By Yvonne Baginski
Napa County
It was close, but American residents voted against Measure J in the Nov. 8, 2022 election, ensuring that 157 acres of privately owned agricultural land abutting the San Francisco estuary on San Pablo Bay would remain protected from development. The measure, which was opposed by Sierra Club and other environmental groups, lost by just 249 votes.
Measure J was sponsored by three property owners, all longtime Napa County investors, who bought the property back in the early 1990s. Under the name Green Island Property, the owners grew wine grapes for 20 years, then wanted to sell the land. They ran into difficulty selling the land, as the surrounding area is zoned for industrial use, and they wanted to re-zone the land for that purpose.
Additionally, there have been claims that the vineyard management practices damaged the land over the years so it is now not suitable for farming.
The property owners were denied that switch by the Local Agency Formation Commission of Napa County, so they set out to collect ballot signatures for what would become Measure J. They would let the voters decide if Green Island Vineyards would be transformed into Green Island Industrial Park.
With the American Canyon City Council taking a neutral position, Measure J went on the ballot.
The property owners spent more than $220,000 on the campaign, while the opposition raised $700. Sierra Club, Napa Climate Now! and Vision 2050 wrote letters of opposition in the local newspaper.
It was a true David and Goliath campaign. The initial results indicated that Measure J could pass. But, then the tide started to turn. In the end, it was a victory for the birds, the land, and the people of American Canyon.
However the drive to save the watershed of the American Canyon’s wetland edge is far from over. There are many properties edging the migratory flyway and wetlands that are privately owned and at risk for development.
This past summer, while eyes were on Measure J, 203 acres directly northeast of the property were approved by the city council and planning commission for industrial warehouse development. This means that 80 acres of wetlands and 7 percent of the grasslands habitat needed by the threatened Swainson Hawk, in Napa County will be paved over for over 2 million square feet of warehouses.
The Environmental Impact Report is expected to be approved by the city council this coming February, and the work will move forward.
Unless, of course, another David comes along.