Right on target: Bay Area sets good C02 reduction goal

On July 28, the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to recommend greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 15% per-capita below 2005 levels--exactly the level that Greenbelt Alliance and ClimatePlan suggested. This was a huge change from their initial suggestions of only a 3-5% reduction.

Setting good goals is an important part of implementing SB 375. Learn more.

Urban Growth Boundary expansion passes in San Ramon

As expected, the San Ramon City Council voted 5-0 on July 19 to place an item on the November 2 ballot that expands the city's urban growth boundary to include 1,624 acres of the Tassajara Valley, opening the area for major development.

Many community members came to show their opposition. The meeting room was packed and 15 of the 16 speakers urged the council to protect the Tassajara Valley by leaving the boundary in place. Read about this important Council decision and get involved with the campaign against the urban growth boundary expansion.

Legal review finds Tassajara Valley sprawl proposal illegal

A legal review released July 1 shows that the proposed 185-unit "New Farm" project in the Tassajara Valley near San Ramon would, if approved, violate numerous local laws and policies.

The analysis finds the project is "inconsistent with numerous provisions of the (Contra Costa County) General Plan, including provisions adopted by voter initiative. Therefore, it would be unlawful for the County to approve the Project as proposed."

The legal review was conducted by Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, one of the most respected land-use law firms in California, on behalf of Save Mount Diablo and Greenbelt Alliance. Read more of the "New Farm" legal analysis.

Circling Sonoma cities in green

This November, Santa Rosa and Cloverdale can protect the green space around their cities.

City councils in both of these Sonoma County communities voted in June to put urban growth boundary measures on the November 2010 ballot. If Cloverdale passes its line, it will no longer be the only city in the county without a voter-approved urban growth boundary, the best tool to curb sprawl. In Santa Rosa, renewing the urban growth boundary will make it match the city's updated General Plan. (Petaluma, which voted to put its urban growth boundary measure on the ballot last December, will also ask voters to renew its line in November.) Read more about these ballot measures.

Want to get involved? Visit our Petaluma, Cloverdale, and Santa Rosa campaign pages for more information. Santa Rosa residents should also check out the Campaign to Renew Santa Rosa's Urban Growth Boundary.

Grow Smart Bay Area

We can make our region thrive and make the San Francisco Bay Area a cleaner, greener, better place to live that benefits everyone. We can grow sustainably, and we must. This is the Grow Smart Bay Area vision.