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defaced with graffiti. Midnight and early morning
crank calls were made to project supporters, culminating
with nighttime phone calls to former City
Council Member Fernando Vega from a man calling
Vega a high-rise “prostitute” and threatening to beat
him up. The man, who was arrested, was not affiliated
with either camp.
The No on Q camp didn’t escape the brunt either. A
No on Q proponent’s porch was vandalized to the
tune of $8,000 in damage. No one was arrested for
the damage.
By the last days of the campaign, the police were well
aware of hostility from both sides. What started out
as a grassroots campaign to nix a City Council decision
caused the voters of Redwood City to embrace
the “yea” or “nay” camps with such fervor that the
debate on the issues escaped the confines of the
political camps and took on a life of its own. The
voters were inspired to care about this issue.
On Election Day, heavily outspent, the No on Q
campaign savored a 54-45 percent victory. As No on
Q campaign manager Moyer stated, “The Yes on Q
team sent out a mailer every day for the last two
weeks.” Nobles chimed in: “We knew we would
win.” The results backed Nobles’ prediction.
The voters of Redwood City are clearly divided into
two camps: pro–housing and development versus the
environmentalists. These same voters may now have
REDWOOD CITY’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE
ly salt-saturated land. Mixed-use with residential and
public recreation facilities seems to be a viable solution.
FORWC, on the other hand, prefers little
impact to the area. Trulio contends that in a few
years, if the dikes are broken, the salt ponds will naturally
revert back to pristine wetlands and marshes.
Trulio should know. As lead engineer for the South
Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, she has proof of
nature’s restorative powers. Currently, the project is
in the process of restoring 15,100 acres of tidal salt
march in south San Francisco Bay. According to
Trulio, “over 85 percent of the San Francisco Bay
wetlands have been lost.” Even more amazing are the
before and after photos Trulio provides of salt-harvesting
ponds opened up to tidal flows. The restoration
is so complete it is hard to imagine where the
salt ponds once existed. Trulio contends that to
restore the wetlands “you just add water.”
In addition, by returning the salt ponds back to salt
marshes, the area around the mobile-home parks will
revert back to flood plains for flood control. Every
winter, after a hard rain, the area around the mobilehome
parks floods. The city could engineer drainage
into the bay at very little cost.
Bruggman warns of a possible “moving to the nuisance”
conflict. Currently, businesses on Seaport
Drive include CEMEX, North America’s largest
cement and concrete producer. Cement dust and
$3.5-million homes don’t mix.
DMB contends that little can be done with the high-
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largest volume in port history. Seventy percent
of our cargo is construction material. These materials
supply the entire Bay Area and keep construction
costs low.”
A VIEW AT THE OLD CARGIL SALT SITE
FORWC contends that residents of an exclusive
community may put pressure on the industrial businesses
to slow or shut down their operations.
Currently, the channel to the Port is regularly
dredged. This not only allows shipping vessels access
but affords recreational boating as well. The Port is
invaluable to all the residents of the Peninsula and
South Bay.
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to decide on the fate of 1,433 acres of salt ponds,
land known as the Redwood City Industrial Salt
Works. Cargill, the company that operated the salt
production plant, is closing its operation, and that
will free up the land. Cargill brought in DMB
Associates Inc., an Arizona-based developer, to conduct
voter outreach to determine the use of that
land. In the past, DMB has developed some outstanding
and award-winning upscale, gated communities
with homes ranging from $1.5 million to $3.5
million. DMB brings with it the staying power of the
Campbell Soup Company and Master Lock fortunes
combined: the heirs to each are partners. History
dictates that DMB would most likely prefer to build
a planned community; however, it is much too early
to surmise, since they are in a fact-finding and community-outreach
phase. DMB hopes that by setting
up a dialogue early in the process, a painful referendum
campaign can be avoided.
DMB has set up talks with FORWC, but both sides
have a long way to go.
Also located along Seaport Drive is the Port of
Redwood City, the only deepwater port in south San
Francisco Bay. The Port of Redwood City specializes
in bulk, neo-bulk and liquid cargoes. According to
Executive Director Mike Giari, “The shipping business
at the Port of Redwood City for the last fiscal
year generated 1,833,022 metric tons, the second
With the increase in fuel costs and the huge turnover
of truckers, Forbes magazine predicted in a May 2006
article that this shortage in the trucking industry will
lead to a boom in shipping and rail transportation.
FORWC questions the viability of housing along the
industry-laden Seaport Drive.
A second possible problem along Seaport Drive is
the flight path of air traffic to and from San Carlos
Airport. The flight noise could pose another “move
to the nuisance” issue to an affluent housing development.
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