Dear Supporters,
As we gather with our families this holiday season, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what we are truly fighting for here in Washoe/Pleasant Valleys. It’s more than just zoning; it’s about the soul of our home and the security of our future.
To help illustrate the magnitude of what we are up against, I want to share a Holiday Triple Feature recommendation with you. As a cinephile, these three films speak to me on a deeply personal level—especially right now:
Chinatown (1974): A masterclass in how water rights and land value are manipulated by those "behind the curtain."
Promised Land (2012): This one is a real eye-opener. I want you to pay very close attention to the "activist" characters in this movie. It shows how corporate interests use "friendly" local faces to manufacture consent and manipulate a town's perception. Watch how they act like they're on your side while working for the payday.
Erin Brockovich (2000): Proof that one person with the truth and the data can protect a community's health. This one speaks to me most profoundly.
The $700 Million Motive vs. Your $250 Million Bill
As you watch these films, keep two numbers in mind. First: $700,000,000. That is the estimated profit potential for the developer. But here is the part they won't tell you: they are planning to leave US with a $250 Million infrastructure tax bill. Their "densification" means we will be forced to pay for three brand new schools, a fire station, a police station, and an entire fleet of new buses and drivers to handle the influx. While they walk away with nearly a billion dollars, we will be stuck with a debt that will take generations to pay off. They want to "swoop and scoop" our land, lower our property values, and then make us pay for the privilege of losing our rural way of life.
Beware the "Green Mask"
In real life, developers often use a tactic called "Astroturfing"—creating fake "conservation" groups that act like they care about the environment while actually working for the developers. They use "green" language to push for clustering, which actually destroys our water table and ignores Mercury/Superfund risks. These groups are "Flying Monkeys" designed to act as a buffer and distract us with small concessions while the "Wizards" steal the Valley’s future.
So, grab those homemade cookies and that 4-flavor Costco popcorn, pull up a chair, and settle in. Let’s head into 2026 with our eyes wide open. We won't let our home become a movie plot for corporate profit.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
Jette Porrazzo
Executive Director
Stop Sierra Reflections for Good Coalition (SSR4GC)
P.S. To be clear, this isn’t fear-mongering; it is the ugly, documented reality of the high-stakes game being played in our Valley. When $700 million is on the table, the human cost—the drying wells, the $250 million tax burden, and the toxic risks—becomes just a line item to a developer. I am sharing this because we are caught in the middle of a textbook predatory development cycle, and the only way to break that cycle is to see it for exactly what it is.