Representatives from 22 farming operations attended rally
Morgan Hill – Family farmers and ranchers staged a “No on Measure A” rally Tuesday in San Jose, convoying down First Street with tractors and bales of hay.
Their message to Big City voters?
Think twice about the controversial land-use initiative on November’s ballot – a “Yes” vote could stunt the growth of small farming in the Valley, warn rural land owners, by increasing minimum parcel sizes.
“I know most of the voters in this county live in cities, and may not understand the impact of this measure on our farms and ranches. But we share a common interest with them in protecting our county’s agricultural heritage,” said Jenny Derry, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, who spoke at the lunch-time rally outside the Santa Clara County Realtors Association building on First Street.
Representatives from 22 farming operations attended, she said, accounting for a crowd of 30 to 50 people.
Spearheaded by a consortium of environmentalists called People for Land and Nature (PLAN), Measure A (a.k.a. the “Santa Clara County Land Conservation Initiative”) would impose a minimum parcel size of 160 acres in areas designated as “Ranchlands” in unincorporated Santa Clara County. And, the minimum possible parcel size for areas designated as “Hillsides” would increase from 20 to 40 acres.
The changes would be achieved by amending the county’s general plan in such a way that supervisors couldn’t reverse.
“This represents poor public policy,” said supervisor Pete McHugh, summarizing remarks he made at the rally. “It’s an initiative that was written behind closed doors, with no economic or environmental impact report and no public hearing. If (the board of supervisors) tried to pass a set of large-scale changes like that, we would be crucified in the press and by residents.”
Supervisor Don Gage joined McHugh at the rally, arguing Measure A would backfire on environmentalists by encouraging property owners to pursue “premature” annexation into adjacent cities – annexations Gage said would “accelerate rather than discourage urban sprawl.”
Measure A’s provisions, he noted, would not apply to parcel sizes in incorporated cities.
Proponents of the citizen-driven ballot measure – more than 58,000 registered voters signed a petition to qualify it for the election – say the general plan amendment is needed to guard against unsightly urban sprawl.
Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy, one of Measure A’s backers, said the county’s general plan fails to adequately protect ridgelines and hillsides from “unsightly” development.
“We need to find a way to protect our agricultural lands and ranch lands from premature development,” Kennedy said, adding he thinks the initiative, along with the Williamson Act and measures that allow for the sale and transfer of development rights, should adequately protect the investments of th Valley’s farmers and ranchers.
Peter Drekmeier, PLAN’s campaign director, said he caught the tail end of the rally and thinks the group was using “scare tactics.”
“(Measure A) takes away the threat of inappropriate county development outside of city boarders,” Drekmeier, a Palo Alto City Councilman, said.
