To the extent that wars can be noble, in terms of lofty goals, the Iraq war qualifies. It is also racked up its long list of pain and horrors, following up the initial shock and awe.

The following are comments presented to the Land Use and Housing Committee on February 12, 2003, concerning General Plan Update Work program for the Planning Department. The group's purpose is to update the General Plan and Community Plans to become consistent with the Strategic Framework Element, aka “City of Villages.”

Her letter was headlined “A Prayer for Success.” It read, “Christmas is not such a happy time when your rent is scheduled to increase at the beginning of January 1 – and your income has not increased proportionately.” This is a story as old as the story of human habitation…

The following is a condensed version of remarks from a speech I made to a San Diego Chamber of Commerce audience, entitled “Balancing Progress With Preservation.”

How did they plan great cities before we had fancy computers to draw colorful maps? Are cities planned better since? These questions were brought into focus recently when I attended a meeting where developers were presenting their ground-truthing for the County's General Plan 2020 update.

What do soccer moms, bored teenagers and weary commuters have in common? They are identified as just a few of the "victims of sprawl" in "Suburban Nation," a book by leading new urbanist designers and implementors: Andres Duany, Elizatbeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck.

I do not disagree that this "Strategic Framework Element" for the General Plan contains some good language. But good language that is not enforceable and sets no standards is just that: pretty prose and nothing more.

Bills are being pursued in the State legislature ... to give more land-use power to the San Diego Association of Governments by establishing it as the official, state-mandated regional government.

On May 1, 2002, Watt Commercial Properties had workers chop down three mature jacaranda trees in downtown San Diego.

I spent some volunteer hours over the holidays pouring over political campaign donor reports – wondering and learning – who gives?

District Attorney is up for re-election with a field of three healthy challengers in the March 5 primary.

Fifty years of lopsided spending [by SANDAG] on transportation has both failed to deliver reasonable traffic conditions and greatly contributed to the region's environmental degradation especially the fragmentation of open space and water pollution.

The foreseeable problems identified by RGEC - continued declines in quality of life due to sprawl, loss of open space, funding and infrastructure deficits, pollution and traffic - are unlikely to be solved until some accountable regional decision-making body is established to enhance the current limitations and biases of the SANDAG "agency-by-memo" structure.

Higher taxes or higher traffic? Which would you choose? The problem is, we are getting both.

The city of San Diego Planning Department is all honked-up in its production of an amendment to the General Plan, something blandly called the Strategic Framework Element.

Debate rages over instituting a new form of regional government in San Diego. Why? If a recent San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board hearing is any indication, our current version of regional government simply isn't up to the complex task of deliberating and resolving the critical issues concerning growth management.

If regionalism is the answer, what's the question? And who's asking it?

Carolyn reports on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) annual retreat.

The Golden State has lost its glow -- literally. We are now the "Brownout State" and who can you call? Carolyn comments on the energy mess.

The State Regional Water Quality Control Board in an attempt to further regulate and change the practices that have led to persistent water pollution has finally issued a new Municipal Stormwater Permit.

Affordable housing

Mission Bay, Sea World and water pollution

Pollution solutions/energy

Subsidizing "bad behavior"

What would a great transportation system be like?

Election politics

Schools vs. affordable housing

Election politics

Technology/internet

Public weighs in on bad roads

BIG signs not needed

Solutions & the paradox of suto-mobility

Electric cars -- the single biggest thing an individual can do

Public participation

Recycled products purchasing co-op

Thinking regionally

Smart growth

Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices