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Celebrating Measure AA

Measure AA Facts

Date approved:
November 1988
Timeline:
20-years (1988-2008)
Amount of bonds financed:
$225 million
Acreage of open space promised:
25,000 acres
Acreage of open space added:
34,000 acres (200 individual acquisitions)
Miles of regional trails added:
Over 100 miles
Doubled funding:
Successfully leveraged Measure AA's initial bond funding through dollar-for-dollar federal and state matching funds, effectively doubling the yield from Measure AA – at no additional cost to East Bay taxpayers.
Land acquisition:
Appropriated over $116 million in AA funds for open space land acquisition and attracted an additional $88 million in matching funds.
Park improvements:
Appropriated $44 million in capital funds for park improvements and attracted an additional $71 million in matching funds. (148 projects completed or in progress)
Community projects:
$56 million for 235 accessible local parks and recreation facilities to serve the growing population in virtually every East Bay community; $4 million for the Oakland Zoo.
Tax savings:
Refinanced the existing Measure AA bonds at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayers more than $14 million over the life of the bonds, or over $8.5 million in present value savings.

About Measure AA

In 1988, with increased urbanization in the East Bay and skyrocketing land prices, EBRPD struggled to keep pace with the growing population. With their commitment to open space and regional parks, over two-thirds of the voters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties voted for Measure AA – a $225 million bond measure. Passage of Measure AA provided the critical tool that allowed the acquisition and preservation of 34,000 acres of some of the most beautiful and pristine East Bay land. The result is the present network of parks, open space, and trails, recognized as one of the best examples of integrated parklands in any urban region in the United States.

Leverage: Since Measure AA's passage, EBRPD has more than doubled the investment by leveraging money to secure over $49 million of "matching" funds from other public agencies and private donors at no additional cost to taxpayers. In addition, EBRPD officials have strategically refinanced existing Measure AA bonds at lower interest rates, saving taxpayers more than $14 million over the life of the bonds.

Community Support: With about 25 percent of Measure AA funds allocated toward local park projects, EBRPD has funded close to $60 million worth of recreational needs for every city in its jurisdiction, including restoring swimming pools, sports fields, playgrounds, and community and senior centers.

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Measure AA Projects

These regional parks, shorelines, visitor centers, trails, recreation areas, and wetlands benefited from Measure AA – either through additional land acquisition or capital improvements.

Berkeley to Richmond

  • Parks: Tilden, Wildcat Canyon
  • Shorelines: Brooks Island, Eastshore State Park, Miller/Knox, Point Pinole
  • Visitor Center: Tilden's Environmental Education Center
  • Trails: Point Isabel to Miller/Knox, Point Pinole to Lone Tree, Wildcat to Point Pinole

Oakland to Lamorinda

  • Parks: Anthony Chabot, Briones, Claremont Canyon, Leona Open Space, Redwood, Sibley, Huckleberry
  • Recreation Areas: Roberts, Temescal
  • Trails: Las Trampas to I-680

Hayward to Castro Valley

  • Parks: Garin/Dry Creek, Vargas Plateau
  • Shoreline: Hayward Shoreline
  • Visitor Centers: Garin Barn Visitor Center, Meyers Estate (to be opened, est. 2007)
  • Recreation Areas/Lakes: Quarry Lakes, Del Valle
  • Trails: Cull Canyon to Garin, Garin to Mission Peak, Hayward Shoreline to Coyote Hills
  • Wetlands: Alvarado Wetlands

Alameda to San Leandro Shoreline

  • Shorelines: Crown Beach, Martin Luther King Jr., Oyster Bay
  • Visitor Center: Crab Cove
  • Recreation Areas: Cull Canyon
  • Trails: Martin Luther King Jr. to Oyster Bay

Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont

  • Parks: Coyote Hills, Dublin Hills, Mission Peak, Pleasanton Ridge, Sunol/Ohlone
  • Visitor Centers: Ardenwood Historic Farm, Sunol Visitor Center
  • Recreation Areas: Shadow Cliffs, Quarry Lakes
  • Trails: Cull Canyon to Garin, Del Valle to Shadow Cliffs, Garin to Mission Peak, Hayward Shoreline to Coyote Hills, Iron Horse Regional Trail, Pleasanton Ridge to Las Trampas, Shadow Cliffs to Sunol

Central Contra Costa County

  • Parks: Bishop Ranch, Briones, Diablo Foothills, Las Trampas, Morgan Territory, Round Valley, Sycamore Valley
  • Trails: California State Riding and Hiking Trail, Contra Costa Canal Trail, Iron Horse Regional Trail, Las Trampas to I-680, Big Break to Round Valley, Pleasanton Ridge to Las Trampas

Martinez to Discovery Bay

  • Parks: Black Diamond Mines, Briones, Clayton Ranch, Crockett Hills, Vasco Caves
  • Shorelines: Big Break, Carquinez Strait, Delta Access, Delta Shoreline, Martinez, Point Molate, San Pablo Bay Shoreline
  • Visitor Center: Greathouse Visitor Center at Black Diamond Mines
  • Recreation Area: Contra Loma
  • Trails: Black Diamond-to-Mt. Diablo Regional Trail, California State Riding and Hiking Trail, Carquinez Strait Trail, Iron Horse Regional Trail, Point Pinole to Lone Tree Point, Wildcat to Pt. Pinole
  • Wetlands: Pittsburg Wetlands, Richmond Wetlands

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Proposed Bond Measure to Preserve Future Open Space (Extension of the 1988-2008 Measure AA Bond)

EBRPD has successfully used or allocated all funds provided by Measure AA, a twenty year bond measure passed by voters in 1988 that helped preserve 34,000 acres of open space. While EBRPD has achieved a lot, there is much more to do. The EBRPD Board of Directors is considering placing a new bond measure on the ballot in 2008 that would extend Measure AA by providing new funding for Regional Park land acquisition, new park and trail development, habitat restoration and rehabilitation of aging park facilities as well as funding for city parks and recreation departments and special park districts to meet local needs. While no decision has yet been made, the board is considering a measure that would not cause a tax rate increase and would enable EBRPD to preserve vanishing open space and shoreline, keep pace with recreation needs of the growing population in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and continue helping cash-strapped communities with their local park and recreation facilities.

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Measure AA Brochures

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Measure AA New Acquisitions Map

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Measure AA New Acquisitions Map

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Source URL:
http://www.ebparks.org/news/measureAA