The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Green Foothills have released a Statement of Opposition to Sargent Ranch Quarry – the destructive, open-pit sand and gravel mine proposed on the sacred landscape of Juristac. The Statement of Opposition is signed by a broad coalition of more than 100 elected officials and environmental, social justice and faith-based organizations from across the region. Notable signatories include: (complete list here)

• State Senator Dave Cortese (district 15, which includes Juristac)
• State Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, Marc Berman, Alex Lee, Mark Stone
• Current and former City Councilmembers from Gilroy, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San José, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale
• San José Mayor Sam Liccardo and Mayors and Vice-Mayors of Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale
• ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club Loma Prieta and Ventana Chapters, Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley
• Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), SOMOS Mayfair, La Raza Roundtable
• Stanford Undergraduate Senate, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, Silicon Valley Young Democrats
• First Unitarian Church of San José, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Santa Clara, Jewish Voice for Peace Santa Cruz

Hundreds Rally in San Jose to Protect Juristac

Green Foothills Policy and Advocacy Director Alice Kaufman announced the Statement of Opposition at the Rally for Juristac on September 10, where over 400 community members gathered to call on Santa Clara County to deny the permit for the proposed mine. Over two dozen speakers representing a broad range of communities, organizations, and California tribes spoke to the crowd, including Amah Mutsun Chair Valentin Lopez, 27th District Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Theodora Simon of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Gerardo Loera of the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley. The Rally was co-sponsored by 70 local organizations, all of which had representatives in attendance.

Juristac is an awe-inspiring landscape of rolling hillsides, sycamore riparian woodlands, serpentine grassland, freshwater wetlands, and unique natural tar seeps, located south of Gilroy. It is a critical wildlife corridor and is also the most sacred site of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, who have held ceremonies there for thousands of years. The proposed quarry would destroy this area, literally scooping out the hillsides to create three open quarry pits hundreds of feet deep.

What You Can Do

You can still submit comments to the County opposing the Sargent Ranch Quarry! We’ve made it easy – just use this form to email the Santa Clara County Planning Department and Planning Commission. The deadline to submit comments is Monday, November 7.

Thank you for taking action to protect Juristac!