Canyon Cinema is an American nonprofit organization for distributing independent, avant-garde, and artist-made films. After starting in the 1960s as an exhibition program, it grew to include a nationwide newsletter and a distribution cooperative. Its exhibition activities were split off to form the San Francisco Cinematheque .
31-551: Canyon Cinema informally began in 1960 as an exhibition outlet in Canyon, California . Filmmaker Bruce Baillie got a projector and army surplus screen to put on shows in his backyard. Chick Strand and Ernest Callenbach became involved, and they began holding screenings around the Bay Area . Early programming included popular cinema, particularly from Castle Films , and avant-garde cinema but over time came to focus exclusively on
62-471: A local reputation for rowdiness in the nineteenth century. A vast forest known as the Moraga Redwoods once covered the valley that is now Canyon. An extant fire trail west of the spot where Pinehurst Road makes a sharp hairpin turn near Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve was previously known as Winding Way on some maps, and was originally an old 19th century logging road built by Hiram Thorn . In
93-660: A maximum treatment capacity of 320 MGD. In 1923, EBMUD was founded due to the rapid population growth and severe drought in the area. The district constructed Pardee Dam (finished in 1929) on the Mokelumne River in the Sierra Nevada , and a large steel pipe Mokelumne Aqueduct to transport the water from Pardee Reservoir across the Central Valley to the San Pablo Reservoir located in
124-554: Is an unincorporated community located near the border of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the U.S. state of California . It is situated between Oakland and Moraga in the San Francisco Bay Area . The community is named for its location in the upper canyon of San Leandro Creek along the eastern slope of the Berkeley Hills . Canyon lies at an elevation of 1138 feet (347 m). The community
155-473: Is expected to generate an additional 5 percent of revenues, with interest, electric energy sales, reimbursements and other sources making up the remaining 12 percent of revenues. Historically, 90 percent of the water used by EBMUD comes from the 577 square mile protected Mokelumne River watershed. EBMUD has water rights for up to 325 million U.S. gallons per day (MGD) (997 acre-feet) or a total of 364,000 acre-feet per year. In normal years, EBMUD reservoirs in
186-456: Is mainly traversed by Pinehurst Road and Canyon Road. The homes of the community are nestled amongst the steep, narrow private roads and footpaths that extend from the redwood groves and ferns along the creek, through the mixed live oak , bay , and madrone forests on the steep hillsides, up to the chaparral and knobcone pines that grow along the ridge. Canyon has a colorful history. Logging camps and notorious saloons helped establish
217-550: Is projected to serve 1.6 million people by 2030. Headquartered in Oakland, EBMUD owns and maintains 2 water storage reservoirs on the Mokelumne River, 5 terminal reservoirs, 91 miles (146 km) of water transmission aqueducts, 4,100 miles (6,600 km) of water mains, 6 water treatment plants (WTPs), 29 miles (47 km) of wastewater interceptor sewer lines and a regional wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) rated at
248-748: The Claremont Tunnel , traverses the Hayward Fault, and the maximum credible earthquake along the fault could sever the tunnel, which was originally built in 1929. Some of the major projects included in SIP were the Southern Loop Pipeline, a new 11-mile (18 km) seismically-reinforced alternate route which would allow restoration of water service; and seismic upgrades to the Claremont Tunnel. The expected benefit of SIP
279-567: The Upper San Leandro Reservoir , which slowly as it filled up, flooded the former towns of Valle Vista and Redwood. The reservoir also flooded several neighborhoods of Canyon itself. In fact, the only reason Canyon is not the size of neighboring Moraga is because of a lack of a viable water resource. The few people that do live there are mostly commuters and retired people who like the town's seclusion, with close proximity to San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. Earlier in
310-797: The eastern side of the San Francisco Bay . As of 2018, EBMUD provides drinking water for approximately 1.4 million people in portions of Alameda County and Contra Costa County in California , including the cities of Richmond , El Cerrito , Hercules , San Pablo , Pinole , Lafayette , Moraga , Orinda , Danville , Oakland , Piedmont , Emeryville , Berkeley , Albany , Alameda , San Leandro , neighboring unincorporated regions, and portions of cities such as Hayward and San Ramon . Sewage treatment services are provided for 685,000 people in an 88-square-mile area (as of 2018). EBMUD currently has an average annual growth rate of 0.8% and
341-526: The 1850s, Thorn operated a mill on the site. Thorn built the road to bring redwood logs out of the forest and to his mill, and then over the mountain into Oakland via the Temescal Creek route on the northwest edge of Montclair Village . The Oakland part of the route is now known as Thornhill Road. In the first half of the 20th century, the local water company, East Bay Municipal Utilities District , purchased much land south of town. They constructed
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#1732773212978372-487: The 20th century, the Sacramento Northern Railway ran through the canyon for which the community is named. The rails ran on a bench (still present) above Pinehurst Road, upon exiting a long tunnel from Oakland at the site of Thorn's road. The eastern portal (called Eastport by the railroad) just north of Canyon was buried by a landslide in 1980 and is no longer visible, but was located on the inside of
403-685: The Canyon Cinema corporation was dissolved, following the transfer of its assets and operations to the Canyon Cinema Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Canyon Cinema distributes a collection of more than 3,400 works from approximately 280 artists. These include 8 mm , Super 8 , 16 mm , and 35 mm film prints as well as digital media . It holds a free salon series at the New Nothing Cinema. Canyon, California Canyon , formerly known as Sequoya ,
434-624: The Central Valley Project. In April 2015, EBMUD declared a Stage 4 critical drought and has set a community-wide goal to reduce water use by 20%. To reach this goal, EBMUD has adopted new water rules that affect all customers and must supplement normal water supplies with water from additional sources, like 33,250 acre-feet from the Central Valley Project . EBMUD has enforced strict water restrictions in order to ensure all conservation measures are being taken. By
465-627: The East Bay receive an additional 30,000 acre-feet of local water from runoff annually. In dry years, evaporation and other losses can total more than the local runoff. Runoff from the Mokelumne watershed is not sufficient to meet EBMUD customer needs in times of severe drought. In February 2020, 75 project customers, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District, received permanent federal water contracts for
496-944: The Environmental Water Caucus criticized EBMUD for disregarding an opportunity to join the consortium interested considering expanding the Los Vaqueros Reservoir (built and operated by the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD)). EBMUD countered its critics by saying that at the time their officials believed the Los Vaqueros proposal was not sufficiently developed to be a reliable alternative for their future plans. CCWD officials pointed out that their expansion plans were much further developed than any of EBMUD's alternatives. In 2009, environmental activists groups sued to block approval of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for
527-614: The Pardee Reservoir expansion proposal. Following a two-year trial, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley agreed with the plaintiffs' objections and rejected the EIS in 2011. His ruling stated that EBMUD had not adequately addressed all the potential environmental harms of the project. Specifically, Judge Frawley said the document completely omitted discussing a less destructive alternative - working with CCWD on expanding Los Vaqueros reservoir. Moreover, it neglected to discuss
558-602: The drought was declared officially ended. EBMUD announced mandatory water rationing again in April 2022, following a bleak California snow survey and the driest January to March period on record. As with other public entities, the District has significantly underfunded liabilities for legacy costs. These include $ 535 million for retirement and $ 89 million for retiree health. EBMUD has several sources of revenue for both water and sewage treatment enterprises. These sources include
589-563: The end of 2015, EBMUD was projected to have in storage 320,000 to 330,000 acre-feet of water. On May 10, 2016, EBMUD declared an end to the drought emergency, as their reservoirs had more water than average. The board voted to relax many of the water conservation rules and the 25% surcharge, effective July 1, 2016. It announced that Pardee Reservoir had reached 100 percent of its capacity in January 2017 and had begun releasing excess water into Camanche Reservoir. EBMUD has begun considering
620-407: The expansion of its own Pardee Reservoir as the main route to secure enough water for its projected 2040 requirements. This proposal would expand Pardee Reservoir by building a new dam on the river. Environmentalists claimed that this action would destroy a beautiful section of the river which is used by the public for fishing, swimming and kayaking. Environmental activists such as the coordinator of
651-443: The fact that the school lunch menu features organic milk and produce, Niman Ranch beef, and hormone and antibiotic free chicken. The community is in area code 925 . As John van der Zee wrote in his book about the town, Canyon (1972): A small assemblage of mostly unconventional dwellings, mostly built by the nonconformists who live in them, it is a consciously ecological community that recycles everything it can. In Canyon,
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#1732773212978682-500: The growing exhibition program was made into Canyon Cinematheque. Income from distribution declined during the 1970s, resulting in a reorganization of Canyon's operations. The cinematheque was split off as San Francisco Cinematheque, which obtained nonprofit status in 1977. Canyon expanded its mission in 1994 to include the sale of videotapes . It later began offering DVDs for sale as well. Stanford University obtained Canyon's business archives, including Cinemanews , in 2010. In 2013
713-746: The hairpin turn on Pinehurst Road. In the late 1960s, Canyon became a center of political and social protest and creative alternative lifestyles . Canyon Cinema of San Francisco was founded by neighbors here in the 1960s. In the summer of 1967 Country Joe and the Fish with the Youngbloods played a benefit for the Canyon School. Today's residents still work together to maintain their own roads and water systems, and Canyon Community Association volunteers provide mediation services, emergency planning, and interface with county and state agencies. Much of
744-473: The hills of the East Bay region. In subsequent years, EBMUD constructed two additional aqueducts to distribute water to several other East Bay reservoirs. From the various large regional reservoirs, water is transported to treatment plants and delivered to local reservoirs and tanks, thence distributed by gravity to customers. In the 1980s with federal grant funding, EBMUD undertook a major facility expansion to accommodate wet weather waste water overflow (i.e.
775-632: The land beyond the community is owned by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). The only public services in the community are the local post office (ZIP Code 94516) where all mail is picked up and the Canyon School , a 68-student K-8 public school, located on Pinehurst Road on the banks of the Upper San Leandro Creek . A notion of the community's unconventionality may be gleaned from
806-655: The latter. Callenbach, an editor for Film Quarterly , had the idea to publish a regular newsletter. The first issue of the News came in December 1962, and the publication later became the Cinemanews and the Canyon Cinema News . Distribution activities began in 1966 with the establishment of a film distribution office. The Canyon Cinema Cooperative formally incorporated on February 26, 1967. Later that year,
837-468: The mutual respect and the cohesion of neighbors revive the vital satisfactions once intrinsic in human communities, and its 'civil agencies' are functions of the inhabitants. Between 2011 and 2013, a Carmelite monastery was located on a ranch in the western area of the town. The nuns moved in 2014 to a building in the nearby town of Kensington, California . Canyon enjoys a cool summer Mediterranean climate (Koppen classification csb ) similar to that of
868-667: The nearby city of Oakland, California , though slightly warmer. Fog maintains the cool summer weather. John van der Zee, Canyon: The Story of the Last Rustic Community in Metropolitan America , 1972. ( ISBN 0151154007 ) East Bay Municipal Utilities District East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) , colloquially referred to as "East Bay Mud", is a public utility district which provides water and sewage treatment services for an area of approximately 331 square miles (860 km ) in
899-434: The sale of water, hydroelectric power, system capacity charges, sewage treatment charges, connection fees, wet weather facilities charges, interest and property tax increments. In 2007, the water system was anticipated to generate a total of $ 375.5 million in revenue. Water sales account for approximately 76 percent of the revenue, with System Capacity Charges generating an additional 7 percent in revenue. Property Tax Revenue
930-647: The vastly increased system demand in the rainy season). This project took many years of construction for implementation, after the planning and Environmental Impact Statement phases. In 1994, the EBMUD board of directors approved the Seismic Improvement Plan (SIP), a $ 189 million capital project designed to minimize damage and disruption in the event of a potential earthquake along the Hayward Fault . One of EBMUD's main water supply lines,
961-490: Was avoiding a potential $ 1.2 billion in lost revenue and damage resulting from a major earthquake. In May 2008, EBMUD announced severe drought and austerity measures for its customers. With the easing of the drought, these measures were rescinded in 2010. EBMUD announced mandatory water rationing again in August 2014. The emergency regulations imposed during this prolonged drought were relaxed effective July 1, 2016, after