Steve Pomerance

This year Boulder has three citizen initiatives in process. Two are ordinances: One requires the city government to pay for lawyers to represent renters that face eviction. The other diverts certain tax money currently collected on our electricity bills to subsidize renewables. The third amends the city charter: It requires the city to allow all housing units to be occupied by one person per bedroom plus one more, and units with fewer than four bedrooms to have four people. Given social distancing and that the online petition system is still not operational, the probability of these making the ballot is low. But it’s still useful to discuss some of the details and implications, so that people who are asked to sign petitions are aware of what might happen if these actually pass. I’ll take the “eviction” one on first, with the rest to follow in future pieces. The No Eviction Without Representation act requires that the city provide legal representation in any proceeding where a ten...

Recent months have been really scary. Everyone is threatened by the coronavirus. Testing is way behind where it should be. The stock market is dropping at record rates, and the economy as a whole is slowing dramatically. Many people are being pushed to the edge, both economically and health-wise. But within this bleak scenario, there are things to be thankful for. Our local and state governments are doing a very good job with the resources and technology that they can access. Walking in neighborhoods is a pleasure, with people greeting each other — at the appropriate physical separation. We have our open space, where we can get out and enjoy nature. I recently hiked the southern portion of the Mesa Trail and was greeted by truly spectacular views of the Denver skyline and the eastern plains. The air was clearer than I ever remember seeing in my 50-plus years in Boulder. I also had time to read a book that I’ve put off for years — “The March of Folly,” by Barbara Tuchman, first p...