Prop. 4: California’s historic investment in climate resilience
This November, Californians will have the opportunity to support a ballot measure that is unprecedented in both its importance and its potential to combat climate change. By voting for Prop. 4: The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act, Californians can choose to fund projects and programs that harness the power of nature to protect our communities from the climate crisis. This $10 billion bond will invest in projects that address safe drinking water, drought and flood prevention, wildfire and forest health, coastal protection, biodiversity, and nature-based climate solutions. Prop. 4 expands programs for sustainable farming, ranching, and working lands, as well as investing in our cities and communities to mitigate extreme heat, create new parks, and improve outdoor access for all. It aligns with the work that we are doing with our partners to meet our 30×30 goals and restore nature’s systems that are essential to creating healthy communities.
For the past three years, Sonoma Land Trust has been part of a statewide coalition championing climate bond legislation. With the leadership of Senate Pro Tem Maguire, Senator Dodd, Assms. Aguiar-Curry, Connolly, and Wood, the Legislature approved Prop. 4 in early July. Thanks to support letters, meetings with legislators and staff, and coordination with various coalitions, our Bay Area and Sonoma County requests and priorities have been included in the final bond language.
The Legislature worked tirelessly over the Fourth of July weekend to pass this historic measure and meet the final ballot deadline. Their efforts have given us, the voters, the opportunity to make the final decision. Proposition 4 represents the single largest investment in protecting the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change in California’s history!
Here’s what’s inside Prop 4:
$1.2 billion for Coastal Resilience, including $765 million for the State Coastal Conservancy for climate resilience, sea level rise and coastal protection. The Bay Area gets a specific allocation of $85 million.
In a historic first, the climate bond sets aside $450 million for Extreme Heat.
$1.2 billion for biodiversity – ALL of which will go towards meeting our 30×30, public access, and climate resilience goals – there is $870 million for wildlife conservation, habitat connectivity, and ecosystem restoration for the benefit of the entire state.
$700 million for Parks, which includes $500 million invested in neighborhoods with fewer parks, park improvements, and public access, and $175 million for deferred maintenance for state parks.
Some more good news:
A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 59% of California voters would likely vote “yes” on Prop. 4.
Sonoma Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and many other conservation partners encourage you to vote yes on Prop. 4, to provide funding for climate resilience in Sonoma County and across our state.
We are supporting Prop. 4 by formally endorsing it, contributing to the state-wide campaign, engaging other organizations and leaders to endorse it, sharing information and resources at upcoming events and meetings, and leading Get Out the Vote efforts. Throughout the fall, we will share information on the benefits of Prop. 4 and work to increase awareness until Election Day, November 5.
For more information on Prop. 4, please visit this page.
Proposición 4: La inversión histórica de California en la resiliencia climática
Este noviembre, los californianos tendrán la oportunidad de apoyar una medida electoral sin precedentes tanto por su importancia como por su potencial para combatir el cambio climático. Al votar a favor de la Proposición 4: Ley de Bonos para Agua Potable, Prevención Contra Incendios Forestales, Preparación para Sequías y Aire Limpio, los californianos pueden optar por financiar proyectos y programas que aprovechen el poder de la naturaleza para proteger a nuestras comunidades de la crisis climática. La inversión de este bono de 10,000 millones de dólares irá destinada a proyectos relacionados con el agua potable, la prevención de sequías e inundaciones, la salud de los bosques y los incendios forestales, la protección costera, la biodiversidad y las soluciones climáticas basadas en la naturaleza. La Proposición 4 amplía los programas para la agricultura, la ganadería y las tierras de labor sostenibles, además de invertir en nuestras ciudades y comunidades para mitigar el calor extremo, crear nuevos parques y mejorar el acceso al aire libre para todos. Se alinea con el trabajo que estamos haciendo con nuestros socios para alcanzar nuestros objetivos 30×30 y restaurar los sistemas de la naturaleza que son esenciales para crear unas comunidades saludables.
Durante los últimos tres años, Sonoma Land Trust ha formado parte de una coalición estatal que defiende la legislación de bonos climáticos. Con el liderazgo de nuestro senador local Mike McGuire, que también es presidente del Senado estatal, la Legislatura aprobó la Proposición 4 a principios de julio. Gracias a las cartas de apoyo, las reuniones con los legisladores y el personal, y la coordinación con varias coaliciones, se han incluido en el texto final del bono nuestras solicitudes y prioridades del Área de la Bahía y el condado de Sonoma.
La Asamblea Legislativa trabajó incansablemente durante el fin de semana del 4 de julio para aprobar esta medida histórica y cumplir con el plazo final de votación. Sus esfuerzos nos han proporcionado a nosotros, los votantes, la oportunidad de tomar la decisión final. La Proposición 4 representa la mayor inversión de la historia de California para proteger el medioambiente y hacer frente a los retos del cambio climático.
Esto es lo que contiene la Proposición 4:
- 1,200 millones de dólares para la resiliencia costera, incluidos 765 millones de dólares para la Conservación Estatal Costera (State Coastal Conservancy) destinados a la resiliencia climática, la subida del nivel del mar y la protección costera. El Área de la Bahía recibe una asignación específica de 85 millones de dólares.
- En una primicia histórica, el bono climático reserva 450 millones de dólares para el calor extremo.
- 1,200 millones de dólares para la biodiversidad. TODA esa cantidad se destinará a cumplir nuestros objetivos 30×30, de acceso público y de resiliencia al cambio climático. Hay 870 millones de dólares para la conservación de la vida salvaje, la conectividad de hábitats y la restauración de ecosistemas en beneficio de todo el estado.
- 700 millones de dólares para parques, que incluyen 500 millones de dólares invertidos en vecindarios con menos parques, mejoras de parques y acceso público y 175 millones de dólares para mantenimiento aplazado de parques estatales.
Más buenas noticias: Una encuesta reciente del Instituto de Políticas Públicas de California (Public Policy Institute of California) encontró que el 59 % de los votantes de California probablemente votaría “sí” a la Proposición 4.
Sonoma Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy y muchos otros socios de la conservación le animan a votar con un sí a la Proposición 4 para proporcionar fondos que se destinen a la resiliencia climática en el condado de Sonoma y en todo nuestro estado.
Estamos apoyando la Proposición 4 respaldándola formalmente, contribuyendo a la campaña en todo el estado, involucrando a otras organizaciones y líderes para que la respalden, compartiendo información y recursos en próximos eventos y reuniones, y liderando los esfuerzos para que la gente salga a votar. A lo largo del otoño, compartiremos información sobre los beneficios de la Proposición 4 y trabajaremos para que haya una mayor conciencia hasta el día de las elecciones, el 5 de noviembre.
Para obtener más información sobre la Proposición 4, visita nuestro sitio web.
A Day in the Life of our Policy Team
Sonoma Land Trust’s voice is crucial in regional and county discussions over issues like future plans for the Sonoma Developmental Center and State Route 37 improvements. Our role is to serve as a “voice for nature” at the policy-making table, advocating for the preservation of critical wildlife corridors and habitats, and advancing wetland acquisition and restoration projects in parallel with infrastructure and development projects. We have also supported numerous ballot funding propositions like Measure AA and Prop. 68, securing funds for wetland restoration, parks, conservation projects, and flood protection measures.
As the Public Policy and Funding Manager, my job is to build relationships with agencies, legislators, and their staff, while elevating our priorities and identifying common goals and objectives. Meetings with legislators and agencies provide an opportunity to learn about their priorities and share our expertise on critical issues such as prescribed burns and climate resilience, providing information to guide their work. In addition to our involvement in regional and county discussions, I visit Sacramento throughout the year to meet with our state Assemblymembers, Senators and staff from state agencies to discuss legislative bills, funding, and other priorities. When we’re not meeting in the office or virtually, we sometimes convene in the field, visiting SLT project sites or properties, or going on broader regional tours.
These meetings and visits are essential to our policy advocacy work – we’re able to send a clear message that our members, partners, and community care about land conservation and climate resilience, and that our priorities matter. As constituents, we represent a community dedicated to conserving our land and protecting our natural resources, and much of our policy work is a group effort. I co-lead several regional coalitions and we coordinate with partners across the state to advance initiatives like 30×30 and Prop. 4 (read more above) which, if passed, will provide critical funding to advance nearly all of our priorities.
Visiting the nation’s capital and bringing our voice to the federal policy stage is another part of my role. Every spring, I travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Land Trust Alliance’s Advocacy Days, where land trusts from across the country meet with congressional representatives and their staff to share national and local priorities. This trip is always a whirlwind, but I enjoy the excitement – observing democracy in action and discussing how we can collaborate on mutual priorities with our legislators and agencies.
On our last visit, we spent two days in Congressional meetings, focused on State Route 37 planning and opportunities for restoration, expansion of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge acquisition boundaries, federal funding to advance 30×30, and the importance of Farm Bill conservation programs. One day is dedicated to agency meetings, providing an opportunity to meet with staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, and other agencies to discuss how to advance our projects at home. Evening receptions and lunches provide additional opportunities to meet with legislators, staff, and other land trusts doing great work. At the end of the week, I always marvel at my step count, averaging at least 10 miles a day! It’s always essential to have the right footwear for navigating the Senate and House office buildings.
Land Acquisition Director John McCaull joined me in D.C. for this trip, and we documented a “day in the life” at the Capitol! Check it out here.
Investing in nature made easy
The Sonoma Creek Baylands program is our largest restoration effort, aiming to return over 10,000 acres of land just north of Highway 37 back to tidal marshes and wetlands. This ambitious project, one of the three largest in the state, spans several interconnected properties significantly altered for agriculture in the late 1800s. A combination of voter-approved Measure AA property tax funds ($12 a year per parcel), state agency funding from bonds like Prop. 4, and private donations is invested in this critical buffer zone, protecting our shoreline and safeguarding vital habitats for threatened and endangered species. Because of the combination of rising sea levels and more powerful winter storms, the highway and road infrastructure of the entire region is under regular threat of flooding. The solution to protecting our road system and enhancing critical habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, salmon, and an array of endangered plant animal species is the same: restore wetlands and marshes along the river channels flowing into San Pablo Bay to absorb flood waters and improve water quality.
Through the recent purchase of Camp 4 in 2023 and the pending acquisition of a neighboring property known as Kiser Ranch this winter, the puzzle pieces are falling into place to advance the next phase of the large-scale restoration across Sonoma Land Trust and public agency-owned properties. This accomplishment was made possible because Californians have consistently “voted with their dollars” over the years by supporting Measure AA and hopefully Prop. 4. Over $15 million in public tax dollars from a combination of state bond sales and property taxes from Measure AA made these projects possible. When you vote in November, remember that your support for Prop. 4 is just as powerful a statement of your support for the environment as writing a check to your favorite cause!
The Baylands restoration project is part of a larger regional effort to restore wetlands around the San Francisco Bay, which has lost about 90% of its original tidal marshes due to urban development. By restoring these areas, the project contributes to the overall health and resilience of the Bay ecosystem, benefiting both wildlife and human communities.
Learn more at https://sonomalandtrust.org/explore-where-we-work/#sonomabaylands
A Force for Nature: Paul Stange
After a distinguished career working in policy analysis and implementation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Paul Stange stood at a crossroads, pondering where he and his partner, Anne Haddix, would spend the next chapter of their lives. The answer was never far from his heart. Having grown up in Vallejo and attended UC Berkeley, Paul’s connection to the Bay Area was strong, and he and Anne had often escaped to the serene beauty of Bodega Bay and our local wine country for vacations. This time, they were ready to make Sonoma County their home.
Choosing to be near the charming town of Occidental, they purchased land and built their dream home, surrounded by the natural splendor they had come to cherish. But settling down didn’t mean slowing down. Paul quickly found himself drawn into the fabric of the local community, volunteering with Fire Safe Occidental to help protect the area from wildfire risks. Anne and Paul didn’t stop there. Their commitment to their new home expanded beyond Occidental as they became active in the broader conservation and policy efforts across the North Bay. For Paul, it was more than just a retirement—it was a return to his roots and a new adventure in a place where the past and future seamlessly intertwined.
Paul and Anne quickly became acquainted with Sonoma Land Trust after they settled in the area in 2018, and as avid hikers took full advantage of the free outings we offer across the county. He shares that they “went on basically all of the outings, from raptor watching at the Jenner Headlands, to wildflower walks at the Sears Point uplands, to an exploration of wildfire recovery at Glen Oaks Ranch.” However, his commitment to the organization was cemented when he learned more about the Land Trust’s restoration program in the San Pablo Baylands, and our involvement in improvements to State Route 37.
The area is close to Paul’s heart, as his parents lived in a home just one block away from the Mare Island Strait. At the time, CalTrans was building a road through the sensitive marshland habitat, and Paul’s mother was part of a community activist group with the goal of ensuring the damage to the surrounding wetlands was minimal. Decades later, the current conversation around State Route 37 is compelling to Paul in that he sees incredible potential to curb the increasingly frequent flooding that plagues the road, while at the same time preserving and restoring the surrounding habitat. He describes it as “almost a perfect situation for advocacy,” and the benefits would be far-reaching throughout the entire North Bay Area – not just for Sonoma County but for Marin, Napa, and Solano counties as well.
Paul sees collaboration as a key to success in finding solutions, both in the policy sphere as well as in philanthropy. He points out that “nature doesn’t abide by the borders, parcels, and county lines that humans have established, our area is a series of interconnected landscapes and ecosystems.” Habitat restoration and revitalization in the Baylands benefits from Sonoma Land Trust partnering with other invested actors – from elected officials to private property owners, to other environmental nonprofits. Similarly, Paul sees great potential for creative thinking around how to fund large-scale projects. He and Anne are generous supporters of the Land Trust at the Blue Sky Leadership Circle level, and he’s interested in connecting with other donors with similar interests and commitments to “collectively match the scale of the ecosystem issues we’re facing with a set of innovative financing solutions.”
Paul’s vision for the Baylands is bolstered by the progress we’ve already made. He mentions sloshing through the mud at Sears Point with Land Trust staff a couple of years ago, getting as close as possible to where we breached the levee in 2015 to transform the area back into wetlands: “You breach the levee and you start seeing birds flying, the water quality improves, biodiversity skyrockets as the habitat is restored. With an investment in this work, the returns keep coming.”
Land Trust Legacy Challenge
When you leave a bequest to Sonoma Land Trust in your will or trust, make a beneficiary designation, or any other planned gift it will spark an immediate gift to support our mission. Generous Legacy League members Dianne Brinson and Mark Radcliffe will donate $1,000 for every new legacy commitment, up to $30,000. It’s a wonderful opportunity to sustain our work for decades to come while also making a difference right now.
To learn more, please email Camille Matson at camille@sonomalandtrust.org
BioBlitz at Glen Oaks Ranch
Celebrate California Biodiversity Week with us! On September 13, Sonoma Land Trust and Ag + Open Space are hosting a BioBlitz at the 234-acre historic Glen Oaks Ranch Preserve. Bring your smartphone with the iNaturalist app downloaded and we’ll orient you to the property, give you pointers on using the app, and send you out to find as many species as possible. Glen Oaks Ranch, located in the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, contains an array of habitats – a riparian corridor, oak woodlands, chaparral, and knobcone pine forest – that a wide variety of plants and animals call home. Register for free today.
Welcoming new staff
Kate is a biologist with over nine years of experience implementing conservation plans and overseeing biological monitoring, conservation easement monitoring, and public engagement strategies. She brings a wealth of knowledge and a personal commitment to care for the natural environment to her role – growing up on a small farm in Vermont, Kate felt deeply connected to the land. Kate is a self-described “bird nerd,” and co-founded the Sonoma County Feminist Bird Club in 2022 to create a safe and welcoming space for everyone to learn about birds and their environments.
Sonya brings extensive financial and accounting experience to her role on the Finance and Administration team, including over 15 years in the nonprofit world. Her career has seen her working across a variety of sectors, from social services and behavioral health nonprofits to a biomedical research institute. Sonya moved to Penngrove in 2017 from Southern California and enjoys the close-knit, small-town feeling of the community. She is grateful to live near so much beautiful open space and wildlife!
Free Language of the Land Webinars
Prop 4, California Climate Funding
September 18, 7pm-8:30pm
On November 5, Californians will have the opportunity to vote on Prop. 4, which would provide $10 billion in funding to address the climate and biodiversity crises. Join us to learn more about Prop. 4 and how the funding provided through this bond will support our climate resilience and 30×30 priorities. Policy consultant Kim Delfino and SLT Policy and Funding Program Manager Ariana Rickard will discuss how our projects would benefit if Prop. 4 is passed by voters this November, and share how you can get involved in the campaign.
Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Watch On Demand: The Next Generation of Clean Energy
Learn more about how Sonoma Clean Power is working to secure a long-term supply of affordable, reliable clean energy for our region, while helping fight the global climate crisis. In this webinar, SCP’s Legislative Policy & Community Engagement Manager Miles Horton shares more about the new technologies the GeoZone initiative uses, the significance of these projects in the fight against climate change, and how to get involved.
Free outings
Join us out in nature this month! In addition to our monthly bilingual Familias al Aire Libre/Families Outdoors outing, we’re hosting a series of weekend hikes across the county, and taking our first raptor walk of the season!
Many of these hikes are in partnership with Sonoma County Ag + Open Space.
Check your voter registration
As this important election nears, it’s a good idea to double-check your voter registration and ensure your information is correct. You can check your voter registration status here and register to vote here. Make sure your registration is postmarked or submitted electronically no later than October 21 to make the deadline.
Staff recommendation
Every election cycle brings a new host of ballot measures to learn about. My go-to voter guides are those released by the California Voter Project. They include excellent background information on candidates, their positions, and issues on the ballot that help voters make informed decisions. You can also read the full text of each ballot measure on the Secretary of State’s website.