Creek Protection at Stake

by Hugo Evans, Friends of Peralta Creek

The Friends of Peralta Creek formed in January because of concerns about preserving the Peralta Creek corridor along Rettig Avenue. The Oakland General Plan calls the Rettig corridor the "only natural open space in the area," and recommends it be preserved as a "wildlife corridor for habitat management purposes." Since a slide closed Rettig Ave. more than six years ago, the environment has rebounded from being a drive-by dumpsite to a thriving wildlife habitat.

The Friends' effort began with two requests to the city: to evaluate the impact the landslide repair/development project will have on the creek corridor, the roadway, and the community; and to meet with residents. City officials never responded to the Friends' letters. Had they taken the Friends' requests seriously, initial studies would have been long finished by now.

Studies really could have begun 18 months ago, after the affected property owners settled a lawsuit with the city and the neighbors whom they sued for insurance monies. The settlement reflected multiple geotechnical studies on the landslide and did not cite necessity for immediate action. Nearly 16 months passed before the city produced any Rettig Ave. slide-repair plans.

Slide-repair plans engage expensive and risky methods, which could retrigger the slide, according to some engineers, and ultimately could destroy the creek and neighboring properties.

Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the entire scope of a project (landslide repair, road clearance, housing development) must be evaluated for effects on the area, and the public must be informed of the impacts a project will cause. During the June public-comment period, the Friends sent letters to the city concerning the project's impacts on the neighborhood and creek corridor, and included a petition of 1100 local residents who want the Rettig roadway to remain a natural open space area for the community.

In July, however, the landslide property owners stripped the slide of a mass of vegetation without any permits or measure of creek protection. This time, the public notice exempted the project from CEQA, calling the slide an "emergency," and separated the roadway clearance as a single entity.

The Friends sent comment letters again and hope all concerns of the community are considered. As of this writing, the City of Oakland has yet to respond to public comments or to make any decisions about the landslide and the future of Rettig Avenue.

For ways you can help the community, or for more information, please visit www.peraltacreek.org, and look on MacArthurMetro.org for previous stories.