How ironic can things get? It seems that the so-called
”
save our farmland
”
supporters are now using additional out-of-town-legal power to
keep the farmers from saving their own farmland.
By Ignacio Velazquez
How ironic can things get? It seems that the so-called “save our farmland” supporters are now using additional out-of-town-legal power to keep the farmers from saving their own farmland.
Confused? That’s how these misleading initiatives work best.
The farmer’s referendum to keep control of their land has been held up once again by the county supervisors (the four-some). The supervisors acted on the advice of the out-of-town- attorney, which was hired by environmentalists to grab county farmland. The supervisors decided to tie-up the farmer’s referendum, hoping they can find a ‘T’ that wasn’t crossed.
Uncrossed ‘T’s become very important when you’re trying to rip someone off, and lawyers know just where to look to find them. That’s why they make the big bucks and can afford to buy so much cheap farmland.
The irony with this latest tactic from the out-of-town lawyers and environmentalists is that they want the county to void the farmers’ referendum with all of the 5,300 signatures they gathered. Why? The cheap farmland. But also, because they claim certain words were left out of the referendum.
Such as, “Notice to the public that this petition may be circulated by a paid signature gatherer or a volunteer. You have the right to ask.”
Imagine that. Boss Hog and his rich out-of-town friends have found a way to hold-off the farmers for a little while longer, with a phrase they left out while collecting signatures for their “take the land from the farmers’ initiative.”
I wonder how many signatures the anti-farmer-initiative would have gathered if they had followed the same rules?
“Excuse me Mrs.__, I’m from out of town and I’ve been hired by out-of-town interests to gather signatures to take the land away from the farmers, will you sign right here? Oh, by the way, will you sign this voter registration card so I can change what political party you belong to later?”
The best part would be the “You have the right to ask” clause.
Wouldn’t that be great. “Mrs. ____, before you sign this petition, you have the right to ask what I’m doing here and what this is really about.”
“Well, OK. Then young man, why are you here?”
“Dude, I get paid $1 for every signature I get.”
“Don’t you work?”
“Nah dude. I surf in the morning and then sometimes I come out here to collect signatures.”
“You mean you don’t live here?”
“No way man. I live in Santa Cruz where the surf is good.”
“Who sent you here?”
“This really rich dude that lives in this awesome beach house on the cliffs of Santa Cruz. He said something about his friend, I think his name is Mr. Boss Hog who needs some help getting some farmland.”
“Young man, I think you should go home and never come back to our beautiful county.”
“OK, dude. Hey, can I bum a cigarette from you?”
By my estimates, there probably would have been about 100 people that would have signed the original initiative if they had been told the truth in the first place.
The problem the farmers have is that they’re too nice. They need to understand that Boss Hog doesn’t care about democracy or the rights that come with it. All that matters to him is how much land can be taken from the farmers.
What the farmers have to do is learn how to play hardball. If the supervisors don’t let the referendum go to a vote by the people, then the farmers should organize a recall of the foursome (supervisors). This will teach the supervisors that in the end democracy always works.
Ignacio Velazquez is a local resident and business owner. E-mail him at
ig***************@cs***.edu
.
