Save Mount Diablo recently expanded its conservation efforts into the 200-mile-long Diablo Range.
The range is a hotspot of extremely diverse habitats for plants and animals, many found nowhere else on Earth. At 3.5 million acres spanning 12 counties, only 25 percent of the range is protected.
Our focus on conservation, education, advocacy, supporting grassroots movements, developing major partnerships, and providing information on public access aims to benefit both nature and local communities in this region.
This election season, our advocacy work demonstrates that we are holding to our roots by defending open space on and around Mount Diablo, while also taking big conservation steps farther south.
Defending a Decade-Old Open Space Victory in Dublin
East Bay Regional Park District’s Doolan Canyon property—part of the last remaining open space between Dublin and Livermore. Photo by Scott Hein
The City of Dublin, one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, is trying to destroy the last remaining open space between it and the City of Livermore.
Save Mount Diablo and allies in Dublin and Livermore have launched a campaign to stop Dublin Measure II (upper case ii), which calls for the annexation of the southern end of Doolan Canyon, the last open space between the two cities.
The supposed purpose of the annexation would be to construct an extension of Dublin Boulevard and connect it with North Canyons Parkway in Livermore, north of I-580.
We’re fine with the road, but Dublin also wants to put commercial development all along this new road. The city’s consultants have said the area is ideal for huge warehouses and semitruck shipping operations.
The development would overwhelm any traffic benefits the road extension would have, and lead to more air pollution, more traffic, noise, and the merging of Dublin and Livermore into one. That’s LA-style sprawl, and it’s a bad idea.
People campaigning for open space between Dublin and Livermore in 2014. Photo by Juan Pablo Galván Martínez
While we’re fighting the development, we’re also defending the Urban Limit Line that Save Mount Diablo and allies created in 2014.
Our grassroots initiative to protect Doolan Canyon from 2,000 houses and annexation by Dublin led to the adoption of our Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014. We defended this initiative from a developer’s greenwashed measure later that year.
This election, vote No on Dublin Measure II.
Advocating for Open Space Farther South Than Ever Before
Yes on San Benito Measure A
San Joaquin kit fox in the Diablo Range. Photo by Scott Hein
San Benito County is the heart of the Diablo Range. It is home to the tallest peak in the Diablo Range, San Benito Mountain, and contains stunning vistas, tranquility, unique wildlife and geology, and diverse ecosystems.
San Benito County, with its Mediterranean climate and diverse flora and fauna, represents a significant part of the Diablo Range, yet only 19 percent of the county is protected.
One major threat to San Benito County, which has a population of about 68,000 people, is rapid, uncontrolled development.
San Benito County’s farmland is at extreme risk for development. Photo by Cooper Ogden
The county has seen a 43 percent reduction in farmland since the mid-1980s. The fertile land of the northern county is at risk of disappearing within a generation.
This development pressure, along with a lack of infrastructure, threatens the county’s rural character and natural resources. Save Mount Diablo, in collaboration with grassroots organizations like Protect San Benito, is leading efforts to address these threats.
Together, we’re leading a campaign for a growth-control initiative, Measure A. Measure A, “Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions,” seeks to give residents a say in land development, ensuring growth is sustainable and aligned with community values.
This election, if you’re in San Benito County, vote Yes on Measure A!
Protect critical lands like the San Andreas Corridor in San Benito County by voting Yes on Proposition 4. Photo by Stephen Joseph
Vote YES on Proposition 4
Part of Save Mount Diablo’s advocacy work is also to support Proposition 4.
Proposition 4, California’s climate bond, would provide funds to protect critical lands in the Diablo Range through its San Andreas Corridor Program.
It would also provide billions to protect other key wildlife habitats, support other nature-based solutions, increase access to parks, ensure safe drinking water, and address catastrophic wildfires.
We’re optimistic about the election, and no matter what happens, Save Mount Diablo will continue to defend open space and good land use policy for the plants, animals, and habitat we all love and care about, and ultimately, that we all depend on.
