Measure A, passed in November, requires voter approval for development proposals that change agricultural, rural, or rangeland to commercial, industrial, or residential in San Benito County. This added protection for open space and farmland is great for nature and the county but was opposed by developers. In the weeks surrounding the election, a few developers...
Category: San Benito County
Victory for San Benito’s Measure A
We are thrilled to announce that the voters of San Benito County have passed Measure A! A strong majority of voters supported this citizen-led initiative, which protects open space, wildlife and farmland and empowers the people of San Benito to decide how the county will grow. Green Foothills supported the Measure A campaign throughout the...
Election Results to be Happy About
With the national election results weighing heavily on many people’s minds, I wanted to let you know about some good news for the environment in our local and state elections. First, thank you to California voters for passing Proposition 4 – the climate bond! Second, San Benito’s Measure A, the “Empower the Voters to Make...
Measure A Will Protect the Environment Far Beyond San Benito County
This November, San Benito voters can change the way land use decisions are made in the county. Measure A, the “Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions” initiative, would make voters the decision makers on any proposed development that would change rural, agricultural, or range land to commercial, industrial, or residential uses. It would protect...
How Did the Bobcat Cross the Road? 60 People in San Benito County Found Out Last Week
In San Benito County, just northwest of San Juan Bautista, a 2.5-mile stretch of Highway 101 is a “hot spot” for wildlife/vehicle collisions. This part of the county is still mostly ranches, farms, and pristine natural landscapes, and it is one of the main routes wildlife use when traveling between the Santa Cruz Mountains and...
Ballot Measure Seeks to Empower San Benito Voters
In November, San Benito County voters have a chance to change the way land use decisions are made in the county. A new initiative to help protect rural, agricultural, and rangelands will be on the ballot. Green Foothills has endorsed this ballot measure, and we will be working with Campaign to Protect San Benito, the...
Victory! San Benito County Landfill Expansion Defeated
San Benito County celebrated a victory for open space and rangeland in March when a proposal to expand the John Smith Road Landfill to five times its current size was withdrawn by the landfill operator after overwhelming public opposition. The County had been considering a massive expansion to the John Smith Road Landfill for years....
Stop San Benito from Becoming the Region’s Largest Landfill!
Update 3/22/24: Good news! Waste Solutions, the operator of the John Smith Road Landfill, withdrew their appeal. This means that the Planning Commission’s decision stands, and the expansion will not be moving forward as it is currently proposed, and will not be discussed by the Board of Supervisors on 3/26. There is a possibility that...
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...
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...