Diablo Watch
Fall/Winter 2013 No. 56
James Donlon Extension: A Land Owner’s View
T
Karen Perry
he proposed James all my water at the back Donlon Boulevard side, making 300-400 Extension is a 1.71 mile acres useless for our roadway that would carve cattle. through the hillsides We know we could south of Pittsburg, filling sell the land, but for in canyons, removing our family, it’s not trees, placing streams about the money. It’s in concrete culverts, our life—our family’s interfering with grazing, life—it’s been our blocking passage for home for so long—the wildlife, and altering ranch belongs to each the views of the rolling and every one of us.” hillsides of eastern Contra Business as Usual Costa County. “For the City of One of the people who Pittsburg, the issue would be most affected “Our family will stand up to the City” has always been about by the proposed roadway developing all of this is 24-year old William land that I refuse to sell. We have refused to sell it Thomas whose family has raised cattle on the ranch since the 1860s. The road would split his ranch in half for as long as the City has been there. The City either wants to split our ranch into two, or condemn it for the and make operations more difficult, even threatening roadway and sell the leftover for more houses. the viability of the Thomas family business. The County has spent all of this money widening Highway 4, and now the Albert Seeno development Legacy in Land companies just want to build more houses. All of these “Our family has worked the land since about the Civil War time. And for me, it’s been all of my life—24 new houses will just clog Highway 4 again. This is years. My family has always been here, always business as usual in the City of Pittsburg. worked here. My Dad, Wayne Thomas, died March But, our family will stand up to the City. This 3rd, 2008. He was close to this land his whole life— place, our ranch where we have lived so many years, and even the thought of losing his land, now all of our is the greatest place in the world as far as I am land, makes me shudder. concerned. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” The worst part about the proposed project is that they want to blow the hills to the ground. In this steep You can contact Leigha Schmidt at the City of Pittsburg, lschmidt@ci.pittsburg.ca.us, to voice your concerns. territory, with all of its slumps and washouts, it is nothing short of dangerous. And, their project cuts off by Nancy Woltering, Land Use Planning Consultant