Santa Clara County’s Johnny-come-lately demand from the hamlet
of San Martin that could result in a $10 million bill
– the price tag for incorporating as a city – appears
punitive.
San Martin Neighborhood Alliance has been working hard for years
Santa Clara County’s Johnny-come-lately demand from the hamlet of San Martin that could result in a $10 million bill – the price tag for incorporating as a city – appears punitive.
The San Martin Neighborhood Alliance explorers have waged fund-raising events and solicited donations to explore the possibility of becoming a city for years only to get this dire news from the county very late in the game.
Supervisor Don Gage wears two hats in this dramatic political play. He’s cast as the representative for San Martinites as the District One County Supervisor and as a Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission representative. LAFCO has to approve the incorporation request.
Supervisor Don Gage is in a tough spot, but the top factor is clear
Gage, given the horrible state of the county budget, is in a difficult spot. But the truth is, a $171 million county deficit should not drive a stake into the heart of San Martin incorporation. Self rule for the town that sits between Gilroy and Morgan Hill should be the driving factor.
San Martin residents want to be able to determine, for example, whether or not a hazardous waste storage facility should be located in their community. For too long now, they have been denied the ability to determine their destiny.
What’s best for the people of San Martin should be Gage’s first consideration, and we believe he’s up to the task of considered compromise that should prevail in this situation.
A self-governed, rural residential community makes good sense
San Martin’s leaders say that incorporation is the path to maintaining the town as a rural residential community. Hopefully, cityhood would include strict guidelines to preserve just that. The county should not make incorporation so difficult as to force San Martin to consider development proposals that it otherwise would not just to fund incorporation.
A self-governed, rural residential community serving as a buffer between Gilroy and Morgan Hill makes perfect sense. Hopefully, that result can come out of the continuing process which will now reach the LAFCO board.
Act now:
To read various reports on San Martin incorporation and boundaries go to
