What matters to me today is NIMBYism at Its Worst.
In my legal practice, I regularly represent residential development projects. Anyone in that field becomes familiar with NIMBYism—the instinct to oppose change simply because it is nearby. It is unfortunate, but it is common.
What is uncommon—and deeply troubling—is when that instinct is deployed against a program like The Mosaic Project.
For more than 25 years, Mosaic has brought together elementary school students from diverse backgrounds for immersive outdoor programs designed to break down prejudice before it takes root. At a time when our communities feel increasingly divided, Mosaic’s work is not merely beneficial; it is catalytic.
Yet the proposed camp site in Alameda County has been subjected to years of opposition rooted not in law or evidence, but in speculation and personal preference. The record before the County is extensive: CEQA, wildfire modeling, emergency planning, hydrogeologic analysis, and a modern wastewater systems. The conclusions are consistent—this site is safe, compatible, and appropriate.
Opponents have offered no expert refutation of that record. Instead, they repeat assertions untethered to governing law or technical analysis.
The result is a troubling example of NIMBYism taken to its extreme—where subjective self-interest threatens to deny generations of at-risk youth an extraordinary opportunity.
Even the San Francisco Chronicle has taken notice.
Tomorrow, March 5, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will decide whether facts and law prevail over speculation.
For the sake of the children Mosaic serves, one hopes they do.
That’s what matters to me today in 250 words or less. What matters to you? I’d really like to know.