Original Photo: Flikr user mamamusings. Used under Creative Commons license.
Make sure we are utilizing best election methods, practices and systems.
San Mateo County is located in the heart of the leading technology geographic area- but we use voting systems that have been reported as deficient by government study. We should lead the country toward less expensive, more secure, open source / paper ballot voting systems.
– Brent Turner
Original Photo: Flickr user Silvain de Munck Used under Creative Commons license.
We need those who supervise us to have an understanding and appreciation of those species which were here before supervision was needed. Endangered species need to be protected by those who have the power to protect them. April Vargas understands this. Few in power these days do.
– George Cattermole
The San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) pictured above is found only in San Mateo County and bits of far nothern Santa Cruz County. This subspecies of the common garter snake is considered one of the most colorful snakes in the world. Classified as endangered since 1967, only 1,000-2,000 individuals are predicted to remain.
Find out more about San Francisco Garter Snakes and efforts to protect them on Wikipedia , Don Robertson from Monterrey’s website, or the Center for Biological Diversity.
Original Photo: Flikr user hildgrim. Used under Creative Commons license.
Promote opportunities for people only spaces in commercial areas complete with benches, places for bicycles and lots of trees. This is a great way to increase foot traffic in retail areas while at the same time creating great places for people to meet, exchange ideas and sip on their favorite beer or coffee.
– Larry Jacobs
Original Image: Flickr user CbCastro Used under Creative Commons license.
Improve public transportation on the Coast: more frequent buses, free or cheaper transfers, better weekend service, service continuing later at night.
– Patricia McKowen
Original Photo: Flickr user crderivative. Used under Creative Commons license.
Install bus shelters that provide shelter from the weather, not advertising space.
Recently many of the bus shelters which had provided shelter from summer hot afternoon sun and winter rain and wind, we removed and replaced with more open shelters which provided illuminated billboards for advertising, but which do not provide protection from weather.
Since a rider has to wait for up to an hour, sometimes more, for a bus, don’t they deserve some protection? It gets pretty rough out there. The old shelters should have been kept in place which would have increased the number of shelters. – Dana Callen
Politicians want to promise “green jobs” for their citizens, but “green jobs” is an ambiguous term and too often the only green workers you see today are those collecting bottles and cans to recycle.
Let’s make San Mateo County a center for real, sustainable, green jobs by supporting educational and vocational training programs for environmentally responsible work. Such programs might train people in solar panel installation and design, organic farming and ranching methods, manufacturing with recycled materials, safer waste disposal methods, sustainable forestry and open space maintenance, etc.
With a well-trained and talented work force, we can employ our citizens for years to come and attract new green businesses to the county.
Original Photo: FosterCity.org.
In San Mateo we have a problem with keeping the levee on the bayside safe and in repair.
My so-called flood insurance goes up every year (it has NEVER flooded here to my knowledge [by DMV.]) I pay $500 to $600 a year for fire insurance (more likely, more devastation) and over $1500 going close to $2000 a year for flood-ins. – Arlene Horan
Original Photo: Flickr user Kevin. Used under Creative Commons license.
-Ann and Alan Fleisman
Original Photo: Flickr user Pink Dispatcher. Used under Creative Commons license.
Install solar panels on all San Mateo County buildings to achieve an economy of scale.
We must act to mitigate global warming. – Charlie Nordlinger
Original Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives. Used under Creative Commons license.
-Ann and Alan Fleishman
Original Photo: Flickr user Steve Rhodes. Used under Creative Commons license.
Plan now to make sure that San Mateo medical personnel and facilities will be able to provide first class medical care to all county residents when Congress passes and the President signs medical reform legislation.
The closure of the Coastside Family Clinic earlier this year in Half Moon Bay focused attention on the fact that medical care is not readily available to all county residents, particularly those who lack mobility because of disabilities, cannot drive, or live in remote areas.
Planning and preparations are also needed to deal with the potential influenza A (H1N1) pandemic that may hit this fall. – Avis Boutell
I work two miles from home, but I cannot bike to work because it’s too dangerous to get across 101. Both the Holly Street overpass and the Ralston overpass are too dangerous for bikes and anyway the bikes impede the flow of traffic. – Arley Lewis
Environmental damage from plastic waste is a serious reality on California’s coast. Here’s an excellent article from Salon.com on waste in Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
Original Photo: Flickr user Patrick Gage. Used under Creative Commons license.
Provide incentives for homeowners and businesses to save energy and reduce carbon emissions in areas of the county that experience high summertime temperatures by painting the roofs of their homes and commercial buildings white.
Obama Energy Secretary Steve Chu has been promoting this as an extremely cost effective way to save energy and reduce air conditioning costs. A White Roof component could be added to the San Mateo County’s existing Green Building Program to encourage new construction and remodelling projects to include this initiative. Owners of existing homes and commercial properties could be offered a rebate to participate.
For more information take a look at these links:
Steven Chu’s White Revolution
Original Photo: Flickr user Architecture & Food. Used under Creative Commons license.
Revitalize existing commercial buildings in major business districts to add residential uses where feasible, encourage live/work facilities, make downtown areas more walkable and increase economic activity.
Many strip malls do not currently make the best use of available land. By redesigning these projects to include more centralized services and a residential component, individual community identity is strengthened and traffic decreases as more people conveniently travel on foot.
The Grand Boulevard project seeks to recreate El Camino Real using these concepts.
Build parallel trails for pedestrians and bicycles along major transportation corridors.
One example is Highway One on the coastside. Often clogged by traffic on weekends and sunny days, Highway One is no longer an efficient route for local residents and visitors to travel between communities along the coast. A parallel trail, separated from the roadway by a landscaped median, would allow pedestrians and cyclists to move easily up and down the shoreline while relieving automobile congestion. A trail would also provide a safe route for students to once again walk or ride their bikes to school, further reducing the gridlock caused by parents dropping off and picking up their kids during peak commute hours.
Original Photo: Flickr user Pepino1976. Used under Creative Commons license.
School gardens provide students with hands on knowledge about biology, nutrition, the importance of healthy eating, food preparation and the benefits of eating locally-grown foods.These programs can build support for improving the quality of school lunch programs and teach kids how to work cooperatively to achieve a common goal.
The HEAL program, currently active at Hatch Elementary in Half Moon Bay is one example.
For more information in school gardens, check out Get Healthy San Mateo County.
101 Ways to Change the World Along 101 is a collaborative community project of the April Vargas for Supervisor Campaign.
Our goal is to begin a dialogue on how to improve life in San Mateo County and shape the campaign going forward on ideas and insights from you.
Help us build the blog up to 101 ideas by voicing your suggestions on how to change to the world along 101.
We welcome your ideas on saving the environment, getting people working, helping our schools, making government more effective, and anything else that will make life in San Mateo County healthier and happier for everyone.
E-mail your suggestion to: aprilvargason101@gmail.com. We’ll post your idea and add an image to the site. Don’t be shy, you can also comment on other suggestions; this is an open forum.
For more about April and the work she’s done for San Mateo County, please visit AprilVargas.com