On behalf of the 63 volunteers who make up our grassroots group, Campaign to Protect San Benito, we’d like to send a huge “THANK YOU” to the voters of San Benito County who signed our initiative petition to slow the growth in our county. With the massive support of our citizens’ initiative, we were able to collect almost 3,500 petition signatures in a little over five weeks.
Our volunteer petitioners met so many new and long-time residents who were very enthusiastic about our initiative. We are pleased to welcome all of our new residents.
One thing we discovered is that some people who signed our petition need to update their voter registration information because it is out of date. If you’ve moved to a new address or changed your name recently, please check your voter registration information at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
There’s an important presidential election coming this November, so be sure to check beforehand. Your vote is very important.
You probably signed our initiative petition because you are concerned about the urban sprawl that has rapidly overtaken our county. In every direction you look, there are housing developments going up. It feels as though our local government has sold out San Benito County to out-of-county developers who swoop in, build (using out-of-county workers), take their profits, and are never heard from again—leaving our residents to cope with deteriorating infrastructure, traffic gridlock and overcrowded schools.
Fire, police and other social services haven’t been able to keep up with the rapid growth.
This slow growth initiative would give voters some control over key land use decisions. This initiative requires voter approval before agricultural and rural lands can be developed for residential, commercial or industrial uses.
This initiative also requires voter approval before any expansion of John Smith Road Landfill. Note that this initiative does not stop development of land that has already been approved for development. (There are many approved projects that our initiative cannot stop.) It is crucial that this initiative be passed if residents want to keep the rural quality of life that is quintessentially San Benito County.
Your “YES” vote on Nov. 5 is necessary to pass this initiative!
For the past 10 years, our grassroots group has worked hard to protect beautiful San Benito County. San Benito voters have helped us win the following:
• November 2020: We stopped Strata Verde (we won with 60% of the vote)
• March 2020: We protected the Highway 101 wildlife corridor from development (we won with 60% of the vote)
• November 2014: We banned fracking (we won with 58% of the vote)
Our grassroots group is committed to protecting agricultural, range and ranch lands so it can be enjoyed by you and your families far into the future. Your support over these many years shows that you care about the quality of life in San Benito County as much as we do. We are forever grateful and thank you for your support with all our hearts!
If you would like to learn more about our initiative or join us, please visit our web site, www.CampaignToProtectSanBenito.org.
Remember, on Nov. 5, to vote “YES” to give voters the power to slow the growth in San Benito County.
Fallon Greig
Volunteers of Campaign to Protect San Benito
Builders Remedy coming right up. It’s already happening in San Jose. This measure is very misleading. They are telling you they can slow the growth and everything I’ve read the last few years dictates otherwise. Sometimes folks have to find out the hard way and it’s so counterproductive to the leaders trying to follow law.
There is nothing misleading about this initiative. Napa, Sonoma , and Ventura Counties have allowed the voters to vote on development in their counties for the last twenty-five years. They have been able to save their farm land and open space.
We can see what is happening in our county. We can’t stop progress, but we can slow it down. San Benito is a beautiful county. Let’s keep it that way.
Shelly, yes misleading as Carol pointed out. Yes, let’s do what Napa has done, wealthy vineyards and land owners do just fine as their land continues to appreciate. Looks like the city services, mental health and others will suffer, just as we have. This is right off their city website. This reheated PORC needs some salt. Yuk! . CITY OF NAPA : What is the fiscal challenge facing the City of Napa?
Our city, like many others, faces future funding challenges that could impact the quality of life for residents and local businesses. Recent financial modeling shows that the City of Napa’s forecasted expenditures will exceed the “most likely” revenue levels within three years and this projected deficit would result in the City falling behind current service levels. It’s important to note that this is based on a status-quo forecast of expenditures and does not include any staffing increases, new or expanded programs, nor any funding to replace failing facilities that house emergency safety services and city employees.