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Your Five Minute News Flash
Greenbelt Alliance * Volume 3, Issue 9: September 2004

Photo of the Month



In this edition

Feature: Victory for Coastal Land Protection!
Feature: This November: East Bay Parks Funding on the Ballot
Feature: Morgan Hill ULL Expansion
Action Alert: Help Protect Contra Costa's Open Space
Alert: Support East Bay Measure BB to Fund AC Transit
Job Openings: Regional Issues Organizer/Education and Volunteer Assistant
Upcoming Outings & Events


Victory for Coastal Land Protection!
The expansion of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District is now official! Now the South Bay agency will be able to buy lands and create public open space preserves all the way to San Mateo County's coast. Opponents had stalled the expansion, but on September 3, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Carl Holm rejected their request to stop the expansion of the district's boundaries to include the coast. The judge also lifted the temporary restraining order on the expansion.

The district's boundaries now officially include some 140,000 acres west of Skyline Drive, and the agency can begin purchasing lands from willing sellers to create preserves in this area. This victory caps more than seven years of work by open space and farmland protection advocates.

This November: Support Measure CC to Fund East Bay Parks

This November, residents of the western East Bay will be asked to help fund the East Bay Regional Park District. The western East Bay includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Kensington, Oakland, Piedmont, San Pablo and part of Pinole. These communities contain 21 parks--19,500 acres--managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. These parks offer urban dwellers the opportunity to enjoy nature close to home, and provide essential habitat for local wildlife.

In recent years, demand for park services has increased. At the same time, the Park District has struggled to find the funds needed for ongoing maintenance and expansion. The coming year's state budget includes an estimated $12 million drop in property tax revenue for the Park District. This loss will make it difficult for the Park District to keep up maintenance for older parks, or to take new steps like expanding access to the Bay and increasing habitat protection for wildlife.

On November 2nd, Measure CC will appear on the ballot in the western portion of the park district. Measure CC asks voters to increase the local parcel tax by a modest $12 a year for single-family homes and $8.48 a year for homes in multi-family developments.
Of the approximately $3 million Measure CC would raise each year:

• 57 percent of the funds would be used to improve park access, infrastructure and safety.
• 33 percent would be used for habitat protection and resource conservation.
• 10 percent would be set aside for emergencies or emerging opportunities.

Measure CC requires approval from two-thirds of the voters to pass. Click here to learn more about Measure CC. Vote YES on Measure CC.

Morgan Hill ULL Expansion
Over the past year, a committee in Morgan Hill has been working to identify areas outside the city to become a protected greenbelt. The city already has an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in place to protect open space for the next 12 years.

This process has two possible outcomes. The positive outcome would be permanent protection of open space outside Morgan Hill. However, there has also been discussion of expanding the UGB as part of the process, resulting in development of currently protected open space.

Greenbelt Alliance is working to protect the area's agricultural character and close the door on sprawl development. Our efforts have been successful for the most part, but one area--a 1,200-acre expanse of farmland to the southeast of Morgan Hill--is at risk. Though this land should already be off-limits, plans for its development are being discussed. We need your help. To get involved, contact Michele Beasley, South Bay Field Representative, at 408-983-0856, mbeasley@greenbelt.org.

For more information on the ULL process, click here. ULL committee meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at the Morgan Hill Community Center at 7:00PM. The next meeting is scheduled for October 11th.

Action Alert: Help Protect Contra Costa's Open Space
We need your help to protect critical habitat, streams, hillsides and ridge tops throughout Contra Costa County. Elected officials from cities around the county are currently deciding the fate of the county's Urban Limit Line. If the line is weakened or expanded, open space that is currently protected will be paved over by sprawl development.

We need volunteers for tabling events, collecting signatures, writing letters, phone banks, and more! To get involved, contact David Reid, East Bay Field Representative, at 925-932-7776, dreid@greenbelt.org.

Support East Bay Measure BB to Fund AC Transit
On the ballot in the East Bay this November is a funding measure that would help AC Transit to make up $50 million in lost funding from the state. This parcel tax measure would allow AC Transit to continue providing service for people who need it--like students, commuters, the disabled and seniors--without having to raise fares. Measure BB is a two-dollar per year parcel tax that, if passed, will be levied on homes in the inner East Bay's AC Transit District. Vote YES on Measure BB. For more information on the measure, click here.

Job Openings:
Regional Issues Organizer
We are hiring a Regional Issues Organizer to focus on housing, transportation, open space and other smart growth issues at the regional (Bay Area-wide) level. The position may also involve some state level work and some occasional work on our local campaigns. To see the job posting, click here.

Education and Volunteer Assistant
We are hiring a part-time Education and Volunteer Assistant to help with our education programs, coordinate our Greenbelt Outings program, and oversee recruitment and introduction of volunteers to Greenbelt Alliance. To see the job posting, click here.

Upcoming Outings & Events
October 3: Majestic Montara
October 10: Beautiful Barnabe Peak
October 23: East Bay Watershed Hike
October 30: New Trail in Marin!
November 6: Magnificent Maguire Peaks

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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