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Greenbelt Newswire
In this edition Announcement: Farewell and Many Thanks to Tom Steinbach, Executive Director After eight years with Greenbelt Alliance, Tom Steinbach will be leaving the organization late this month. In his time as Executive Director, he has helped make Greenbelt Alliance a national leader, known for its big-picture approach, research-based solutions, and powerful grassroots advocacy. Tom will be moving on to a new position with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Thanks for all your great work, Tom, and best of luck in the future! Below are a note from Tom and a note from Jean McCown, President of Greenbelt Alliance's Board. From Tom: I want to thank Greenbelt Alliance’s supporters; our successes are the result of your engagement. Thanks to your ongoing support, Greenbelt Alliance will continue to do the great work of protecting open spaces and creating vibrant places in the Bay Area. From Jean McCown: As we look ahead, we're excited about the future. Greenbelt Alliance will turn 50 in 2008, and we’re planning to celebrate our past successes and lay out a bold vision for the future. We are committed to finding a new Executive Director who will help us achieve this vision and continue the proud legacy established by Greenbelt Alliance's three directors to date, to create a better Bay Area for everyone.
Feature: Greenbelt Alliance in Outside Magazine On a rather lighter note, Tom may also be launching an international modeling career after making his debut as a “Bay Area all-star” for Greenbelt Alliance’s work in the September issue of Outside magazine – on newsstands now!
Feature: State Budget Passed; Threat to Climate Protection Averted This year, California’s annual budget impasse reached a new level of outrageousness. A group of 14 State Senators held the budget hostage in an attempt to stop any consideration of global warming in the environmental reviews of new developments. Attorney General Jerry Brown had been leading the charge to reduce the climate impacts of developments by filing lawsuits under the California Environmental Quality Act. Apparently this approach worried the oil and developer lobbies; thus the 11th-hour demand. The demand provoked cries of outrage from those who know the California Environmental Quality Act is a key law for addressing the climate crisis. It provides an established, proven method to reduce the negative impacts of development on communities and the environment. It can also be enforced immediately to get California on a path toward lowering its greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, the Senate finally passed a budget without compromising the law, agreeing instead on a two-year moratorium on lawsuits against bond-funded projects, which Attorney General Brown was not targeting. In fact, the Senate’s agreement established that the California Environmental Quality Act definitely does apply to global warming, which is great news – and is clearly not the outcome the “Gang of 14” was seeking!
In the South Bay, Gilroy city officials will soon begin creating a plan for the development of 660 acres of farmland east of Highway 101. Development in this area is not appropriate; it is prime farmland, it is on a floodplain, and it is far from Caltrain and from Gilroy’s downtown. Much of the land could be developed into a mega-mall, which would drain life from Gilroy’s newly reawakened downtown. This auto-dependent development, disconnected from the rest of the city, would put more cars on the road, increasing traffic and air pollution. Gilroy has many outlet malls already; the last thing it needs is more big-box development. Voice your concern in a letter to the editor of the Gilroy Dispatch. The City Council election is approaching—let elected officials know this is an important issue to their constituents.
Event: Cloverdale Forum on Growth On October 9, Cloverdale residents can attend a public forum to learn how they can affect the community's future. The forum will address how the city can limit sprawl, protect hillsides from development, revitalize the downtown, and promote walking and biking—by adopting an urban growth boundary.When: Tuesday, October 9, 6:30-8:30pm. Dinner will be served. Speakers will include Cloverdale Councilmember Carol Russell, former Cloverdale Councilmember Mike Nixon, Windsor Mayor Deborah Fudge, Dennis Rosatti of Sonoma County Conservation Action, and Greenbelt Alliance’s Daisy Pistey-Lyhne. Update: Pittsburg Officials Ignore Constituents, Follow Developer In an astonishing display of disregard for the public, during the public comment period of a hearing on August 28, a Pittsburg Planning Commissioner asked for a developer’s guidance on each provision of the city’s hillside development ordinance. After developer Albert Seeno III told the commission the ordinance was too onerous to comply with, four of the six Commissioners voted according to his response. In doing this, the Planning Commissioners disregarded several months of public input and the comments of many residents at the hearing, and gutted the already-weak ordinance. Their changes will allow major grading of the hills—which are south of Pittsburg and east of Concord—and will allow development on steep slopes, along ridgelines, and in scenic areas. The Commissioners also dismissed the need for a slope-density calculation, which prevents development in landslide-prone areas – just one year after landslides in these hills forced several families from their homes. The Planning Commission will take its final vote on the ordinance in October, making its recommendation to the City Council, which will then consider the ordinance. Write a letter to the editor of the Contra Costa Times to object to the Planning Commission’s conduct, and support protecting East Bay hills! To find out more, visit www.SaveOurHills.org. Announcement: Greenbelt Alliance on the Air Greenbelt Alliance is on KQED this month! And not just in the usual way, by being in the news. This fall, we’re trying a new approach to spread the word about Greenbelt Alliance’s work to public radio listeners. Tune your radio to 88.5 FM this week (on weekday mornings or weekend days) to catch an announcement about Greenbelt Alliance! If you hear it, let us know what you think. And if you’d like to underwrite Greenbelt Alliance’s efforts to get the message out in the future, let us know!
Update: Bluegrass for the Greenbelt Rocks the House The 2nd annual Bluegrass for the Greenbelt concert was a smash hit! On Sunday, September 9, more than 200 people packed Coventry Grove to groove to the sounds of bluegrass sensations Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Rustler’s Moon, and Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin. Concert-goers enjoyed complimentary beer, wine, and coffee donated by Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, Dyer Vineyard, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea of Orinda. And once again, the Kensington Farmers’ Market stole the show with its fresh local snacks. Thanks to fans and to sponsors, Bluegrass for the Greenbelt raised more than $25,000 to help protect open spaces and create vibrant places in the Bay Area. Many thanks go to key sponsors Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Whole Foods, and DanSun Productions, to the talented artists, and of course, to everyone who attended and enjoyed the show!
Sun Sept 23: Nitty Gritty City Hike, East Bay Sat Sept 29: Rock Parks of Berkeley, East Bay - Reservations required Sun Oct 7: Majestic Montara, South Bay - Reservations required
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support Greenbelt Alliance's work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make its cities
better places to live. Join or renew now, or join the Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club.
Thank you for reading! To subscribe to the Greenbelt Alliance Newswire email list, enter your name and email address at www.greenbelt.org. To unsubscribe, simply send an unsubscribe request to unsubscribe@greenbelt.org. |
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