Look at what I found in this morning’s OC Register. This looks interesting:

A new coalition of unions, faith-based groups and community organizations is pressuring developers to build low-cost homes and pay sufficient wages at a proposed complex next to Angel Stadium.

Three developers are competing for a contract to build offices, shops and homes on a 51.4-acre, city-owned plot, which the National Football League has considered for a stadium. On Tuesday, the City Council will discuss the proposals in a closed meeting and may narrow the field of competitors.

The new Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development, or OCCORD, is trying to persuade developers to commit to certain standards before the city awards a contract. The city’s lease with the Angels forbids homes on the land now, but developers are talking to the Angels.

OK, so these folks are trying to convince developers to just do what’s right for the community? How the heck does that work? Well, follow me after the flip for more on this interesting development…

So how well is it working? Pretty well, actually. Already, one developer is listening.

At least one developer is interested in making a pact with the coalition.

“We have a lot in common with the majority of their goals,” said Eric Heffner, a principal at Windstar Communities. “Our development site is trying to meet all the needs of the community.”

And why does this matter? Perhaps because there isn’t much affordable housing left in Orange County. Perhaps because there are so many folks out there who desperately need a place to live down here.

One OCCORD member, St. Boniface Catholic Church, is pushing on its own for affordable housing on the land by Angel Stadium, first by meeting with individual council members.

Some parishioners have trouble paying for homes, doubling up in apartments or moving to the Inland Empire, said the Rev. Tim Freyer, lead pastor. The stadium property is in the Platinum Triangle, where none of the 8,292 planned homes is set to meet affordable-housing guidelines.

“There’s an opportunity I think we should take advantage of,” said Freddy Hernandez, a St. Boniface member.

So if OCCORD can pull it off and get the developers to agree to good labor and environmental standards, I say more power to them. And if they can get these developers to agree to include affordable housing in their plans, then we’re one step closer to solving this housing crisis. After all, this is something that we can no longer afford to ignore. There really is hardly any affordable housing left in Southern California. That’s why we so need groups like OCCORD to push these developers to think beyond short-term profits.

Perhaps in the near term, we’ll be OK just building more luxury condos and exorbitant McMansions while ignoring all the poor and middle-class people who can’t find a place to live. However, this isn’t good for the long term. We need good, livable communities. We need communities with safe streets, and parks for kids to play. We need sustainable communities with services withing walking distance, and mass transit readily available to take folks farther distances. However, no good long-term plan for healthy communities is complete without a plan to ensure that people can actually afford to live in these communities. What good are the streets and parks and services and high-speed trains if no one can even really afford to live near these?

That’s why we need to think in the long term. That’s why we need for affordable housing. And that’s why I hope OCCORD can succeed in getting developers to do what’s best for everyone in the community. : )

(Cross-posted at Trash Dirty Gary, Southern California’s resource for revealing Gary Miller’s true record of disservice to his constituents… AND a place for action in restoring honor and integrity to the 42nd Congressional District.)

Former Yorba Linda City Councilmember Ken Ryan was very close to developers… Perhaps too close. But why should we matter? Well, guess who one of those developers was?

{This is Part 8 of my special report on the proposed extension of the 241 Toll Road to San Onofre State Beach (aka Trestles). If you’d like, you can find the other stories in the “Speeding Our Way to Trestles” series here. As the debate heats up over Trestles and the 241, I’d like to go in depth and examine all the issues involved… And I’d love for you to come along for the ride as we explore what can be done to relieve traffic in South Orange County AND Save Trestles Beach. Enjoy! : ) }

(From OC Weekly)

As a principal for EDAW (Eckbo, Dean, Austin and Williams), Ryan is working on the Carrari Ranch Project in San Bernardino County, on land belonging to G. Miller Development Co., owned by Congressman Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar). Miller is the same congressman whom Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona) thanked for his work on the 2006 Transportation Equity Act, which diverts $8 million in federal funds to the 241 project-despite the fact the toll road is supposed to be a private venture. It was classic pork: the act also included $2 million for sound walls in Yorba Linda and Anaheim; Ryan, Miller and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle gathered on Feb. 17, 2004, in an Anaheim mobile-home park to commemorate the occasion.

In a 2002 Riverside Press-Enterprise article, Ryan is listed as a spokesman for Lytle Development. In the 2004 election, Lytle Development was Miller’s top donor.

In 2003, Congressman Miller requested more than $3 million to build a pedestrian bridge over the Imperial Highway in Yorba Linda, where his friend Ryan was known as “Mayor Ryan.” Miller was also one of five signatories to a Feb. 17 letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in support of the 241. The other four? Calvert, Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and John Campbell (R-Irvine). Miller, Calvert and Rohrabacher all list real-estate firms as their top campaign contributors in 2004.

Ryan isn’t shy about his history with Miller. “I’m proud of our relationship,” he told the Weekly. “I’ve been an urban planner for 20 years.”

OK, so he asked Miller for some local pork… That happens to ALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. So why should we care? Well, this isn’t your typical pork project… This is a COMPLETE CONFLICT OF INTEREST! How is Gary Miller helping the people of the 42nd District by diverting their tax dollars to projects that help HIS DEVELOPMENTS and the interests of HIS DEVELOPER FRIENDS?

And oh yes, why the heck is Gary Miller diverting federal funds to build a toll road that’s supposed to be built “without taxpayer money”? Why is he pushing for a toll road that does nothing to ease traffic in South Orange County? Why would Miller agree to waste our tax dollars on a project that is destined to be turned down by state regulatory agencies? Why would Miller support a crazy boondoggle that would destroy our precious natural resources? Just why would Miller slack off on his responsibility to look out for the best interest of his own constituents?

Well, I guess that isn’t as important to Gary Miller as his “responsibility” to feed off the public trough for the benefit of himself and his developer friends.