Anybody interested in green development, the affect climate change is having on planning, and environmental advocacy should get their fill this Saturday, January 12.
That's when the Planning & Conservation League will conduct its annual legislative symposium, an event that starts with breakfast and schmoozing at 8:30 a.m. and doesn't conclude until 12 hours later with dinner and awards.
I haven't been to the PCL symposium since 2000, partly because the 40-year-old environmental organization seemed to run out of both energy and political currency. But, for those who haven't noticed, the PCL has roared back to life, maybe stronger than ever. Why? Gary Patton is in charge.
A former Santa Cruz County supervisor, former PCL general counsel, and former state and Monterey County smart-growth activist, Patton is a firebrand who accepted the PCL executive director job in 2006. It would be polite to say that he is not universally loved. In fact, he is not loved at all in the development community and by some people in local government. But he's a smart guy with a ton of energy who likes to get in the game. He definitely has returned the PCL to prominence, as the organization is once again a legislative insider.
Patton's energy and connections are reflected in the marathon-length symposium scheduled at the Sacramento Convention Center. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi opens the event, and state Sen. Darrell Steinberg provides the evening keynote. In between are panels on, among other things, how land use policies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, CEQA litigation, and green building. Most panels appear heavily environmental and Democratic, but not all. The development and Republican side of things are represented.
I'm not here to flog the PCL or its gathering. But, according to organizers, the event is going to fill to its capacity of 340 people. That kind of interest — on a Saturday, no less — is further evidence that the PCL matters again.
- Paul Shigley
