Dear Editor,
Opponents of Measure A want voters to believe the initiative
will harm family farmers. Nothing could be further from the
truth.
Dear Editor,
Opponents of Measure A want voters to believe the initiative will harm family farmers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Measure A supports working farms. It freely permits agricultural uses, including processing facilities and housing for farm employees. It prevents subdivisions – incompatible with farming – in the midst of agricultural operations.
The vast majority of funding for the No on A campaign has come from developers and realtors who are trying to mislead voters about its impacts.  The “family farmer” deception is part of a carefully crafted message orchestrated by Tom Shepard, a campaign consultant based in San Diego.
On his Web site, Shepard writes about a similar campaign he ran in Sonoma County: “First, polling showed farmers to be the most credible advocates for preservation of the county’s rural lands. For this reason, farmers were encouraged to continue their high-profile role as spokespersons for the campaign. Second, builders and other development-related interests were discouraged from playing a high-profile role in the campaign because their involvement would have
created an easy target for initiative proponents.”
Opponents of Measure A are trying to do the same thing here.Â
In a recent e-mail to voters, Jenny Derry, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, wrote, “Farmers and ranchers have been stewards who preserved our county’s rolling hills and open spaces. Now that rural heritage is threatened by Measure A. It imposes 160-acre minimum lot sizes, even though 40 percent of local farms are 10 acres or less.”
This message is misleading for two reasons. First, Measure A has no affect on existing parcels, structures or uses. They remain as they are. Second, Measure A does not change the zoning on agricultural lands. Medium-Scale Agriculture is not covered by the initiative, and minimum parcel sizes for Large-Scale Agriculture remain at 40 acres.
Here are a few more facts:
Measure A does not apply to areas zoned “Rural Residential,” such as San Martin, nor to areas zoned “Medium-Scale Agriculture,” including the land between Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Measure A will save the county money by reducing development in remote areas where providing infrastructure and services costs more money than is recouped in property taxes.
Measure A protects our drinking water by reducing harmful development in sensitive watersheds. Measure A is endorsed by the League of Women Voters, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, labor unions, the Santa Clara County Medical Association, the Council of Churches and more than 100 elected officials.
Peter Drekmeier, Palo Alto City Councilman, Campaign Coordinator, Yes on Measure A
