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The campaign is organized
through a Web site that allows
members to interact and read about
how to live a more sustainable life.
The campaign will commence in
June with a celebration at Redwood
City City Hall.
As spring approaches, mops and
dusters come crawling out of the
closet for the annual spring cleaning,
but so do harmful cleaning
products. This year Redwood City
residents are urged to clean using
environmentally friendly products,
many of which are probably
available in the house.
“Do your spring cleaning with
environmentally safe cleaning
products or make your own using
readily available products from your
supermarket,” Ross said.
For example, vinegar can be used
to clean kitchen floors and wash
windows without the harmful chemicals
that some other products use.
Cleaning products can become
toxic waste after they are disposed
of. The Environmental Protection
Agency says these products can lead
to air and water pollution, ozone
depletion and accumulation of toxic
materials in plants and animals.
Some of these products create
indoor pollution that can cause
respiratory problems, asthma and
skin irritations in some people.
While there are several alternative
ways to concoct green cleaning
solutions with simple household
products, some environmentally
friendly products are available in stores.
Companies like Seventh
Generation, carried at Whole Foods,
offer nontoxic and biodegradable
cleaning products as well as a
whole line of products that are
environmentally friendly and safe
for the whole family.
Activists Seek
Charter Change
Environmentalists hoping to stunt
future Redwood City development
filed paperwork to change the city’s
charter to place the fate of all projects
involving open space in the hands of
voters rather than the City Council.
The effort, known as the Open
Space Initiative, is a smack at
the pending Cargill saltworks
plan, although proponents are
hesitant to say so. The Cargill
site, approximately the size of the
Presidio in San Francisco, is the
largest untouched land parcel on
the bay and the subject of intense
scrutiny for more than a year as
developers, the city and the public
grapple with its future.
Instead of targeting Cargill directly,
those pushing the initiative, particularly
nonprofit group Save The Bay, say
a charter amendment is a way to
broaden democracy and involve
voters directly in rezoning decisions.
In unveiling the initiative last
week, Save The Bay Executive
Director David Lewis said the
proposal is a “response to the
assault on parks and open space.”
City officials, who said they were
broadsided by the proposal, see the
effort differently. Mayor Rosanne
Foust expressed disappointment the
city was not alerted to the ballot
initiative and worries a city charter
amendment will be harmful to the
pre-vote public hearing process in
the long run.
“They have truly hijacked our
community process,” Foust said.
To qualify for the November
ballot, proponents must gather the
signatures of 15 percent of the
registered voters in Redwood City
at the time the clerk qualifies the
document. There are approximately
35,000 registered voters in the city.
The ballot initiative is a joint
effort by Save The Bay, Committee
for Green Foothills and the Friends
of Redwood City.
By passing the amendment, “the
voters of Redwood City ensure
that current and future voters have
the right to protect open spaces
from the threat of inappropriate
development,” the filed petition reads.
While Foust argues the proposal
cripples the community’s public
process, the proposed amendment
claims “the residents of Redwood
City are also particularly well
qualified” to evaluate and approve
development.
Foust doesn’t discount the
community’s qualifications but
believes the initiative implies the
City Council doesn’t care or is illequipped
to listen to the public.
“I think that message was
delivered loud and clear in 2004.
We get it,” Foust said, referring
to the community divide over a
similarly controversial plan for the
Marina Shores development.
After the City Council approved
the proposal, a grassroots effort
headed by the Friends of Redwood
City placed Measure Q on the
ballot and defeated the plan. The
development was resurrected as
a scaled-down project, Peninsula
Park, through a collaborative effort
of developers, city officials and
former opponents.
Foust hoped for a similar
approach to the Cargill land but said
the initiative amendment shows that
viewpoint is not shared.
As the city embarks on a 20-
month general plan creation, Foust
said she also doesn’t understand
why initiative backers have chosen
to apparently work against rather
than with the city.
“The question is, why now?” she said.
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Your Redwood City
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650.430.8425
vcostantini@apr.com
www.vickycostantini.com
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