Dear Supporter,

At this time of year, we like to take stock and reflect on our efforts to protect and restore San Francisco Bay. Cargill/DMB’s scheme to develop over two square miles of restorable salt ponds in Redwood City into a new city remains the biggest threat to the Bay today.

2011 proved to be a pivotal year in the campaign, with the Redwood City community stepping up to say “enough” to Cargill. A few highlights:

Redwood City Neighbors United, a local group dedicated to “responsible growth – not Saltworks,” launched in September and already has hundreds of supporters. 

A Save The Bay poll in May found Redwood City overwhelmingly opposes this bay fill project: 57% of voters in Redwood City oppose the plan, while only 28% support it.

Redwood City residents’ spoke against the project by a 10-1 ratio as Cargill’s plan was met by a "mountain of concerns" at the very beginning of the city’s approval process. 

Local traffic concerns increased sharply, especially as Cargill/DMB reversed course and eliminated a proposed major car connection between its project and downtown.

Opposition also grew from all around the region, as:

 Save The Bay’s strong defense of BCDC’s new Bay Plan Amendment – against DMB’s half million dollars in lobbying to kill it – helped ensure approval in October of a groundbreaking sea level rise plan.  

 Two powerful Bay Area water districts opposed the controversial Cargill/DMB water transfer scheme, and the Bakersfield Californian declared that “selling precious Kern River water to a developer in the San Francisco Bay Area … makes no sense for Kern County and no sense for the Bay Area.” 

 Almost every maritime union on the West Coast came out in opposition to Cargill, with Longshoremen, Sailors, Warehouse Workers and many other unions joining the Teamsters in fighting to defend the Port of Redwood City from the threat of encroaching development. 

So, after years of relentless criticism from virtually every quarter, where do things stand today?                    

While the massive public outcry against their bayfill proposal has significantly delayed Cargill’s misguided proposal, they show no sign of retreating from plans to build thousands of houses on these restorable salt ponds.

Save The Bay remains dedicated to building broad opposition to Cargill and DMB Associates’ bayfill proposal from Redwood City residents and throughout the Bay Area. Any success we have is because of the efforts and support of thousands of people like you.  

Thank you for all you do,

Stephen Knight, Political Director