Today is a historic day for California.
The passage of Proposition 68 is evidence that voters unite to preserve our future and natural resources
—and it is also a move towards a more inclusive, equitable, and forward-looking environmental movement in California.
Save Mount Diablo was proud to be an active member of the Clean Water, Natural Resources, and Parks (CWNRP) Campaign Committee for Prop 68, and we are so grateful for your help in achieving this landmark win and the foundation it lays for our work ahead.
With Prop 68’s success, over $4 billion will be invested in natural resources and disaster prevention, providing safe and adequate parks for children and future generations, cleaning up contaminated drinking water, increasing local water supplies, and addressing climate change. More financial resources can now be applied for to help Mount Diablo State Park with critical needs and open the long-awaited Marsh Creek State Park.
We would like to thank our state legislators for their leadership on Senate Bill 5 and Assembly Bill 18, especially Senator Glazer and Assemblywoman Baker, all of you our supporters, and all our partners from all over the State without whom this victory would not be possible.
The CWNRP Coalition had over 100 members, including Save Mount Diablo, as part of regional task forces on the ground connected to the communities. We garnered over 500 endorsements, connected with over 100,000 voters through phone and text banking, made creative social media videos in support of Prop 68, distributed yard signs, found creative ways to get television coverage despite lacking a budget for television commercials, and our twitter parties trended while making over 25 million impressions. This victory is a phenomenal accomplishment from grassroots and non-profit organizations that came together for the first time, big and small, local and state-wide on a measure that benefits all.
It was a long road to this success, and today we celebrate – but our work is not done. It is incumbent on our coalition, which Save Mount Diablo will remain a part of, to address the growing disconnect from the natural world that Californians face. We are now better positioned to help connect the dots and take this role seriously – and to do it with the greatest effectiveness, we have to carve time out of our already busy lives to collaborate with one another. When we do, great things happen.
With Gratitude,
Edward Sortwell Clement, Jr.
Executive Director
