Sierra Club - Loma Prieta Chapter

05/11/2026

PALO ALTO
In April 2026, the Palo Alto City Council asked staff to look into creating a policy document on prohibiting artificial turf in City playgrounds. On September 22nd, staff presented at a Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) meeting, replacing policy (using "shall") with guidelines (which are flexible). The PRC sent staff to rework their proposal. Staff were set to return to the next PRC meeting on October 27th. However a Sierra Club Loma Prieta petition may have convinced them to hold off, as they decided to postpone their presentation.
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LOS ALTOS
Advocates in Los Altos created a petition opposing Los Altos’s staff and council determination to replace engineered wood fiber (EWF) in all Los Altos playgrounds with pour-in-place rubber (PIP). On September 29th, the City Manager, Gabe England, stated that, in opposition to PARC’s determination and citizen input, the playground upgrade project is moving ahead with a surface that will be a combination of EWF and PIP, with a pilot project to evaluate the effectiveness of Corkeen.
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Read more about both of these mini-milestones via link in comments.

04/11/2026

The next Forest Protection Forum is on November 16th. Sign up today! 🌲💖🌳

We invite you to join us for the next Forest Protection Forum from 4pm to 5:15pm PST on Monday November 16th!

Link to sign up is in the comments!⬇️🔗

Greg King will discuss, “History lives on: The changeless face of industrial redwood logging in California”

Presentation Summary: Resilience or rewording? How the timber and biomass industries, and the state and federal governments, are decentralizing programs to log millions of acres in the West under the guise of “forest health” and “restoration."

Bio: Greg King is an award-winning journalist and activist credited with spearheading the movement to protect Headwaters Forest, in Humboldt County, California. King initiated the “redwood wars” following the 1985 takeover of the Pacific Lumber Company by the Houston energy and real estate conglomerate Maxxam. King also identified and named Headwaters Forest in 1987. King serves as President and Executive Director of Siskiyou Land Conservancy. In 2016, the Environmental Protection Information Center presented King with its annual Sempervirens Lifetime Achievement Award. King's articles and photographs have appeared in The Sun, Sierra, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, the Portland Oregonian, the Sacramento Bee, Mother Jones and other publications. In 2023 Public Affairs Books published King's book, The Ghost Forest, the definitive history of redwood logging and protection efforts.

Photo Source: Canva

03/11/2026

A front page article in the LA Times stated that starting in 1974 and for decades afterward, industry documents indicate the plastics industry “was concerned about researcher Volkheimer’s findings that plastic particles could pass from the gut into the blood and lodge in the body’s tissues.”
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In particular, the industry worried about a cluster of deadly, rare cancers that had appeared in workers working with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, used today in construction, medical devices, etc.). Later that year, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) cut the concentration of PVC that factory workers could breathe, averaged over 8 hours, from 500 parts per million to one part per million, however no other action on microparticle harm followed. Though today exposure to PVC microplastic (and other studies show similar risk from other forms of microplastics) has been shown to lead to increased risk for disease, there is no formal policy for addressing, as a whole, PVC or other microplastic harms, unlike for lead or to***co which are substances with similar risks.
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Join our Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee as we educate ourselves and others on how to identify and address the growing list of harms inflicted on the environment and public health by prolific and unnecessary plastic production.
Read more about this via link in comments.

02/11/2026

Join our next Executive Committee meeting on November 9th!
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The Loma Prieta Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom) seeks to organize, empower, and inspire our leaders and members to achieve the Sierra Club’s mission through activism and civic engagement. Chapter ExCom is responsible for overseeing the management and financial sustainability of our chapter and assuring a structure that supports the development and success of our grassroots leaders.
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Learn more through link in comments.

30/10/2026

This week's unusually high tides flooded portions of the Palo Alto Baylands, while Redwood City residents voiced growing concerns about sea level rise, storm surges, overwhelmed drainage systems, and potential contamination risks. With El Niño expected to intensify coastal flooding this winter, these stories offer a timely reminder of what's at stake.
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That's why Bay Alive's local teams are engaging now in shoreline adaptation planning across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. We're working to ensure communities adopt forward-looking solutions that protect vulnerable neighborhoods, work with nature, address interconnected flooding and contamination risks, and preserve flexibility to adapt as sea levels continue to rise. The decisions we make today will shape how well our communities and Bay ecosystems withstand tomorrow's rising waters.
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We need your help to educate and engage your community, bring local concerns into the planning process, and advocate for solutions that protect both people and nature as the Bay rises.
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Join a Bay Alive local team and read about this week's flooding via links in the comments.

29/10/2026

"Chasing Monarchs," was a live presentation by National Geographic Explorer and photographer Jaime Rojo, held at the Hammer Theater in San Jose earlier this month.
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The talk and photos addressed the migration and routes of the monarch butterflies, the threats to their survival, and the challenging work he has done over the past 20 years to document their world. The presentation described how monarch butterfly populations have decreased, with eastern monarchs reduced by 80% and western monarchs reduced by more than 95%, and what can be done to rescue them from the brink of extinction. His book, Monarchs, with 140 photographs, was just published on the day of his talk!
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Read more about supporting your local pollinators via link in comments.

28/10/2026

At its October 26th meeting, the Palo Alto City Council unanimously agreed to defer a proposed zoning amendment that would explicitly reaffirm a pathway for new housing development east of Highway 101.
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Responding to concerns raised by Bay Alive, the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance, and Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, a majority of Councilmembers questioned the appropriateness of additional housing in this vulnerable area and favored revisiting the City's housing policy east of Highway 101 before acting on the amendment.
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Why does this matter? Sea level rise and rising groundwater pose growing threats to Palo Alto's Baylands. Expanding housing in this vulnerable area would put more people and property at risk, increase future flood protection obligations, and potentially consume space needed for habitat migration and nature-based adaptation.
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This is an important step toward ensuring Palo Alto considers its long-term shoreline resilience needs before opening the door to additional development. We'll keep advocating as the City considers where new housing does, and doesn't, belong!

27/10/2026

On October 8th more than 100 scientists, researchers and professors signed a letter sent to the Congressional Committee on Environment and Public Works, stating that:
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“The United States is facing a toxic chemical crisis. Since 1945, chemical and plastic production have risen exponentially in the U.S. Within this same time frame, chemicals have contaminated our bodies and contributed to a staggering rise in chronic disease. The incidence of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and certain cancers has risen by over 100% in the past 30 years — a rise so rapid that it cannot be explained by genetics alone. As investigators who have collectively published hundreds of peer-reviewed studies showing that the public is exposed to many and varied toxic chemicals and that these chemicals can result in serious health harms, we know that preventing toxic chemical exposures will lead to healthier lives for people living in the United States.”
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As a result the scientists are asking that the chemical industry not be allowed to undermine the current Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
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Join our Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee (link in comments) as we educate ourselves and others on how to identify and address the growing list of harms inflicted on the environment and public health by prolific and unnecessary plastic production.

26/10/2026

San José District 9 Community Forum on Data Centers & Standards

When: Thursday, October 29th, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: Kirk Community Center
1601 Foxworthy Ave, San Jose, CA 95118

The City of San Jose is actively recruiting data center developers to build new AI data centers throughout our community. Several projects have already been approved, with many more under review that could affect both residents and businesses across the city.
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Join us on Thursday, October 29th, from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM for a special event hosted by D9 residents and civic organizations, including Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter. We will be joined by our D9 Councilmember and Vice Mayor Pam Foley, and the two candidates for her open Council Seat, Genny Altwer and Gordon Chester. Residents from other districts are welcome to attend as well.
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This is your opportunity to learn more about data centers and hear from experts on the safeguards needed to address potential impacts on public health, environment, and quality of life.
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In early December, the City Council is expected to vote on draft uniform standards for regulating new data centers. Your participation can help ensure that community perspectives and priorities are heard as these standards are developed.
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Please RSVP via link in comments.

26/10/2026

Oak woodlands don’t get the fanfare of redwoods, but in the Santa Cruz Mountains, they're among the most important ecological heavyweights the Loma Prieta Chapter works to protect. These landscapes store carbon, anchor biodiversity, stabilize slopes, and buffer wildfire. As climate change accelerates, oaks aren’t just important; they’re indispensable. Protecting these ecosystems is one of the smartest, most cost‑effective mitigation strategies our region has.
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Read more about Oak Woodlands via link in comments.