biggscity.com

One blog a week they said, when I was asked to start doing a blog - like an apple a day. Simple enough I thought. Hah!  I’ve easily written and trashed 20 blog postings the last few weeks but just didn’t find that something really worth talking about.  It’s a good thing no one is really reading this thing any way.

So the topic for todays post is all about civility, in light of tomorrow’s showdown with the lowdown on measure A.  Since the forum was first proposed, so much has happened that much of the interest has worn off.  What hasn’t stopped though is the mudslinging this issue always seems to incite.

Last month I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel discussing Alameda Point, along with David Howard among others. Although we were presented as speaking on opposite sides of the issue, I found that there were a lot of things we agreed on Howard was also proposing to modify measure A to allow additional housing out at Alameda Point. His method involved a state directed density bonus, my method involved a vote of the community. Regardless, we both talked about increasing the housing above the amount allowed by Measure A.

More importantly, we didn’t bite each others head off. We were able to discuss issues that are often contentious in an open engaging manner.   I hope that the forum tomorrow is able to do that as well. I have already seen the naysayers at alamedadailynews predicting a disaster. I believe that just like with their football predictions, they are wrong on this as well.

As for me, I won’t be there. A long planned, and highly anticipated vacation in Nepal takes priority.  Now that might be worth a blog post or two on my return!

Friday night I got to go to the organizing reception for Slow Food Alameda.  The Slow food movement started in Italy, and promotes the idea that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.  Ample evidence that Alameda belongs in the movement was provided by some wonderful local “foodies”: Alameda Natural Grocery, Asena, Baron’s Meat, C’era Una Volta, Pappo and others.  Pappo even produced a pizza using leeks grown by the Alameda Point Collaborative’s Growing Youth Project.

My dog(who I believe already has one) told me I needed to get a blog, so here I am. The name of the blog was suggested by someone else.  I will not allow him to claim credit for it until I decide whether I like it or not.  When I think of Biggscity, I think of all the random thoughts, ideas, and comments, rolling around in my head, that may or may not resemble any reality in the world. So for the time being at least, Biggscity works.

I’m not sure what I will contribute to the dialog that hasn’t already been said, but I do know that there are times when I really think I have something to say, but don’t have someplace to say it.

For today though, I just want to say hello, glad to be here, and I look forward to talking about all things Alameda, and/or Biggscity.