Husband and wife team, Jim Hartnett and Rosanne Foust are hard at work on the Cargill project.
Rosanne Foust: CEO of SAMCEDA, Charter Review Committee member, Redwood City council member, past mayor of Redwood City and Chamber of Commerce board member
Jim Hartnett: lawyer, past mayor of Redwood City and past chair of the San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain Joint Powers Board.
Letter: Redwood City residents aren’t stupid!
The Daily Journal: March 02, 2010, 02:52 AM
Editor,
Jim Hartnett’s guest perspective, “How to approach opportunity,” featured in the Feb.12 edition of the Daily Journal, is a great example of “political double-talk.”
Mr. Hartnett’s main focus was to push the “let’s give the DMB Cargill salt flats proposal a chance” routine. Mr. Hartnett used the old “what if” pitch to try to persuade the citizens of Redwood City by telling them what they want to hear, even though most, if not all of what he says is not true. Hartnett’s four “what if’s” all describe great benefits to Redwood City from the DMB Cargill salt flats proposal with an enticing catch phrase: “…at no Redwood City taxpayer expense.”
I just have to ask Jim, where do you think all the state and federal money for the project comes from? It comes from American taxpayers, including Redwood City taxpayers. Jim, how does paving over the salt flats that “create wetlands” improve the quality of the San Francisco Bay? Where’s the water coming from to “protect all of Redwood City …” and who is going to pay for it? Answer: Redwood City taxpayers. How does the salt flats proposal create new jobs, housing and offices when we have the highest rate of unemployment, the highest rate of bankruptcy and foreclosures and the highest rate of vacancies of office space in history? Who can afford to live in these new houses?
Finally, I have to ask Mr. Jim Hartnett, didn’t you learn anything from Hurricane Katrina? The Army Corps of Engineers said, “You never build (on land that is) below sea level!” Good try Jim, but the residents of Redwood City aren’t stupid.
Michael Oberg
San Mateo
| How to approach opportunity |
Creating opportunity is not easy. Usually it means there is change, uncertainty and risk. Pioneers of Silicon Valley such as David Packard, Steve Jobs and co-founder of Intel Redwood City’s own Gordon Moore know that, and experienced it firsthand. But they helped change the world.
In a time when creating opportunity has taken on extraordinary importance, doing so in the public arena has become even more difficult. Infill developments of even a handful of houses generate opposition and lawsuits. Increased housing density is praised, mixed use is lauded, walkable communities are encouraged, yet in specific applications many approach with only a closed mind and a cacophony of sound and fury.
In the public arena tough questions must always be asked and public benefit the priority. There are many “what ifs” to consider. What if a project in Redwood City could potentially:
1). Protect Redwood City against inevitable sea level rise at no Redwood City taxpayer expense;
2). Create wetlands and improve the quality of the San Francisco Bay at no taxpayer expense;
3). Increase Redwood City water supply in such a way as to protect all of Redwood City, including hospitals, schools, homes and businesses from drought caused water rationing and financial penalties;
4). Create economic growth, including jobs, housing and offices in a way that would not only be a national green building model, but could actually reduce the local carbon footprint?
Wouldn’t a project like that in Redwood City at least deserve close study and consideration? Shouldn’t interested parties at least wait to take a “final” unconditional position until full and complete studies are done of the “what ifs” and other tough, necessary questions?
The DMB Cargill proposal perhaps holds out tremendous “opportunity” — it would clearly represent change, and no doubt there is uncertainty and risk. Hundreds of hours of study have been done, with much, much more to come, including a transparent public process. Packard, Jobs, Moore and many others in Silicon Valley have helped change the world because they weren’t afraid of change, weren’t afraid to risk.
Let’s not be so timid as to fear even exploring the “opportunity.” Perhaps we will be surprised at what we find.
Jim Hartnett is a lawyer, past mayor of Redwood City and past chair of the San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain Joint Powers Board.
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