Dear Editor,
In your editorial headlined
”
Coyote Sprawl: LAFCO MIA,
”
you were premature in criticizing the Santa Clara County Local
Agency Formation Commission about their position (or lack thereof)
regarding the Coyote Valley Specific Plan.
Dear Editor,
In your editorial headlined “Coyote Sprawl: LAFCO MIA,” you were premature in criticizing the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission about their position (or lack thereof) regarding the Coyote Valley Specific Plan. The planning process is not complete and the City of San Jose will be facing many hurdles to approve the CVSP, including LAFCO.
The CVSP Web site, link – “Frequently Asked Questions” states: “After the specific plan package is adopted, the City will apply to the Santa Clara Local Agency Formation Commission for annexation of portions of the Mid-Coyote area that are still in the unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. This process may take 6 months to a year to complete.”
So, San Jose does have to face LAFCO and prove to them that they don’t have enough vacant land within their city limits just as the City of Gilroy had to do to incorporate the 23 acres of farmland next to the soon-to-be finished Sports Park.
With the abundance of residential land available within Gilroy’s city limits (enough to last more than 20 years), it is understandable that LAFCO would look first at that figure in order to determine the need for more land within the city. As for the so-called “island” being created, open space (farmland), next to open space (park) can hardly be called an island!
Lastly, your suggestion that the LAFCO commissioners should be elected rather than appointed is ludicrous. Our state officials knew what they were doing when they put this system in place. They had seen what “elected city councilmen” did in the Los Angeles area. When it came to land use decisions that benefited their landowner and developer friends who had contributed big dollars to their political campaigns, how do you think they voted – for sprawl or against sprawl? Anyone who has been to Los Angeles knows the answer to that question. It is much better having appointed commissioners who are not indebted to their big campaign donors.
If the Dispatch editorial board is truly against sprawl they should reverse their position regarding elected LAFCO members as well as support LAFCO’s goals rather than continuously criticizing them.
Carolyn Tognetti, Gilroy
