A Closer Look at the Neighborly Novato Mailer

It’s not easy to be amped up about Novato when so many residents in the city are so very angry, specifically concerning the affordable housing issue now reignited by the recent Stand Up for Neighborly Novato mailer many of us received.

I submit the entire issue is no longer just a NIMBY (Not In My BackYard), determining “where” the projected units will be designated, but a much deeper and broader issue of too much government intervention in our lives – on every level.

Working through my current libertarian feelings, I think back to the 1960s. To get in the moment I put on my favorite bell-bottom jeans, with American flag designs in the vents, (which I usually pull out to wear to the Fourth of July parade). No longer in pursuit of herbal relief other than an occasional ginseng tea, I opt instead for a fruit-forward cabernet. I turn on an old Orpheus CD to complete the mood.

I know I am not alone in these thoughts. As a matter of fact, at the aforementioned Fourth of July parade last year, one of our elected politicians came by with a small posse and from behind me I heard a guy shout out, “You damn Socialist!” While this politician in fact adheres to some radical concepts, there exists hardly a finer person that I’ve ever met. A true gem who I was glad did not hear the barb, which would have been hurtful, though basically true.

I pull out the mailer to examine it more closely so I can critique it properly. I have the expertise to do this as my company has provided the video and TV ads for scores of political campaigns around the Bay Area. And make no mistake, this is a political campaign. The problem here is that only one side has a funded budget and that is this side.

The initial mailer usually becomes ground zero for the rest of the propaganda (aka media) that will ensue and most good campaign consultants work very hard to get that mailer just right. That means not too dull but not misleading, not too slick yet appealing in every sense. In this regard the SUNN mailer is pretty dismal. The people pics are generic and are not compelling, and the Novato photos don’t say much at all. (The way things are shaking out in this debate makes me think the breed of the dog in picture with the little kid should be a pit bull.)

Regarding the actual rhetoric, hundreds of comments have been posted and cited and argued – and this will continue – which is our right as Novatoans. No one, no public employee, no elected representative can trump that right. It is inexorable.

I ask my friend Supervisor Judy Arnold why she endorsed SUNN and not the other groups advocating for a balanced housing solution. She told me to the contrary, she believes all of these groups adhere to the sample principles as outlined in the SUNN mailer, many of which are required by law – federal and state mandates.

And that’s where I get a little hissier and take a larger gulp of my vino as I think this through. Assemblyman Jared Huffman, at Arnold’s suggestion, has introduced a bill to ameliorate density designations BUT the committee working on this isn’t buying that approach so far. She’d like all the groups involved to work with them on that (in order to get this done). Again I share with you, in all honestly, these are two fine individuals with the best intentions for Novato, I truly believe that.

More government regulations and negotiations. It’s mind-boggling and complicated. There’s just no simple solution, no draft card nor bra to burn.

Back to the case in point, the SUNN mailer has one flagrantly bad aspect among all others:  the endorsements.

Often endorsements are the sine qua non of the mailer. Many folks check to see if the next-door neighbor or someone whose opinion that they admire (or detest) has signed on. It can be a deal breaker or can make the deal, and usually great pains are taken for accuracy. Now maybe it’s the wine, but I can’t read a single name on the list. Cynically I wonder if this is intentional – are these real people or is this just an illusion that folks out there are really supporters? This alone might be the eclipse of the SUNN, I think.

I’ve finished the task at hand now and the mailer is set down as the TV is turned on. I dial up John Stossel and settle in for some uncomplicated entertainment.