Calling San Benito County and the tri-county area one of the
country’s best areas for agricultural business, Congressman Sam
Farr told a capacity crowd of more than 200 people inside the San
Juan Bautista Community Center Hall on Tuesday night the county
needs to focus on what it does best
– produce agriculture.
”
We are the Silicon Valley of agriculture,
”
Farr said.
In the third of four town hall meetings throughout the Central
Coast area
– the only one in San Benito County – Farr spoke and answered
questions for nearly two-and-a-half hours as attendees applauded
and booed.
Calling San Benito County and the tri-county area one of the country’s best areas for agricultural business, Congressman Sam Farr told a capacity crowd of more than 200 people inside the San Juan Bautista Community Center Hall on Tuesday night the county needs to focus on what it does best – produce agriculture.
“We are the Silicon Valley of agriculture,” Farr said.
In the third of four town hall meetings throughout the Central Coast area – the only one in San Benito County – Farr spoke and answered questions for nearly two-and-a-half hours as attendees applauded and booed.
Farr, a Democrat from Carmel, is up for reelection in November and has been the District 17 representative for 17 years. District 17 includes Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. He is being challenged by Republican Jeff Taylor.
In Farr’s opening 30-minute speech he mentioned growing up in the area and traveling to San Benito County to eat dinner and look at the scenery.
“I say this all the time – there is no place in the world, no place in the United States where you have as much diversity in the land,” Farr said. “We sell scenery.”
A part of that scenery is the Pinnacles National Monument, which Farr hopes to change to a national park soon.
“This missing book on geology is Pinnacles National Monument,” he said. “The name change won’t change anything but give it more recognition.”
A large portion of his speech focused on the success of the county and area – mostly the agriculture and schooling. He said there should be a focus on bringing higher-end agricultural jobs to the county.
“The ag that is here is the brain trust for the rest of the agriculture throughout the country,” Farr said. “You always have to sell it and I’m going to be your national campaign. This is an area that we all know and cherish.”
Farr also mentioned that the area has more affordable school institutions than areas such as New York and Boston.
“It doesn’t matter what type of grades you get if you can’t afford the school,” Farr said.
Contention came from the crowd when Farr mentioned the recovery act and the belief that officials needed to “infuse massive amounts of capital” back into the country. Many crowd members shook their heads. Some simply said no.
Questions focused on the health care bill, employment, the economy and Clear Creek Management Area. The group was just about divided in half from those who supported Farr and those who opposed him. Waiting outside were members of the Santa Cruz Tea Party and the Republican Party.
The groups were passing out the literature of gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and held signs that said “vote out socialist Sam Farr” and “more freedom and less government.”
The crowd grew anxious as the night went along but Farr stayed away from confrontation. When asked by a member of the audience why he doesn’t ask people what he can do for them, Farr responded strongly that is the reason why he was there.
“You will not find a public official that is more accessible than I am and I will debate that to the end of the day,” Farr said.
A pair of people complained to Farr about the loan modifications and the lack of cooperation from banks, including Chase and Bank of America. Farr said he had experienced similar problems, including sending a letter to the Chase president in December of 2009 that wasn’t responded to until the past week. Farr expects to open a session in Congress when he returns to Washington D.C. to call “Chase negligent.”
“I’m at my wit’s end, honestly,” Farr said.
He told the two audience members to keep in touch with his office to find a solution.
San Juan City Councilman Andy Moore spoke and asked Farr for financial relief to fix the cracking sidewalks and create an anchor for the community.
“Don’t forget the 1,800 people in San Juan – we could use the help,” Moore said.
Farr asked for a list of ideas and areas that needed improvement before he could move forward with any possible funding.
“There is no free lunch – I would love to work with you,” Farr said. “We can see what we can work with.”
The first handful of audience members asked Farr for his support in the reopening of Clear Creek Management Area, including Dee Murphy from Hollister. Clear Creek was closed two years ago by the Bureau of Land Management because of possible asbestos exposure due to a large natural outcropping of serpentine rock.
Murphy said the closure has cost the county thousands of dollars and demanded that Farr help the cause to reopen it.
Farr said he is trying to get the BLM to reconsider the entire area’s closure, but the science is strong – despite beliefs from some of the audience members.
“We’ve got to find a way to open some of the land,” he said. “But it’s higher than my pay grade.”
But he is still willing to work with those who oppose the land’s closure, he said.
Other speakers asked for fewer regulations on water to help the agriculture business flourish more and what things can be done to protect the borders.
Farr said the fence on the Mexican border is almost complete and those illegal immigrants who are arrested will be deported. But it’s a tricky situation, he said.
“We are doing everything we can to help border security,” he said. “It’s a difficult problem to solve in a practical way.”
