So I have been following the LAC sustainability committee since late June when there was a request of the City Council to allow them to research the mandating of electrification of homes during remodeling. I did an interview with Lakewood Informer about this subject and shared my knowledge of the federal laws passed in the seventies – Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (Purpa) with the LAC executive board and my love of gas stoves.
I believe that this caused the Sustainability Committee pause as at a previous meeting they talked about modifying the proposal.
However there is 180 million federal dollars available and this committee is determined to “get a piece of the pie”. And I believe the City Council’s Emergency meeting on August 7 helped to energize this committee to continue to try to mandate this electrification. Home Rule and leaders with an agenda can over come all laws.
8/16 meeting
So as my husband and watched this meeting we could not understand how this proposal would be made policy by the city council. The chair of the committee admitted that there was no way they could collect the necessary energy usage data (due to privacy issues)to use as benchmarks but then stated that there were approximately 5000 structures in Lakewood of which 4800 were under 5000ft. These 4800 structures (presumable household structures) are responsible for 41% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Lakewood. I asked my husband wouldn’t it be a better use of the money to go after the 59% from the bigger structures and he said that piece was probably car emissions. I looked up today greenhouses gas emissions from households and there were several articles quoting 20% to 73% so I do not believe this is settled science yet.
So it was decided that collecting data would be difficult, the discussion turned to what small issues could be addressed. There was an interesting discussion on the permitting process in Lakewood and the number of people that pulled permits. It was brought up that some people do not pull permits because of lack of knowledge (I learned that you should pull a permit for replacing a water heat although there is ambiguity in whether you need to pull a permit when replacing “like with like”) and additional cost to the update.
Rebates and actually paying for the electrification was discussed. Generating of forms and the means to inform the people about program was another topic. Nate W brought up that DEI should be included in the process. My thought on this was another government program picking “winners and losers” and if the committee really believed in inclusion this would be a more overall program for all of the city.
So in conclusion it seems that the committee will have some plan because those federal dollars under the Inflation Reduction Act need to be spent. And it is important to have a plan when those dollars are made available.
Thank you Committee for all your hard work and especially looking into how hazardous those Gas Stoves are. I think you will find some recent articles stating they are not so bad.
PS the last topic was the introduction of the Xcel and Committee Choice Energy Bill that will be introduced in the 2024 legislature. I am looking forward to this bill.
In Lakewood, growth and development are important topics, and our City Council is working together to address them head-on.
Communities are multi-faceted and encompass many essential elements, such as ensuring safety, affordability for all residents and spaces that embody the Colorado lifestyle. Lakewood is incredibly fortunate to possess all the necessary components for a vibrant, thriving community. We boast parks, businesses, excellent schools and convenient proximity to the majestic Colorado mountains and the bustling City of Denver. As residents of Lakewood, we greatly appreciate these valuable assets.
In 2017, Stephanie Deveaux noticed her city and neighborhood were changing. Lying on Denver’s western outskirts, Lakewood was known for its spacious single-family homes, good public schools, pristine parks and Rocky Mountain views. But many of the things that made Lakewood so livable seemed under threat.
“All these multiunit dwellings [were] starting to be developed,” she said, referring to the boxy, ultramodern and monotone buildings now scattered across Lakewood. “And then lands that I thought had been earmarked for open space, those started to get filled up.”
Cathy Kentner, a teacher and Lakewood planning commission member, also noticed those same tall buildings “adjacent to small single-family homes and cutting off all their sunlight”; deteriorating streets; busier hospitals; and green space being replaced by “a sea of concrete”. She mentioned the murals dotting several buildings along West Colfax Avenue as an example. “I really appreciate the art that they put on the outside, how it’s all green and plants,” she said. “[But] how nice would it be to actually have some real greenery.”
The City of Lakewood cites an increase in crime around or near Jumbo’s Sports Bar and Grill (6111 W Colfax Ave), leading to increased emergency service calls. The City cites this increase as a reason to suspend the bars liquor license. Others point to the regular crime rate along Colfax as the source for crime. Jumbo’s owner, Tanesha Howard, argues they are the victims of crimes that Lakewood will not investigate.
Some neighbors have complaints over alleged license irregularities. A State investigation of license irregularities concluded the liquor license allegations were “unfounded”.
Ms. Howard explains that opening the bar actually cleaned up the area and gave good purpose to the property. Robert Vigil, a local resident and supporter, says he looked forward to having a safe place in the community to come to. Jumbo’s routinely feeds the homeless.
According to CBS Colorado, Lakewood’s document calls Jumbo’s “a target for gun violence”, not a perpetrator, enabler or cause of gun violence.
This marks a disturbing trend in Lakewood to penalize property owners for their property not being safe. Recently Lakewood passed a new ordinance for vacant properties, requiring owners to register, pay fees, and potentially be penalized, because their vacant property attracts crime.
Jumbo’s may also be penalized for property location. Fox31 KDVR shows Lakewood City Council Member Springsteen saying, “I’ve read through the allegations from the City and I did not see specific circumstances when people from this establishment were causing gun violence that you don’t see anywhere else on West Colfax.” Springsteen has been advocating for Jumbo’s since she heard about their problems.
In fact, the business purports being the victim of many crimes and potential acts of sabotage. Mr. Howard explains that the bar was flooded due to what appeared to be a hose on left out on the roof.
Down the street from Jumbo’s there are only a handful of houses for neighbors to complain from. However, these neighbors have been active and have provided the City with video footage and verbal complaints to show people in the parking lot after 2 AM, arguing that means the business is open after legal hours.
There are also new, high-density apartment buildings that brought plenty of new neighbors to the block, but not to complain. Local resident and neighbor Alex Johnson says, “It seems like there are bigger issues out there than beating on a mom and pop shop.” He says he’s tried to go to Jumbo’s but it was shut down. He would like a bar and grill within walking distance.
The few houses across and down the street from Jumbo’s. In between high-density apartment buildings, one still in construction directly across from the bar
Recently the restaurant was served with a Notice of Violation in a TikTok video that went viral. The Rocky Mountain NAACP is now involved. Portia Prescott, President of RMNAACP, has issued a Call to Action to Lakewood’s Mayor Paul to encourage small business like Jumbo’s. She argues that Colfax is a known problem area for crime, saying, “If you want to talk crime, I can literally walk, what, 20 feet and see crime.”
Tyrone Glover, a Chair with the RMNAACP Legal Redress Team says, “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community.” He calls for Lakewood Police to assist with investigations, rather than requiring burdensome records requests.
State investigations found no subsequent problem with serving liquor without a license or serving those underage, although the allegations still haunt Jumbo’s. Ms. Howard says, “[the police] never asked where they got the liquor.” An obvious oversight with a liquor store next door and a public intoxication being common in the area.
Jumbo’s lost their license just before the NBA finals. They stayed open to serve food, and Ms. Howard feels like that was the basis for allegations that they continued to sell alcohol. She emphatically states Jumbo’s never sold alcohol after that time.
Another local resident and neighbor says he’s never known Jumbo’s to be especially loud or troublesome. Against the backdrop of the normal crime on Colfax, there seemed to be a lot questions as to why Lakewood is linking Jumbo’s to crime “in the area” and whether Jumbo’s was the unacknowledged victim of said crime. There is also the outstanding question of whether the neighbor complaints represent the entire neighborhood.
Jumbo’s will have a public hearing August 29 for all interested parties to have a chance to explain why Jumbo’s should or should not get their license reinstated.
No one is talking about what would happen if Jumbo’s had to close permanently and the corner would return back to the non-productive state it was in. Jumbo’s Mr. Howard says they are committed to safety and are willing to hire safety officers themselves. Private business having to hire their own security is another upward trend in Lakewood.
“Just let us run our business and make a living without harassing us … I just want the city to work with me instead of against me”
In the August 2022 edition of Looking @ Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul commented on public input stating:” We offer many opportunities for you to engage and make your voice heard. Your participation, feedback, and ideas are critical”. While the opportunities may exist for volunteering or submitting information either in person or through Lakewoodspeaks, etc. the results of these efforts are usually ignored.
In June 2017, as the citizens’ initiative regarding strategic growth was becoming a reality, our city manager began an all out campaign to try to prevent it from moving forward. Emails obtained through CORA indicate that she directed staff to craft talking points against the initiative. She also worked with the Mayor on adhering to scripted messaging. Keep in mind, this initiative began because the people were concerned about the direction the City was taking regarding growth. For two years, lawsuits prevented the issue from going to the ballot box. Over $300,000 was raised to fight the citizen’s initiative, but the voters spoke at the polls in July 2019 passing the SGI. Our city officials who proclaim they value public input, have spent the past few years doing everything in their power to circumvent that voter approved initiative.
If public participation is so highly valued, why disband effective interactive programs such as the development dialogues. These meetings successfully addressed and offered solutions to various problems including housing, parking, etc. They provided a setting that allowed community members to interact with city staff and councilors. Questions were raised and responded to in the moment. I suspect that most of the councilors who voted to end these productive meetings had never attended one. Now the Housing Policy Commission will take on these challenges. This group has spent the past few years working on a short-term rental policy with no definitive results to date.
Neither transparency nor public attendance was a priority when scheduling the Annual Planning Retreat last February. It was the only meeting since the beginning of the pandemic that was designated as an “in-person only” event. All other meetings both before and after this offered “virtual” or “hybrid” options. This very important meeting that set City Council priorities for the rest of the year didn’t even offer an “audio” recorded component. I was one of four members of the public who attended. When one observer went to get a cup of coffee from the refreshment table, the Deputy City Manager informed her she couldn’t have any because it was for participants only. Not exactly a welcoming message.
When our city officials encourage citizen input, it makes a lovely sound bite but nothing more. If you have ever addressed City Council either in person or by phone you recognize it as a frustrating experience. There is rarely any feedback for your efforts and you often wonder if anyone is paying attention. Prior to council meetings, all our representatives are supposed to read comments on Lakewoodspeaks but it is unusual for that to occur.
The council is supposed to be a non-partisan body, but too often that is not the reality. Those council members who are independent thinkers are encouraged to be “team players” and not make waves. The Mayor consistently speaks of “decorum” yet he often fails to follow these guidelines regarding his own behavior. Changes need to be made. For the people’s voices to be heard, we need to demand that our elected representatives be strong and stand up for their constituents’ priorities rather than allow the staff led by the city manager to direct policy. It can be done. Just this past week, the City Council voted unanimously to deny a “blight” designation defying the staff recommendation. This does provide a glimmer of hope moving forward.
At the Nov 28, 2022 Lakewood City Council meeting, proponents for and against new gun control measures made their arguments in public comment. This is now an issue for all local governments due to a new law in Colorado, https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb21-256. This law makes it possible for cities to pass their own laws, as long as they are more restrictive than state laws.
Creating a 10-day waiting period for the sale of firearms
Raising the minimum age to purchase and possess a firearm to 21 years old
Requiring firearm dealers to post signage about the dangers of weapons in the home
Prohibiting guns in certain public places (open and concealed carry)
Prohibiting the possession of unserialized ghost guns
City Council has not added these items to the agenda in any formal action but public comment on the issue lasted around 2 hours just considering the possibility.
There were an estimated 11 comments in favor of new restrictions, and 20 comments against them (some comments were ambiguous)
A VERY brief summary of comments in favor of the proposed regulations:
These are research-backed solutions
More regulations slow gun violence
The 2nd Amendment requires a well-regulated militia and that is currently not the case
These are sensible solutions
Our laws are out of date
Proposal is not overly burdensome, it’s respectful
The proposal is not an unreasonable ask
Several stories of personal loss, violence impacting family and friends, and examples from around the nation
Stories of not feeling safe
Representative video IN FAVOR of new regulations
A VERY brief summary of comments against the proposed restrictions:
We have 2nd Amendment rights
Cannot convert rights to a crime
Criminals don’t care about laws
Mature enough to vote, mature enough to own a gun
Government must uphold constitution
Culture is the problem
Moms Demand Action are only expressing pain
New SCOTUS decision says any infraction on rights is too much
The real problem is mental health cases are on the rise
There are local gun businesses which are a benefit to the community and tax base
Gun control has been tried and doesn’t result in less violence
The November 7th City council meeting included a presentation on the 2022 State of the Municipal Court. Presiding Judge Nicole Bozarth presented statistics on cases, hearings and more. She also updated the council on the progress of treatment and outreach programs.
Presiding Judge Bozarth reported that Lakewood is a leader in court innovation.
Regarding case trends, Judge Bozarth reports that penal cases are on the rise, especially juvenile cases. The number of penal cases that are high risk are increasing. High-risk or high-need cases include domestic disturbance cases. 90% of juvenile offenders are in the high-risk category.
The number of calls to police for service is up over last year. Judge Bozarth believes police are following up on more calls of increasing complexity. Traffic cops are being pulled in to cover these other cases, resulting in less traffic offenses such as parking.
The number of hearings held is still not back to pre-covid levels, being only 60% of the number compared to 2018.
Jails are opening up and are taking more prisoners when a warrant has been issued. However, Judge Bozarth explains that court policy is to vacate almost all warrants. (If there are different types of warrants, it was not explained.)
Failures to appear, citations and warrants are all down from 2021 to 2022. Data before 2021 is not presented.
Judge Bozarth thanks the city for funding the Municipal Opportunity to Secure and Sustain Treatment (MOSST) Program. This program was intended to reduce the cost for “probation clients court ordered to participate in therapeutic interventions.” This program was passed by unanimous vote in March, 2022 at the cost of $199,992.
Lakewood Municipal Community Outreach Court will start December 1, 2022. Judge Bozarth will be handling cases directly from Mountair Church. The goal is to “provide those in need with immediate access to community resources and providers.” For example, someone with a high “Failure to Appear” rate may have an easier time if the court moves to them.
Discussions after the presentation focused on mental health solutions. Several Council Members thanked Judge Bozarth for her compassion and said that was the reason City Council appointed her.
Public comment after the presentation included an account from one resident who was harmed by an offender with several Failures to Appear, for which the Court vacates all warrants. This resident has suffered loss of time, money and personal health.
Lakewood government, for over a decade, has been leading the city down the path of economic and environmental peril due to a seemingly intentional disregard for true economic development.
This became painfully obvious at the city council meeting on the 7th of November, 2022. An in-depth presentation by Elizabeth Garner from the Department of Local Affairs showed just how poorly positioned Lakewood has become from the perspective of generating local, well-paying jobs and attracting a vibrant pool of talent to fill them. Of course, the council majority wasted no time in boiling everything down to “well, it’s the old people’s fault for not shopping more and we need more housing.”
Around 28:30 mark, an interesting point comes to the fore – not only are there no well-paying jobs in Lakewood (i.e. $100,000+) in significant numbers, but even for the jobs that are here, there is not enough local talent to fill those jobs.
Furthermore, younger, skilled people that do live in Lakewood are forced to join the tens of thousands of other residents who drive OUT of Lakewood on daily basis to DTC, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Aurora and other municipalities that wisely invested in massive, high-tech, quality, job creation for decades. This amounts to hundreds of hours per person, per year, instead of spending that time exercising, taking care of choirs and spending time with loved ones. Plus, the additional pollution.
This is not a surprise as Lakewood government has conflated economic development with haphazard development and sales tax revenue instead of working on attracting world-class companies and guiding the build-out of well-planned middle housing which would attract and help the younger generation.
Enter the Propaganda
The city publishes “Looking@Lakewood”, in which the city is never shy to twist the narrative in order to mask its failures. But even in the propaganda, the truth slips through.
Looking at the November 2022 issue of “Looking@Lakewood” further confirms the decline of the city:
4.2% loss in the number of jobs from 2010-2020, while the city had added over 10,000 people. How is it possible that during a decade of robust economic growth around the state and in the neighboring communities, Lakewood has actually lost jobs?
According to a presentation by Mr. Robert Smith (Director of Lakewood Office of Economic Development), on November 5th, 2002, at the Ward 5 meeting, there are about 71,000 jobs in Lakewood, with tens of thousands driving every day in and out of Lakewood for work. That would imply that Lakewood has actually lost about 2,900 jobs in the last decade. While the neighboring communities have added thousands of localized, well-paying jobs. During the same presentation, it became quickly obvious that Lakewood has no world-class companies present as the primary drivers of the economic activity in the city.
Another worrying sign is the slowing in the growth of the younger generation. This bodes poorly for the future workforce, which is vital to keeping the local economy vibrant. Combined with the city’s failure to establish a robust local high-tech economy, what few younger people are around will be apt to leave the area in the coming years, further intensifying the economic death spiral of the city.
The Affordable Housing Lie
$400/month. $4,800/year. Is the amount of metro district fees paid by a citizen in Solterra as was testified by a citizen at a Lakewood City council meeting a few years ago. That is in addition to what they already pay in property taxes. How does this make the housing in Lakewood more affordable?
$1,600-$2,000/month. Is the cost of a one-bedroom rental in Lakewood. So much for “affordable” housing. Forcing more and more people into rental-only dwellings puts them on the path to financial servitude instead of providing an inventory of middle housing which would be an asset in attracting younger, well-educated potential talent in technical fields, thereby creating an incentive for high-tech world-class companies to consider Lakewood as a potential location for their offices.
So not only is the Lakewood city government destroying the economic potential of the city, they are also making sure that the housing is less and less attainable for people of all socio-economic levels.
1,000,000+. That is how many square feet of commercially designated space was wiped away by the vote of the joint Lakewood-Morrison committee in 2018 in the Red Rocks Ranch. 300+ acres that were originally planned to support the generation of thousands of well-paying, localized jobs – gone. And a representative from the JeffCo EDO spoke in support of this, while the Lakewood EDO was nowhere to be found. Take a guess how many well-paying, localized jobs are in Red Rocks Ranch now?
Here are some video captures of the joint Lakewood-Morrison commission voting to wipe away any chance of real economic development in Red Rocks Ranch:
and
https://youtu.be/cNNFyQJjnek
The same commission (and the town of Morrison) were presented with a document, by the developer, which clearly stated that:
“The cost of servicing residents for most Colorado communities exceeds the revenues those residents generate.” (Memo RE: The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the Red Rocks Ranch Development – Page 7)
Yet, Lakewood government wanted to push through an annexation of the same area, to saddle the already economically struggling city with more municipal expenses. Even the former city, attorney, Tim Cox, clearly stated that residential units are an expense to the city:
City Council Annexation Study, Residential Properties Tim Cox, May 15, 2017
59 acres. Is the amount of space adjacent to the Federal Center which could’ve been used, over a decade ago, to entice world-class companies, such as Google, Amazon/AWS, Arrow Electronics, Charles Schwab to locate hundreds, if not thousands of jobs which would’ve served as an economic engine of its own. Instead, the city manager and some on the city council have been tripping over themselves to provide a sweet-heart deal to those looking to make a short-term profit instead of creating an economic engine for the city.
It is not as if some of us did not try to plead with the city about the need for true economic development:
Alex addresses City Council on Economic Development, March 27, 2017
And the City Keeps on Spending
Despite the numerous failures to build up a localized high-tech economic engine, which would boost the city in other areas, the city is not slowing down in its spending habits.
$203,000/year. Is the salary of the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. A person who can induce trillion dollar market movements by uttering a few sentences. Guess who makes more than that? Lakewood City Manager. The same person, whose office alone is costing the taxpayers millions of dollars per year, while Lakewood is rapidly heading for economic stagnation. In addition to the compensation, the Manager was also recently given a $10,000 bonus by the City Council majority.
And now, the city is planning to spend an additional $17,000,000 per year to hire more staff. While the country is potentially heading into a recession. Instead of working on bolstering the local economic engine, the city wants to spend additional millions of dollars at a time when the local businesses have been closing, more retail locations are about to close and tens of thousands of residents have to waste hundreds of hours per year driving elsewhere for better job opportunities. Corruption, incompetence or both? The budget alone deserves a whole separate discussion.
Economic Destruction Continues
Lakewood City Council intentionally omitted Economic Development from the list of priorities for this year. Judging by the numbers and the voting record of the majority of City Council, even prior to this year, the Council has never been that interested in true economic development. So as the city continues its economic decline (along with the inevitable increase in crime, and other side effects), remember who has brought our community to the brink, under the guise of “affordable” housing and fake sustainability.
The November issue of Looking@Lakewood included a column reflecting on Lakewood’s style of government. Lakewood’s city charter set up a council-manager form of government. Per the article, this form involves hiring “a professional city manager who puts those [city council] policies into action by directing and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the city’s departments and staff members.”
As pointed out in the article, the advantage of the council-manager form is to minimize the potentially unethical influence of elected officials. It relies on an experienced and non-political manager to oversee operations. Not discussed in the article is that the disadvantage of the system is the development of an entrenched bureaucracy.
Mayor Adam Paul also chose the November issue of Looking@Lakewood to write about the council-manager form of government. He writes, “My role, in combination with council members, is to work together, as no one council member can direct staff.”
Mayor Paul notes two different actions: directing staff and working together. It appears that Mayor Paul meant that council works together, and staff work together…. Separately.
Council Member Olver asked to work with staff and describes running into “roadblocks”. In this same November issue of Looking@Lakewood, Olver writes, “… after I asked to be included in staff discussions about a topic in which I’m an expert [a department director said]: “It would not be best practice to invite an elected official to join an internal staff meeting.”
Apparently, city employees may feel that discussion equals direction and will enforce working separately.
However, there is another explanation when viewed from a stakeholder perspective. According to ProjectManagement.com, “When you plot your stakeholders on a power/interest grid, you can determine who has high or low power to affect your project and who has high or low interest. People with high power need to be kept satisfied while people with high interest need to be kept informed” (see chart below from same source).
Using this chart, we can assume that Council Member Olver is low on the power scale, so no one on city staff thinks he is in the “keep satisfied” category. This theory is further proved by the simple observation that Council Member Olver’s column totaled 164 words, similar to other council members, while, coincidentally, there appeared to be two rebuttals to his remarks, spread over two columns totaling about 600 words.
Council members have zero power in day-to-day decisions, and according to the column example, get told so regularly. Council members do not have the power to hire and fire or spend funds. They cannot self-publish a city-wide publication like Looking@Lakewood. City management has that power. So the question to ask is, does the city use that power to bring you all the information, or only the information it wants you to see. For example, did the city tell you about the possible formation of an entrenched bureaucracy?
Calvin Coolidge warned about bureaucracy overwhelming democracy in a speech he gave in 1926:
No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline. Of all forms of government, those administered by bureaus are about the least satisfactory to an enlightened and progressive people. Being irresponsible they become autocratic, and being autocratic they resist all development. Unless bureaucracy is constantly resisted it breaks down representative government and overwhelms democracy. It is the one element in our institutions that sets up the pretense of having authority over everybody and being responsible to nobody.
At the Jeffco School Board meeting on November 11, 2020, people for and against the school closures made their final statements. At the end, the Board voted unanimously to close 16 schools for the good of the District.
Every member of the public speaking about the closures spoke against it, often passionately, always prepared, and often just asking for more time. Speakers asked for more time because so many points of consideration were raised during this process. The Board responded that they said in August that the schools would close. The public discussion was only to discuss how “best to make the transition.”
The public presented statistics to show that students receiving free lunch or are non-white are more likely to be affected by this decision. The Board agreed but said that is one reason for the closures. By closing the schools, the Board ensures that students receive access to programs that the larger schools may have but the smaller ones lack.
Charter schools were shielded from closures. Ironically, many charters show successful models of education at smaller levels that the school board could adopt to save the schools, if they were willing to do so.
School board members spoke equally passionately and thoughtfully for the closures. One member was disturbed by reduced mental health care at smaller schools. One was disturbed by the reduced access to programs, such as a literacy program. One explained that smaller schools have been an economic drain on the District for years, if not decades.
The ending arguments seemed to focus on the economics for the District and the level of program access. Closing these schools will save around $7M. On the other hand, as was mentioned by several members of the public, The District could afford pay raises for central administration staff of approximately the same amount. This shows sacrifices by the students, families, and local school staff for the benefit of the District.
This decision seems to enshrine the philosophy of the Greater Good – sacrifice the small and the marginalized for the Greater Good of The District. It seems that Jefferson County Public Schools has decided that the only possible model for a successful school district is large schools, possibly far outside local neighborhoods, with education primarily about programs, rather than the classroom. This decision would be a surprise to small schools around the state. It can be done.
An excellent analysis of what brought us here can be found at: