Bodega Bay in the Rain
Teri Shore, our North Bay Regional Director, shares her experience tracking a bobcat and tips for visiting Bodega Bay—even in the rain.
Trails Open but Doors Closed at Sonoma Developmental Center
Last year we were thrilled to learn that more than 700 acres of open space and wildlife habitat at the now-closed Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), near Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley, were being prioritized as open space in a new $40 million planning agreement between state and county officials! Since then, Greenbelt Alliance joined several hundred people to share visions for the future of the beautiful oak-studded lands and campus at a… Read More
Climate & Wildfire Resiliency Update
As we face another dry winter and a long wildfire season ahead, Greenbelt Alliance is delving deeper into the ways that we can help our growing communities become more climate and wildfire resistant. Greenbelt Alliance has been advocating for climate-healthy growth within existing cities and towns and the protection of our greenbelts for decades. We are now entering an era when the climate crisis makes this solution a matter of life and… Read More
Housing on the Way in the North Bay
Around the Bay Area, more homes are getting built every day. It will take time to fill the need for homes that everyone can afford, but there is relief on the horizon. Here in Sonoma County where I do most of my work in the North Bay, more than 18,000 new places to live are in the pipeline within existing cities and towns — not including the rebuild of 5,000 homes lost… Read More
To Love Our Coast: To Love The Coast We Had to Save It
By Richard Retecki and Carol Benfell, Published in Sonoma County Gazette It’s taken the efforts of hundreds of people, organizations and government agencies, working together for more than sixty years, to preserve our magnificent, dynamic, and unique Sonoma County coast. Now the Sonoma County Local Coastal Plan, an integral part of that decades-long preservation effort, is being revisited by county officials, and changes will be made. It will be important to be… Read More
The SMART Train That Can
Greenbelt Alliance was instrumental in generating public support to build the SMART train that connects Marin and Sonoma counties to the rest of the Bay Area. Now we need to keep the train on track toward completion. Please vote Yes on Measure I to renew the existing quarter-cent sales tax. For a full briefing on the train and why we need to keep it alive, read the following piece by Steve Birdlebough,… Read More
City of Sonoma Ready to Renew Urban Growth Boundary
The City of Sonoma is moving forward to renew its existing Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) for another 20 years! This is great news for open space, agricultural lands, and climate-wise city-centered growth. After a robust discussion and hearing from a crowd who care deeply about the community and environment, city leaders agreed unanimously to ask voters to renew the UGB with a ballot measure in the November 2020 election. Next steps will… Read More
Sonoma & Marin Counties Vote No on Measure I
Update: On March 3, Sonoma and Marin county residents said no to Measure I, rejecting a sales tax renewal for SMART. Greenbelt Alliance supported Measure I, urging residents to renew the existing one-quarter cent sales tax to fund SMART for another 30 years. Unfortunately, the measure failed. SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit) is the passenger rail system that was approved by voters in 2008 and began operating in 2017. It runs from Larkspur… Read More
Renew the City of Sonoma’s Urban Growth Boundary
Help us tell Sonoma City Council that they must give voters the chance to renew the urban growth boundary that has protected open space and farmland around the city for 20 years!
Championing the Bay Area with True Highlander Spirit
Jake is known in the North Bay and beyond as a steward of smart city planning and a voice many seek when it comes to local and regional government. And we could not be prouder to honor him with this year’s Greenbelt Alliance Champion Award.