How the Brown Act protects you from “Your Secret Government”
If you’ve ever attended a meeting of any local agency, you may have heard of the Brown Act, but do you know what it is, and what it is for? It has nothing to do with Jerry Brown or UPS, but it has everything to do with keeping meetings …
As redevelopment dissolution wraps up, Daughtrey’s back on MAC agenda
The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meets on Monday, April 20, 2015 to hear an update from David Greensfelder on his plans for the long-vacant Daughtrey’s building. The former Alameda County Redevelopment Agency purchased the building for $2.7 million in 2011. In June 2014, Alameda County entered into a Disposition and …
Cityhood Lost: California keeps Castro Valley unincorporated, new cities struggling
Back in 2012, as I passionately argued for an incorporated Castro Valley before a packed audience at the “Great Castro Valley Debate,” I had to concede that despite my dream for Castro Valley home rule, achieving municipal independence for our community was unlikely…all because of something called the “Vehicle License Fee …
Vehicle License Fee Timeline
This timeline is based on information from the California Local Government Finance Almanac and the bill analysis for Senate Bill 25. 1935: VLF created “Established in 1935 as a uniform statewide tax, the VLF is a tax on the ownership of a registered vehicle in place of taxing vehicles as personal …
“Virtual City” Proposal for Isla Vista Possible Solution for Castro Valley
Recently introduced California State Assembly Bill 3 (AB 3) could fundamentally change the way unincorporated Isla Vista governs itself and provide a road map for other unincorporated communities to gain more local control. I’ve been studying many different ways that unincorporated communities could govern themselves, and the Eden Area Liveability Initiative (EALI) has …
Nevada: A Bonanza for Unincorporated Communities
In California, either a county or a city produces the “local government” and municipal services you associate with a city hall and a mayor (unless you’re in San Francisco, which is both a city and a county). We’ve been exploring different models of local governance at Castro Valley Matters because …