Category: News

rolling grassy hills and trees in San Benito County, California
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Launching Green Foothills’ Upper Pajaro Watershed Program

Green Foothills has historically focused on Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Mountain lions and other wildlife, however, are unaware of county lines, and development impacts don’t stop when one county ends and another begins. As land further north becomes scarce, developers are turning their attention to lands further south in San Benito County. So...

trash at a landfill
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San Benito County Considers Expanding Landfill into the Region’s Biggest Mega Dump

San Benito County is considering whether to approve an expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill, located just east of Hollister, from its current size of 95 acres to 483 acres – the size of 365 football fields. This massive expansion is not because San Benito County’s residents generate that much trash, but because the...

trees with yellow blossoms, in an orchard
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“Builder’s Remedy” Projects Threaten Local Nature

The builder’s remedy, a provision of state housing law that allows some residential developments to bypass local zoning, is threatening to create sprawl development that will destroy hillsides and farmland in Santa Clara County. This development would pave over open space, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and put residents at risk of flooding, wildfire, and landslides....

Pescadero Creek flooding
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Safe Drinking Water for Pescadero Middle/High School and New Pescadero Fire Station

After years of effort, the rural farmworker community of Pescadero will get safe drinking water for its local school and a solution for its flooded-out fire station. In December, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved an amendment to the county’s Local Coastal Plan that will allow the 50-year old Pescadero Fire Station to be relocated...

Don’t Let San Benito Become Silicon Valley’s Dumping Ground
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Don’t Let San Benito Become Silicon Valley’s Dumping Ground

Update: On January 31, the Planning Commission voted to deny the Conditional Use Permit for the Landfill Expansion. After hearing public comments, the Planning Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to conceptually deny the project, with Commissioner Scagliotti being the opposing vote. County Staff was directed to return with written findings for denial of the conditional...

Peter Ruddock with Fonzie the baby goat
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Peter Ruddock: A Passion for Sustainable Food Production

Many of us dream of ditching our day jobs to follow our passion, but few people actually do it. Former software developer Peter Ruddock is one who successfully made the leap. In 2011 he switched fields to focus on organic food, initially volunteering with a number of organizations, including Slow Food and the San Mateo...

huge wave crashing onshore during a King Tide in Pacifica
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King Tides Show the Future of Sea Level Rise

Dramatic surf crashing against the rocks. Monster waves looming over surfers as they ride their boards. The power of the ocean is on full display every day of the year on the California coast, and never more so than during the season of king tides. King tides are exceptionally high tides that typically occur during...

pristine landscape of grasslands in San Benito County where truck stop development is proposed
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Huge Truck Stop Proposed in San Benito Wildlife Corridor

An enormous truck stop called the “San Benito Ag Center” has been proposed on a site that would jeopardize a crucial wildlife corridor and damage the sacred tribal landscape of the Amah Mutsun. Green Foothills is requesting that San Benito County thoroughly analyze the potential cultural and environmental impacts of this project. San Benito Ag...

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