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Parties Work to Preserve Tiburon Peninsula Land

“Marin County Parks is pleased to support the long-time efforts of the community and now TPL to protect this stunning landscape,” said Parks Director Max Korten. “I look forward to the work ahead with all stakeholders and the potential of caring for this special place, for its unique natural resources and to provide outstanding recreation opportunities for all to enjoy.”

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The private parcel above Tiburon known as the Martha Property has been with the same family for more than 100 years.
The private parcel above Tiburon known as the Martha Property has been with the same family for more than 100 years.

Proposal to convert Martha Property on Easton Point into County open space

Courtesy of Marin County

One of the most pristine pieces of undeveloped property in the San Francisco Bay Area could be preserved as open space under a proposed agreement between the County of Marin, the property ownership group, and an environmentally minded nonprofit.

The 110-acre parcel on Easton Point, often called the Martha Property because of the ownership group’s name, is near the southern tip of the Tiburon Peninsula and overlooking Tiburon, Belvedere, Sausalito, Angel Island, San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and beyond. For more than 50 years, nearby residents were uncertain whether the land would be developed for homes or left unscathed for the preservation of nature and recreational purposes. The land has been with the same family for more than 100 years.

On June 21, the Marin County Open Space District Board of Directors will discuss a proposed purchase and sale agreement for the County to acquire the Martha Property from the ownership group and partner with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) on a two-year plan to raise funds and finalize the purchase. The goal would be to transfer the property to the Open Space District and either add it to the existing adjacent Old Saint Hilary’s Open Space Preserve or create a new preserve.

Tiburon Peninsula residents have longed to protect the Martha-owned parcel, which is habitat for several species of rare native plants. Its preservation and acquisition is cited in the Open Space District’s strategic plan of 2008 and long-range plans of the nonprofit Greenbelt Alliance.

The terms of the purchase agreement include $26.1 million from the Open Space District and a term expiration date of Aug. 30, 2024. Of that price, approximately $18 million would be raised by a localized special tax known as a Mello-Roos bond measure – the same arrangement that was made to purchase the Old Saint Hilary’s site in the late 1990s. If approved by a two-thirds majority of voters in the November 2022 election, only property owners in Tiburon east of Trestle Glen Boulevard and the City of Belvedere would be subjected to the tax.

The total price of the land is $42.1 million, pending several conditions to closing stipulated by the agreement. The breakdown in funding sources would be: $18 million from the Mello-Roos bond measure; $15 million from private donations coordinated by TPL; $6 million from Measure A tax revenues; $2.1 from the Old Saint Hilary’s bond measures in 1993 and 1997.

Measure A, which is on pace to be renewed with approximately 75% support during the June 7 election, is a quarter-cent sales tax that supports parks, open space, and sustainable agriculture across Marin.

“Marin County Parks is pleased to support the long-time efforts of the community and now TPL to protect this stunning landscape,” said Parks Director Max Korten. “I look forward to the work ahead with all stakeholders and the potential of caring for this special place, for its unique natural resources and to provide outstanding recreation opportunities for all to enjoy.”

The deal would not proceed if voters reject the Mello-Roos bond measure or if TPL is unsuccessful in raising the private funds.

For more details on the proposal, see the Open Space District’s staff report and presentation to the Board of Supervisors and the TPL statement.

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

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Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

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Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.
Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by servingas mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.

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