Warehousing Air Quality  Impacts - Clean Air for All!

I recently read a response to an inquiry about a pledge that was made in a public meeting when a Port of Stockton staff member responded "I’m not sure who you are referring to regarding the $200,000 and a charger but sounds like good news. "

The Board of Commissioners of the Stockton Port District on 12.4.2023 considered the certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report with findings of overriding consideration for greenhouse gas emissions and transportation impacts which would not be mitigated for the project now known as the Home Depot warehouse located at 320 McCloy Avenue on Port of Stockton property in Stockton, CA.  The agenda for the 12.4.2023 meeting is posted on the Port's website.  The meeting recording regarding the TC NO CAL lease and EIR that is posted begins at 1:43. The presentation not visible on the video can be found here.  The threshold for greenhouse gas utilized South Coast of 3000 metric tons greenhouse gases for a logistic operation would be exceeded as would be transportation related to VMT which required the development of a transportation management plan which we understand through a Public Records Act request that the Port of Stockton has initiated.

At 2:00 in the meeting video recording a pledge was made in a public meeting that the developers would set up a $200,000 fund to be spent where most needed for an impact project that is unrestricted.  Three possible uses were mentioned including planting a tree barrier around the Port and contributions to either a local community center or elementary school.  At 2:05 in the video the developer pledged an extra EV charger unit in addition to that required as part of mitigation.  Commissioners clarified that this was in addition to that which was required pursuant to the FEIR mitigation measures.  

In correspondence dated 5.20.2024 the Delta-Sierra Group of the Sierra Club summarized topics discussed during the 5.13.2024 meeting between club members and Port of Stockton staff in which we inquire about whether or not the pledges were included in lease agreements.  We were seeking accountability and transparency about how these verbal pledges in public meetings are managed by the Port of Stockton.  We received no written response.  We continued to bring up the community benefit funds and charger at Port Outreach Committee meetings and in December 2024 when again we asked the question about the $200,000 pledged for community benefits and another charger we received this response, "I’m not sure who you are referring to regarding the $200,000 and a charger but sounds like good news."  This issue of community benefit has been area that the Port has included in the BayoTech Hydrogen Production Project CEQA documents which were certified by the Board of Commissioners of the Stockton Port District, and which is being contested by the Delta-Sierra Group and Center for Biological Diversity.  Are pledges made to the community directed by the Port of Stockton staff without community input?

The Mariposa $200,000 Community Benefit Program administered by the Delta-Sierra Group.

On 4.19.2022 the City Council Continued the Project Approval

City of Stockton received this letter from the State of California Attorney General's Office in a memo to approve aa continueance to a date uncertain to allow additional time for staff to communicate with State Departmet staff and discuss the content of their communication.  There was not a clear understanding amoung all of the Council regarding the number of communications there has been between the City Staff and Attorney General.  Part of the Council was ready to vote for the project.  More organizing is needed.  Shute Mihaly and Weinberger letter (Delta-Sierra Group) and Attorney General letter.

ACTION Tuesday 4.19.2022 City Council Vote

We know that all of you are very busy but if you have time please read and respond to this request!
A developer has proposed a huge 3.6 million square foot warehouse project in southwest Stockton on 200 acres along Mariposa Road immediately west of Marafagoa Road (see map below).
The Stockton City Council will vote on this project on Tuesday, April 19 starting at 5:30 pm in the City Hall chambers at 345 El Dorado Street. The public hearing is at the very end of the agenda, so it may not be heard until 7:00 pm or later.
This very large project is proposed on agricultural land that is now under the jurisdiction of the County (unincorporated land). The City wants to annex the land into the City to develop as a huge warehouse distribution center, for Amazon or other big Internet retailers. Here is where the project is located at the end of Marfargoa Road:

The problem: the City has refused to require that the developer implement sensible mitigation measures  that would lessen impacts of the development to adjacent neighbors.
The new warehouses would generate over 12,000 truck trips per day. The diesel emissions from these trucks, plus the noise and other impacts would seriously affect the adjacent residences along Marfargoa Road, along with other parts of south Stockton, which is a disadvantaged community.
Even the California Attorney General’s Office has criticized the City for not complying with the California Environmental Quality Act and not doing enough to protect residents.
The Attorney General told the City: “Because of the substantial emissions that would be generated by vehicular traffic related to the project, the [draft environmental impact report] (DEIR) found significant and unavoidable air quality, greenhouse gas, and transportation impacts. Yet the DEIR does not incorporate several important feasible mitigation measures that would reduce these impacts.”
As just one example, the City’s final environmental impact report contains no enforceable measures that would even require the developer to put solar panels on top of the buildings to reduce greenhouse gas impacts!
If you have time to come to testify at the City Council meeting, please make these points to them:
The City Council must require the developer to implement all the specific measures that are recommended by the Attorney General, the California Air Resources Board, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Management District.
Examples of some of the measures that must be provided by the developer to protect the community from harmful emissions include:

• Requiring all heavy-duty vehicles entering or operated on the Project site to be zero emission beginning in 2030;

• Requiring on-site equipment, such as forklifts and yard trucks, to be electric, with the necessary electrical charging stations provided;

• Requiring tenants to use zero-emission light- and medium-duty vehicles as part of business operations;

• Constructing electric truck charging stations proportional to the number of dock doors at the Project;

• Constructing electric plugs for electric transport refrigeration units at every dock door, if the warehouse use could include refrigeration;

• Constructing electric light-duty vehicle charging stations proportional to the number of parking spaces at the project;

• Installing solar photovoltaic systems on the Project site of a specified electrical generation capacity, such as equal to the building’s projected energy needs;

• Increasing physical, structural, and/or vegetative buffers between the Project and sensitive receptors to the west to reduce pollutant dispersal and the heat imprint;

• Locating warehouse dock doors and other onsite areas with significant truck traffic and noise on the north and east, away from sensitive receptors;

• Installing and maintaining, at the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance intervals, air filtration systems at sensitive receptors within a certain radius of facility for the life of the Project; and

• Restricting the turns trucks can make entering and exiting the facility to route trucks away from sensitive receptors.

The mitigation fees that the City are considering to accept for these "unavoidable" mitigations were set in the 1990's and new fees are expected to be approved in 2023. Jobs are Important but so is Protecting the Health of Residents in South and East Stockton!

For more information, contact: Eric Parfrey, parfrey@sbcglobal.net, 209-641-3380 or Mary Elizabeth, mebeth@outlook.com

 The City of Stockton invites public comments in multiple forms. You provide your comments by using one of these methods:

 1. e-Comment - follow the e-comment link on the City's agenda page stockton.granicusideas.com/meetings

2 Email - you may email your comments to city.clerk@stocktonca.gov

3. Voicemail - you can leave a voice message by dialing (209) 937-8459.

4. In-Person Comments - a) Speakers must submit "request to speak cards" to the Clerk prior to the Public Comment portion of the agenda. No speaker cards will be accepted after the close of Public Comment. Please redirect any inquiries to City.Clerk@stocktonca.gov. b) Address only issues over which the meeting body has jurisdiction. c) Each speaker will be limited to one 3-minute comment opportunity. Donating time is not authorized. d) Your time will be displayed on the speaker podium for convenience.

*All written and voicemail public comments received by the Clerk's Office 90 minutes prior to the meeting start time will be forwarded to the meeting body members as correspondence and attached the minutes. All comments received after that time will be forwarded as correspondence the following business day.

Saturday, September 25, 2021 is National Public Lands Day (NPLD).

The Army Corps of Engineers has invited Delta Sierra Group members and others interested in environmental stewardship to volunteer at Knights Ferry Recreation Area on this day. During this event volunteers will pick up trash, partake in trail maintenance, paint BBQ’s, remove invasive species, and plant trees.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for free, along with a National Park day pass for all participants!

Please consider participating in this NPLD event and share with your friends. If you would like to participate call 209-881-3517 and ask for Frankie Bowers, the Park Ranger at Stanislaus River Parks.  I hope I see you there.  Dick Abood  Flyer and Release

PREREGISTER TODAY FOR COASTAL CLEANUP!!  September 18, 2021: American Legion Park, Stockton

Delta-Sierra Group, in collaboration with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton, will once again host Coastal Cleanup for 2021.The date is Saturday, September 18, 2021 and the new location for us this year is American Legion Park in Stockton. Volunteer capacity is limited so you must preregister at:

http://www.sjwater.org/Stormwater-Management/California-Coastal-Cleanup

Preregister as soon as possible to ensure that you have a spot and so that you can receive a T-shirt. When you preregister make sure that you select American Legion Park as the location.

More information will follow.See you there, Dick Abood Site Captain (rabood@pacific.edu)

July 23, 2021 City of Stockton Master Plan and Aquatic Plan Survey ends September 3, 2021

Links to surveys are provided below and will be available through August 9, 2021.

 Parks & Recreation Master Plan Survey

• • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PMP-ENG (English)
  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PMP-SP (Spanish)

• Aquatic Facilities Survey

  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AQ-ENG (English)
  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AQ-SP (Spanish)
  •  

July 8, 2021  Regional Transportation Plan - Sustainable Communities Strategy Plan phase 2 survey

This is the next level of transportation incorporating sustainability, quality of life, climate change, and flood control.  Draft policies have been developed to guide the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Plan.  For more information on the RTP/SCS, please follow this link: https://www.sjcog.org/516/2022-RTPSCS-Envision-2050. At the June 2021 the Healthy Neighborhood Coalition meeting of which the Delta-Sierra Club participates, the San Joaquin Council of Governments presented an introduction to the survey and the pillars used to develop the RTP/SCS Plan:

Below is the live link for the RTP/SCS phase 2 survey,  The survey will be live until August 15th.

 Feel free to forward this email with the survey links to anyone of interest!

•  English version http://metroquestsurvey.com/m4z0k

• Spanish version: https://live.metroquestsurvey.com/?u=rh07g#!/?p=web&pm=dynamic&s=1&popup=WTD

This important survey ends August 15, 2021 - Speak your truth

One more for Zero

The Sierra Club’s position on nuclear weapons and all things nuclear can be found here: https://www.sierraclub.org/policy/nuclear

 Join Tri-Valley CARE on August 6th and 9th

Commemorate Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Stand with the Hibakusha. Abolish nuclear weapons. You are invited to tune in and act for positive change!  Tri-Valley CARE invites you to participate in a virtual rally with Daniel Ellsberg, Nobuaki Hanaoka, Nell Myhand, Tsukuru Fors, John Burroughs, Marylia Kelley, Marshallese climate activists and more! Betsy Rose and Benjamin Mertz will provide the music. You will find more info, links, and bios in the flyer below. The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki seventy-six years ago on August 6 and 9, 1945. The nuclear explosions created shadows where there had been people. These nuclear shadows have been with us each day since, and they remain with us today.

On August 6 and 9, 2021 Tri-Valley CAREs and a coalition of Bay Area peace and justice groups will commemorate the past and act to change the future. Tri-Valley CARE ask you to join us on the commemorative date of your choice (rally program is the same both dates). We will be joined by a Hibakusha (A-bomb survivor) to say “never again” to nuclear devastation. And we will re-dedicate ourselves to the global abolition of nuclear weapons. In a still-lingering time of Covid, this year’s commemoration will include a limited in-person program at Livermore Lab, one of two places where the U.S. designs all of its nuclear weapons. The live and virtual portions of the commemoration will be woven together into one experience for the viewer.

Fri., Aug. 6 at 9 AM Pacific https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w254eN84S_s&t=0s

Mon., Aug. 9 at 9 AM Pacific https://youtu.be/OB57nQAcSWQ

CLICK HERE to download the front of the flyer  CLICK HERE to download the back of the flyer

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para descargar el anverso del volante en español  HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para descargar el reverso del folleto en español

July 23, 2021 City of Stockton Master Plan and Aquatic Plan Survey ends August 9, 2021

Links to surveys are provided below and will be available through August 9, 2021.

 Parks & Recreation Master Plan Survey

• • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PMP-ENG (English)
  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PMP-SP (Spanish)

• Aquatic Facilities Survey

  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AQ-ENG (English)
  • https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AQ-SP (Spanish)

 Regional Transportation Plan - Sustainable Communities Strategy Plan phase 2 survey ends August 15, 2021

This is the next level of transportation incorporating sustainability, quality of life, climate change, and flood control.  Draft policies have been developed to guide the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Plan.  For more information on the RTP/SCS, please follow this link: https://www.sjcog.org/516/2022-RTPSCS-Envision-2050. At the June 2021 the Healthy Neighborhood Coalition meeting of which the Delta-Sierra Club participates, the San Joaquin Council of Governments presented an introduction to the survey and the pillars used to develop the RTP/SCS Plan:

Below is the live link for the RTP/SCS phase 2 survey,  The survey will be live until August 15^th.

 Feel free to forward this email with the survey links to anyone of interest!

•  English version http://metroquestsurvey.com/m4z0k

• Spanish version: https://live.metroquestsurvey.com/?u=rh07g#!/?p=web&pm=dynamic&s=1&popup=WTD

This important survey ends August 15, 2021 - Speak your truth

January 22, 2021 

Nuclear Weapons Ban in Effect: Slideshow with peace train audio

Central Stockton Road Diet

Project Description

To broaden the City's bicycling network and encourage more to join our bicycling communities, the City is introducing the Central Stockton Road Diet Project. The plan includes placing new markings and stripes and creating Class II bike lanes on several streets in central Stockton.

Plans for bike lanes are proposed for three sections of roadway:  

 Monte Diablo Ave., Picardy Dr., and Acacia St., in an east-west direction from Louis Park to N. California Street; Fremont St. between Baker St. and El Dorado St.; and Madison St. between Harding Wy. and Fremont St. 

The goal of this project is to provide a low-stress bicycling alternative to Harding Way. A map of the project area is provided below in the video and mailer. 

 Project Benefits

Class II bike lanes offer the following benefits:

• Provides bicyclists with their own lane for travel.
• Improves safety for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers.
• Slightly narrows travel lanes, which will calm traffic for all users and residents.
• Maintains existing vehicle traffic capacity.

 Virtual Open House

Please watch the informational video about the Central Stockton Road Diet Project.

• Central Stockton Road Diet Video (YouTube)

A postcard was sent to residents in the Central Stockton Road Diet Project area with information about how to participate in the virtual open house and ways to comment or ask questions about the proposed project. 

• Central Stockton Road Diet Mailer 

All members of the community are welcome and encouraged to view the video above and participate in a short survey about the project by clicking on the following link:

• Central Stockton Road Diet Survey

Members of the community can also submit questions or comments about the project via email to dan@portcitymarketing.com, by phone at 1-800-229-8553, or by submitting a request through Ask Stockton.

Deadline for Comments

All comments must be submitted by January 22, 2021.

Save California Salmon, the Klamath Justice Coalition, and Ancestral Guard are calling for an Un-Dam the Klamath Day of Action on Friday, October 23.

So far we have committments for actions or rally in at least three major cities across the US and severral towns, beyond out online actions . I am writing to ask your organizations to join tribal members from the Klamath River in sponsoring this day of action. Please share with all your networks.

 The Friday, October 23rd Day of Action will happen virtually, and in COVID safe rallies and events. Participants can:

• Hold their own events and rallies,
• Join us for the Mobilizing Water Justice Week of Action virtual rally and action with Humboldt State Universities Native American Studies Department at 3:30 on the 23rd by registering at tinyurl.com/Mobilize4Water, 
• Call and email dam owners Warren Buffett, Pacific Power and the Gates Foundation, 
• Write a Letter to the Editor or Opinion for your local paper. 
• Join us in creating a social media/twitter storm. 

Be creative: make a video, post a photo, make a Tik Tok, make a sign, hang a banner, create a meme. We will be using the hashtags #UnDamtheKlamath #KlamathJustice and #WarrenBuffett and will be tagging @WarrenBuffett, @PacifiCorp and @PacificPower, @GatesFoundation, @GavinNewsom and @OregonGovBrown. We also encourage you to post and email your friends and members of your organizations so they can support the Day of Action, as well as calling and emailing Warren Buffett. 

 This Day of Action is critical right now as the owners of the four Klamath dams that are slated for removal, PacifiCorp, and their parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, are threatening to pull out of the Dam removal agreement and break their promises to Klamath River Tribes. The agreement to remove the Klamath River dams is the result of almost 20 years of scientific studies, advocacy and negotiation. During these 20 years, the Klamath has dealt with serious toxic algal blooms and salmon numbers have dwindled, threatening the West Coast fishing industry and Tribal subsistence. 

Currently California and tribes are negotiating to try to keep dam removal on track. If we show that making the wrong decisions on the Klamath can impact Buffett, PacifiCorp (Pacific Power) and the Gates Foundation’s reputation and/or bottom line, it could helpPacifiCorp to recommit to dam removal. The fact that these dams cause serious health issues and PacifiCorp’s negligence started fires in Oregon and California adds leverage, because they say they are a green company. 

 Participants can register for the Mobilizing Water Justice: UnDam the Klamath virtual rally at tinyurl.com/Mobilize4water or contact regina@californiasalmon.org to coordinate on an independent action. 

Please also follow us on

twitter @CaliSalmon,

at Save California Salmon FB or

on Instagram@CaliRivers and share posts related to the Day of Action until the 23rd. The facebook event is at https://www.facebook.com/events/1017935525344919/. 

Sierra Club E-bike Safety and Non-motorized hiking trails - comments due June 9, 2020

Four agencies Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Managment,US Fish and Wildlife, and Bureau of Reclamation propose to exempt electric motorized bikes from motorized off-road vehicles.  Please submit comments - very easy through this link with material you can cut and paste and add your own two cents as my grampa used to say.

https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/regulate-e-bikes

The first AB 617 Community Air Protection Program March 4, 2020 at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium, North Hall  525 N Center St, Stockton, CA 95202; Food at Five (5:00) Meeting starts at 5:30-7:30.  AGENDA

The Delta Tunnels Project Meetings: February Delta Scoping Meetings - Attend and Speak

The Sierra Club California is reaching out to our members with a call to action to attend any or all of the upcoming scoping meetings on the plan to again promote a Delta Tunnel that threatens our region.   This is too important to ignore. This is a very important meeting that we need you  to show up prepared to make a 3-minute comment (300 words). If the scoping is not done correctly and the project comes to pass it will have serious negative impacts on our community.

Stockton: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
San Joaquin Council of Governments Board Room, 555 East Weber Avenue 95202

Bay-Delta Fact Sheet
Bay-Delta FAQ
Bay-Delta Threats

SCOPING MEETINGS STATEWIDE

• Walnut Grove: Monday, February 10, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Jean Harvie Community Center, 14273 River Road
• San Jose: Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Room, 5750 Almaden Expressway
• Stockton: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. San Joaquin Council of Governments Board Room, 555 Weber Avenue
• Clarksburg: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Clarksburg Middle School Auditorium, 52870 Netherlands Road
• Brentwood: Thursday, February 20, 2020, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Brentwood Community Center Conference Room, 35 Oak Street

What to Say and Background Reading to Prepare your Comments
Delta area members Delta-Sierra Group: The concerns with two tunnels stand with one super-sized tunnel. What is crucial is for our members to look at the map with the NEW two possible alignments. With the eastern alignment there is a significant number of increased urban impacts for all residents, and huge impacts for residents living near the Port of Stockton. We also encourage Delta residents to study our Harmful Algal Blooms handout and think about how tunnel construction and operation will contribute to HABs conditions.

• The Notice of Preperation for the development of the Draft EIR is linked here.
• DWR’S NEW Delta Conveyance Project website.
• Restore the Delta’s statement on Single Tunnel “Notice of Preparation”

These are some issues raised by Restore the Delta - well researched and highly supported (flyer):

With the eastern alignment of the Delta tunnel, we are looking at extreme negative impacts in terms of air quality, water quality, and traffic for all of Stockton, but especially Stockton environmental justice communities for a 20 year period -- that will erase many of the quality of life and justice gains that are beginning to gain the attention needed for change.

• THE PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR THE TUNNEL DOES NOT OFFER EQUITY TO SOUTH STOCKTON.
• THE TUNNEL DOES NOTHING TO IMPROVE SAFETY FROM FLOODS BECAUSE THE TUNNEL PRIORITIZES WATER EXPORTS RATHER THAN PUBLIC SAFETY FROM FLOOD. At Conway homes, our levees are not at appropriate flood safety standards in the present, let alone for increased flood threats. We don't want to be the next New Orleans.
• THE TUNNEL FAILS TO ADDRESS IMPACTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE INCLUDING MORE FREQUENT FLOODS AND LONGER DROUGHTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO POLLUTED WATERS SURROUNDING OUR COMMUNITY.
• THE TUNNEL WILL DIVERT FRESHWATER SUPPLIES FROM OUR DRINKING WATER SYSTEM MAKING WATER TREATMENT MORE EXPENSIVE FOR STOCKTON. Groundwater wells that supply drinking water will become polluted and loaded with salt.  Our city's drinking water Delta plant, will be left with water loaded with pollutants and salt.
• GREEN ALGAE THAT IS TOXIC GROWS IN THE SLOUGHS IN SOUTH STOCKTON NEIGHBORHOODS EVERY SUMMER. The tunnel will make the green algae worse, preventing our youth from recreating in our waterways.
• THE TUNNEL WILL LEAD TO PORT OF STOCKTON EXPANSION, INCREASED TRAIN AND BARGE TRAFFIC, AND HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS PASSING THROUGH OR NEAR OUR COMMUNITIES DAILY. How will twenty years of construction pollution impact our communities which already have the fourth highest rate of asthma in the U.S.?
• BACTERIA FROM GREEN ALGAE BECOMES AIRBORNE AND DEGRADES AIR QUALITY.The tunnel will increase algae that will increase air pollution for South Stockton communities.
• THE TUNNEL WILL ONLY PROVIDE A FEW HUNDRED JOB, BUT HEAVY TRAFFIC FROM AREA CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS CAN BE A BARRIER TO MOM AND POP BUSINESSES THRIVING IN SOUTH STOCKTON.

Air Quality monitoring and emissions reductions are coming to Stockton!

An Application to be a member of the Community Steering Committee is DUE February 7, 2020

Please consider getting involved our air quality needs YOU!

Delta-Sierra Group letter of support for the recommendation that Stockton receive the funding support  

Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Sustainability Plan Public Hearings of Groundwater Sustainability Agencies for Plan Adoption

GSA Approved GSP Adoption Dates

• Port of Stockton to San Francisco Dredging Project - The accommodation of increased traffic of larger vessels will have a negative impact on the Delta and Stockton while allowing multinational companies to earn extra money at the cost of taxpayers.The long awaited public meeting on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Francisco to Stockton dredging plan has been scheduled for Pinole on Wednesday, November 13th.  Save the date, spread the word, and plan to show up en masse to tell the Corps what you think about current plans for their San Francisco Bay “navigation program.”

  Public Meeting and Overview of the District’s Navigation Program

  WHEN Wednesday, November 13, 6-8 PM

  WHERE Pinole Public Library 2935 Pinole Valley Rd. Pinole 94564

• The Corps proposes to dredge a deeper channel through San Francisco Bay to enable oil tankers to move greater amounts of crude to and from Bay Area refineries.   A short description of the project is here, and the entire Draft Integrated General Reevaluation Report and Environmental Impact Statement is here.  The Army Corps is co-sponsoring the project with the Port of Stockton; Contra Costa County and the Western States Petroleum Association are listed as project partners.  

  The thirteen-mile dredging project would enable more oil trafficking on the taxpayers’ dime, providing four refineries with a nearly $15 million annual subsidy.  It would multiply the risk of oil spills, pump up the production of petroleum products, and increase greenhouse gas emissions as well as the toxic burden on the Bay Area’s refinery corridor.

  Sign a petition to our federal representatives to do everything in their power to stop this project.

  Several environmental groups have filed a joint protest letter about the San Francisco Bay to Stockton Navigation Improvement Project.  There’s still time for you to do that, too.  The comment deadline was extended after a large number of impassioned Bay Areas activists hijacked a mid-July meeting of the Corps of Engineers that was to have focused on a separate but related dredging material disposal plan.  The Corps agreed to extend the deadline and also committed to a followup public hearing, now scheduled for November 13th.  Such is the power of passionate public outcry—and we’ll need to hear more of it in November and beyond.

  For more background, see this excellent article in the East Bay Express.  Here, also, are an earlier KQED piece and Sierra Club blog post. Please sign the petition, and don’t forget to review the proposal before you write your comments. 

• August 30, 2019 Update: The California legislative session is in its last two weeks and we need your help getting four priority environmental bills off the Senate floor. Industry lobbyists are swarming the Capitol to stop these bills in their tracks. Help make sure your state senator ignores those lobbyists, listens to constituents and votes with the environment. Please call Senator Galgiani at (916) 651-4005 now and urge a YES vote on Assembly Bill (AB) 5 (Gonzalez), AB 936 (R. Rivas), AB 1057 (Limón) and AB 1080 (Gonzalez).

  •  AB 5 would codify a California Supreme Court decision that clarifies the definition of contract worker and will make it harder for transportation companies to avoid fixing and replacing dirty vehicles. Ask Senator Galgiani to vote YES on AB 5.

  • AB 936 would require the state to improve its emergency clean up plans for non-floating oils, also known as tar sands. Ask Senator Galgiani to vote YES on AB 936.

  • AB 1057 would allow the state to increase the amount of indemnity bond an oil well owner has to post to make sure the public doesn’t end up footing the bill for closing and plugging an abandoned well. Ask Senator Galgiani to vote YES on AB 1057.

  • AB 1080 would cut plastic and other single-use packaging in California by 75% by 2030. Ask Senator Galgiani to vote YES on AB 1080.

Your call will make a difference, so please dial Senator Galgiani at (916) 651-4005 now and urge YES votes on AB 5, AB 936, AB 1057 and AB 1080. If you get an answering machine, please leave a message. Every message counts.

• September 21, 2019 Coastal Cleanup Day Delta-Sierra Group is participating in the 30th annual International Coastal Cleanup. Please join us and meet up at the Northwest corner of Pacific Avenue and the Calaveras River (triangular lot at the corner of Brookside Drive and Pacific Avenue). Attendees should be there at 8:30 am for sign-in and instructions. Flyer for what to wear. 

• Groundwater Sustainability Public Outreach Meeting - July 18, 2019 - after the public draft is released 7.10.19 - location 2101 E. Earhart Avenue, Stockton CA Agricultural Center Assembly Room #1 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm  English Flyer  Spanish Flyer 

• Good News 7.10.19 California's Mojave Desert is full of brilliant wildflowers, windswept Joshua tree landscapes, endless star-filled night skies, and some of the most magnificent national parks and monuments in the country. But right now, water mining company Cadiz, Inc., with a big assist by the Trump administration, has proposed a dangerous water extraction project that would devastate this fragile ecosystem.
  
  The good news is that California state legislators are standing up for the desert with an important bill — SB 307 — that would make sure the state has a real say in whether the project moves forward.
  
  The bill has already passed the California State Senate and is now moving through the Assembly, so it's critical that assembly members immediately hear from thousands of concerned citizens like you who are in support of the bill. Today, 7.10.19, the bill that forces the desert-aquifer-draining project called Cadiz to get environmental clearance, SB 307,  passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee today. Thanks to everyone who responded to alerts and put in calls to key Appropriations Committee members to push this bill out of the committee.  Next stop for the bill is the Assembly floor. We don’t know yet when it will be brought up for that vote—this week or in August after the
  summer break. Stay tuned!

Contact Assemblymember Eggman - Appropriations Committee and ask her to VOTE YES on SB307.  209-948-7479    Here is a link to the legislation proposal

Cadiz, Inc. wants to pump 16 billion gallons of groundwater every year for 50 years from an aquifer that lies underneath the Mojave Trails National Monument and transport it across public lands to the Colorado River Aqueduct. This outrageous scheme — which is on Trump's list of priority infrastructure projects — would threaten iconic parks like the Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, wildlife like bighorn sheep, endangered desert tortoises, and kit foxes, sacred Native American sites, and recreational activities we all cherish like hiking and camping. Plus, the Mojave Desert is one of the driest places in North America, so every drop of water counts for the fragile ecosystems that have adapted over millennia to the harsh desert conditions.

• 7.10.19 Update Contact state representative Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area SB 767 Vote YES

Senator Glazer has introduced another Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area bill.   Last year there were 11: Senator Galgiani was a co-sponsor last year and Assembly Member Eggman voted in favor at the committee level.  We need their support again. 
Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) is located in Alameda and San Joaquin Counties approximately 60 miles southeast of San Francisco, 12 miles east of Livermore, and 12 miles southwest of Tracy. Carnegie SVRA was added to the State Park system as an SVRA in July 1980.  From 1996 to 1998, the Department used OHV Funds to acquire an additional 3,100 acres of adjacent property to provide additional OHV recreation opportunities. This additional acreage is known as the “Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area.” It was classified as SVRA lands and was added to Carnegie SVRA at the time of purchase.  It has never been developed for OHV because the ecological, historic and cultural resources in the new area could not be ignored.  OHV use results in drastic landscape changes.  Funds are available to purchase this land that were set aside from a settlement that involved the Sierra Club.

Contact Senator Member Cathleen Galgiani  (State Senate District 5 Lodi, Stockton, Tracy & Manteca Areas)  

Stockton District Office, 31 East Channel Ste 440, Stockton, CA 95202 Phone: (209) 948-7930
Email: http://sd05.senate.ca.gov/send-e-mail 

Assembly Member Susan Talamantes Eggman  (State Assembly District 13 Stockton & Tracy Area)

District Office: 31 East Channel Street, Suite 306, Stockton, CA 95202 Phone: (209) 948-7479 
Email:  https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=AD13

• June 26, 2019 Coal Dust Webinar  Did you know that over 1.7 million metric tons of coal — one of the world's dirtiest fossil fuels — was shipped out of Stockton last year? That’s a 5,309% increase in coal shipments from 2012!

Prior to shipment, the coal sits in massive open-air piles by the water at the Port of Stockton, less than 1,000 meters (or 0.6 miles) from the closest residence. Exposure to coal dust has been linked to decreased lung capacity, chronic bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, heart disease, and cancer.If you are interested in learning about coal dust pollution in Stockton and what you can do to help protect your community from its health impacts, please join us for a short webinar about coal dust pollution. 
WHAT: Webinar on Stockton Coal Dust Pollution Registration    DATE: Wednesday, June 26      TIME: 7:00 - 7:45 PM  

• April 29, 2019 5:00-8:00 pm at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium 525 N Center St. Stockton CA  95202 Planting the Seeds: Stockton Environmental Transformation.  Great information to help make our community cleaner and more healthy.

March 19, 2019 City Council  Clean Energy Choice Study Session 5:30 City Hall Chambers 425 N ElDorado St Stockton CA  95202
Talking Points, Agenda, Coming soon to the Board of Supervisiors. 

San Joaquin County SB1000 Workship Wednesday Feb 20, 2019 at 338 E Market St, Stockton, CA 95202  Advanced Registration

• Catholic Charities Environmental Justice program has been working with the California Environment Justice Alliance (CEJA) who is a co-sponsor of the Senate Bill 1000. SB 1000 or the Planning for Health Communities Act was signed on September 24, 2016 mandating that cities and counties adopt an EJ element or integrate EJ goals, objectives, and policies into other elements of their General Plans.  We plan to have a panel of two individuals that have worked closely on SB 1000 and then we will break into small group discussions with community members, members from planning committees, public officials, and local organizations.  

• There will be four big topics for group discussions: 1. Pollution (air, water, and land), 2. Transit and Transportation System/Active Transportation and Safety, 3. Health, Food and Physical Activity, and 4. Housing. 

• The whole workshop is to allow community members, planning committee staff, public officials and other representatives to discuss issues and address any questions they have. Also, with these discussions, we hope to have some desired solutions. This workshop's discussions will be more on policy.

Urban Ag Ordinance Development Meetings

The City's Community Development Department, Economic Development Department, and Valley Vision will host two Urban Agriculture Community Meetings in January 2019. City and Valley Vision representatives will share information and participate in an interactive discussion about the upcoming Urban Agriculture Ordinance, what it means for members of our community, and how it can have a positive impact. 
City of Stockton Urban Agriculture Action Plan  and   Draft Urban Agriculture Ordinance   City of Stockton Contact Sheba Person-Whitley 209-937-8075

• Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019: 6 - 7 p.m., Bear Creek High School Library, 10555 Thornton Road

• Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019: 6 - 7 p.m., Cesar Chavez High School Career Center, 2929 Windflower Lane

City of Stockton General Plan Update.

The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), inclusive of responses to comments is complete and can be viewed at the following link:  www.stocktongov.com/envisionstockton

 Future Meetings scheduled to consider the Envision Stockton General Plan Update:

 Planning Commission Public Hearing

What:  Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan Update – Planning Commission consideration to recommend approval of the GPU/UMPS to the City Council

When: October 25, 2018, 5:30 p.m.

Where: City Council Chambers, Second Floor, 425 N. El Dorado St. Stockton, CA  95202

 City Council Public Hearing

What:  Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan Update – City Council to consider certification of FEIR and approval of GPU/UMPS

When: December 4, 2018, 5:30 p.m.

Where: City Council Chambers, Second Floor, 425 N. El Dorado St. Stockton, CA  95202

Sierra Club California Comment Letter July 2018

City of Stockton Website with report documents

Delta Conservation Volunteer Opportunity
On Saturday July 28th from 8:00 until 11:00 a.m. we will be having our first Dune Day, a volunteer opportunity for the community to get involved with the project. We'll be weeding out invasive plants and readying the area for Autumn seed collection and planting. We'll supply sunscreen, gloves, tools, and refreshments! (We recommend long sleeves!) . Come out and join in on the fun for a portion of or for all of the three hours. It'll be a great day to get outside and take pride in the community and the park, and maybe even learn a little bit more about the Delta!   The Big Break Visitor Center at the Delta will open at 10:00 a.m. with our regularly scheduled and free, drop-in craft project from 11 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. (Trees from TP rolls to keep with the botanical theme!), so bring along the family for a day of fun! Our Oakley Sand Dunes plant community experimental plot was the brainchild of the late Chris Thayer, botanist and Oakley Dune enthusiast (“freak!”). With the help of community schools, volunteers and retired Park District folks, we have a very promising start on reestablishing a signature bit of Oakley’s natural heritage!  The event on Facebook at this link or find us in the 7/13 issue of the Brentwood Press. https://www.facebook.com/events/836763883186626/?ti=icl

Lawrence Livermore National Lab Site 300 in San Joaquin County
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s (SJVAPCD - Air District) preliminary decision gives Livermore Lab’s high explosives testing range, called Site 300, near Tracy, CA a permit to increase the size, weight and yield of toxic bomb detonations on a 7,057 square-foot outdoor firing table.  The permit will allow the daily explosive limit to rise from 100-pounds of high explosives to 1,000-pounds per day and the annual limit to rise from 1,000-pounds to 7,500-pounds per year. Because so many folks expressed an interest the Air District held a permit hearing July 12, 2018 at 6:30.  It seems that Lawrence Livermore Lab did not give the Air District all of the pertinent records and reports nor adequately protray the costs of containment.  We hope that the Air District will require a CEQA analysis to fully disclose and evaluate all of the environmental issues associated with open air explosions.  Comments are due 7 August 2018 submit to publicnotices@valleyair.org.

Tri-Valley Cares information sheet
SJVAPCD Hearing Notice 

San Joaquin County Budget Hearings
The 2018-2019 proposed budget from the San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Department would recommend closure of the Oak Grove Nature Center.  The Nature Center is among four County park facilities that do not generate revenue; also in this listing was Woodbridge Wilderness Area.  

There have been rumors during the past month that the 2018-2019 proposed budget from the San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Department would recommend closure of the Oak Grove Nature Center.  Today, the proposed budget was officially released, and it noted that the Nature Center is among four County park facilities that do not generate revenue; also in this listing was Woodbridge Wilderness Area.   The Parks budget proposal also said, “. . .the Nature Center program will be eliminated.  The Nature Center building will be re-purposed as a rental space to host meetings and events.”  

Four Oak Grove docents (President Jenny Wade, James and Carol Rexroth, and Alan England) have been meeting and strategizing for the past several weeks.  We have spoken with Kathy Miller of the Board of Supervisors and several others and have been gathering our arguments and supporting data.  Yesterday, at the invitation of General Services Director Marcia Cunningham, the four of us met with her and Martin Morozowsky, Director of Parks and Recreation.  We went into the meeting with the hopeful assumption that these Directors didn’t really understand the ecological and historical significance of Oak Grove’s Valley Oak woodland, or of the Nature Center’s program and tours.  We were correct.   The hour-long meeting proved positive and productive.  We discussed cost issues, which have included having Micke Grove Zoo staff care for the animals in the Nature Center’s mini-zoo, and the fact that the HVAC at the center runs 24/7 for the safety of the animals.  The meeting concluded with agreement between the County and Nature Center Docents that we would work together to lower expenditures and keep the facility open.  Director Cunningham said she would relay this understanding to the BOS.

Today, June 12, 2018, at the Board of Supervisors Meeting, Jenny Wade, Carol Rexroth, James Rexroth and Doug Christensen (Stockton Astronomical Society) spoke in support of Nature Center programs.   In his comments, James told the BOS of yesterday’s meeting and the possible stay of execution for the Nature Center.  Interestingly, several speakers on other topics made impromptu comments in support of parks in general and the Nature Center.  Additionally, several Supervisors, including Kathy Miller, made verbal nods toward the Nature Center program.

I know that a number of the Audubon Community are concerned with the future prospects of the Woodbridge Wilderness area.  The Parks budget narrative notes that the Woodbridge Wilderness is not revenue producing, but there is no Parks' recommendation to close it.   However, a consultants’ report released May 21, 2018 recommends “reducing the inventory of regional parks by turning over the Woodbridge Wilderness Area to a neighboring homeowner’s association. . .”  This report, not yet officially released to the BOS (though reviewed by the Parks Commission), was discussed at this morning’s BOS meeting by Parks Commission member, Mary Fuhs..  Presumably this matter will arise at a future time, but is not in the immediate budget equation.

If you are so inclined, please write your County Supervisor—or email him/her—a letter of support. Flood all their mailboxes.   Your correspondence could request “your continued support of the Oak Grove Nature Center and its programs, or similar.   Please do this in the coming week, as the Final Budget Hearings will be on June 26.

1) A background document on the history and importance of the Nature Center, prepared for and presented to the two County directors we met with yesterday.  Factoids for your letter?

2) The consultant’s assessment of the county parks system. 

Supervisor, District 1

Miguel Villapudua   crouppet@sjgov.org  (note: these emails are to the Supervisor's Legislative Aides)      468-3313

Supervisor, District 2

Katherine Miller   sfilios@sjgov.org        468-3313

Supervisor, District 3

Tom Patti    blwilson@sjgov.org  468-3313

Supervisor, District 4

Chuck Winn   cwinn@sjgov.org, or dwarmerdam@sjgov.org

Supervisor, District 5

Bob Elliott  styrrell@sjgov.org   468-0181

Yeah Today 6.27.18 We had an unexpected but very good surprise today.  Assembly Member and AA&R Cte Chair Eggman ended up voting for SB 1316 and with 3 other Dem members voting yes, SB 1316 passed out of the AA&R committee.  SB 1316 next goes to Appropriations after the July break. Asm Eggman is also a member of the Appropriations committee. 

A special thank you for all your calls of support!
Land Use - Susan Eggman support requested for hiking and nature resources

Attached is a copy of SB 1316 which just passed the Senate last week and will be heading to the Assembly. Also attached is a copy of the SB 1316 Fact Sheet (rev 5/8/18) which includes the large list of organizations and agencies in support. Bill details may be viewed at: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB131  SB 1316 would allow the Department of Parks and Recreation (Department) to sell the portion of the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) known as the “Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area” (what we refer to as Tesla Park) for conservation purposes, if the department determines that disposing of that land is in the public interest.  This is a critically important bill to establish a pathway to preservation of the Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area’s rare and exceptional ecological, natural and cultural resources. Although the Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area is located in Alameda County, and Bay Area legislators are taking the lead, the Corral Hollow Canyon has longstanding historical and biological significance to San Joaquin County as well as the region and State.  Twelve Legislators, including Senator Cathleen Galgiani, have joined as co-authors on SB 1316.

 We need Assemblymember Eggman to actively support of SB 1316 in the Assembly AND join as a co-author on the SB 1316 with Senator Galgiani and many of her other colleagues.

Please send an email to Assemblymember Eggman, with a copy to District Director Anne Baird asking that she support SB 1316 and be a co-sponsor with Senator Galgiani. Please ask your membership and  colleagues/friends to also email Assemblymember Eggman.  She has been reluctant to engage in the past in part because she did not hear it was important to her constituents.  You can help show her that San Joaquin County cares about the environment and preserving Tesla and we need her help and leadership now.

 Following is a brief sample email you can modify.

 TO: assemblymember.eggman@assembly.ca.gov ; Anne.Baird@asm.ca.gov

 RE: SUPPORT FOR SB 1316

 We are asking for your support of SB 1316 - Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area (Glazer, et al) which will be heading to the Assembly, and to join your many colleagues as a co-author. 

 SB 1316 would allow the Department of Parks and Recreation (Department) to sell the portion of the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) known as the “Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area” (what is referred to as Tesla Park) for conservation purposes, if the department determines that disposing of that land is in the public interest.  This is a critically important bill to establish a pathway to preservation of the Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area’s rare and exceptional ecological, natural and cultural resources. Although the Alameda-Tesla Expansion Area is located in Alameda County, and Bay Area legislators are taking the lead, the Corral Hollow Canyon is also part of San Joaquin County and has longstanding significance to the Valley as well as the region and State.

SB 1316 has passed the Senate and will be heading to the Assembly.  We ask for your active support of SB 1316, and also ask that you join as a co-author with Senator Galgiani to ensure SB 1316 passes in the Assembly, and is signed into law by the Governor.

Transportation

Water