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Home July 2005 |
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Greenbelt Newswire
In this edition
Volunteer of the Month: Eihway Su We like to call her the Web Mistress Extraordinaire: such is the importance we place on Eihway Su's contributions to Greenbelt Alliance. Eihway's work with Greenbelt Alliance began in 2002, when she was seeking to volunteer her time at a local organization that shared her concern for the environment and love for the Bay Area. Greenbelt Alliance fit Eihway's criteria perfectly. Her work here began with helping to reorganize, redesign, and expand the greenbelt.org website. Eihway proved to be an extremely committed and dedicated volunteer, and her initial project turned into an ongoing commitment over three years: she is now the main force behind keeping the Greenbelt Alliance website up-to-date and running smoothly. Eihway's work is a vital component of Greenbelt Alliance's success, and
we are very glad to have her as a part of the team. Thank you, Eihway!
Action Alert: Unfair Payment Initiative Threatens Napa County Napa County's scenic vineyards and rolling hills are endangered by a costly Unfair Payment initiative that would make it impossible to protect Napa's natural beauty. The initiative would force Napa taxpayers to either pay any landowner who claims that local land use efforts have reduced his ability to profit, or else allow him to break the law. This initiative poses a serious threat to Napa County's quality of life and its ability to plan for the future. A small minority of property owners is attempting to put the initiative on this November's ballot. The Unfair Payment initiative would cost Napa taxpayers millions of dollars, reducing the funds available for fire, police, libraries, and other county services. The Unfair Payment initiative also threatens to plunge Napa into the same legal chaos that has resulted from Oregon's Measure 37, where over 1000 lawsuits have been filed and only lawyers are profiting. Contact the Napa Board of Supervisors to urge them to conduct a comprehensive study of the fiscal and land use impacts of the Unfair Payment Initiative, so voters will know what's at stake. District 1: Brad Wagenknecht, 707-253-4828, bwagenkn@co.napa.ca.us For more information about the Napa County Board of Supervisors, click here.
Alert: East Bay Land Grab at the Ballot Box Eastern Contra Costa County now appears to be home to a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing, as three developers circulate petitions to put urban growth boundaries on ballots in Antioch, Brentwood, and Pittsburg. Instead of protecting farms and natural areas, the proposed boundaries are actually designed to open up thousands of acres of land to sprawl development. The Roddy Growth Initiative in Antioch would put 700 new houses in the Roddy Ranch area on the foothills of Mount Diablo, loading the infamously congested Highway 4 with even more cars every day. In Brentwood, the Nunn family of developers is attempting to open up 1,700 acres to development. Not just any 1,700 acres, either. According to the article in the Contra Costa Times, the Nunns either own or have an interest in half of that land: they obviously stand to profit hugely with this initiative. In Pittsburg, the initiative proposed by the Seeno family of developers would put 2,400 acres of currently protected open space inside a new urban growth boundary; the Seenos own a quarter of that land, and are currently negotiating to buy more. Local Antioch residents are working on their own urban growth boundary initiative that would actually protect land and direct new growth into the existing city; see the upcoming Greenbelt Action newsletter to learn more. To help protect Contra Costa County's farms and open space from the developer-sponsored sprawl initiatives, contact David Reid, East Bay Field Representative.
Feature: Open Space Funding Victory in Santa Clara County In a major victory for land protection in the South Bay, a recent court decision has freed up funding for the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. In 2001, property owners in Santa Clara County voted to fund open space protection through a benefit assessment district. The assessments have raised $26 million since the measure passed, but the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority has been unable to use any of that money. Instead of buying land for new parks, the funds have been sitting in a bank account, tied up by a lawsuit. Even though property owners voted to pass the measure, the Silicon Valley Taxpayer's Association sued the Open Space Authority soon after the election, claiming that it did not comply with Proposition 218, which restricts local government funding, including fees, taxes, and assessments. Finally, this month, the 6th District Court of Appeals upheld the validity of the benefit assessment. Park and open space supporters are bracing for a possible appeal of the court's decision to the California Supreme Court. If the case is not appealed, the Open Space Authority will begin purchasing open space lands throughout the county with the newly available funding. In addition to affirming the public's choice to provide important funding in the South Bay, the ruling was a wider victory as well, confirming that parks and open space funding are legitimate uses of benefit assessment districts, which are an important source of support for land protection throughout the state.
Event: Run for the Greenbelt!—Volunteers Needed this Friday This weekend, the Greenbelt Alliance team will run in the San Francisco Marathon! Come out and help the runners get ready by volunteering at the Marathon Expo on Friday, July 29th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza. Contact Melissa at mwright@greenbelt.org or call 415.543.6771 x304 for details. Also, you can still sign up for the run yourself. Run or walk 5k, 13 miles, or all 26 miles, and raise funds for local open space protection as part of the Greenbelt Alliance team! The event is Sunday, July 31st, 2005. To register (or to sponsor—no running required), go to www.causetorun.com and choose Team 6.
Fri Jul 29: Dairy Delight
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support our work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make our cities better places to live. Click here to join or renew, or click here to join our Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club. Questions? Contact Melissa Wright at 415-543-6771 or mwright@greenbelt.org.
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