Leadership Circle 2017: State Legislation with Assemblymember David Chiu

Wednesday, December 6, the Greenbelt Alliance Leadership Circle convened for an exclusive luncheon and discussion at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco.

This year’s event featured a high-level discussion between CEO Jeremy Madsen and California State Assemblymember David Chiu. Conversation centered on the many pieces of legislation approved this year by the California State Legislature that are relevant to Greenbelt Alliance’s mission. Topics included legislative action on growth, development, and open space conservation and what these actions might mean for the Bay Area.

Assemblymember Chiu currently represents the 17th Assembly district and previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors where he was noted for his ability to forge consensus and became the first person to be elected three times as President of the Board of Supervisors. In Sacramento, he is a leader at the state level on the land-use issues that Greenbelt Alliance works on at the city, county, and regional level. We are grateful for his friendship, support in helping us further our mission, and his hard work in Sacramento.

“I’ve known about the work of Greenbelt Alliance for many years. Greenbelt Alliance is an amazing organization that’s working to promote smart growth.” – Assemblymember David Chiu

At the luncheon, guests heard Assemblymember Chiu’s take on a variety of topics, including:

1. The 15 bills Governor Jerry Brown signed, aimed at addressing the housing crisis. These bills do things like:
   1. For the first time, establish a permanent source of funding for affordable housing.
   2. Give cities incentives to build more densely around transit stations like BART and Caltrain.
   3. Ensure that cities across the Bay Area are working to build housing near jobs.
2. CASA—a task force created by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to address the housing affordability crisis in the Bay Area—has the potential to bring disparate actors together to resolve differences and focus on crafting smart regional housing policies.
3. SB 5, which passed in September, authorizes a bond measure to be placed on the November 2018 ballot to raise $4.1 billion for parks, open space conservation, and water resource protection around the state. As the first statewide bond measure to fund parks and open spaces in 12 years, legislators such as Assemblymember Chiu plan to work hard to pass the measure in 2018.
4. 2017 was a big year for both housing and transportation in California. Measures to improve aging transportation infrastructure across the state and generate revenue for transportation projects around the Bay Area will be on the ballot in 2018.
5. In response to legislation at the national level, California must lead now more than ever before and work to defend itself from policies harmful to affordable housing, smart growth, and conservation in the Bay Area and across the state. Assemblymember Chiu noted that leadership from organizations like Greenbelt Alliance play a critical role in this struggle.

Click here to see photos from the event.

The Leadership Circle is a donor society open to those who give $5,000 or more to Greenbelt Alliance during a single fiscal year. Their willingness to champion our core work towards a more sustainable and inclusive Bay Area makes a real impact on our mission. Learn more about the Leadership Circle and how to become a member here.