CGF received a grant from the Santa Clara Valley Water District to analyze the need under the California Environmental Quality Act to monitor cumulative impacts from impervious surfaces. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board is considering similar issues under different laws that regulate water quality. Below is a letter we sent today asking...
Category: News
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Listen to KLIV 1590 this weekend for Institute golf course coverage
I just did a brief radio interview with KLIV 1590 AM radio about the golf course issue. It will get aired this weekend starting late morning/early afternoon at 20 minutes and 50 minutes past the hour, and may also get aired this evening. By the way, I’ll mention some good things about KLIV – they...
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CGF uncovers the violation of the Williamson Act on Morgan Hill Golf Course
(A note here from your regular blogger, Brian – CGF welcomes a new guest blogger and new CGF volunteer, Anagha Patil. Anagha has summarized the potential tax fraud problems at the Math Institute Golf Course below. For more information, see our press release, our letter to the District Attorney’s office, and the first news article...
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A step forward for the Coast
It’s not often that the folks in Washington, DC take action on something specific to CGF territory, but this happened yesterday when the Senate passed a bill sponsored by Senator Diane Feinstein that would add the Rancho Corral de Tierra property to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, part of the National Parks Service. CGF...
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Mark Weinberger
Mark Weinberger, one of the founders of the environmental law firm that has represented Committee for Green Foothills for many years, passed away last week after a battle with leukemia. Shute Mihaly & Weinberger is a unique law firm representing the “non-developers” on environmental issues – the nonprofits and governmental agencies – and Mark was...
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Comments on the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for Coyote Valley
San Jose has solicited comments on what it should study when developing an Environmental Impact Report for Coyote Valley. We submitted the following comments. While saying what the City should study, we continue to oppose this environmentally-destructive project. -Brian ——– Darryl Boyd Department of Planning Building and Code Enforcement City of San Jose 801 N....
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Closer to us than he thinks
Believe it or not, we can’t say that everyone is a fan of our work. We recently received this email from someone in Santa Clara County: Founders, Members, and supporters of GreenFoothills.org: How do we enlighten seemingly intelligent group of people that oppose developing the hillsides, and that are destroying the farmland which we need...
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Preserving our night skies
CGF works to preserve open space and natural resources in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, and one of those natural resources is a dark sky that gives people a chance to look up at night and see something besides a light-polluted haze. News over the holidays covered the spectacular Deep Impact spacecraft hitting a...
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Great news for the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority
The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority won a court case for the second time over its right to collect and expend money for open space preservation. Groups claiming to represent taxpayers argued that the OSA had not followed proper procedures under Proposition 218. The OSA won at the trial level, and won again yesterday...
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Open issues for land use in Santa Clara County
Last week the Santa Clara County Supervisors deferred action on a 17-lot subdivision in the hills above Milpitas (our comments on the proposal are here). A large part of the controversy over this proposal stemmed from concerns neighbors have over water use. I suggested the Supervisors discuss the issue of water scarcity at their upcoming...