After I moved to California in the 1990’s, I realized the value of conserving land, water and other resources so the generations who come after us can enjoy what we have today. I’m blessed to live in Danville, a community where a good land use decision, ten years in the making, turned into a heated political battle.
Some residents, particularly business people, support housing that makes sense in their communities. How else will their children and grandchildren be able to move back to California after college and start their families? These citizens get nicknamed “YIMBY’s” (Yes In My Back Yard).
Other citizens hate development of any kind and want nothing built anywhere near anybody or anything. They will do anything to prevent even one new home from being built. They’re the “NIMBY’s” (Not In My Back Yard).
Even though the proposal by Davidon Homes preserved 93% of the Magee family ranch for grazing and parks, with 381 acres of open space, opponents still fought it. The Magees are the last ranching family in Danville to sell their land. The land was caught up in court battles for a decade with various developers trying to get a project through.
When court battles involving environmental and bicycle safety had been addressed, there was only one thing opponents could do to stop it: file a referendum against the Town to halt the project.
This turned my quiet little community in Danville into an election hotbed on March 3, 2020, at a cost of a million dollars.
Here’s why small town charm, common sense and love for community open space prevailed.
Danville, California
People move to Danville, California, for its charming downtown, filled with small shops and exceptional restaurants. The Town of a little over 43,000 residents has also been named in multiple years “the safest community” in the State of California, due to its low crime rate and excellent police force.
“Danville didn’t happen by accident. It has been carefully planned.”
–Danville Council member Robert Storer
When you move to Danville, you know you’re living somewhere very special, with great schools, a world renowned fire protection district, and a Town Council and staff known for their excellent fiscal management. Danville is one of just three cities in California without pension obligations.
Davidon Homes and the Magee Family
Since projects on this land had been debated for ten years with opponents filing multiple lawsuits to try to stop any kind of development, Davidon Homes decided to assemble a community relations and outreach campaign of professionals including Baughman Merrill, Land Use Strategies, the Bowlby Group and Altamont Strategies.
Davidon Homes and the Magee family worked with Save Mount Diablo and the East Bay Regional Parks District on the preservation and conservation plan and with Town planners to ensure it met every aspect of the Town’s General Plan.
I was excited when my company was asked to be part of the team in February 2019 to help build community support. I knew Davidon was a family-owned home builder, with high quality homes anyone would want to buy.
It’s normally pretty hard to find citizens willing to speak at a city council meeting on a land use issue – particularly a controversial one. But, working with a great group of supporters, we were able to build a coalition of business leaders, bicyclists, hikers, conservationists, veterans and ranchers who spoke at Planning Commission and at Town Council meetings.
Our team recruited 29 speakers supporting the project who would come to the Town Council hearing on Magee Preserve. The opposition had 10. At the end of a four and a half hour hearing, The Town Council voted unanimously to support Magee Preserve.
But everyone wasn’t happy.
The Referendum Campaign
The small group of vocal residents of Danville and next door Diablo who had spent the last ten years waging court battles to try to stop any development on the land weren’t finished.
By August 2019, a signature-gathering campaign began. The only remaining tactic for opponents to halt the project would be to force a referendum in Danville — something that hadn’t happened in more than a decade. It was estimated to cost the Town and its residents an estimated to be between $60,132 and $90,198 ($2-$3 per registered voter).
Measure Y threatened to tear apart Danville’s bedroom community, pitting neighbor against neighbor.
Davidon Homes had just four months to build a campaign and craft a plan. Collectively, our campaign team created a full-service operation, including direct mail, voter ID and get-out-the-vote calls. We built a coalition of business and community leaders who had a presence at local Farmers Markets and grocery stores, and enhanced our social and earned media components.
Though small, the opposition used NextDoor to spew scare tactics and distort the facts against the Town’s decision. Increased traffic and fire danger were cited with misleading graphics and videos. At one point, opponents even used a “stock photo” from a fire in Southern California, stating that since the property was at the foot of Mt. Diablo, everyone would be in danger. Town Council members were viciously attacked as was the Magee family and anyone associated with the project.
About a month out from Election Day, polling showed that the opponents’ scare tactics were working. Residents were confused by a lengthy ballot statement and reticent to vote “YES”, due to unanswered questions. To win, we would have to refine our message, state the facts unequivocally and pivot immediately.
On the grassroots level, I felt our most powerful weapon was the Magee family. They were well-known as the last ranching family in Danville and wanted to leave a lasting legacy, offering the most beautiful ranch land in our valley as a new amenity for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians.
The family and the developer worked with hiking and bicyclist groups to create a vision of the new trails that would get bicyclists off Diablo Road — a windy, dangerous and narrow road that leads to the beautiful Mt. Diablo State Park.
The Final Countdown
Our final strategy included weekly tours of the property, talks before realtors and downtown business groups, a grassroots presence at community events, phone banking and a text message campaign. In addition to Save Mt. Diablo, we recruited business groups like the Contra Costa Realtors Association and the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association and had support from downtown business leaders and residents. This helped us to secure endorsements from both the local Republican and Democrat groups.
The Magee Family sent their own letter to residents of Danville, which told their family story in their own words.
When the votes first came in on election night, it was closer than we wanted — 51.49% “YES” votes to 49.51% “NO” votes. In coming days, we would see the margin fluctuate, but we remained ahead.
By the time of certification 30 days later, our lead grew to 54.24% “YES” votes to 45.76% “NO” votes. Our grassroots strategy succeeded in expanding the gap — particularly after the pivot in the campaign’s final weeks.
We won Measure Y – a referendum most said we couldn’t win. We preserved 381 acres of open space for generations to come. We executed our campaign strategy and built a diverse coalition of people who aren’t always on the same side. For me, the best part was making some wonderful, new friends and preserving ‘God’s Country’ forever.”— Judy B. Lloyd