News

January 2012

Bay Area Conservation Groups Join Forces to Protect Redwoods and Habitat

CEMEX Redwoods Photo Credit: William K. Matthias

Hundreds of majestic redwoods will remain for years to come, thanks to a coalition of conservation groups, funders, and The San Francisco Foundation. Through the Living Landscape Initiative, the organizations purchased the largest expanse of old-growth redwoods and wildlife habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, preserving the precious land and natural resources for future generations.

In 2011, five conservation groups launched the Living Landscape Initiative to protect 80,000 acres of land in and around Silicon Valley over the next 20 years. The purchase of the 8,532 acres known as Cemex Redwoods (named after the former cement plant property owner) is the Initiative’s first major project. The Cemex Redwoods had been unprotected and threatened by possible development and logging. The Initiative’s $30 million deal preserves the forest of redwoods and Douglas firs, as well as dozens of endangered plant and animal species, four creeks, and 70 miles of unpaved roads.

This innovative effort comes at a time when global warming is putting habitats at risk and parks throughout the state are closing due to budget cuts. “The preservation of these magnificent redwoods enhance our region’s natural environment, and will help combat climate change,” says Francesca Vietor, TSFF’s program officer for the environment. The $150,000 that the Foundation contributed to the initiative came from the Evelyn Tilden Mohrhardt Trust, a fund dedicated to conservation.

Now that the Living Landscape Initiative has acquired the property, it will turn to the second phase of the project, which is to permanently protect the redwoods and preserve the creek for public access and recreation. In a third phase, the initiative partners hope to sell the property to a private owner who agrees to maintain the forest, and also help provide both tax revenues and local jobs.

The five conservation groups that launched the initiative include Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, The Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Save the Redwoods League, and Sempervirens Fund. In addition to The San Francisco Foundation the funders are the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation through the Resources Legacy Fund.

June 2011

$7 Million Settlement Fund to Acquire and Protect Farmland

In June 2011, The Greenbelt Alliance, City of Oakley, and The San Francisco Foundation completed an agreement to set up a fund that will support the permanent protection of farmland. The agreement was based on a settlement reached in the Contra Costa Superior Court requiring the City of Oakley, landowners, and developers to compensate the surrounding environment when developing on prime farmland.

At issue in the case were 828 acres of prime farmland of statewide importance in the City of Oakley. The landowners aim to convert the farmland and other acreage in the area of the East Cypress Corridor Specific Plan into more than 3,000 housing units. As the houses are constructed over the next several years in Oakley, it is expected that the fund will generate approximately $7 million to acquire and preserve farmland.

For more information, read the news release.

June 2011

The Bay Fund Completes a Successful Decade

After ten years, the successful Bay Fund initiative is coming to a close. The Bay Fund was the result of a settlement between Unocal and seven environmental plaintiffs for violations of the Clean Water Act. Over the course of the past decade, 98 grants totaling $3,556,000 were awarded to 51 organizations for projects designed to improve water quality and reduce pollution. An additional $160,000 was granted to two organizations to respond to the Cosco Busan oil spill in 2007. The many important accomplishments of the Bay Fund include:

• Contributed to the restoration of over 30,000 acres of wetlands and riparian habitat
• Provided vital new research that is being applied to tidal marsh restorations
• Contributed to water quality improvements
• Supported research that generated valuable data leading to high-level policy shifts
• Engaged volunteers in water quality and restoration projects
• Increased the organizational capacity of smaller nonprofits
• Contributed to improvements in resource management
• Leveraged limited funding to attract significant matching

June 2011

Great Communities Collaborative Instrumental in Launch of Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund

The Great Communities Collaborative (GCC) was instrumental in catalyzing an initial $10 million grant from MTC that led to the creation of the Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (TOAH) Fund, which launched in March 2010. The Fund, now capitalized at $50 million, will loan money to developers to build affordable housing near Bay Area rail and bus stops.

This fund will strengthen our entire region by creating more walkable and bikable neighborhoods with work, fresh food markets, and public transportation, close to home. The San Francisco Foundation is proud to be a core partner of the Great Communities Collaborative, working to ensure that the San Francisco Bay Area is made up of healthy, thriving neighborhoods that are affordable to all and linked to regional opportunities by a premier transit network. Visit our Environment Initiatives page for more information about the GCC.

The first $4.8 million loan is planned for developers to buy a San Francisco parking lot and construct a 14-story building with 150 apartments and a ground-floor grocery story at Eddy and Taylor streets.

For more information about our Program Related Investments Fund, click here.

November 2010

Prop 23: Supporting Communities United for Clean Energy and Jobs

In November 2010, social justice leaders formed an unprecedented statewide coalition of 130 community based organizations called Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Prop (Communities United). The coalition aimed to fight Proposition 23, an initiative that aimed to repeal California’s landmark climate change legislation. 

Recognizing the importance of a community-based effort to defend California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, The San Francisco Foundation invested $200,000 into the education and voter mobilization activities of several of the leading members of the Communities United coalition including the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Communities for a Better Environment, and Greenlining Institute. The Foundation also invested in a New America Media to reach out to 200 ethnic media outlets about climate change.

As a result, Communities United significantly increased voter turnout among communities of color by reaching out to more than 2 million people, and every ethnic media outlet in the state. Communities United also conducted one-on-one conversations with more than 250,000 voters. Prop 23 was defeated and Communities United showed how voters of color can – and must – be a powerful force on environmental issues. Today the coalition is called “Communities United for Clean Energy and Jobs” and aims to reshape the environmental movement in California through a broader progressive agenda inclusive of communities of color.