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Aug 18
2010
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Nieghborhood SummitPosted by Bruce Robinson in youth , speaker , seniors , Santa Rosa , public safety , politics , planning , parks , lifestyle , Ideas , government , families , current events , community , children , business , author , activism |
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The basic building block for influencing local elected officials is the neighborhood, says organizer Jim Diers, because people tend to be most involved and active closest to their homes.
What defines a neighborhood? Jim Diers, author of Neighbor Power, Building Community the Seattle Way, says there are some basic characteristics that tend to be self-selecting, and common almost everywhere.
Neighborhood Watch programs are among the best known and most widespread applications of the idea that neighbors can benefit from looking out for one another. Diers sees that as a small step in the right direction, but advocates taking thing much further.
Jim Diers will be the keynote speaker at the Santa Rosa Neighbors Summit Friday evening in the Santa Rosa City Council chambers. Events begin with a free meeting and presentation by neighborhood organizer Jim Diers on Friday evening, Aug. 20, 7-8:30 pm, followed by the working Neighborhood Summit on Saturday Aug. 21, 9:30 am to 2:30 in the Finley Community Center on West College at Stony Point.
PG&E reports it is about halfway through its rollout of wireless Smart Meters to monitor utility use. But critics of the meters are calling for a moratorium on the devices, for multiple reasons, including health concerns.
These electrical considerations are heightened, Maurer notes, for individuals with medical devices, such as pacemakers, implanted in their bodies.
The biggest number of complaints about the new Smart Meters have not been about health issues, however, but about billing problems.
When the ADA passed, it took some time for the law’s new requirements to have a visible effect. But Anthony Tusler (left), founder of 
Schedule Of Events In The Fort
