Save Mount Diablo has reviewed the measures that are up for a vote on this November’s ballot. We’re working to create, guide, and support new policies that benefit the Diablo region’s scenery, wildlife, and open space, and constitute good land use policy.
Here are our picks that we think voters should support in their respective cities and counties.
Brentwood Measure Q
Brentwood Measure Q requires Brentwood voters’ approval for future development of land that is currently designated in the city’s general plan as parks, open space, and public recreation facilities.
It only applies within the city limits, and targets 175 parcels totaling 1,048 acres, mostly golf courses (some closed, some still operating). It’s similar to measures we’ve proposed in other cities, like our 2020 Measure T in Antioch.
Measure Q is meant to give residents a greater say in how the land within the city is developed. Unlike Measure T, this ballot measure mostly deals with building on things like current or former parks and golf courses.
We think parks benefit a community, and if high quality development comes along and wins community support, good infill projects are usually better than developments that expand suburbia into open space beyond the city’s edge.
Alameda County Measure D
Alameda County Measure D proposes modest improvements to existing legislation that passed more than 20 years ago and was also called Measure D.
If passed, it would help the county’s agricultural, wine, and equestrian industries by increasing recreation and economic opportunities.
Measure D would reasonably expand the size of buildings available to be constructed on land zoned for agriculture uses. It would do so by increasing the “floor-to-area” ratio on selected lands across eastern Alameda County and Castro Valley.
This change would allow wine- and horse-related economic activities in these areas to be more viable.
Measure D makes it easier for these rural and agricultural enterprises to persist without opening the door to large-scale subdivisions and developments that would negatively impact open space and fuel sprawl. We think it’s a win for good land use policy in Alameda County.
San Benito County Measure Q
The most important of the ballot measures we’ve seen this November is San Benito County Measure Q. It could be a big win for agriculture and open space. It would cover an area of land that’s about the same as Alameda and Contra Costa counties combined, but with the population of only the City of Brentwood.
Panoche Valley. Photo by Al Johnson
Our support of Measure Q fulfills several goals at once:
- advocating for open space protection further south in the Diablo Range,
- supporting smaller local conservation groups that do good work,
- increasing protection on agricultural and open space lands, and
- helping prevent development that expands suburbia into wildlife habitat and open space.
Please Vote Yes!
If you’re in the correct jurisdiction, please consider voting yes on these ballot measures on November 8th. Help us defend wildlife, open space, and the natural connections we need for both nature and humans to thrive.
Top photo: Stephen Joseph
