Another 'Downtown Matters' Workshop Tonight

Today is WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2011. Tonight is the second workshop in the Downtown Matters series, which is getting quite a conversation going in the comment stream. As expected, there are voices opposed to the entire exercise, since the person leading the tours and workshops is a consultant, and a former redevelopment director, and from another city. This city is kind of famous, or infamous, for its insularity -- some might even say provincialism. Some old town Martinez folks don't trust outsiders -- don't care to hear outside views on a place they consider their special slice of the American dream. Especially if those views are of the esoteric variety. So tonight's workshop (which takes place at 7 p.m. the Campbell Theater, 636 Ward St. -- admission free, and refreshments will be served) will be particularly inflamatory to them. The subjects discussed tonight will be challenges facing downtowns such as ours in a global market, the likely impacts of climate change (always a favorite topic of debate), and the changing demographic landscape. These are fascinating workshops, by the way; the information is well presented and the speakers know their stuff. If you're looking for specifics on how to recreate Martinez, or enhance it, or even just bring more bodies downtown, just know that these workshops are not intended to answer those questions. These are meant to get people asking questions, seeing new perspectives, and taking a look at what other cities have done. Some residents say this exercise has been done several times before, to no avail. Nevertheless, if you're interested in urban planning trends and how it relates to our fair downtown, these meetings are worth attending.

Weather:
Today - A 20 percent chance of showers. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 67. West wind between 11 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tonight - Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. West southwest wind between 8 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Events:

Today in History:
1956 - The Federal Aid Highway Act is signed into law, creating the Interstate Highway System.
1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that arbitrary imposition of the death penalty violates the 8th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
1974 - Ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada.
2006 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that President George W. Bush's plan to try captives at Guantanamo Bay in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law.

Weather courtesy of the National Weather Service

Today in History courtesy of Wikipedia