December 2011

At the December Board of Directors Meeting, the Board voted to approve:

• 1. Chamber Comments on New California High Speed Rail Business Plan
• 2. Support For Dumbarton RM 2 Funds for Expanded Express Bus Service

September 2011

At the September Board of Directors Meeting the Board voted to support:

• 1. San Mateo County County Community College District Bond Measure H
• 2. Upgrade Housing Endorsement for 2580 El Camino Real From Conditional to Full Endorsement. (Full Endorsement – During the public process when technical review is complete and the project details are finalized)

June 2011

At the June Board of Directors the Board voted to support

• 1) The Conceptual Endorsement of the 640 Veterans Boulevard Project by BRE Properties
• 2) The Conditional Endorsement of the 2580 El Camino Real Project by Urban Housing Group

May 2011

At the May Board of Directors Meeting the Board voted to support recommending that two revenue measures be placed on the November 8, 2011 ballot - one to increase Redwood City's TOT "Transient Occupancy Tax" by two percentage points, and one to increase the Business License Tax by 16.67% each year for three years, and annually thereafter by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Area.

The need for revenue enhancement is driven by the decrease in general fund revenues.

April 2011

At the April Board of Directors Meeting the Board voted to oppose AB 52 (Feuer) - Health Care Coverage: Rate Approval. This legislation would impose implementation fees on health insurers to create additional bureaucracy and implement rate regulation on health insurance products sold in California by requiring a complex and regulated rate approval process.

February 2011

At the February 2011 Board of Directors Meeting the board voted to support sending a letter to Governor Jerry Brown to express our opposition to his proposal to eliminate local redevelopment agencies. Instead, we support alternatives to reduce the State budget deficit, reform redevelopment law, and preserve a significant level of funding for affordable housing and economic development.

March 2011

At the March Board of Directors the Board voted to support California Assembly Member Rich Gordon’s AB 481 and AB 1105

AB 481 – Petitions: Signature Gatherers
Under existing law, an initiative petition must contain language advising the potential signers of their right to ask whether the person circulating the petition is a paid signature gatherer or a volunteer. This bill would require an initiative, referendum, or recall petition to indicate whether it is being circulated by a paid circulator or volunteer and would further require a paid circulator to wear a badge identifying him or herself as a paid signature gatherer.

AB 1105 – Express Lanes: Highway 101
Existing law authorizes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to implement express lanes, also known as high occupancy toll lanes, on two transportation corridors within Santa Clara County. To implement the law, the VTA Board of Directors approved the Silicon Valley Express Lane Program in December 2008 to put in place high occupancy toll lanes to use available capacity in the carpool lanes on State Route 237 and U.S. 101. While the authority of VTA is limited to within Santa Clara County, the carpool lane on U.S. 101 does not end at the county line and runs into San Mateo County to Redwood City. Therefore, northbound single-occupant vehicles would be required to exit the express lane at the county line, even though the carpool lane continues to Redwood City. Meanwhile, southbound single-occupant vehicles would have to wait until Palo Alto to enter the express lane. In order to lessen confusion and congestion, this bill would extend the VTA authorization for an express lane on U.S. 101 to extend to the end of the existing carpool lane, subject to the concurrence of the San Mateo City/County Association of Governments.