Regarding Press Enterprise Editorial 4-29-2012, Charter Measure F_A Sustainability Commission Added to City Charter:
Wasn’t it Gandhi who said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. Fear of the unknown is no reason to avoid it. The past, no matter how successful it may have been, is no guarantee of the future. The overwhelming majority of my neighbors see Sustainability and Economic Development in the same context. If either is out of balance, quality of life and health are impacted.
A Sustainability Commission is an obvious and appropriate first step to take if we are to have either and live long and well enough to enjoy them.
Painting the issue as “trendy buzzwords” and “feel good symbolism” demonstrates a serious misrepresentation of the issues at hand and is a disservice to the the over 100 participants at the Green Action Summit, many of whom have been at work on this for 30 years or more. Sort of like the little old ladies who wanted to save the Santa Ana River. They laughed at them too.