between Dec. 21-23 when shadows reach their longest point in the year…(more)

The Democracy Rebellion: A Reporter’s Notebook with Hedrick

PBS special – The Democracy Rebellion

Journalist Hedrick Smith travels the country looking for positive stories of democratic reform and finds them in six states where grassroots activists are fighting to equal the playing field…

Journalist Hedrick Smith travels the country looking for positive stories of democratic reform and finds them in six states where grassroots activists are fighting to equal the playing field… (more)

Why is DWR Helping Trump Weaken Bay-Delta Protections?

By Doug Obegi : nrdc – excerpt

Why is the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) collaborating with the Trump Administration to weaken protections for salmon and other endangered species in the Bay-Delta, even as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has strongly opposed these rollbacks, and the State announced in November that it will sue to invalidate the Trump Administration’s environmental rollback in the Bay-Delta?

Confused? So are we. It’s time for DWR to stop acting like a Trump Administration agency and get on board with the Newsom Administration.

Sadly, water districts and the federal government agree with NRDC that DWR’s Draft Environmental Impact Report describes a proposal for operations of the State Water Project that is very similar to the Trump Administration’s biological opinions rolling back protections for endangered species in the Bay-Delta:…(more)

American Housing Is Insane

routefifty – excerpt

In Manhattan, the homeless shelters are full, and the luxury skyscrapers are vacant.

Such is the tale of two cities within America’s largest metro. Even as 80,000 people sleep in New York City’s shelters or on its streets, Manhattan residents have watched skinny condominium skyscrapers rise across the island. These colossal stalagmites initially transformed not only the city’s skyline but also the real-estate market for new homes. From 2011 to 2019, the average price of a newly listed condo in New York soared from $1.15 million to $3.77 million.

But the bust is upon us. Today, nearly half of the Manhattan luxury-condo units that have come onto the market in the past five years are still unsold, according to The New York Times…(more)

California State Senate District 13 Candidate Forum and Links

by Tonia Sole : patch – excerpt

Candidates Josh Becker, Michael Brownrigg, Alex Glew, Sally Lieber, Shelly Masur, and Annie Oliva vie to replace Jerry Hill.

Wednesday evening a forum featuring five of the six candidates running to replace California State Senator Jerry Hill was held at the Menlo Atherton High School Performing Arts Center Theatre. The five candidates present included Josh Becker, a public policy innovator; Michael Brownrigg, Council member and former mayor of Burlingame; Alex Glew, a licensed professional engineer; Sally Lieber, former assembly women and Mayor of Mountain View, and Shelly Masur, Vice Mayor and Council Member Redwood City. Candidate Annie Oliva, a real estate agent, sent a message that due to a recent death she would be unable to attend. San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine was the moderator asking the questions that had been submitted and selected by the various organizations sponsoring the event…(more)

Massive Potrero Power Plant Project Refined, Slated for Approval

socketsite – excerpt

The refined plans, development agreement and final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the the proposed redevelopment of the 29-acre Potrero Power Plant site could be approved and certified by San Francisco’s Planning Commission in two weeks time, clearing the way for San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to re-zone and raise the height limit for the site for development up to 240 feet in height, which is down from 300 feet in height as originally proposed…(more)