Regardless of today’s court hearing that could lead to enactment
of the Growth Control Initiative, ranchers Joe and Julie Morris on
Saturday will continue a grassroots effort to try and foster an
agreeable solution to the issue.
They have organized a third San Benito County Consensus Building
workshop for Saturday at the San Juan Bautista Community Center
from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The purpose, they say, has been to find
middle ground between two often fierce oppositions
– proponents and opponents of the initiative.
Regardless of today’s court hearing that could lead to enactment of the Growth Control Initiative, ranchers Joe and Julie Morris on Saturday will continue a grassroots effort to try and foster an agreeable solution to the issue.
They have organized a third San Benito County Consensus Building workshop for Saturday at the San Juan Bautista Community Center from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The purpose, they say, has been to find middle ground between two often fierce oppositions – proponents and opponents of the initiative.
“There is a tremendous amount of stress in this county right now,” said Joe Morris, “and that is a distraction to productive work.”
Morris acknowledged the court ruling today at 2 p.m. – if the lawsuit attempting to enact the initiative succeeds – would affect the meaning of this weekend’s marathon meeting.
“Because then the conversation about Measure G (the initiative) is kind of a moot point,” Morris said. “So I don’t know what we’ll do. Either way, there is an ongoing need for consensus building.”
The Growth Control Initiative, currently known as Measure G on the March ballot, has been the subject of widespread debate during the past year. It is an amendment to the county’s General Plan and includes several growth management facets.
Among them, it would change zoning of agricultural properties and make it nearly impossible to subdivide land. Experts say it would vastly affect future development in the county.
The suit in question is challenging the legality of Measure G’s placement on the March ballot. The petitioner claims a signature referendum – involved in overturning an earlier decision to pass the initiative outright – was illegal.
“I think dialogue is really good, even at this point,” said Anthony Botelho, an anti-initiative candidate for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors. “With Measure G still being on the table, it does take away the effectiveness of trying to build a consensus.”
Morris, meanwhile, referred to the initiative as just one tool under consideration. The workshop Saturday, he said, will provide opportunities to learn not only about Measure G, but also about other “tools” for growth management.
“It will be a breath of fresh air to consider other tools that might be helpful,” Morris said.
Three facilitators will run the meeting; all of them are from Glenn County. It will include panel discussions and small group activities, Morris said.
He expects a “fairly good turnout,” he said. About 60 residents attended the first meeting in July, and about 30 went to the second in September.
Janet Brians, a county resident and one of several initiative authors, said she plans to take part in the workshop; she also attended the first two meetings.
Brians also mentioned the current litigation and a generally discouraging political climate – which many people attribute to hostilities stemming from the initiative. She called the current mood in the county “disheartening.”
“I’m hoping that all the folks that attend can agree to work toward, as Joe Morris puts it, our ‘best possible outcomes,'” Brians said.
Though many people have heralded the workshops’ motives, others have balked at a lack of consensus coming out of the first two gatherings.
“I guess whether or not there’s been progress depends on what the expectations were,” Morris said. “This is a conversation that is going to take some time.”
Morris said anyone who wants to attend should call the Morris family at 623-2933 or e-mail him at jm********@ea*******.net. They are trying to gauge attendance before the meeting because lunch will be available.
