Save Knowland Park | Tag Archive | Legal and Finance matters

Tag Archives | Legal and Finance matters

Snakes, Lies, and Cutting Red Tape: How the Oakland Zoo is Gaming the System

By admin on May 7, 2014 in Campaign Updates, Featured on Homepage, Nature & Wildlife, Oakland Politics, Uncategorized

Earth Day demonstration against the Zoo’s Proposal - Photo by Karen Smith

Earth Day demonstration against the Zoo’s latest proposal – Photo by Karen Smith

It is difficult to imagine the Oakland Zoo proposing anything more outrageous than their plan to build an environmentally destructive “conservation” exhibit on the richest and most sensitive lands in Knowland Park, but in their latest proposal the preposterous trumps the outrageous. The upshot of their bold move toward endgame is that not only would the public lose far more park land than initially approved, but all public access to the very best native plant habitat in the park would be legally barred forever.

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Oakland Zoo’s PR campaign is faltering, still can save Knowland Park

By admin on March 11, 2014 in Featured on Homepage, Opinions & Editorials

A recent news report about the successful move to preserve 362 acres of natural parkland in the East Bay hills could almost have been about Knowland Park.

The land is described as a collection of steep hillsides spilling down from the ridgeline, with a mix of bays, oaks and native grasses, streams, and abundant wildlife–mountain lions, coyote, deer, hawks, snakes and other creatures–taking advantage of the open-space corridor, along with 360-degree ridgetop views for human visitors.

But it is not in Oakland; it’s in Richmond. Continue Reading →

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The Fight Goes On, and the News is Good!

By admin on September 26, 2013 in Campaign Updates, Featured on Homepage, Nature & Wildlife, Oakland Politics

Delivering the petition to the Director of the Department of Fish and Game

Petition Delivered: Thanks to all of you who helped us get more than 2100 signatures on our petition urging the US Fish & Wildlife Service to deny regulatory permits for the expansion project. The petitions were delivered to their offices in Sacramento (with copies to the state Fish and Wildlife agency as well) last week (photos of our dedicated volunteers delivering them are on our website HERE). Now we have to wait and see. But the best thing was hearing so many messages of support. The petition is still open for additional signatures, so if you missed signing it, please do so at https://www.change.org/petitions/save-knowland-park-protect-oakland-s-largest-wildland-park-from-a-destructive-development

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Update on Alameda County Ballot Count

By admin on November 8, 2012 in Campaign Updates

We learned last night that there is an unusually high number of ballots from Tuesday’s election that remain uncounted – more than 100,000 mail and provisional ballots, on paper, that were mailed or dropped off at polls. The estimate now from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters is that the final certification of results will not be done for a couple more weeks.

However, according to calculations run by a statistically-savvy member of our group, and independently by the East Bay Express, the pro-A1 side would need to get almost 80% of the remaining ballots to change the outcome. This would be highly improbable. So we remain confident, but unfortunately at this point we also just have to remain patient until the final, final is out! And be glad this isn’t Florida!

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Bad News for Knowland Park: Judge Grillo Decides Zoo Expansion Plan Is Not a New Project

By Laura on June 20, 2012 in Campaign Updates, Nature & Wildlife, Oakland Politics, Personal Journals, Uncategorized

This heritage Coast Live Oak, Oakland's namesake, will be cut down to make room for the Interpretive Center.

Yesterday Judge Evelio Grillo issued his final ruling in our lawsuit, stating that the Zoo’s current expansion plan into Knowland Park is merely a modification of the 1998 Amended Master Plan project. Sometimes in the court of law it’s possible to find that up is down and black is white. Such is the case here. Our attorneys – Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger – argued eloquently that the Zoo’s plan, which adds a veterinary hospital and an aerial gondola, quadruples the size of the Interpretive Center, and includes other major changes that were detailed in our briefs, results in a new project. In the end, the court disagreed, and the accompanying photos show who loses as a result of the court’s decision.

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