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View from Pt. Molate - Photo by Russell Mondy
We urge citizens of Richmond to come out to the March 8th City Council meeting
Please voice your concerns over the Final EIR/EIS document and its negative impacts on the community, both human and natural. We are at a critical turning point and we believe it is important for citizens to support their elected officials as they take on the task of how to reject this poorly-planned casino project and move towards a better vision at Point Molate. Please support our new elected and members of the Citizens For a Susatinable Point Molate. Key points to state would include:
1. Impact to eelgrass beds are unmitigated and significant impacts will probably go unmonitored – the developer states that project proponents will take action if losses are observed. This requires a clear and well defined program for monitoring that will note threshold changes in the eelgrass and observe the grasses, through all the seasons, over the entire period of time from construction to 5-years after construction is complete. Otherwise we may never know the full impacts of this project.
2. The grassland habitat in Point Molate is incorrectly identified as “Annual Grassland”. Instead this is an invaluable patchwork of coastal grasslands that are considered rare by the California Department of Fish and Game. Therefore, impacts to this sensitive resource are completely ignored.
3. Impacts to birds and wildlife are inadequately presented since it unclear what the impact of traffic, lights and unceasing activity will have on these species and their habitat. We believe that the impact of regular traffic will greatly deteriorate the quality of all habitat on the San Pablo Peninsula.
Recent KQED radio program on Point Molate: This show was taped on March 2, 2011 at KQED studio.
Public Hearing: A special City Council meeting to consider the certification of the Final EIR will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA, 94804.
Report Availability: The FEIR may be viewed and printed from the developer’s website here. Other pertinent documents can be located at the root directory here.
Hard copies of the document are also available at the following locations:
- Richmond Public Library, Main Branch 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804;
- Richmond Public Library, Westside Branch 135 Washington Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801; and
- City of Richmond, Planning and Building Services Department, City Hall, 450 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA, 94804
We’re happy to spread the word about the “3rd” Habitat Goals project which is now published: The Subtidal Habitat Goals. EBCNPS reviewed the draft document and provided some input on impacts to eelgrass beds, specifically with regard to Point Molate and the East Bay. We also asked that the document provide some information on how to establish marine reserves where eelgrass resources might be best conserved. Here’s our previous post on this plan.
An excerpt from the Subtidal Habitat Goals website:
Subtidal Habitat Information is Now Available
Government agencies with authority for managing the estuary lack sufficient information about subtidal habitats in the bay to inform planning decisions. Although a tremendous amount of scientific information is available from research and monitoring in the bay, little of it is useful in making decisions about specific proposals for develpment or restoration as it relates to subtidal habitat. Part of the reason for this shortfall is that subtidal habitats are usually invisible in the bay’s turbid waters, and most sampling methods cannot provide detailed information about the location and condition of the various habitats. Equally important is the need to learn more about the functions of these habitats, how they respond to environmental change, and how to protect and enhance them.
This report describes six subtidal habitat types with maps showing their known current distributions, and analyzes present-day threats to those habitats. It presents recommendations for addressing those stressors, for advancing scientific research and understanding, and for protecting and restoring subtidal habitat within the constraints and challenges of an urbanized estuary, and of incomplete knowledge. It also describes some of the pioneering efforts that have taken place to restore subtidal habitat in the bay.
Neither a policy nor regulatory document, this report offers guidance on opportunities for subtidal restoration and protection. Implementation will occur through a number of avenues: local governments may incorporate these recommendations into their planning processes and documents, non-profits may use them when seeking funding for restoration or management projects, and researchers may wish to refer to the report when setting priorities for research. Regulatory agencies may use this report to evaluate, revise, or implement their policies.
You can read the FULL REPORT HERE
Excerpt from Page 158: Restoration Opportunities (bold type added by us)
Subtidal-Wetland Design Integration Restoration Objective 1-1:
Select sites that have the greatest opportunities for integrating subtidal habitat with other restored or important habitats for pilot subtidal restoration projects near locations identified by the San Francisco Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Project. Possible locations include:
• San Pablo Bay: study potential resources and restoration activities in areas offshore from Sears Point, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Tubbs Island, and other restoration sites.
• Corte Madera area: Muzzi Marsh, Corte Madera Ecological Reserve, Heard Marsh: existing wetlands and restored eelgrass, link to living shoreline project
• Richardson Bay: wetland restoration linked to existing oyster/eelgrass populations
• Breuner Marsh and Point Molate: link to Point San Pablo eelgrass bed
• Eastshore State Park: wetland restoration linked with oyster and eelgrass restoration, creek daylighting
• Central and North Bay Islands: link rocky habitat with eelgrass and oyster beds
• South Bay Salt Pond sites; Eden Landing and other sites: link to southernmost eelgrass population, native oyster restoration.
marsh grindelia opening
The EBCNPS Conservation Committee will be kicking off 2011 with a formal conservation committee meeting at 7pm on Jan 25th @ Laura Baker’s home [79 Roble - Oakland]. We invite all current members of the conservation committee and general CNPS membership who may be interested in becoming more active with conservation to attend as we discuss some of our current conservation challenges and plan for the next year or so. We will have our EBCNPS Guidebook to Botanical Priority Protection Areas of the East Bay on display so that you can view the published 11×17″ full-color book in all its glory.
Our agenda will include: Point Molate, Cowell Ranch Historic Park General Plan, the Pinole Valley Mitigation Bank, Vasco Winds DEIR, and Planning for conservation in the Tassajara area (San Ramon) – as well as strategic planning for the EBCNPS conservation program.
Conservation Analyst Appeal
We will also discuss the current Conservation Analyst appeal at the Conscom meeting, which has now eclipsed $28,000, which leaves us only $7,000 short of our goal! This year’s donations have rained in from many members and we hope that those out there who haven’t yet donated would consider donating even $20 to the CA fund! Every dollar counts!
On Tuesday, December 7th, the outcome of a Upstream funded “Point Molate Alternatives” study was presented to the City Council. This study was intended to determine if there were viable project alternatives that were not considered in the initial Point Molate Casino/Resort EIR. The original document vetted a total of 6 alternatives including 3 with a casino, 1 mixed use plan, 1 total parkland plan, and a no project alternative.
Four final submissions (out of 28) were determined to be appropriate for EIR analysis. These alternatives were considered to be in compliance with the existing reuse plan, open space regulations, and provide an economic engine for the City of Richmond. Here are the final four alternatives.
1. Cannabis production facility
2. Research park
3. Green, mixed-use development
4. Private wildlife park
In the end, the City Council voted not to include these alternatives in the environmental review process, which would have delayed this developer-driven process even longer. Instead, they asked that the project move forward with the FEIR as planned.
At this point, we believe that delay would be to the benefit of Upstream. The reason is that Upstream probably faces an enormous economic headwall with the current conditions, and it is difficult to imagine that Upstream will be able to realize the development of this project. The City of Richmond needs to continue to inquire whether Upstream has secured the promised funding for the project. Upstream has promised that financing is in place, although they previously failed to name their fiscal sponsor publicly.
The fastest way to start anew would be to have this current process run its course and then it could be buried. A swift finish to the fatally flawed Point Molate EIR process is what needs to happen now so that an authentic and honest process can be initiated. We believe councilmember Butt agrees. His editorial is reproduced below.
Here’s the original link to the article.
It was truly a historic November 2nd in Richmond. Both Measure U was defeated and the City Council is now packed with a majority of progressives. The Casino vote has tipped against the developer and for a better planning effort at Point Molate. This is truly exciting and testament to the fact that there is a strong grassroots group who cares about creating a better Richmond!
Also, Measure W failed in San Ramon, which keeps Tassajara Valley as open space!
The details:
Measure U NO: 57.5% YES: 42.5%
Measure W NO: 71.9 % YES: 28.1%
Richmond Mayor: Gayle McLaughlin: 40.5% Bates: 36.6% John Z: 22.9%
Richmond Council Winners: Rodgers (pro-casino): 14.3% Booze (anti-casino): 14.8% Beckles (anti-casino): 13.22% – These new additions (with re-election of Mayor McLaughlin) now provide a 5-2 vote against the casino!
Great work everyone!!!
Here’s a link to the Contra Costa Times article on the defeat of Measure U.
photo by Sparky
An Open Letter to the Community On Measure U
The most critical East Bay election this year is Richmond’s city race where voters will decide whom to elect for city council and mayor and whether to support Measure U, the Richmond Citizen’s Advisory vote to approve a casino at Point Molate. There are few local races that will have broader implications for the future of Richmond, our East Bay shoreline and the greater bayshore environment.
And yet, the silence on Measure U from major Bay Area environmental organizations is deafening. No spirited debate among the leading environmental organizations, no call to action to vote down the casino except from the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. These are strange times indeed. What cast such a pall over a critically important public discussion and the public service that it provides citizens?
The unhappy truth behind this situation is the application of a powerful weapon—the threat of a poison pill. Since we first learned of the proposed settlement between Upstream Developmentand Citizens for Eastshore State Park and SPRAWLDEF more than a year ago, we have been told that the agreement and its benefits will dissolve if any major environmental organization contests the Environmental Impact Report. Our unequivocal response has been that we would not agree to give up our legal rights. Since we have never seen the settlement agreement, we cannot know whether the poison pill is real or merely a threat. But the developer promise of big money that could go away if somebody else ruins the deal (big carrot, bigger stick) has had a chilling impact on public discourse. Who wants to be perceived as the spoiler?
From our perspective, it’s one thing to sue and negotiate your own settlement, and to that extent we believe that the negotiators operated in good faith. It is quite another to agree to a condition that would attempt to impose a private settlement upon an entire community without public debate, particularly when the terms include approving a publicly unpopular mega-development. Apparently the cynical ploy worked. Visit the website of nearly any major Bay Area environmental organization or read their ballot recommendations and you won’t find mention of Richmond’s Measure U. In some cases you’ll find statements of support for the settlement agreement from different organizations with sentences composed of the exact same text. Environmental groups prejudged the outcome, and rather than waiting to hear the will of the Richmond voters, these organizations have gotten out front with a pro-casino message.
We believe that it is in the public interest to understand what effect the poison pill claim has on the public process. It brings us no great pleasure to notice how powerfully it silenced an entirecommunity whose reputation is built on transparency. And, yes, we remain adamantly opposed to the casino and to anything other than sustainable development at Point Molate. The irony is that the prospects have never been better for defeating the casino and clearing the path for sound planning to protect Point Molate and the San Pablo Peninsula. Polls show Measure U going down to defeat.
Perhaps the best news of all is that strong vibrant grassroots groups such as the Citizens for a Sustainable Point Molate and the Richmond Progressive Alliance have organized out of the understanding that they cannot look to the environmental community to oppose the casino, and they have found the resolve to carry the fight forward on their own terms. We plan to give the mall the support we can. We urge Richmond residents to vote No on Measure U. Our non-profit status bars us from endorsing candidates, but we urge those who oppose the casino to learn which candidates share their views and get out and vote. The Richmond Progressive Alliance has election signs and materials. Contact them at their office at 317 11th Street, Richmond, 510-412-2260.
Sincerely,
Delia Taylor - President
Laura Baker - Conservation Committee Chair (510) 684 – 4572
Lech Naumovich – Conservation Analyst (510) 734 – 0335
East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society
Pt Molate by John Curley
We hope you will join the majority of the residents in Richmond who are voting No on Measure U. Recent polls show strong local opposition against the Point Molate Casino/Resort project which promises to build a sorely out-of-place Las Vegas-style casino on rare bay side ecosystems. In addition, State and Federal lawmakers have spoken out against Measure U which will most likely be challenged in the courts.
Here’s Diane Feinstein’s message.
EBCNPS will be issuing a press release on Point Molate today. We continue to support the Richmond community and the Mayor in their efforts to create a better Richmond. We hope you’ll join us in voting no on Measure U on November 2nd.
Here’s our press release for No on U and Point Molate
Here’s a piece from KQED that highlights some of the conservation issues.
Contra Costa Times - The Play on Point Molate
more to come…
Vote Earth by Earth Hour Global
The following post presents our recommendations for voting on November 2nd. Please note that CNPS cannot support individual candidates as a 501(c)3 organization, but we can openly air our opinion on ballot measures. We have a strong opinion on two local measures – one in Richmond and a second in San Ramon that we urge environmentalists to vote on. Both of these ballot measures initiate development in two separate Botanical Priority Protection Areas.
Vote No on Measure U in Richmond, an advisory vote, which poses the question, “Shall the City of Richmond approve a project including a casino at Pt. Molate provided that this advisory measure is considered in a manner consistent with all the City’s legal obligations?” The Richmond Shoreline is one of EBCNPS’s 15 Botanical Priority Protection Areas. EBCNPS is opposed to all major development at Pt. Molate.
As part of the process in determining the ballot arguments for and against the measure, a citizen who supports the casino brought a lawsuit against the opponents to the measure, claiming that their statements (that there is no guarantee that locals would be hired to work at the casino and that the jobs could be described as low-wage) were false and misleading. He lost the lawsuit when he could not rebut the opponents’ evidence that there were significant loopholes in the jobs agreements.
We also hope that Sierra Club members and other environmentalists will follow suit of other notable environmental leaders. Here we present a letter from a former Sierra Club Chair on Point Molate :
Hello,
I am coming out of hiding to make my position clear on Measure U.
I am opposed to Measure U. As the former chair of the West County Sierra Club, former board member of the West County Toxics Coalition, former chair of Richmond Neighbors (campaign finance reform), and former chair of the West County Legal Defense Fund (environmental litigation), Measure U will convert the Point Molate shoreline into a gambling casino, inviting organized crime and promoting exploitation of low-income citizens. The project will degrade the shoreline experience for citizens who wish to enjoy the spectacular peacefulness and beauty of the Molate shore.
Corporate and elite interests use economic extortion in an effort to coerce citizens into approving projects they don’t want in a time of severe unemployment. The elites tell us that we have only two choices: their gambling casino, or nothing. Casino jobs, or no jobs. This is a false dichotomy, a false choice. We have many choices in front of us as a means to put people back to work. We have our own choices. We should make our own choices based on our own desires.
We can have jobs, full employment, and a beautiful shoreline park for all to enjoy. We can make this happen. The central problem is the domination and exploitation by the corporate elite. The problem of unemployment in Richmond is the problem of unemployment throughout the US and beyond. We should unite with other citizens in addressing the local problem of unemployment as a part of the larger national problem. We are not alone.
As a former member of the board of directors of the West County Toxics Coalition, I urge citizens to think a moment about the many possibilities before us, not solely the casino project being shoved in our faces. The shoreline can be cleaned up and we can have a shoreline park, also.
Vote No on Measure U
Mark Mason PhD
Vote No on Measure W in San Ramon which would shift the current Urban Growth Boundary into the Tassajara Valley. This measure provides for an amendment to the city General Plan that expands development impacts into current open space. The Tassajara Valley is one of the EBCNPS’s 15 Botanical Priority Protection Areas and a site where we oppose the plans of land speculators such as those involved with the New Farm project who want to convert thousands of acres of grassland into huge housing developments.
Here’s the website for No on W. Here’s the Save Tassajara Valley site. If you have the ability to help and donate to this cause, we hope you will do so to support the efforts of the residents and environmental community helping protect this area.
Vote on These Important Statewide Ballot Measures on November 2nd to Protect the Environment
Vote Yes on Proposition 21 which would provide for an annual vehicle license fee of $18 in exchange for free year-round day-use admission to all California state parks. The money from these fees would fund a State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund that would provide reliable funding for management of the parks in the wake of major budget cuts.
Vote No on Proposition 23 which would suspend AB 32 (the Global Warming Solutions Act) unless unemployment drops below 5.5% for 4 consecutive fiscal quarters. AB 32 is California’s landmark law targeting climate change that provides for clean energy and lower air emissions. Texas oil companies, Valero and Tesoro, some of the top air polluters in the state, are spending massive amounts of money in support of this “license to pollute.”
Vote No on Proposition 26 which would reclassify as taxes the fees that polluters currently pay thus requiring a 2/3 vote instead of a simple majority vote of the state legislature to approve the fees. The effect of the proposition would be to make it more difficult to impose fees on polluters for cleaning up oil spills, toxic waster, air pollution, etc. and shift the financial burden of these responsibilities to taxpayers.
Our non-profit status precludes us from endorsing specific candidates for public election. However, we urge our members who are Richmond residents to educate themselves about the platforms of candidates for mayor and for city council seats. There are considerable differences among those running for office in terms of their perspectives on whether major development should take place at Point Molate.
EBCNPS is happy to support the City Council measure that will ask Richmond residents to vote on the possibility of a new casino at Point Molate. The vote is scheduled for November, which corresponds to when the Final EIR should be released. Although the ballot measure is only advisory, it will appear on the same ballot that will elect several City Council members. Thus, the casino may become the most import issue residents vying for a City Council seat. Please see the Sfgate.com article below for more information.
Richmond residents to vote on casino plan, for what it’s worth
(Article reproduced from SFGATE.com, July 21, 2010)
Duncan Carvey (far left), Luke Pulaski and Rudy Ramirez (far right) man a table outside Tuesday’s City Council meeting, campaigning against plans to build a 4,000-slot Indian casino at Point Molate. Photo by Ian A. Stewart.By Ian A. Stewart/RichmondConfidential.org
Richmond residents will get to vote on whether the City Council should approve a plan to build a casino at Point Molate, City Council decided Tuesday night. Only trouble is, the vote won’t count for anything.
City Council voted 4-2 to place an “advisory” ballot measure on the Nov. 2 statewide election ballot, asking Richmond residents whether or not they approve of a plan to build a proposed 4,000-slot Indian casino at Point Molate. An advisory measure does not carry any legal weight – rather, it serves as a public opinion poll of sorts.
The winning advisory measure, written by Councilman Tom Butt, was approved by councilmembers Nat Bates, Jeff Ritterman, Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, and Butt. The motion beat out a similar measure proposed by Councilwoman Maria Viramontes. The language in the two measures was nearly identical, except that Viramontes proposal asked whether the city should “approve a project including a casino with shoreline and open space protections at Pt. Molate.” Butt’s proposal did not include any language related to open-space protections.
The casino is part of a larger plan for a $1.2 billion hotel resort at Point Molate being developed by Upstream Point Molate, LLC. The developers are planning to partner with the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians to operate the casino. A 2004 Land Development Agreement between the city and Upstream has been extended six times – most recently extended until April 2011 – to negotiate the terms of the plan.
For the full story, visit RichmondConfidential.org.
Posted By: Richmond Confidential (Email) | July 21 2010 at 04:21 AM
