As the local public relations professional behind the 247-megawatt Panoche Valley solar project and the No on Measure J campaign, which failed to stop a citizen-led effort to ban fracking in San Benito County in 2014, Kristina Chavez Wyatt is no stranger to controversy.
A native Gilroyan with strong ties to the civic and business networks of the tri-county area, Wyatt, owner-operator of Farmhouse Communications in Hollister, was handpicked to explain the merits of the contentious 721-acre Rancho Los Olivos proposal for north Gilroy to the community and area stakeholders.
Joining the team in December, Wyatt launched a website (rancho-olivos.com) and Facebook page in January, just as the project’s application with the city was rescinded at the behest of Mayor Perry Woodward, and after two lawsuits were filed alleging the city’s approval ran counter to state environmental guidelines.
Tasked with conveying the “process, methodology, truth and vision” of the proposal, Wyatt said she plans to present to community organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary as well as neighborhood groups—anyone interested in learning more about the proposal.
The mother of twin four-year-old girls is even open to a land use discussion over coffee or a play date.
“So much of it depends on people’s questions and concerns,” said Wyatt. “You could talk until you are blue in the face but what you really want is to find out what are their concerns.”
Referring to herself as a “policy nerd,” Wyatt recently won an award as part of an interdisciplinary consulting team for its work on the economic development element of the city of Salinas general plan.
Wyatt said she has begun meeting with community leaders, like Gilroy Police Chief Denise Turner, and the results of her discussions will be featured in the Rancho Los Olivos website’s FAQs.
“We are also trying to encourage people to get engaged with the city,” she said. “A lot of it has to do with understanding the planning process and how to work with your elected officials.”
Fully aware of the heightened emotions surrounding the Rancho Los Olivos project, Wyatt is undeterred.
“People don’t like engaging in what they think are contentious political discussions and I don’t really mind it, as long as I can stick to the facts and the truth and talk about what could be best for our community from a public policy standpoint,” said Wyatt, adding that she strives to maintain good relationships throughout the process.
Friendly and down-to-earth, Wyatt said when she is not in her professional attire she is usually wearing jeans and cowboy boots.
An 11-year resident of Hollister, she has ties to the regional agricultural industry. Her husband farms and grows blackberries while she is active in the farm bureaus of San Benito, Monterey and Santa Clara counties. Wyatt was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July 2014 to serve as a Trustee of the San Benito County Fair.
When asked about the impact of Rancho Los Olivos to the ongoing loss of farmland in the county, Wyatt said it was important to preserve agriculture only where it is viable.
“The cost of inputs, labor, regulation, taxation and unwilling neighbors in Santa Clara County have pushed out agriculture,” she said.
“While people like looking at crops, they don’t like the dust, the chemicals, and they don’t like seeing agricultural employees,” she said, adding that some longtime farming families in the county have kids that do not want to be in farming anymore, and so the only way for the family to recoup value or to retire is to develop their property.
Wyatt said while the Rancho Los Olivos application was pulled, the vision for the project is still very much alive.
“The reality is, there is no development. There is a vision plan,” she said. “The reason why there is a vision plan is because LAFCO says you have to have one if you are even going to have the discussion, because you need facts behind it. LAFCO said in the 1960s and 1990s, if the city is to grow, it should be in the northwest quadrant, and that makes sense. It is contiguous to the urban area and its closer to transportation.”
Wyatt said the lawsuit by LAFCO effectively stopped the transfer of information from the applicants via city staff to the agency, whose approval they need to move forward with the annexation. As for the project’s time frame, that discussion is still ongoing.
“We need to talk to city leaders and LAFCO to answer their questions, because nothing can happen without the annexation.”
