Boosting for BALT The Life and Vision of the BALT Chairman April 2006

by Bruce C. Ghiselli
Photos by Russell Byrne

I’m chairman of BALT (the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust). We are an independent California nonprofit composed of farmers and community members. We promote land conservation for the purpose of preserving productive agriculture land and promoting the economic vitality of agriculture in East County. Our focus is on all the farmland between Mount Diablo and the Delta.

My folks set a standard for me of being involved in community matters. My dad was a member of the initial board of directors for Oakley’s very first water district. They were organized to provide a way to get water to the new Dupont plant that was just then being built. Dad helped start the Sheriff’s Reserve Department and was one of the leaders of Oakley’s first Cub Scout/Boy Scout Troop. Mom served on the PTA. Both parents taught me by example that service to the community was a noble activity.

I was born in San Francisco, and moved to Oakley at age three when my dad and Rico Cinquini started a drug store on Main Street in Oakley. I graduated from Antioch High in 1960. I attended Diablo Valley Junior College, and worked at James Men’s Shop in Antioch during high school. Following college I managed their store for five years. I worked for PG&E for 37 years, eventually rising to the position of Project Manager, in charge of handling residential sub-divisions for East County. The job required me to deal with the developers.

A Life of Community Service
I became involved in local politics through the influence of the late Harold Fertado. I joined him, his son Richard, and a group of other residents in what turned out to be a futile attempt to oppose the county’s plan to eliminate one-acre parcels when creating new subdivisions. Harold and I attended a number of public meetings registering our opposition to the county’s intention to insist upon five-acre parcels.

Even though I had engaged in a losing battle during this initial foray into politics, the attempt turned out to be a valuable learning experience, because I got to know the players and learned a little about how local politics work. Harold’s example of someone with a heart for community service stirred up in me my desire to involve myself in local issues. I began to attend meetings of the Brentwood City Council and became involved in the Lions Club, helping them to build their present facility.

I put my name in to serve on the City Planning Commission when a vacancy occurred, but wasn’t selected because one of the commissioners was working for PG&E. Barbara Guise told me, “You should run for City Council.” I ran for the council at the next election and, surprisingly, won a seat. I subsequently spent 13 years as a member of the City Council, serving from 1976 through 1989. I was vice mayor for four years and mayor for two years during that time.

I served as a member of the county’s last General Plan Committee, and was Chairman of the county’s AOSC (Agriculture and Open Space Committee). We had a merry time on that committee because there were 15 members. Seven of them were strong environmentalists and seven were farmers. That left me in the middle to serve as referee trying to adjudicate the disputes as they arose.

The AOSC was faced by the daunting effort of doing things that would actually improve the county planning process. It wasn’t an easy job. For example, we attempted to convince the County Board of Supervisors that they should include the Cowell Foundation in the planning process, since the foundation had control over a large section of ranch land that they were planning to develop, but they wouldn’t consider it.

I was one of the initial Directors of Tri-Delta Transit Authority. I became the only non-pilot serving on the Contra Costa County Airport Land-use commission, serving for 13 years. I also spent 13 years on the Contra Costa County Detention and Advisory Commission. During my tenure we closed down the old jail and built the new one. As part of that I spent a night in jail myself. They dressed me in an orange jumper and shut me in. Hearing the clang of that cell door closing was a real shock. I guess I’m not cut out for the life of a criminal because I couldn’t have stood it if I had been shut in for real.

I served as a member on all five of the most recent Brentwood General Plan Committees. I’ve been a member of Brentwood Rotary for a quarter of a century with perfect attendance. I’m a past president and at one time or another served as chairperson of all the committees. I’m also a former member and past president of the Brentwood Lions Club.

I’m a member of the Building Committee of Byron’s St. Anne Catholic Church. Last month we finally uncrated the bell we bought four years ago and discovered that the church’s name embossed upon the side of the bell is missing the final ‘e’. We’re in the process of fixing the engraving.

I’ve been married to my lovely wife, Barbara, for 42 years. Last Valentine’s Day I had to make a BALT update before the City Council, and I’m still married. We have two children and three grandchildren.

Doing the Business of BALT
BALT appeared on my horizon in 2002, when the city passed the resolution that created it. Mike McPoland, who was mayor at the time, asked me if I would be interested in interviewing for the committee. Following an interview process, I was selected as one of the city appointees.

The BALT program fit very smoothly into my life since I’ve had a long-standing interest in agriculture and in trying to maintain local agriculture’s economic viability. The BALT Board of Directors has seven members, with a diversity that well represents the project stakeholders.

Four of the seven directors are farmers. These include Sheila Hagan, Tom Bloomfield, Bob Cecchini, and Len DeChiaro. One Director, Mike F. Strle, is a senior manager for Collier’s International Assets. Another Director, Dave Wahl, is recently retired as Captain of East Contra Costa County Fire District. I’m the seventh member of the committee.

Kathryn Lyddan serves as BALT’s Executive Director. Barbara Hussien is BALT’s Administrative Assistant. The directors and staff work together well. The board is a cohesive group and makes decisions by a relatively smooth process of consensus.

During our first meetings we laid a good basis for productivity. We spent a lot of time refining our mission statement, vision, and strategic plan. Since those first meetings we have been updating the plan on an annual basis.

In collaboration with the Contra Costa Wine Grape and Olive Grower’s Association, BALT applied for and received a USDA grant of 80 thousand dollars for regional marketing. We also applied for and received another 35 thousand dollar grant from the Columbia Foundation earmarked for marketing Brentwood farm products throughout Northern California. We’re applying these resources to create an effective plan for reaching our region with the message about the excellence of Brentwood agriculture products.

We are facilitating the development of a marketing program benefiting the local farmers. We really do need to get ourselves on the map. There’s a lot of people in the South Bay and on the Peninsula who still associate the name Brentwood with Southern California.

We are presently negotiating conservation easements for a number of property owners who have approached us. BALT can acquire easements on ag properties throughout East Contra Costa County.

We are also sponsoring a farm/school program with the intention of getting farm fresh local produce onto the lunchroom tables in public schools.

Land under a conservation easement is restricted to agricultural use. The farmer continues to own and farm the land, but receives compensation for the development value that he has sold. A conservation easement provides a farmer with an alternative way of realizing the value of the development rights of his property.

We’re also working with the County Agricultural Advisory Task Force to help expedite permitting so that area wine-growers can actually build the wine presses and tasting rooms that a number of them have been dreaming about. People grow grapes but there aren’t any wineries in East County because of the difficulty the county is having of processing applications.

The other success is that for years groups tried to start the Farmers’ Market. BALT provided the final impetus in bringing people together that got the Farmers’ Market off the ground three years ago.

BALT will play an ongoing role as stewards of the easements, monitoring land that has been set aside to make sure that it is actually being used for its intended purpose.

We are running BALT as an absolutely apolitical organization. We deliberately avoid entanglements in all political conflicts. We avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, both real and perceived.

Last May we held an annual fundraising dinner on the lawn at the Historical Society Museum. The event was a memorable occasion during which we had a 13-course dinner that spread over more than three hours of eating. Each course was savory, memorable, and healthy. All the food and wine was donated by local farmers and vintners.

More important than the money, the event brought 14 leading chefs from 5-star Bay Area restaurants together with representatives from the agricultural community. The farmers could see for themselves how impressed the chefs continually are with the excellence of the area’s agricultural projects.

This year the BALT dinner will be held at Tamayo’s Ca’na Vineyards, May 20, from 4:30 p.m. until quitting time.

Public service has taken a big part of my life. Through all of my years of service my family has, in some ways, made more sacrifices than I have. I counsel people considering public service to consider the commitment. One meeting turns into three meetings, and the family suffers from your involvement. Fortunately, I have had my family’s support through it all. I couldn’t have done this without them.

Learn more about BALT at
www.brentwoodaglandtrust.org
You can contact us at 925-634-6738,
brentwoodagtrust@sbcglobal.net.
Tickets to the BALT dinner are now available.