Tribe, developer, environmental groups announce major shoreline deal
By John Simerman
Contra Costa Times
Wednesday October 20, 2010
RICHMOND -- An American Indian tribe and the developer of a planned billion-dollar casino resort at Point Molate have reached a deal with local environmental groups that calls for at least $48 million to buy and protect prime shoreline if a gambling emporium rises.
The deal ends years of litigation against a plan to build an Indian casino, along with a hotel, convention center, retail mall and nightclubs, on former Navy land along the Bay near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. And it comes less than ...
Endorsements 2010: Yes on 21; parks need a stable source of funds
Thursday, Sep. 16, 2010
California's 278 state parks are undisputed treasures. Anyone who has soaked in the pools of Grover Hot Springs State Park or camped on the beach of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park or seen the spring wildflowers at Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park can testify to the splendor of these public lands.
On Nov. 2, California voters must be prepared to answer two questions in regard to their state parks:
• Is the state providing adequate support for its state parks system?
• If not, does Proposition 21 offer a reasonable and fair funding ...
NEW NAME FOR EAST BAY OPEN SPACE ORGANIZATION!
Albany – In order to better reflect the current focus of its work CESP, which formerly stood for Citizens for the Eastshore State Park, will now stand for Citizens for East Shore Parks.
For decades, CESP worked actively with fellow community residents, with agencies, and with local and state representatives, to establish the Eastshore State Park. On December 6, 2002, that goal was successfully achieved. Since then, CESP has been working actively with park agencies, local representatives and organizations to ensure that the General Plan for the Eastshore State Park, ...
North Richmond rezoning could bring development to shoreline open space
September - October, 2010
The North Richmond Shoreline, from the West County Landfill to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, is a large contiguous block of Bay wetlands and coastal prairie. It deserves to be preserved in unified public ownership, but soon the Richmond City Council may take an action that would greatly perhaps prohibitively raise the costs of acquiring these lands.
The East Bay Regional Park District has owned Point Pinole since the 1960s. In 2006 it voted to acquire most of Breuner Marsh through eminent domain, over the fierce opposition of the ...
Broad Coalition of Supporters Qualify State Parks Initiative for November Ballot
June 10, 2010
Sacramento, CA - California Secretary of State Debra Bowen today qualified the State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, a measure that will provide a stable and adequate funding source to keep state parks open, for the Nov. 2 statewide ballot. With passage of the initiative, not only will state parks have a long-term funding solution, but also important General Fund dollars will be made available for other vital needs.
A wide-ranging coalition that includes business, public health, education, labor, entertainment, public safety, ...
Open space on Albany Waterfront
By Patricia Jones, Albany
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Albany community has come together for open space and recreation for the Albany Waterfront, envisioning only nominal "green" development for its shoreline.
On April 19, the Albany City Council unanimously voted to accept the Voices to Vision Report and to treat it as a living planning document that reflects Albany residents' waterfront vision.
Mayor Joanne Wile joined the council in praising the public participants and Fern Tiger & Associates for their hard work and dedication to producing an open, ...
Volunteers Clean-up Albany Shoreline on Earth Day
575 pounds of garbage and 53 pounds of recyclable materials!
Volunteers came out on a perfect Bay Area sunny day to show their Albany shoreline some love by cleaning it up to celebrate Earth Day!
Families, groups and children joined in the scavenger hunt for stuff and brought it proudly back to be weighed. We collected 575 pounds of garbage and 53 pounds of recyclable materials.
We also had eight creek clean-up sites in Richmond and San Pablo where about 300 volunteers joined in and collected 4800 pounds of garbage and 200 pounds of recyclables.
We thank all ...
Environmentalists fight Redwood City project
By Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, March 1, 2010
Environmental leaders are gearing up for a protracted fight over plans to build a 30,000-resident development at the Redwood City salt flats.
More than 90 current and former elected Bay Area officials last week demanded that Redwood City immediately halt the Saltworks project, which would bring up to 12,000 housing units, offices and retail to the shoreline.
"We all have a stake in what happens in Redwood City," said Contra Costa County supervisor John Gioia. "It's about habitat, biological ...
Big ideas sought for Oakland Bay Bridge park
By John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer
Monday, March 1, 2010
It's a good bet that few drivers crossing the Bay Bridge pay attention to where it touches down in Oakland - a smear of maintenance yards and parking, stray buildings and scrub.
But with the new eastern span of the bridge scheduled to open in 2013, government planners are floating the idea of a much different role for the 1.5-mile-long strip: a park that would celebrate the bridge and the region, with attractions scaled to the immense cranes of the nearby Port of Oakland.
There's no design ...
Ballot initiative to fund state parks draws big interest
By Kurtis Alexander, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Friday , February 26, 2010
SANTA CRUZ -- A massive volunteer-led signature drive is finding its way to street corners, grocery stores and weekend festivities along the Central Coast.
The corps of name gatherers, who range from college students to retirees, has seen the gates come down across many of California's 278 state parks this year, and the group thinks the cash-starved park system can be resurrected with a ballot measure.
"I don't remember signature-gathering on this scale before," said Bonny Hawley, executive ...