Jane Bogner, Solano Group
(With assistance from Kenn Browne and Katy Miessner)

Help Needed - Get Involved Locally

Solano Group has teamed up with several local movements to preserve and protect areas from development. Please get out and help these groups in your hometown.

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Vacaville: FRIENDS of LAGOON VALLEY

Environmentalist and concerned citizens of Vacaville are organizing to Save Lagoon Valley from a huge development (1225 single-family homes, 100 attached town homes, school, fire station, golf course with clubhouse, one million sq. ft. of commercial office space, 50,000 sq. ft. of retail space and more). Check out their updated Friends of Lagoon Valley website at www.lagoonvalleypark.com. The site features a Schedule of Events page that lists upcoming meetings and events. Marian Conning, 447-7356. Friends of Lagoon Valley has successfully circulated petitions to place a referendum against Vacaville's approval of the Lagoon Valley Project and also to challenge the City's changes to the General Plan. Vacaville residents will vote in March 2005 on these issues.

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BENICIA: Protect our Waterfront

From Susan Street, Chair of Protect Our Waterfront (747-1930, 745-5477 or bstreet@pacbell.net): "We've collected 3006 signatures for the March ballot that will re-zone the waterfront to "waterfront park." In the meantime we have to deal with the city's two advisory votes in November, Measure B and C. B is for limited development on the waterfront, C is for the council to adopt the initiative that re-zones the waterfront to "waterfront park" to protect the whole area from commercial development, preserve the marsh and hopefully help to restore it, prepare the area for a link to the bay trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail and preserve the area for our festivals and events that make Benicia so attractive and special not to mention the fact that we will be preserving a stretch of land south of B street that is the 'jewel in the crown' of Benicia! The interesting thing about this is that neither is binding, so ...Measure C needs to win resoundingly so that the council will see once again that the people want to keep the waterfront free of commercial development."

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Don't be fooled by Measure B.....vote YES on C!

Solano Group's ExCom voted to support Advisory Measure C in Benicia which is the Benicia Waterfront Initiative. This Measure, which is only advisory in November, will be officially voted on in March. It will change the Benicia General Plan to permit only park uses on city owned land along B Street between First St and the harbor master's Office.

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Vallejo

Solano Group is joining the Vallejo Waterfront Coalition to protect the open green space from developers (again). Be a part of the process of reviewing plans and planning for our future. Contact solanobreeze@yahoo.com or leave a message at 644-9183.

The Vallejo Waterfront Coalition (VWC) is an alliance of Vallejo neighborhood associations, community groups, business owners, longtime residents and newcomers. VWC was organized to ensure that all development plans for the Vallejo waterfront protect our publicly owned assets for this and future generations, embrace the natural beauty of our open waterfront and the character of our historic downtown and bordering neighborhoods, and complement the ongoing smart-growth downtown revitalization. With the community's help, the VWC will succeed in halting the current Callahan-DeSilva waterfront plan, a giveaway of our publicly owned waterfront property to out-of-town developers who will leave us with industrial-quality buildings and acres of "Anywhere USA" condominiums sprawling over our waterfront, and view slivers in the place of parks and open space. For more information or to get involved, visit www.VallejoWaterfrontCoalition.org or call our Hotline at (707) 645-3186.

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Solano County

Solano County Regional Park

Are you interested in help lobby for a regional park similar to the East Bay Regional Parks? Please contact "Friends of Solano Regional Park District" c/o Brent Schoradt 707 427-2308 or bschoradt@greenbelt.org.

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Solano County Transportation Tax Measure

Solano Group ExCom voted to oppose the Solano County Transportation Tax Measure A. This half-cent sales tax would last 30 years. It would primarily fund I-80, I-680 and Hwy 12 expansion and fund the interchange work at the junction of these highways. Some money would go to local cities for road repairs. A fraction would go toward ferry, rail and bus projects. Also a tiny bit for bike and pedestrian projects. No money for mitigation for paving many square miles of land, and no money for parks, recreation, or open space.

Dixon: CAFÉ or Mega Dairy issue in Solano County

A pat on the back to Solano Group Steven Day's persistence on anti-megadairy joint efforts with Yolano Group (Chair Pam Nieberg) and Mother Load Chapter (Conservation Chair Vicki Lee). Solano Supes decided in July to continue public hearing on the moratorium and ordinances to Dec. 7. They assured us that no dairies would be permitted until new state water and air quality regs are completed. Air regs probably won't be completed for a couple of years! Still need letters to Supes asking for a moratorium - to hold them to their July words.

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October 9 New Bridge Hike and Potluck

Join Solano Group for a walk across the new Al Zappa Bridge crossing the Carquinez Strait. Meet at the South Vallejo Community Center [corner of Magazine and Sonoma] at 9 am. We'll car pool to the trail head and walk over to Crocket and back. Our final destination is Debbie and Kim Surani's home for a potluck in their backyard overlooking the three bridges. Come meet other Solano Group members. Info solanobreeze@yahoo.com or 644-9183.

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VALCORE Community Recycling: Check out www.VALCORErecycling.org and www.recycle-guide.com.

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NEW HOURS @ VALCORE Recycling

• Donation: 9am - 5pm
• CRV Buy Back: 10am - 5pm
• CLOSED FOR LUNCH 1pm - 2pm

Donate your cans to Sierra Club during CRV Buy Back hours.

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VALCORE Recycling 2004 Workdays: Oct 16 and Dec 11 (Vallejo Farmers Market). We work from 9 am to Noon. $50 is offered to volunteer supervisors for their favorite classroom. Call 644-9183.

Thanks to all for bringing their valuable recyclables to Vallejo. Thanks to Jane Bogner for working on July 3 and Ray Anderson, Kitty Powell, Steven Day and Doris Klein for staffing the site on August 28. Thanks to Nicole Bobetsky for helping at Benicia's Farmers Market and Kathy Hoffman, Lauren and Nicole Bobetsky for helping monitor the the CRV recycling at the Jazz Festival. We really appreciate all the help and to all of you who help out anonymously. I know you are out there and we really appreciate the support.

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CRV Recycling Contest: Don't throw those CRV containers in the curbside bin. They are worth a lot of money to Solano Group.

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Last Composting Class of the year at VALCORE will be held on October 16 from 10 am to noon.

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Wanted: VALCORE Board Replacement

Solano Group has been a member of VALCORE Recycling since 1985. Jane Bogner has been our representative off and on since 1988. Guess what, she needs a break.

Obligations for a board member include attending the monthly board meeting on the 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 in Vallejo and arranging volunteers for the 8 Saturday workdays at the recycling site. This list of regular volunteers is readily available. VALCORE has been our source of money needed to run our local group.It's an exciting board and a great way to "act locally" on a global issue.

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Gallery Opening. Nov 13, 2 pm to 4 pm

Solano Group will host the Nov 13 opening of an art show entitled "Peace" at the Fetterly Gallery. We host one opening each year in exchange for using the gallery for our ExCom meetings. Help is needed for food, wine and service. The gallery is located at 3467 Sonoma Blvd #10 (in the back). Call 644-9183 or solanobreeze@yahoo.com.

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