EALI success for Fairview with MAC likely in 2017, fate of elected Castro Valley MAC uncertain

Alameda County
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Fairview, an unincorporated community of about 10,000 next door to Castro Valley, is on the path to having a Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in 2017.

“I think this will be very beneficial to myself and to the county, because I have found the Castro Valley MAC to be very helpful in resolving issues in Castro Valley. I think this is a good step forward,” Supervisor Nate Miley said in the East Bay Times.

Miley’s Eden Area Livability Initiative (EALI) is the multi-year forum where residents of unincorporated Alameda County expressed a desire for improved local control. Residents from Castro Valley, Fairview, San Lorenzo, Cherryland, and Ashland, have advocated for devolving authority currently vested in appointed, county-wide commissions and boards to entities based in their communities.

The EALI Governance group has advocated that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors create a Fairview MAC, and Eden Area MAC that would serve Cherryland, Ashland, and San Lorenzo, and to change the existing Castro Valley MAC to an elected MAC. Additionally,the EALI Governance group came to a consensus about linking planning powers currently vested in the Board of Zoning Adjustments and the Alameda County Planning Commission to each of these MACs.

Miley has actively encouraged the citizens of Fairview to participate in the Fairview MAC process. There have been multiple workshops, one-on-one campaigns, and informational meetings.

While there was overwhelming support for an elected Castro Valley MAC among 200 audience members at town hall on the issue last February, the path to enhanced local control in Castro Valley is uncertain since last summer, when Miley indicated that Alameda County efforts would shift towards the creation of Fairview and Eden Area MACs, and that efforts for an elected Castro Valley MAC would be put on hold.

Castro Valley Matters will continue to advocate for enhanced local governance for our community in 2017 and beyond. Join CVM as a member today, as we kick off our renewed efforts in January 2017 for democratic local control for Castro Valley.

Getting a MAC is a big deal. Getting the head of Public Works to admit that mistakes were made in the Jelincic Development and pledge to work more closely with the community at a BOS meeting is probably an equally big deal.

I agree with Chris. We need a MAC and not more push back. The head of the Sheriff’s Office and Public Works should also admit that animal control’s zoning ignorance, along with planning staff’s erroneous map interpretations in the area caused the animal and horse boarding mess in Fairview that many of us have had to live with while zoning is silent where animals are concerned in this forgotten land, unless you live the residential limited agriculture overlay zone just up the hill. Rumor has it that our MAC funding was halted. Just another fight in Fairview to contend with. Our Fairview Specific Plan is so outdated from 1997 and that is also at a standstill too. Where is our representation? Town Hall and BOS sponsored community meetings are not cutting it anymore.

Governance
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