Updated on 11/5/21
In September, a long-awaited agreement was reached with the Legislature, the Governor, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation to protect the environmentally sensitive and habitat-rich Tesla Park from off-highway vehicle use. This deal arises from years of advocacy by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Senator Steve Glazer, Alameda County, and a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Friends of Tesla Park.
“This rich biological and cultural area’s fate has been tied up for years in the courts, proving to be a drain on our State resources and needlessly putting this unique land in jeopardy,” said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. “We are incredibly thankful that the Governor has recognized Tesla Park’s vital importance, including it now in the ongoing protection of critical natural resources in California. It has been my great honor to fight alongside Senator Glazer, the Sierra Club, Friends of Tesla Park and the countless organizations and individuals to ensure this land will be protected and enjoyed by all of California’s citizens.”
In the late 1990s, State Parks’ Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR) purchased Tesla Park without an acquisition environmental impact report (EIR) or public review being conducted. Since then, the Sierra Club and its partners have intensely opposed opening the area to damaging off-road vehicle recreation. The use for motor vehicles was challenged in court, and earlier this year, the judge ruled that the EIR and General Plan were inadequate and that State Parks needed to redo both documents. In the ruling, the judge determined that preservation of the Tesla parkland was consistent with the OHMVR statute that includes responsibility for the conservation of lands — correcting the false claim by the OHMVR Division that its only responsibility was to provide off-road recreation.
Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan and Senator Glazer have led the legislative fight to save Tesla Park and have jointly authored five bills over the last few years — which have resulted in a vast coalition of environmental leaders, legislators, local advocates, and community members rallying together to protect this land.
With this new agreement, Tesla Park is removed from the existing Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area and will be made into an independent park under the authority of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The agreement also bans off-highway vehicles from ever accessing the land. Additionally, the protection of this land furthers the goals of the Governor’s Executive Order to protect biodiversity and conserve 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030.
A planning process will be conducted by State Parks to determine the classification and management of the park and develop a use plan. Friends of Tesla Park, the Sierra Club, and our other partner organizations will engage with this process to ensure the park’s management plans protect its sensitive ecological and cultural resources.
In exchange for the protection of Tesla, the state will reimburse the Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund $29.8 million for the cost of the park, supposed appreciation, and expenses throughout the expansion planning process. The payment also allocates $11 million towards off-road vehicle expansion in another location. While the language does not include official approval for any specific area, a portion of the 87,000-acre Henry W. Coe State Park could be a potential location. The Sierra Club will continue to fight for sensitive lands across the Bay Area and their protection against destructive off-road recreation uses and management practices, including opposing opening any state parkland to off-road recreation.
Even though there will be more work to come, for now we celebrate the victory of this 20-year-long hard-fought battle for the protection of Tesla Park and thank all our members and supporters for their dedicated work towards this effort.
This article includes contributions from Sierra Club California, SF Bay Chapter staff, and Friends of Tesla Park.
Photo credit: Looking west into Tesla Park and Tesla grade, courtesy of Save Tesla Park.