News broke in July that the East Bay Regional Park District’s board had agreed unanimously to sign on to a letter of intent agreement between the City of Richmond, the Guidiville Rancheria of California and EBRPD, to acquire 80-plus acres of Point Molate. This was a major step in closing the decades-long battle between environmentalists and developers over the future of the 422-acre, Bay-facing greenspace.

Yet some questions remained unanswered. What’s the plan for the rest of the acreage? How long will it take to resolve the last remaining lawsuit over the property? What are EBRPD’s timeline expectations for the new park?

Elizabeth Echols is EBRPD’s Ward 1 board member. The mood in the boardroom when the vote was taken was “elated, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said, particularly for the chance of advancing the mission to protect equitable access to parks and recreation.

As significant as the step was, it was still a step. “The next step is finalizing the acquisition,” she said. The rest of Point Molate’s acreage was turned over to the City of Richmond by the Navy in a series of transfers, including a 1996 agreement specifying 70% of it be left as open space. “The 81 acres we are acquiring is the section that was contemplated for development,” Echols said.

EBRPD plans to continue its long history of working with the city, as it is currently doing on a Bay Trail section through Point Molate, on developing a clean-up, maintenance and park facilities design, including community input, to encompass the remainder of the acreage.

Richmond city representatives declined to comment on developer SunCal’s lawsuit, which is projected to settle in October. Attorney Robert Cheasty, executive director for Citizens for East Bay Parks, said, “SunCal [did not comply] with the requirements to complete the deal [it made with the city].” SunCal will not be a factor going forward, he said, “although there are steps that need to be completed.”

As for a timeline for park development, Echols said it’s too early to project one, since some of the remaining procedures can take considerable time. But, she added, EBRPD’s new equity officer, José G. González, will be involved in “robust conversations” with the city and county.

The coalition 

None of this could have happened, agreed those interviewed, without a large and engaged coalition of people and organizations willing to continue their efforts for years.

Pam Stello first saw Point Molate in 2006 on a bike ride. “I knew nothing about Point Molate at the time and was confused about how an SF Bay shoreline property, one this beautiful, could be vacant,” she wrote in an email response. Other cyclists told her about the proposed plan for a mega-casino on the site. Naively, she thought it would never be approved. 

But her eyes were opened when, after attending city council and county supervisor meetings, she realized those entities supported the casino. A small group of Richmond residents—Carol Fall, Charles Smith, Lech Naumovich, Judith Piper, Joan Garrett and Stello—formed Sustainable Point Molate, later called the Point Molate Alliance, in 2009.

“Point Molate would not have been saved without mostly invisible acts, from the hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours, letters, speeches and generous donations given by predominantly working people juggling work, families and their own personal struggles,” PMA co-chair Stello said. She also named then-Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Conta Costa Supervisor John Gioia, alongside Citizens for East Shore Parks; the Rose Foundation; the California Native Plant Society/East Bay; the Sierra Club; the Sustainability, Parks, Recycling, and Wildlife Legal Defense Fund (SPRAWLDEF); the Richmond Progressive Alliance; and Blue Frontier.

Blue Frontier’s executive director, David Helvarg, is co-chair of the Point Molate Alliance. After moving to the area in 2007, he became aware of Point Molate when a self-described “wild grasses geek” took him there. He was shocked to discover five of the seven then-Richmond city councilmembers had voted to allow a casino to be built there.

He was beginning to work on his book, The Golden Shore – California’s Love Affair with the Sea. “I was taken with the Richmond waterfront. I started researching it as part of the story I wanted to tell,” Helvarg said. He discovered Point Molate’s long history—involving the Ohlone, the last whaling station, the Chinese shrimping camp, Winehaven and the Navy—and knew it needed protection. “If [Richmond] was a wealthy community, it would have been protected a generation ago,” he said.

He began to engage in community organizing and coalition building, citing, in addition to the organizations Stello called out, San Francisco Baykeeper, the Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association and affordable housing advocates. He also reached out to State Sen. Nancy Skinner. “She became a key player,” Helvarg said.

The legacy

All parties agreed that without the $36 million in state funding to purchase the 81 acres secured by Skinner, the park plan could not move forward. Skinner had visited Point Molate in the ’90s, and, as the area’s representative, became aware of the contention between pro-development and open-space advocates, she said in a phone interview.

Several political stars aligned to make the money available, Skinner said: Gov. Newsom’s 2020 executive order declaring the goal of conserving at least 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030; the EPRPD’s regional master plan to connect Point Molate to other parcels as publicly available space; and the 2022 budget surplus. “I looked at what in my district needed [these funds],” she said. “The answer was affordable housing projects—and the acquisition of Point Molate.”

Asked if she considers this open-space victory a significant part of her legacy as she prepares to leave office, Skinner answered, “Yes! This is a gift for generations of iconic, historic, breathtaking bayfront land.” She also acknowledged that her contribution is part of efforts by other former legislators: Assemblymember Tom Bates, State Sen. Bill Lockyer and State Sen. Loni Hancock.

“Our constituents are dedicated to preservation and the climate-change fight,” she said.

The future

What will East Bay residents see at Point Molate in 10 years?

Citizens for East Bay Parks Executive Director Robert Cheasty cited Citizens for East Shore Parks’ goal of linking parks “from Crockett to San Jose,” with Point Molate forming one of the links.

“The Point Molate Alliance is applying for funding to train the next generation of Point Molate park advocates, trail guides, docents, park planners and leaders,” Stello said. Plans include an apprenticeship program for a cohort of 12-20 Richmond youth each summer, with the initial program covering Point Molate’s history—including Ohlone, Chinese, Spanish, naval, natural and geologic—rare upland and marine habitats, wildlife, conservation and restoration projects, climate change and sea-level rise impacts, and park planning. 

The program would also include editorial writing and public speaking “to amplify their voices as park leaders,” Stello added.

“In 10 years,” she said, “I hope the youth leadership program is thriving and its graduates have leadership positions in park and urban planning, engineering, government, nonprofit and STEAM fields, and the park has met the goals of the community plan.”

She continued, “Per the community plan, I hope there are Pow Wow grounds, an American Indian Cultural Center, areas for sports, boating, hiking, biking, camping, and outstanding environmental education and outdoor recreation programs, thriving upland and marine habitats, and development of the Winehaven District to meet the needs of park visitors. The human and environmental health benefits of the park will be immeasurable and it will be an economic asset for Richmond.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify an agreement specifying that 70% of Point Molate be left as open space.