Campaign fliers are arriving almost daily supporting or opposing Measure B, the county Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative, and the various city SOARs. Numerous letters and articles have been printed about them.
There has been considerably less public discussion, however, of Measure B's companion on Tuesday's ballot, Measure A. In looking over the published letters, one is struck that some voters appear to lack a clear understanding of the relationship between these two measures.
Most, of course, have strong feelings about Measure B--one way or the other. Others seem to feel that they must choose between the two. As a member of the Agriculture Policy Working Group, which developed the strategies incorporated in Measure A, I would like to explain why I believe these measures are completely compatible and that both should pass.
A key element of Measure A is that it is purely advisory. Even if it passes, the various cities and the county may end up being unwilling or unable to implement it. Therefore, to ensure voter approval of future proposals to change the county's General Plan, Measure B is needed.
Measure A is also needed and would result in a significantly better set of strategies for protecting farmland and fostering the agriculture industry than Measure B alone. Here's why:
First, if I could select a name for Measure A I would call it "Beyond SOAR." Urban growth boundaries are at the heart of both Measure A and the city SOAR initiatives. An urban growth boundary is an officially adopted and mapped line that separates an urban area from its surrounding greenbelt of open land, including farms, watersheds and parks. It is, however, more than that. It is a growth management tool that seeks to contain, direct and phase growth to produce more compact, contiguous urban development.
The Ag Policy Working Group's boundaries for the cities are intended as permanent and could only be amended every 10 years, with voter approval. Most boundaries in the city SOAR proposals are set until 2020 and could be revised at any time by voters. Thus, Measure A's boundary provisions are actually stronger than the city SOARs'. Additionally, Measure A incorporates a structured process for establishing new urban growth boundaries through a series of boundary studies under purview of LAFCO, the Local Agency Formation Commission, the agency authorized by the state to set such boundaries. Emphasis in this process would be on protection of agriculture and open space using a "report card" that defines standards and benchmarks for evaluation.
