DUBLIN — Environmentalists are fighting hard to block a “land grab” ballot measure in Dublin on next week’s ballot — and the price tag for both sides is getting steeper.
Now, supporters and opponents have raised $250,000 total for their campaigns — a remarkable amount for what would normally be considered a small ballot measure. The opposition, a group called Save Dublin Open Space, has raised $136,304.42 in contributions as of the most recent filing deadline. They spent $75,375.75 and have $60,928.67 remaining.
If approved, Measure II would allow the city to develop 80 acres for commercial use along the Dublin Boulevard extension up to North Canyons Parkway. But the city maintains that it wants to reduce traffic, protect open space and preserve clean air in the Tri-Valley region. Upon approval after the Nov. 5 election, the city could study commercial development up to 1,200 feet north of Interstate 580.
The issue is drawing massive donations on both sides. For comparison, a first-in-history half-cent sales tax measure in neighboring Pleasanton — Measure PP, which would raise $100 million for the city over the next 10 years — has seen less than $11,000 raised by supporters and opponents combined at the Oct. 19 filing deadline.
In Dublin, the opposition claims the title of the measure, called the “Dublin Traffic Relief, Clean Air/Open Space Preservation Measure,” is “deceptive” and that it would do nothing to calm traffic, preserve open space or clean up air quality. Instead, they say the city will do the exact opposite if the measure passes — by breaking a previously established urban limit line that protects 3,282 acres in the surrounding Doolan and Collier Canyons from commercial development.
Seth Adams, land conservation director for Save Mount Diablo, which opposes Measure II, said in an interview that its campaign “is nothing but lies.”
A decade ago, the City Council passed the Dublin Open Space Initiative that slowed the city from developing about 2,000 homes on 1,450 acres in the Doolan Canyon area. Adams said the city now is attempting to go back on its word.
Adams pointed to an Alameda County Civil Grand Jury report on the measure, which scored 2.1 out of 5 total points. The report says the measure scored lower “because of the lack of clarity as to what the measure would accomplish and why the measure was needed.”
“There is an implication that a new road, bike lanes and pedestrian access may occur, but no statement as to whether the city or a developer would pay for those improvements. There also is no explanation as to whether there would be financial impacts from the change, and what those impacts might cost,” the report says. “The title is misleading. From what is proposed the title should say: ‘Amend the existing open space initiative to allow 80 acres of open space land to be developed’ since that is what is proposed.”
Adams’ group earlier this summer also sued in Alameda County Superior Court, requesting a judge block the measure from reaching the Nov. 5 ballot. The request was denied, but the courts still have to weigh in on whether the city acted lawfully when forgoing an environmental review before placing the measure on the ballot.
“I don’t know where we’re going to end up in this. But we’ve run an excellent campaign,” Adams said.
Adams also slammed the measure’s support group for being “100% paid for by development interests.”
The group in favor of the measure, called Keep Dublin Moving – YES on II 2024, raised $122,500 by the Oct. 19 filing deadline; it spent $85,473.44 and has $63,253.32 left. Well over half of that money came from developers and trade unions.
Livbor-Manning LLC, the Carson City, Nev., developer who owns the property in the proposed development area, is one of the top financial backers of the group, having contributed $49,500 to date in favor of the measure. The other top donor is also a developer, Bex Development, LLC, of Castro Valley, which gave $48,000 to date.
In a last-minute support effort for this measure, the Sacramento-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595 donated $15,000, the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 342 of Concord donated $5,000, and Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 104 of Livermore donated $1,000.
Much of the funding for the opposition was raised by Save Mount Diablo, which donated $83,920.22 to date, and a retired Livermore resident named Jeanette King, who donated $45,000.
The measure is heavily endorsed by local officials, including Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Dublin Vice Mayor Sherry Hu, Councilwoman Jean Josey and former Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez, who now sits on the BART Board of Supervisors representing Alameda County’s District 5. Hu and Josey are also both contending in the city’s mayoral race this election.
In an interview with this news organization Tuesday, Haubert called the opposition “BANANAS,” likening them to NIMBYs. He said it stands for “Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere, Never Again.”
Haubert added that “it’s not like this 80 acres is going to stay empty forever. It’s just empty right now.”
He argued that more roadway will encourage faster, free-flowing traffic that he said will lower air pollution because cars are not idling in traffic. Also he said the commercial development is needed to pay for the road.
“It ain’t open space. And it’s not going to stay open space,” Haubert said.
Other endorsements come from the Alameda County Firefighters Association, county’s Deputy Sheriff’s Association and both the Alameda County Democrat and Republican parties.
Adams believes the strength of the opposition campaign is its grassroots nature.
“Dublin residents are the people who have donated to our campaign. And we don’t have any profit motive in this at all,” Adams said. “We are simply protecting the urban limit line that we created 10 years ago.”