Local Governmental Meetings on Environmental Issues
For Environmental Law, you are required to attend a governmental meeting on an environmental issue.
To show that you attended a meeting, bring a printed copy of the meeting agenda with a signature of a key participant in the meeting. Most of the time, that will be the Clerk of the organization holding the meeting. However, I urge you to go up to the members of the council or board before the meeting to get their signature. They always enjoy contact with students.
Here are examples of governmental meetings:
Planning Commissions and City Council/Board of Supervisors meetings. Planning Commissions meet solely to discuss land use issues, which require an environmental impact analysis for any project that they consider. City Council agendas are about 85% on land use issues.
Go watch a meeting where you live. Check the jurisdiction’s website for time and location.
Examples are:
1. City of San Jose, www.sanjoseca.gov.
There are 12 counties and 150 cities within 100 miles of SJSU and SCU. Feel free to attend a meeting in any of them.
In addition, there are specialized environmental agencies and you may wish to attend their meetings:
1. Santa Clara Valley Water District, www.valleywater.org.
The Board meets Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m., and occasionally on Tuesday evenings. In addition, there are a number of advisory council meetings that you might attend. For example, I sit on the Independent Monitoring Committee, which oversees $1.2 billion of water projects.
2. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, www.baaqmd.gov.
The Hearing Board typcially tries cases every other Thursday at 9:30 am at 939 Ellis, San Francisco. I serve on the Hearing Board, and our cases involve any situation where there is a disagreement between BAAQMD staff and a company over an air pollution issue.
3. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.www.bcdc.ca.gov. Meets on every other Thursday at 1 p.m. at locations throughout Bay Area. BCDC regulates any project involving filling in San Francisco Bay.
4. San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.www.waterboards.ca.gov. Meets on second Wednesday at 9 am in Oakland. They regulate water pollution in the Bay Area. There is a separate board for the Monterey Bay area.
5. California Coastal Commission. www.coastal.ca.gov.
Regulates land use near the ocean. Meets monthly for 3 days, starting on second Wednesday, at locations on the coast in California.
6. Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). Meets quarterly on Wednesdays at the County Board of Supervisors chambers, 70 W. Hedding, San Jose 95110. I serve on LAFCo, which regulates the growth of cities and audits the performance of special districts in the county. Every county has a LAFCo.
There are many other agencies with similar specialized environmental responsibility.
For Environmental Law, you are required to attend a governmental meeting on an environmental issue.
To show that you attended a meeting, bring a printed copy of the meeting agenda with a signature of a key participant in the meeting. Most of the time, that will be the Clerk of the organization holding the meeting. However, I urge you to go up to the members of the council or board before the meeting to get their signature. They always enjoy contact with students.
Here are examples of governmental meetings:
Planning Commissions and City Council/Board of Supervisors meetings. Planning Commissions meet solely to discuss land use issues, which require an environmental impact analysis for any project that they consider. City Council agendas are about 85% on land use issues.
Go watch a meeting where you live. Check the jurisdiction’s website for time and location.
Examples are:
1. City of San Jose, www.sanjoseca.gov.
- Planning Commission- meets most Monday evenings
- City Council- meets most Tuesday afternoons
- Planning Commission
- City Council
- Planning Commission- meets last Thursday of month during day.
- Board of Supervisors- meets every Tuesday afternoon.
There are 12 counties and 150 cities within 100 miles of SJSU and SCU. Feel free to attend a meeting in any of them.
In addition, there are specialized environmental agencies and you may wish to attend their meetings:
1. Santa Clara Valley Water District, www.valleywater.org.
The Board meets Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m., and occasionally on Tuesday evenings. In addition, there are a number of advisory council meetings that you might attend. For example, I sit on the Independent Monitoring Committee, which oversees $1.2 billion of water projects.
2. Bay Area Air Quality Management District, www.baaqmd.gov.
The Hearing Board typcially tries cases every other Thursday at 9:30 am at 939 Ellis, San Francisco. I serve on the Hearing Board, and our cases involve any situation where there is a disagreement between BAAQMD staff and a company over an air pollution issue.
3. San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.www.bcdc.ca.gov. Meets on every other Thursday at 1 p.m. at locations throughout Bay Area. BCDC regulates any project involving filling in San Francisco Bay.
4. San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.www.waterboards.ca.gov. Meets on second Wednesday at 9 am in Oakland. They regulate water pollution in the Bay Area. There is a separate board for the Monterey Bay area.
5. California Coastal Commission. www.coastal.ca.gov.
Regulates land use near the ocean. Meets monthly for 3 days, starting on second Wednesday, at locations on the coast in California.
6. Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). Meets quarterly on Wednesdays at the County Board of Supervisors chambers, 70 W. Hedding, San Jose 95110. I serve on LAFCo, which regulates the growth of cities and audits the performance of special districts in the county. Every county has a LAFCo.
There are many other agencies with similar specialized environmental responsibility.