UPDATE: The results are clear! San Jose has rejected sprawl by saying NO to Measure B and YES to Measure C!
Funded by two billionaires, the 367-page Evergreen Initiative would have rewritten local rules to facilitate sprawl development across the city. It posed a major threat to thousands of acres of open space across San Jose, including the iconic Coyote Valley—a lynchpin landscape at the city’s southern edge that connects the Mount Hamilton Range with the Santa Cruz Mountains. The measure also included detailed plans for a 200-acre sprawling development on the city’s eastern edge, which would have paved over greenbelt lands while bypassing affordable housing requirements and local fees.
Measure B would have set a dangerous precedent for the entire Bay Area—replacing community-driven planning and environmental safeguards with a rush to the ballot box and more slick advertising campaigns. It would have brought more traffic and congestion, increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, impacted critical wildlife habitat, and strained our drinking water supply. It was opposed by a diverse coalition of seniors, veterans, environmentalists, and community members across the political spectrum.
Yes on C Passed!
To counteract Measure B, Mayor Sam Liccardo, nine San Jose City Council members, community organizations, and community leaders put forward an alternative initiative, Measure C, which voters passed on June 5.
Measure C stops developers from taking shortcuts that will negatively impact the quality of life in San Jose. Measure C also creates new protections for open space lands at the edges of the city and encourages the creation of affordable homes in the right places. San Jose chose to stop the deception and deceit of Measure B by voting YES on C.
Check out our blog for Measure B News and Op-Eds.
Photo: Wesley Lee
