Climate change poses enormous threats to the health of the Bay and the Bay Area. We are restoring wetlands, building Bay Smart Communities, and reducing pollution to make the Bay Area resilient and sustainable.
Save The Bay advocates for regional, state, and federal funding for tidal marsh restoration.
In June 2016, Bay Area voters overwhelmingly passed the Measure AA parcel tax, a $500 million regional investment over 20 years to protect and restore San Francisco Bay. This funding will help restore wetlands on roughly 36,000 acres currently held in public trust, but only $25 million will be available annually from Measure AA, and the total estimated cost is three times what Measure AA provides. Initial applications for Measure AA funds demonstrate that demand is greater than supply.
Save The Bay advocates for state and federal funds to match the investment that Bay Area voters made in passing Measure AA. A new UC Berkeley study finds that seas are rising faster—and the Bay shoreline is sinking more—than previously thought, making marsh restoration even more urgent. We need to start more marsh restoration sooner to stay ahead of sea level rise and create wetlands essential to improving water quality, expanding wildlife habitat, increasing public access to recreational open space, and protecting shoreline communities and infrastructure from flooding.
Read our report, Greening The Bay, which outlined the need for 100,000 acres of tidal marsh habitat around the Bay and identified local funding as the key to creating a healthy Bay for future generations.
Through our work in Green California, a statewide coalition of environmental groups, we support state legislation and regulations that combat the most dangerous effects of climate change. These policies:
Read more about our current legislative priorities.
Save The Bay supports policies that ensure sufficient freshwater flow to the Bay as sea level rises and water temperatures increase.
Fresh water flows from the Delta into the Bay to improve Bay water quality and provide healthy habitats for fish and wildlife, including the many endangered and threatened species that live in the Bay and along its shoreline. These impacts are exacerbated by recent droughts, which are some of the worst in our state’s history. Save The Bay is part of a broad coalition calling on the Governor to heed the advice of state water experts and reduce diversion of fresh water from the Delta, develop regional and local water supplies, and increase conservation efforts. That approach will save money and better balance the water needs of all Californians, fisheries, and farmers.
We advance a progressive political agenda that puts the health of San Francisco Bay and its surrounding communities first. Learn more about our current electoral work.