Continuing with the practice of publishing the questions and answers to organizations whose endorsement I am seeking, the following are the responses to the Sierra Club's questionnaire:

Question 1: Why are you seeking the endorsement of the Sierra Club?

The Sierra Club’s endorsement of a candidate for our Town Council provides the Fairfax community with an important and recognized benchmark for evaluating that candidate’s individual environmental achievements and on-going environmental work for the community. I was honored to receive your endorsement in 2005 and believe my votes as a councilmember during these past four years have been consistent with the ideals and environmental positions of the Club. The Council has spearheaded a number of innovative environmental projects and programs during my term, some of which have garnered us front page press such as the banning of plastic bags from grocery stores (first by ordinance and then by citizen initiative) and being the first municipality in the County to join the Marin Clean Energy program. But of equal environmental importance, if a bit under the radar, was our financing the placement of a solar array on the roof of our Pavilion, providing the lion's share of electricity for our municipal buildings; strongly promoting the Safe Routes to Schools Program (I am the Council liaison) which is getting our K-8 students on bikes and walking to school in significant numbers; siting the Organic Farmers' Market in our beautiful downtown Bolinas Park; and on the singular issue of greatest concern to all Fairfaxians, we have maintained our grip on the ever-present threat of over-development, continuing to maintain our small-town character.

In addition to my work on the Council, my professional work as an environmental attorney reflects the public interest ideals of the Club. I have practiced environmental law for more than 24 years – first as a member of the legal staff of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and after I moved to California, with the California Coastal Conservancy and as a deputy city attorney with the City of San Jose assigned to environmental issues. I opened my environmental law office in Town 13½ years ago, representing environmental public interest groups in clean water and coastal protection litigation. In my work I collaborate frequently with the Director of the Club's Coastal Program, Mark Massara, who regularly notifies us of alleged violations, a number of which we have prosecuted successfully. In addition to my formal legal work, I continue to teach the environmental law course at Dominican University, helping to inform the next generation of environmental activists about environmental protection under our federal, state, and local laws.


Question 2: What are your ideas regarding meeting the challenge of your Town’s ability to meet its ABAG numbers for affordable housing? Do you support raising densities, height & story limits to meet ABAG goals?

Providing affordable housing (in particular workforce and senior housing) is a moral and social issue that poses significant transportation and environmental challenges. How do we as a community offer the dignity of a safe home and ensure that Fairfax remains a community of economic diversity, while being careful that any new construction of affordable housing as well as the legalizing or construction of modest second units on existing lots, do not add to the transportation problems on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the already congested feeder streets in our neighborhoods. Two projects are now in the earliest planning stages, both of which will not require any increase in density, height or story limits. Both projects, if successfully completed - a senior housing project behind Fairfax’s Lutheran Church and a public/private housing project on the property of the old “Mandarin Garden Restaurant” – are located along the Sir Francis Drake public transportation corridor and close to our downtown. The siting of these affordable housing projects appropriately promotes the use of the available bus service and pedestrian access to close-by food and other shopping opportunities without reliance on the use of a car. Upon completion they would in large measure satisfy the arbitrary ABAG/state requirements.

Question 3: Do you believe your Town should participate in BERST (Green Building, Energy, Retrofit and Solar Transportation) multi-jurisdictional effort to study and pursue policy and model program options for green building, energy, retrofit and solar transformation. Might a program like this benefit your Town?

Fairfax is participating fully in BERST. I co-chair the program along with San Rafael Councilmember Brockbank, and a Fairfax staff-member attends all meetings. BERST is an extremely innovative cross-county project ensuring not only that the cities/towns/county get on the same page with baseline requirements for “green building,” but more importantly promoting opportunities for innovation and the cross-jurisdiction pollinating of green building ideas. Through BERST I believe Fairfax is going to have a unique opportunity to export its successful public and private sector experiences – ranging from Town projects (e.g. use of the CREBS loan program to install a solar array that provides the electricity for our Town buildings), as well as the ever-expanding set of progressive building ideas we see our architects and builders employing in commercial and private home remodels.

Question 4: Based on the publicly available information that several responses to the Marin Clean Energy RFP are financially solid and meet the dual criteria of doubling to 25% (compared to PG&E) the percentage of clean energy at no additional cost (compared to PG&E) to Marin electricity ratepayers and also providing an option to ratepayers for 100% green energy at no more than 10% premium over PG&E rates, then would you support Marin Clean Energy moving ahead? What is your position on the PG&E ballot measure?

Fairfax was the first municipality to join the Marin Clean Energy project. The Council’s unanimous vote supporting the program is not only consistent with Fairfax’s environmental values, it also reflects what I believe will in short-order be a sea-change in the paradigm of how we produce and use energy in our County. The PG&E ballot measure (“The Taxpayers Right to Vote Act”), a short-sighted ploy to derail the program, would serve only to solidify the status quo and is clearly on the wrong side of where the majority of Marin County residents, and certainly the Fairfax community is on this issue. The Council voted unanimously in favor of a Resolution at its August board meeting asserting that the ballot measure is “against the interests of California ratepayers, against the public interest, and a potential setback for renewable energy production.”

Question 5: How can your Town participate in assisting its residents to reduce its use of water? Do you believe desalination is an appropriate way to obtain additional water for future consumption?

The MMWD is collaborating with the Town and Sustainable Fairfax on a project to comprehensively retrofit house and irrigation fixtures throughout our community as part of its water conservation program. The District anticipates significant reductions in water waste (in particular from older toilets, leaking faucets, shower-heads that are not “low-flow,” and non-drip irrigation systems and systems improperly operated) and will be using Fairfax as a model they anticipate expanding throughout their service area. The Town itself has joined with our Chamber of Commerce to encourage our restaurants to serve water only upon request – both as conservation measure as well as an opportunity to educate the community about the current drought conditions. In the next few years I would like to see the Town collaborate with MMWD, Sustainable Fairfax, and the Chamber to promote and fund a greater range of innovative water saving projects, including, but certainly not limited to, the use of grey-water for irrigation (specifically irrigation of native drought tolerant plants), capturing and storing water from our rooftops during the winter rains, and the siting of “rain gardens” to lessen the nonpoint source flow of stormwater into our creeks and streams.

The Sierra Club “Guidelines for Desalination Projects” (www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/desalination-guidelines.pdf) establish a policy that restricts the use of desalination “for water supply needs that can be met by water conservation, water recycling, and other water use efficiency practices,” require that desalination projects should only be approved following evaluation using an “ecosystems approach,” and that desalinated water quality must comply with rigorous federal, state, and local environmental health and safety standards. I agree with and fully support the Sierra Club’s comprehensive Guidelines.

Question 6: What are your thoughts on a Redevelopment Agency for Fairfax?

The “Specific Plan” process discussed more fully in Question 7 will certainly include a community discussion of whether the Town should establish a Redevelopment Agency and its geographical boundaries. At the current time, however, the State is using local Redevelopment Funds to offset a portion of its budget shortfall. Until the State is able to put its budgeting on a more sound footing and indicates that it will halt this practice, there is little benefit of any kind to establishing a Redevelopment Agency in Fairfax.

Question 7: What is your vision for the Marin Town & Country Club? Should the commercial recreation zoning be retained?

In response to the decision by the property owner to put the Marin Town & Country Club (MT&CC) property up for sale, and my belief that the Fairfax community must have the opportunity to express our collective opinion on the future of the site, I initiated the start of a “specific plan” planning process earlier this year. Through this inclusive planning program, the community will have a prominent voice on whether and how any new development both at MT&CC and the adjoining Fair-Anselm property proceeds. My vision for both sites will be guided by the decisions made by the community through this comprehensive planning exercise. Although we are at the very start of the specific planning process, I have received no indication from the community that there is any interest in changing the current zoning on the MT&CC property.

I think one of the best ways to provide information on the issues before our Town and the approach I bring to my work on your Council is to publish the questions and answers to organizations whose endorsement I am seeking. The following are the responses to the Democratic Central Committee of Marin questionnaire:

1. I have been a registered Democrat since the age of 18, following in the footsteps of my grandparents, all of whom were "Roosevelt Democrats," and my parents who identify themselves "Roosevelt/Kennedy" Democrats." I maintain my proud allegiance to the Democratic Party because its core ideals, fairness and equality for all on the essential values embedded in our state and federal constitutions, are given voice by our party. And while I proudly voted for Govenor and President Carter (twice), Senator Mondale, Governor Dukakis, Governor and President Clinton (twice), and Senator Kerry, the opportunity to vote for President Obama will forever be the defining vote of my time.

2. The central quality I believe I have brought to my work on the Town Council, and the one that I trust the Fairfax community believes qualifies me to continue in service to them, is a fundamental respect for our diverse range of opinions on the central issues of concern to us all. I was elected to the Town Council four years ago when the rough-and-tumble of our Council's work interfered with the challenges of governing a small town. I have worked collaboratively with all of my Council colleagues to ensure our economic recovery from the great flood of December 2005 through the extraordinarily trying economic times of the past year have been undertaken consistent with our community's collective core values.

3. The central challenge facing the Fairfax Town Council over the coming four years (and I fear beyond) will be the responsiblity of providing essential services - public safety, infrastructure, social programs - at a time of diminishing financial resources. The Fairfax community has been extremely generous in providing the Town with "Measure F," a $125 per dwelling and business tax. Measure F, which is on the ballot for renewal in November as "Measure I," would extend this source of revenue for another 5 year period. Combined with our property tax and limited sales tax, the Council will have to ensure our excellent police and fire services are fully funded; our public works projects focus on maintaining the infrastructure of our roads, stormdrains, and pubic buildings; and that we identify enough revenue to continue support for programs targeting the well-being of our seniors and young people. In the past four years we have met this responsibliity by keeping a firm grip on public spending, budgeting wisely, and hiring a very talented team of municipal employees. As state and county grant funding becomes ever more scarce, our Town Council and Town staff will continue to identify innovative ways to meet our fiscal and social obligations in a way that ensures that Fairfax forever maintains its small-town character.

Weinsoff4TownCouncil

Re-Elect David Weinsoff For Fairfax Town Council

August, 2009

I am a candidate for re-election to the Fairfax Town Council. It has been a privilege to serve as a member of your Town Council since 2005 and this year as your mayor. I ask for your vote on November 3rd.

This blog provides the opportunity to focus on 2 important themes in my campaign. First, I am able to provide you with a consistent stream of information about my positions on the important issues before us. And second, in an effort to identify low-cost campaign tools that will bring down the increasing expense of running a Town Council campaign, the use of a blog - in contrast to a formal website - offers an equally effective but cost-free way to communicate campaign information. I will be listing my campaign expenses on future blogs. I am not seeking any financial contributions for this re-election campaign.

August 10, 2009

The Marin County Registrar of Voters approved my nomination papers, including this Election Statement:

DAVID WEINSOFF Age: 51
Occupation: Environmental Attorney

Fairfax Councilmember (2005-2009)
Fairfax environmental lawyer
Fairfax Documentary Film Festival co-director
Former Fairfax Planning Commissioner, Open Space Committee member

Idie, Jake, and I moved to Fairfax in 1996. I opened my environmental law practice in Town and in the years since have served as a councilmember, planning commissioner and Open Space Committee member, and started the Fairfax Documentary Film Festival.

It is a privilege to serve as your councilman during a time of significant challenges and achievements in our community. From the 2005 flood through this current economic crisis, Fairfax has managed its finances wisely, provided essential public services, and maintained its welcoming small town character.

I would be honored to serve a second term on your Council to continue the following work:

Keeping Fairfax the small town we love: using my environmental skills to protect our natural environment, promoting local businesses, and identifying revenue to support the work of our public safety officers, Town staff, and volunteers.

Strengthening the Fairfax community: focusing on the Town’s long-term fiscal health and keeping taxes down, implementing new General Plan projects, continuing to govern effectively with my Council colleagues, and running a positive Town Council campaign.

I request your vote November 3rd.