Yesterday I attended the County Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were considering a new landscaping water conservation ordinance. The Planning Commission had recommended several steps to weaken the ordinance proposed by County Planning staff, which was strange because the staff version basically followed the state model ordinance, and state law says the alternatives must...
Author: Brian Schmidt
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Letter to Santa Clara County on Parkland Acquisition Plan
(Committee for Green Foothills submitted the letter below to Santa Clara County Supervisors on improving the Parkland Acquisition Plan. -Brian) September 27, 2010 Santa Clara CountyBoard of Supervisors Re: Item 20, Study Session on the County Parks Acquisition Plan – comment for the Study Session and response to the Draft Summary of Public Workshops...
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New Advocate, Julie Hutcheson, joins Committee for Green Foothills
(We’re extremely happy to have Julie join our team and expand our efforts to help preserve the natural resources, working farmlands, and native habitats of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. -Brian) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS RELEASE Environmental group hires new Legislative Advocate Activist will join Brian Schmidt and Lennie Roberts as County watchdogs...
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Guest Post by CGF Intern Anthony Aerts
(CGF Intern Anthony Aerts gave us this final write-up about his time with us this summer. Thanks for all the help, Anthony! -Brian) ...
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CGF Comments on the draft Stanford HCP and EIS
(We submitted the comments below on the draft Stanford HCP. -Brian) August 30, 2010 Sheila Larsen Gary Stern Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service Re: Comments on the Draft EIS and HCP/ITP for StanfordUniversity Dear Sheila and Gary: Committee for Green Foothills (CGF) submits the following comments on the Draft EIS...
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Committee for Green Foothills says "No, NO, a thousand times NO!!!" to Proposition 23
This is just a quick note that the Committee for Green Foothills’ Board of Directors voted to oppose Proposition 23, and out-of-state funded proposition that would gut our efforts to fight climate change. We’ll have more about this problem in the near future, but wanted to make a note of it as soon as possible....
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CGF/Audubon appeal of the Brookside Estates development approval in San Jose
(CGF and Audubon filed a joint appeal below of a misguided project near Guadalupe Creek. -Brian) Joint Appeal by Santa ClaraValley Audubon Society and Committee for Green Foothills Supplement Appeal Information August 20, 2010 The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS) and Committee for Green Foothills (CGF), together representing more than 2000 residents in the...
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CGF/Audubon appeal of the Brookside Estates development approval in San Jose
(CGF and Audubon filed a joint appeal below of a misguided project near Guadalupe Creek. -Brian) Joint Appeal by Santa ClaraValley Audubon Society and Committee for Green Foothills Supplement Appeal Information August 20, 2010 The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS) and Committee for Green Foothills (CGF), together representing more than 2000 residents in the...
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It’s nearly official – Peninsula waterways to be considered "impaired" for trash
We’ve been concerned about trash issues in our local creeks for a long time, and it’s come to pass: More than 20 Bay Area creeks have joined a statewide list of polluted waterways due to major trash problems, but the distinction is unlikely to speed up the cleanup process, according to environmental groups. The list,...
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"Monster mansion" escaping into the wild
Recently I heard the term “monster mansion” used on local radio to describe inappropriately-huge structures that purport to be single-family homes in the hillsides. I was very glad to hear it, because we at Committee for Green Foothills came up with the term several years ago. Others may have thought of it as well, but...