By Tim Platt
The citizen-sponsored initiative to give Martinez voters an opportunity to overrule city council decisions to develop open space and parkland has achieved a major step toward becoming law. The Martinez Open Space and Park Protection Initiative was submitted last week to the City of Martinez for certification. The Initiative will increase protections for all Martinez open space and parkland by requiring approval by Martinez voters before there can be more intensive development on these lands.
More than 5,500 signatures were collected by proponents of the Initiative, and 4,713 have been submitted to the City for verification. If 2,413 or more of the signatures are found to be valid, the City Council will certify the Initiative and can either set a date for a public election on the Initiative, or make the Initiative into law, saving taxpayers the cost of an election and making the open space and park protections effective immediately. The 4,713 signatures represent almost 20 percent of the total number of voters in Martinez, and indicate the level of public support for these protections.
The Initiative has the endorsement of the Sierra Club and Thousand Friends of Martinez. It is supported by the Martinez Open Space and Park Protection Committee, and was signed by Mark Thomson, Kerry Kilmer, and Tim Platt.
Jim Blickenstaff, chair of the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter’s Mount Diablo Group, says: “Open space and parks are under growing pressure from developers for conversion to more intense, urbanized uses. We’ve seen this pressure at work time and again in Martinez. The citizens of this city have responded with an initiative giving the voters a say on the preservation of the remaining open space and parks. The threat is real, and will only continue to grow. This initiative is a well-crafted answer to that threat. The Sierra Club strongly urges a YES vote when the Initiative comes up for election.”
The Initiative is in line with Sierra Club policy on compact growth; to protect open space and parkland, and in order to create efficient, non-polluting communities, we must concentrate development in urban areas that are walkable, bikeable, and transit-accessible. This Initiative will prevent sprawl and preserve our natural areas and wildlife.
Please help us spread the word of this success. Volunteers are urgently needed to deliver fliers to neighborhood doorsteps. (Just deliver — no door knocking!) Get some exercise in your own neighborhood and help educate voters to support the Initiative. Do this on your own schedule. Call Tim Platt at 925-808-9684 to get started.
More information on the Initiative and how to help is on the Martinez Open Space and Park Protection Committee website: www.martinezopenspace.org. The Committee can also be contacted on their Facebook page and via email at martinezopenspace@outlook.com.
Photo: collecting signatures, courtesy Martinez Open Space Facebook page.