If there was any doubts that Vallejoans feel a personal connection to their resident city, they would surely put to rest by what we witnessed earlier this week.
We attended the first PB Assembly and were very gratified to see the number of residents, like ourselves, who are so excited by the prospect that V-townies will be owning the decision about how to allocate $3.2M in city funds.
Folks of all nationalities and ages were present. And the energy was palpable! The PB steering committee was on hand to give an overview of the project (supported by powerpoints and video clip). Then everyone dispersed to their designated group circles. Led by trained facilitators, group members gave proposal suggestions. It was true brainstorming at its best - free from critique and analysis - --these analytic steps come later in the process. All group members picked their top three proposals.
After all proposals were boarded, each group gave a readout on their proposals. Some folks wanted to concentrate on safety issues (like beefing up the police force), reviving the Blues Festival (with related music programs in schools), and promoting a National Park on Mare Island. Others voted for such concepts like creating 'parklets' and bicycle paths throughout the city.
More Assemblies are scheduled through the rest of November and the first week of December, What do you have to say? Consult the PB website for the full schedule.
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