Lynne Andonian, an occupational therapy professor at San Jose State University, had realized that her four-hour round-trip commute was taking a toll on her, both physically and mentally. So this year, she moved to Redwood City to be closer to work.
Now, after just a short time in her new digs, Lynne is loving the quality-of-life upgrade of her new commute: “I’ve already been riding my bike as a really pleasant way to get to Caltrain.”
“I love the Bay Area—the quality of life here is really profound. For me, it’s a balance of stuff to do: places to walk, cafes to go to, music to hear, restaurants to check out, parks to hang out in. In a lot of cities, you really have to drive quite a ways to get access to nature, and here, we’re surrounded.”
“I love the Bay Area…A big part of the quality of life is the open space that we have.”
Back in May, Lynne volunteered with Greenbelt Alliance to encourage voters to support Measure AA, a $300 million bond measure that would fund open space in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. It was her way of championing the places that make the Bay Area special and preserving the quality of life that we sometimes take for granted.
With Measure AA passing by the slimmest of margins (0.1% of the vote), people like Lynne were absolutely vital to that huge win for the Bay Area’s natural landscapes.
“I do think a big part of the everyday quality of life is the open space that we have. Even if we don’t get out into it, we know it’s there, and that’s really important. Driving on 280 at night, which I’ve done a lot after classes, the view west of the highway is black, and there’s something amazing about that—it’s not a hill of lights. And this is in a car going 65—it’s still totally awesome.”
This year, voters around the Bay Area have the opportunity to vote to preserve our natural and agricultural lands at the ballot box. Santa Clara County’s Measure Q is one such opportunity.
See all of our ballot recommendations for the upcoming November election here.
