By way of background, the following question was emailed to Matt Grocott, Vice Mayor of San Carlos, California (mentioned in our post Letter: Billionaires and U.N. agendas on July 28). Matt has served on the City Council since 2001. Sue Lempert writes The Daily Fetch, a news blog covering the San Mateo/Silicon Valley area. Would that all our local government officials were as informed, and willing to truly represent and serve their constituents!
Dear Mr. Grocott,
Your name was mentioned in Sue Lempert’s column about a week ago in reference to iclei and UN Agenda 21. I understand that all this high density housing, retail & office is in reference to this Agenda 21. So local governments approve these projects and are not subject to a vote by its citizens? I wondered why/how these projects got approved. I heard El Camino will be reduced to 2 lanes for cars and one lane for mass transit North & South. Is this true according to Agenda 21? Your response would be appreciated.
Matt replied:
Hello ____-
I am glad you took note of the topic that Sue Lempert raised when she interviewed me for her column. It is not a topic many people are educated on or know much about. Even Sue, who has been involved in local government for decades, claimed not to know anything about it. Not too surprising, given the complexity of the plans and machinations of how it is all being brought to reality.
To comment briefly, yes, the HD housing over office/retail, placed along a transit corridor, follows a blueprint laid out by the United Nations and ICLEI. If you use the internet to search topics like the Rio Summit, Agenda 21, ICLEI, sustainable development, you can find out more than you might imagine on the topic.
Local governments approve General Plans that follow the guidelines of Agenda 21 and they approve projects, yes. The organization of local government does not require a vote of the people to approve; your vote comes into play when you vote for your council members at the city level and at the county level, your board of supervisors.
By the way, the state is also involved in numerous ways. For example, Senate Bill 375 and Assembly Bill 32 are both pieces of legislation that follow the Agenda 21 blueprint. Take it up a notch and you will also find workings of the same in other states and in the federal government.
If you query politicians, planners, etc, about the United Nations, Agenda 21, ICLEI, etc, you will usually get a blank stare or a denial that they know anything about it. If you look up my name on the internet, specifically on YouTube, you will find a council meeting where I was challenging our city’s membership is ICLEI. During the discourse I had with our then Assistant City Manager, you will find a denial of knowing, as I mention above. It is typical. Also denied is any influence that the United Nations or ICLEI has on state and local government. But if you look at the evidence of what is happening, denial is not plausible.
Lastly, regarding the EL Camino, there is a planning document being produced that has been in the works for at least ten years. It is known as the Grand Boulevard Initiative or GBI. It does call for bus transit lanes and bike lanes. In many cities along the El Camino, to achieve those goals, the vehicle lanes would need to be reduced unless the cities were to use eminent domain to increase the right-of-way. The Grand Boulevard Initiative also follows the Agenda 21 blueprint.
Thanks for writing and seeking.
Matt Grocott
San Carlos City Council
650–802-4163 (VM)