This is a great example of how City councils make policy. The books describes councils of governments (COGs) as examples of "regional coordination that are loose collections of local governments designed to increase communication and coordination in an area. They provide a neutral forum in which local leaders can come together to identify and discuss issues of common concern". They have improved area-wide policy planning throughout the years and have improved operational capacity of rural local governments. They do this "by providing expertise to small local jurisdictions that cannot afford to hire specialized staff" (262). One common concern among the community is the loss of 35% of farmland over the last 30 years. Protecting Portrero Nuevo farm is important because it helps the community in ways other farms do not. It donates its use of land, harvest support, seed, use of farm equipment and other materials to Abundant Grace Coastside Worker which feeds the low-income and homeless.
Monday, March 28, 2016
blog seven
After visiting the Portrero Nuevo website, I learned that it is protected from threat of development and guarantees agricultural land production in the San Mateo County. This is possible through land acquisition, legal land protection and strategic investments in farmland infrastructure. This project is called the Farmland Futures Initiative (FFI) created by the California Council of Land Trust. This initiative agreed to legally protect Portrero Nuevo through conservation easements that protect natural resources through the Peninsula Open Space Trust. POST was founded in 1977 in order to protect open space, farms and parkland around the Silicon Valley. They have been successful in saving 70,000 acres of land.
This is a great example of how City councils make policy. The books describes councils of governments (COGs) as examples of "regional coordination that are loose collections of local governments designed to increase communication and coordination in an area. They provide a neutral forum in which local leaders can come together to identify and discuss issues of common concern". They have improved area-wide policy planning throughout the years and have improved operational capacity of rural local governments. They do this "by providing expertise to small local jurisdictions that cannot afford to hire specialized staff" (262). One common concern among the community is the loss of 35% of farmland over the last 30 years. Protecting Portrero Nuevo farm is important because it helps the community in ways other farms do not. It donates its use of land, harvest support, seed, use of farm equipment and other materials to Abundant Grace Coastside Worker which feeds the low-income and homeless.
This is a great example of how City councils make policy. The books describes councils of governments (COGs) as examples of "regional coordination that are loose collections of local governments designed to increase communication and coordination in an area. They provide a neutral forum in which local leaders can come together to identify and discuss issues of common concern". They have improved area-wide policy planning throughout the years and have improved operational capacity of rural local governments. They do this "by providing expertise to small local jurisdictions that cannot afford to hire specialized staff" (262). One common concern among the community is the loss of 35% of farmland over the last 30 years. Protecting Portrero Nuevo farm is important because it helps the community in ways other farms do not. It donates its use of land, harvest support, seed, use of farm equipment and other materials to Abundant Grace Coastside Worker which feeds the low-income and homeless.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Blog 6
Three principal functions of legislatures are to policy make like enacting laws, revising old laws and allocating funds. Legislatures compete with governors in the policymaking process. Governors have the power to veto, but legislators have the power to override a gubernatorial veto.
Issues that attract legislators are improving productivity of public colleges, addressing both legal and illegal immigration, deciding which incentives and tax credits are most effective and many more issues. Another function is to represent the people who live in their districts. This can be difficult because on quiet issues, they hardly have much of a clue on public opinion but on noisy topics opinion is usually divided, making it difficult to find a solution. Sometimes, legislators serve constituents through casework where dividends are paid at the polls when a constituent favors the legislature that assisted him or her.The third function is to oversee. In other words, to ensure that the laws they passed and funds are being allocated properly. They pay special attention to state bureaucracy. By overseeing legislatures can often take the administrative realm but agencies do not like this even though it is a logical extension of their policymaking function. Legislatures operate with their own formal and informal rules. Violations of institutional norms result in sanctions.
Legislatures in 2011 had legislative term limits in effect in 15 states. Term limits create open seats which creates an increase in competition for legislative seats. But when legislative terms are limited, other institutional actors such as the governor gain power.
Issues that attract legislators are improving productivity of public colleges, addressing both legal and illegal immigration, deciding which incentives and tax credits are most effective and many more issues. Another function is to represent the people who live in their districts. This can be difficult because on quiet issues, they hardly have much of a clue on public opinion but on noisy topics opinion is usually divided, making it difficult to find a solution. Sometimes, legislators serve constituents through casework where dividends are paid at the polls when a constituent favors the legislature that assisted him or her.The third function is to oversee. In other words, to ensure that the laws they passed and funds are being allocated properly. They pay special attention to state bureaucracy. By overseeing legislatures can often take the administrative realm but agencies do not like this even though it is a logical extension of their policymaking function. Legislatures operate with their own formal and informal rules. Violations of institutional norms result in sanctions.
Legislatures in 2011 had legislative term limits in effect in 15 states. Term limits create open seats which creates an increase in competition for legislative seats. But when legislative terms are limited, other institutional actors such as the governor gain power.
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