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Letter from the City of Oakland to MBS
July 12, 1999
Mr. Jim Tozzi Re: Status of Planning Process for Regional Task Force to Evaluate Ways to Eliminate Dioxin Emissions Dear Mr. Tozzi: Earlier this year, both the City of Oakland and the City and County of San Francisco adopted resolutions encouraging the elimination of dioxin emissions and directing city staff to work with other governmental agencies to create a regional task force to evaluate ways to eliminate dioxin emissions. Because dioxin contamination in the Bay Area comes from a wide variety of sources and is dispersed throughout the area, both cities recognized that a regional approach was needed to effectively work on this issue. Since adoption of the resolutions, staff members from Oakland and San Francisco have been facilitating the process of bringing interested parties together to gather input on the formation and composition of the task force. The last meeting to discuss formation of the task force, held on June 14, 1999, was attended by 48 people representing a broad array of community, labor, industry, trade, environmental, health care, research, and government interests. Participants in the meeting did not reach consensus on the composition of the regional task force, although they did generate useful criteria for the selection of members, recommendations on size of the task force, and key interest areas that should be represented. A major issue raised at the meeting was the need to inform and include other jurisdictions within the nine county region in this effort. At the June 14 meeting, staff from Oakland and San Francisco proposed moving forward with a selection process for the regional task force. However, it has become evident that regional leadership is needed to enlist wider city and county involvement and to move the task force forward. Staff from Oakland has recommended that the Oakland City Council formally request the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to coordinate the establishment of the regional task force. As a membership organization comprised of municipalities and counties throughout the nine county Bay Area, ABAG is uniquely qualified to coordinate participation and funding strategies for the regional task force. This recommendation will be considered by the Public Safety Committee of the Oakland City Council at 3 p.m. on July 20, 1999, Hearing Room 1, City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland. If you have any questions, please contact Esther Hill at (510) 238-4930 in Oakland or Francesca Vietor at (415) 554-6394 in San Francisco. Sincerely,
Brooke A. Levin
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