Issue 13 -- April 22nd, 2004
-- Earth Day Local Edition
High Road: Counties and Cities Battling E-Waste
The United States generates more e-waste than any other nation, and the amount is projected to grow fourfold in the next few years. Now Counties and the private sector are uniting to battle waste from computers and cell phone. In California, San Mateo County’s RecycleWorks program helped coordinate partnerships between transfer stations and commercial recyclers and launched a public education campaign. Click here to see model legislation from local jurisdictions that are proposing e-waste take-back ordinances.
Click here to learn about E-waste hazards or click here to see W-waste news clips. You can also check out what the California legislature is doing on E-waste, or see an update of state e-waste laws from NCEL. Other E-waste campaigns include:
· Plug-In To eCycling
Related Report: The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition released its annual Computer Report Card comparing the environmental records of 28 tech firms. The report, sponsored by the SVTC and the Computer TakeBack Campaign, found most U.S. firms lag behind their Japanese competitors when it comes to the use of hazardous materials and recycling programs.
Low Road: Small City Smog
Last week the Environmental Protection Agency identified 432 counties in 31 states that failed to meet federal air quality standards for ozone. Cincinnati flunked, but now our small towns are joining major cities on the federal regulators' list of places with smog problems. None of the cities are in Oregon, but regulators say they’re still not off the hook.
Trailblazers: Leaders in Local Government
Seattle, WA: Mayor Greg Nickels wants to raise $50 million over the next 20 years from public and private sources to save 2,500 acres of the city's urban forests. Otherwise, Nickels said, invasive species will turn the city's greenbelts into "ecological wastelands."
Arlington County, VA: A Car-sharing program is one answer to county’s transit-system woes. "Car-sharing actually originated out of a county government idea," explained John Williams, director of marketing for Flexcar, the oldest of the car-sharing programs. "Back in 1999, King County [Wash.] Metro Transit was looking for a program that could complement its public transit system. They had been watching the car-sharing experiment in Europe and decided that was just what they needed."
Los Angeles, CA: Affordable housing and affluent neighborhoods needn't be mutually exclusive. As housing costs rise far faster and higher than average incomes, and low-income families struggle to find affordable living space, housing advocates are pushing for more inclusionary zoning ordinances to create more affordable housing options and economic integration within their communities.
Atlanta, GA: Mayor Franklin leads Infrastructure Overhaul. Less than two years after taking office, the mayor stood before UCR members as she was named recipient of the River Guardian award, which honors one person every year who has made significant efforts toward protecting the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries.
Burlington, NC: Alamance considers Canadian drug option. This county might become the second in North Carolina to offer employees the option of buying prescription drugs from Canadian suppliers.
Madison, WI: ALICE’s hometown became the fourth U.S. city to enact a local ordinance raising the minimum wage for workers at local businesses. When it takes effect next year, the measure will raise pay for 17,000 people. Strong organizing by a coalition of immigrant worker groups, unions, the faith community and local lawmakers helped win the campaign.
Seattle, WA: City Council extends equal benefits to married gay couples. A month after Mayor Greg Nickels issued an executive order recognizing same-sex marriages, the Seattle City Council yesterday unanimously approved legislation that would give married gays and lesbians on the city's payroll the same benefits as opposite-sex couples.
Tucson, AZ: The Strong Cities Make A Strong State Program has nearly every municipality in the state collaborating to increase citizen interest in and understanding of local government through a public awareness program.
Louisville, KY: Consolidation: So Far, A Major Success. Metropolitan government merger ideas are bubbling up from Buffalo to Kansas City to Fresno. After decades of foiled consolidation bids, Louisville has suddenly emerged as the prime national laboratory of what 21st-century-style government merger can portend. Also see the related story A metro merger wave: Could it be?
Local News You Can Use
Los Angeles, CA: “That’s a Wrap.” After a year of urging the adult-film industry to require condoms during sex scenes, state and county officials say the recent HIV infection of two porn stars has given them the leverage they need to force change.
Dallas, TX: While County officials are deciding whether proposed tax revenue can pay for a new Cowboys stadium, the Star Telegram says: Don't believe the hype on stadium deals. "The numbers can be manipulated, and people have a vested interest in making them as big as possible," said Victor Matheson, an assistant economics professor at Williams College in Massachusetts.
Jefferson City, MO: In an 8-1 ruling, the US Supreme Court said states may block cities and other local governments from setting up shop as telecommunications providers. The court's ruling upholds a Missouri law banning local governments from offering the service to the private sector.
Portland, ME: Counties get jump on charters . State lawmakers simplify the process of revamping county government by giving voters the final word, but not the first word.
Phoenix, AZ: Thousands of acres of pristine desert protected from the Phoenix region's urban spread could wind up as subdivisions and strip malls. Activists accused the state of violating its Constitution by selling trust land for artificially low prices.
High Road Reports
Compact development and other smart growth measures make government more efficient, increase productivity, and reduce inequality, according to a new literature survey from the Center for Urban and Metropolitan Policy at the Brookings Institution.
According to the Census Bureau, half of the nation’s 10 fastest-growing counties were located in Georgia, according to tabulations released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Most Livable Cities Spotlighted: America's most livable big cities are Charlotte, Cincinnati, Denver, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Kansas City, San Diego, San Jose and Tulsa, according to the latest rankings from Partners for Livable Communities, which rates cities and regions on quality of life, the local economy and civic leadership.
Despite having an African American mayor who has said he wants to increase diversity in government, a new city report shows that Philadelphia businesses owned by white males received nearly 96 percent of the $2.78 billion in contracts the city awarded from 1998 through 2003 for construction, goods and services.
New Metro Economies Report: Michigan Residents Lose $13.2 Billion of Wages in 2003. See the Press Release. Download the Full Report or Key Findings.
Check out the Grants Clearinghouse section of NACo's Web site, which features current opportunities from federal agencies, foundations and various NACo programs.
ALICE offers best practices in high-wage, low-waste, worker-friendly, publicly-accountable local policy. Our website serves as a collaborative clearinghouse for local elected officials, activists, organizations, and issue experts who want a map and a vehicle to take the high road. If you have innovative policy you'd like to share with the rest of the country, send them to our National Director at andy@highroadnow.org
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