Steve Pomerance

The University of Colorado, in what has been argued to be a possible violation of the First Amendment, successfully closed off its Boulder campus on 4/20 to prevent what have been for the most part peaceful assemblies. The explanations varied from concerns about CU’s reputation to worries about disruption to the academic process. Per the insignias on the car doors, apparently police from as far away as Jefferson and Adams counties helped keep the pot-smokers at bay. Now the CU regents and administration will have to do the same every year, or risk looking foolish, at least until pot is legalized. (Whether cops from across the Metro area will continue to be willing to participate is another matter.) The War on Drugs is widely acknowledged to be a failure, and our prisons are filled with users and pushers, supporting the emerging business of private for-profit incarceration. We should have learned from Prohibition and cigarettes; for the most part, it’s better to regulate, discourage...

On Monday I attended a very interesting meeting that was part of Governor Hickenlooper’s project called TBD (To Be Determined) Colorado. This is a citizen-based effort funded by donations from individuals, foundations and corporations. Its purpose, in short, is to make policy, revenue and expenditure recommendations to the Legislature and the governor to improve Colorado’s quality of life. Apparently 40 similar meetings are to be held statewide, with a second round of meetings in May as well as various follow-up events. Given the attendance at our local meeting, some thousands of people will ultimately be involved. The meeting consisted of video presentations on a number of topics, including education, health, transportation, and the state budget. Each presentation was followed by a discussion in small groups with reporting out of some of each group’s conclusions. There was also a preliminary discussion about why we all value living in Colorado. The clear winner was, no surprise, t...

The more detailed question is — should Boulder continue with its current policies that are mostly number driven, that have resulted in concentrating affordable housing in small areas of town, and that have effectively turned over major decisions to unelected people and entities whose interests are not necessarily aligned with the citizens at large? Both proponents and opponents of the proposed development at Lee Hill Drive to house homeless people have legitimate perspectives. The “housing first” concept has apparently worked well for Denver, and concentrating such services in one location improves administrative efficiency. But asking one part of town to absorb large numbers of affordable housing units, as North Boulder has, and now absorb yet another transient population, is both unfair and inappropriate given the city’s stated intent to spread affordable housing throughout the community. The reason this project is not subject to the more typical development review goes back de...

The news in the last few weeks makes me wonder if we are on the edge of some new paradigm, with appearances almost totally divorced from reality. Internationally, much has been made about the “successful” bailout for Greece and the “haircut” that bond-holders were taking. But on March 10, the New York Times analyzed the total debt owed by the Greek government. As it turns out, there was only a minimal reduction. Although privately held bonds lost nearly two thirds of their value, total Greek government debt was reduced by less than 25 percent. Success is apparently now measured by just having put off the inevitable. Nationally, the Federal Reserve has bought massive amounts of government debt and mortgage backed securities. This was allegedly to keep interest rates low so that businesses and consumers can borrow cheaply to kick-start the economy. Of course, it also forces ordinary citizens to accept very low returns on their savings. But according to a story in the Times on March...

On Tuesday evening at the City Council study session, the local organizing committee of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge presented their plans. On Aug. 25, Boulder will be part of the semi-final Stage 6. The stage course will pass through Boulder in the morning, and then loop through the mountains, and return via Lee Hill Road, through town, and finish at the Flagstaff amphitheater. It’s an event with great potential for excitement, but also with the opportunity for serious problems on Flagstaff because of extremely limited access and the potential for environmental damage. Various city, county and other agencies are apparently hard at work looking at all the issues, from traffic control to fire risks to emergency access. But the fundamental constraint here is that the Flagstaff Road area is a “zero failure area;” this is not an event where “we’ll do it better next time” is acceptable. If there is significant environmental damage, if there is a fire, if there is an emergency for which...

On Dec. 20, Xcel Energy sent a demand letter to Boulder city officials, outlining what it requires the City of Boulder to agree to if Xcel were to continue its solar and energy efficiency programs (this letter preceded the somewhat confusing one that many Boulder ratepayers just received.) No surprise, Xcel’s proposals ignore both legal and economic realities. Xcel opened its Dec. 20 letter by threatening to terminate both its energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in Boulder because Boulder citizens voted to continue the evaluation of creating a municipal electric utility. Xcel claims these programs are “discretionary” even though all ratepayers pay for them, and state law requires that all customers of utilities like Xcel be treated without discrimination based on location. So Xcel’s opening gambit is on very shaky grounds. Xcel’s specifics are also suspect. If Boulder goes “muni,” Xcel wants to claim compensation for pre-2012 Solar Rewards rebates that helped pay for ...

Boulder is facing some major issues for its transportation system, including growth issues, capacity issues, funding issues, and energy issues. Although the developed part of Boulder has very little vacant land, the potential for redevelopment is still huge. Some planning estimates envision 60,000-plus more jobs to “reasonable buildout” on top of the current 50-70,000 in-commuters (the exact number is uncertain), plus many thousands more new residents. Our major streets are close to capacity, as we notice at rush hour or with the fall influx of students. At the recent council transportation study session, city staff outlined millions of dollars of annual needs that will not be met unless additional funding is provided. Finally, transportation accounts for over 20 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. If we are not going to go the way of most cities, and end up with traffic jams on potholed streets, a lot of money will have to be invested and new regulations will have to be insti...

I was going to write about national politics this week, but the death of local climber Jack Roberts led me down a different path. Jack was a friend and a climber who inspired me to do more. His death from a fall on an ice climb near Telluride hit me much harder than I would have expected. I have been climbing for about 50 years. Climbing is important in my life, and has consumed large amounts of time and energy over all those years. For me, climbing is not like most other activities. When I’m doing it, I am fully engaged — physically, mentally, and emotionally. At the moments of choice which occur in climbing — about whether to keep going up or turn around, or more starkly to climb up or fall off — there is nothing else in focus. And at the “up or fall” moments, when it’s not possible to just quit and walk away, making the choice to commit, stay focused, and let go of the fear, is a microcosm of what a lot of life is all about. Climbing is also an aesthetic experience. It is outd...

As has been reported, Ben Pearlman resigned from being county commissioner as of January 1, with about a year still left in his term. In a meeting unattended by the public just before Christmas, he was appointed to be the County Attorney by the two other commissioners, Will Toor and Cindy Domenico. He will replace Larry Hoyt, who recently resigned after many years on the job. Pearlman’s commissioner seat will be filled by the Democratic Party vacancy committee, and if that appointee is also currently an elected official, his/her vacancy will also be filled by the party. Apparently, the commissioners’ argument for making this appointment and doing it now is that Pearlman is very qualified and knowledgeable and the best of the applicants, and the timing during the holidays was unavoidable. But there are some very good arguments as to why this position should not have been filled in this way. First, both Toor and Pearlman’s terms expire at the end of 2012. They are both term-limited...

The City of Boulder is working on a wish list of projects that it may ask the taxpayers to fund in an upcoming election. What is also needed is an equivalent effort to look at alternatives to general tax increases as a way to fund public infrastructure. For example, the suggested $43.2 million for street improvements could be funded by imposing parking fees in all employment areas. Boulder has something like 60,000 in-commuters. And we are on the edge of having a very serious traffic congestion problem, caused to a significant extent by this in-commuting. Parking fees would raise needed funds, and at the same time encourage car-pooling and buses. The city could charge private lots a fee on a per space basis, which would be reduced if parking charges were put in place. Such fees, together with an Adequate Public Facilities ordinance like Fort Collins has, that requires new development to pay to maintain transportation levels of service, could eliminate the need for future tax increa...