Long before E-40 and half the Golden State Warriors bought homes in San Ramon Valley, the region was known for its prunes.
In the first half of the 20th Century, Danville, Alamo and San Ramon were railway towns, existing to transport orchards full of plums, walnuts and pears. The suburbs expanded after World War II, and wealthy Bay Area residents filled the open land. Southern Pacific shut down the rail lines in 1978. Lululemon and Tesla stock soared.
But rail-to-trail advocates saw an opportunity in the miles of abandoned track and spent 40 years deftly squeezing cooperation out of scores of stakeholders including cities, counties, sanitary districts and NIMBY homeowners, who helped fight back a light rail plan for the space…