[Sosfbay-discuss] save coyote valley

[Jim Doyle]

/An update - April 1, 2007
/www.savecoyotevalley.com 
<javascript:ol('http://www.savecoyotevalley.com/');>
Save Coyote Valley on Myspace 
<javascript:ol('http://www.myspace.com/170104309');>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

To All Concerned,

In the past two months, a group of students, community members and 
activists have come together to fight the proposed Coyote Valley 
Development just South of San Jose. The Development would sit on fragile 
riparian and wetland habitats, prime agricultural land, and what was 
once the home of the Native Ohlone People. The area is also important 
because it is habitat for many endangered species, and is a potential 
wildlife corridor between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range 
to the East.

Are we going to sit by and let the last stretch of what was once called 
"The Valley of Heart's Delight" get paved over? The Coyote Valley 
Specific Plan reflects a short sightedness on the part of our City and 
County Leaders. There are areas of downtown San Jose that are dying, 
there are segments of the community that are in need of support. The new 
San Jose City Hall was built with over $100 million of taxpayer money 
while community centers and hospitals have closed. There are plans to 
develop over and gentrify the Berryessa Flea Market, a decades old 
anchor for ethnic and lower income communities of San Jose. We should 
not let our city develop based on money interests. Instead, we should 
take the high road, preserve what open space we have left, continue to 
develop with infill growth, and provide for the needs of our community. 

We invite you to join us in our efforts to speak out against the current 
trend of Development in the South Bay, and tell our civic leaders what 
we think needs to happen in our community! Let's build a better, more 
beautiful Santa Clara County together! Save Coyote Valley! We need your 
help! if you are interested in getting involved, please e-mail us at 
coyotevalley at inbox.com or call Mark Anthony Medeiros at (408) 607-1709

For more information, read on:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - We Encourage you to participate

7PM - APRIL 4 - PLANNING MEETING TO SAVE COYOTE VALLEY: Interested in 
getting involved? This Wednesday, you'll have a chance to get up to 
speed about what's being done, and provide input on what direction this 
group should take. All are welcome! The meeting will take place at the 
San Jose Peace Center 
<javascript:ol('http://www.sanjosepeace.org/home/index.html');>, on 7th 
Street between San Fernando and Santa Clara Streets in downtown San 
Jose. directions 
<javascript:ol('http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?searchtype%3daddress%26amp;country%3dUS%26amp;addtohistory%3d%26amp;searchtab%3dhome%26amp;formtype%3daddress%26amp;popflag%3d0%26amp;latitude%3d%26amp;longitude%3d%26amp;name%3d%26amp;phone%3d%26amp;level%3d%26amp;cat%3d%26amp;address%3d48%2bSouth%2b7th%2bStreet%26amp;city%3dSan%2bJose%2b%26amp;state%3dCA%26amp;zipcode%3d');>

1PM, APRIL 14 and 28 - HIKES to COYOTE RIDGE: The Silicon Valley Land 
Conservancy <javascript:ol('http://www.siliconvalleylc.org/');> is 
offering free interpretive hikes to view one of the most diverse and 
rare wildflower blooms in the Bay Area. This is your chance to view rare 
plants and animals such as the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, Tule Elk, and 
Burrowing Owl and get a good view of Coyote Valley.  The trip is 2.5 
miles long with 900 feet elevation gain, and will last from 1-5pm. April 
14 and April 28 are special dates reserved for South Bay students and 
those interested in Coyote Valley, and will be led by SJSU students Mark 
Anthony Medeiros and Megan Fluke. To reserve your spot, call (408) 
260.3043 or e-mail rebecca.svlc at gmail.com

5:30PM, APRIL 16 - COYOTE VALLEY TASK FORCE MEETING: The Coyote Valley 
Task Force is a group of community stake holders that will interpret the 
upcoming Environmental Impact Report and are gathering input from the 
local community. It is important that AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE attend 
all Coyote Valley Task Force Meetings, so that we can make our presence 
known and have our feelings about the development on public record. The 
CVTF meeting takes place in rooms 118-120 at San Jose City Hall at 4th 
and Santa Clara Streets Downtown.

6:00PM, APRIL 19 - COMMUNITY MEETING AT COYOTE CREEK GOLF CLUB: This is 
one of several "community meetings" scheduled to gather feedback from 
South Bay residents about the development. Coyote Creek Golf Club is off 
of Coyote Creek Golf Drive, on 101 between SJ and Morgan Hill. Arrive on 
time, because registration is at 6pm!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other News - For those of you who want to know

HOPE: A few of us attended the last Coyote Valley Technical Advisory 
Committee Meeting (TAC). There were representatives from several 
agencies expressing concern about parts of the Coyote Valley Specific 
Plan that don't make sense. VTA said that there isn't public money to 
fund all the public transportation that developers are promising, others 
pointed out that this ideal, "live-able, walkable community" does not 
have the triggers in place to insure that jobs and housing will come at 
the appropriate times. Between these issues, the problem of moving 
industry into an area that is supposed to have much less parking than a 
conventional development, and other environmental issues, the Coyote 
Valley Plan is a lot of empty promises. As one activist put it, "This 
project has no feet."  If we can organize, attend public meetings, and 
get our voice out in the press, we believe we can really change the 
direction on this issue, but it has to be done quickly!

PETITION: A petition has been drafted, and right now we organizers are 
trying to decide exactly which demand we want to make, and who we should 
target. Once it is finished, we will need help collecting signatures as 
quickly as possible, so that we can show the city council, mayor, and 
county supervisors there is broad support of preserving Coyote Valley.

INFORMATIONAL NIGHT - EARLY MAY: We are planning an informational night, 
scheduled for early May, where community members can learn about the 
natural history of Coyote Valley, the EIR process, how they can get 
involved. If you would like to help with this event or have resources 
you'd like to offer, please contact us.

HELP: A lot has been done, but we desperately need more support from 
community members and students. Additional manpower is needed to collect 
signatures, plan an upcoming informational night, work on our websites, 
and other outreach activites. If you are interested in getting involved, 
please e-mail us at coyotevalley at Inbox.com or call Mark Anthony Medeiros 
at (408) 607-1709


*Support the Truth
www.denniskyne.com <http://www.denniskyne.com/>**
www.sonicbids.com/denniskyne <http://www.sonicbids.com/denniskyne>**
www.myspace.com/denniskyne <http://www.myspace.com/denniskyne>*

**