Opponents, supporters plow funds into slow growth ordinance

A San Benito County measure on the November ballot could potentially make significant changes to local development and land use for years to come. But the influx of outside money into the two opposing campaigns shows that there is plenty at stake for out-of-area interests.

Measure A, or the Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions Initiative, has revived the battle between local environmentalists wanting to curb residential and commercial development for rural preservation, and area farmers, small business owners and public officials that say the measure will hinder economic development in the region. 

If passed, the measure would put all land use designation decisions in the hands of county voters instead of leaving elected and appointed officials with the final say, changing the current San Benito County General Plan.

The ballot question for Measure A asks voters to amend the county General Plan “to require voter approval before re-designating (changing) Agricultural, Rural or Rangeland to other uses, and to remove the Commercial Regional Designation from four Highway 101 nodes.” 

Protect San Benito, the group formerly known as Protect Our Rural Communities (PORC), is the proponent of the initiative and is running the Yes on A campaign. The organization was behind the almost identical Measure Q, which was shot down by voters in 2022. 

Activists Andy and Mary Hsia Coron are prominent figures behind both campaigns. Mary is listed as treasurer for the Campaign to Protect San Benito- Yes on A.

One main difference between the two measures is that Measure A calls for changing the designation of four specific nodes along Highway 101 — which are currently green-lit for commercial development — back to a rural designation. Measure Q was more broad in the scope. Another difference is that Measure A has no sunset provision, unlike Measure Q, which had an end date of 2050.

The opposition campaign for Measure A is spearheaded by former San Benito County Supervisor Anthony Bothelo, president of Neighbors to Preserve San Benito. The same organization led the successful fight against Measure Q in 2022.

Both campaigns are accusing one another of taking outside money to fund their efforts — and they both may be right.

No on A’s ‘Yes’ to outsiders

The No on A side is urging voters to reject an initiative they say is indistinguishable from Measure Q and is propelled by outsider interests.

“Now dark money outside donors from Arizona and the East Bay have changed the initiative’s name and are spending big money to deceive local voters and gain control over San Benito’s future,” reads part of the argument filed with the county elections department against Measure A.

Campaign finance reporting for the No on A campaign showed it had raised $36,350 in contributions so far and listed expenses at $29,817.77, according to campaign disclosures.This includes small contributions from local residents, like San Benito County’s Recreation, Exercise and Community Health (R.E.A.C.H.) president Valerie Egland ($100), and area construction firms like Graniterock ($500). 

The largest donor is the Los Angeles-based California Association of Realtors, which, according to a campaign disclosure statement filed on Oct. 11, contributed $15,000 on Aug. 27. The filing also lists a non monetary contribution from the association in the form of “polling services” valued at $35,953.23 on Aug. 15.

The Free Lance has found a discrepancy in the filing of six donations made to the campaign between Aug. 24 and Sept. 30 that don’t show up in the Oct. 11 campaign disclosure form posted to the county elections website. 

In fact, they don’t appear filed under the No on A campaign at all. Instead, they are filed under the now-defunct No on Q campaign led by the same group in 2022.

The six contributions amount to a total of $189,000, almost $153,000 more than was reported for the entire campaign until now. This includes a $140,000 contribution made by the California Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization PAC on Sept. 30, totaling the organization’s monetary and non monetary contributions at $190,953.23.

Another major, out-of-area donation in that group of six is a $25,000 contribution by Nevada-based Bristol SB LLC. Bristol SB is tied to SoCal-based Newport Pacific Land Company, which was the proponent of the embattled Strada Verde Innovation Park project in Hollister.

While the six donations were made under the current filing number assigned to the No on A campaign by the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), they appear listed in the county elections website under the 2022 No on Q campaign. That campaign filed a 410 Termination form with the FPPC on Dec. 16, 2022, reporting it had ceased activity.

The Free Lance reached out to the San Benito County Elections Department for comment and,  according to San Benito County Deputy Clerk Ana De Castro Maquiz, any error in the filing of campaign finance documents falls on the committees themselves.

Former San Benito County Supervisor Bob Tiffany, who is the treasurer for Neighbors to Preserve San Benito, told the Free Lance on Oct. 16 that an error had indeed been made in the filings of campaign disclosures. While Tiffany is the treasurer for the committee, David Bauer is the designated treasurer doing the filing of paperwork.

“So, I spoke to our treasurer, who was aware of the problem, and (he) has been speaking to the county clerk, and there was an error made. And so, apparently, the initial 2024 Measure A filings mistakenly got applied to the 2022 Measure Q. And my understanding is they are in the process of getting that rectified,” Tiffany said in a phone interview.

Tiffany went on to say that the donations brought in by the California Association of Realtors were at the request of local realtors who he said don’t want property values to be affected if Measure A passes.

Yes on A draws Bay Area money

The Yes on A campaign says it is focused on preserving the area’s quality of life and rural land by slowing residential growth.

“We can Vote YES on Measure A to protect our beautiful county and build a thriving economy with jobs in agriculture, tourism and technology. Or let developers pave over our farmland with a sea of subdivisions like San Jose,” reads part of the argument in favor of Measure A.

Campaign finance reporting for the Yes On campaign showed it raised $166,665.24 in contributions so far, with no non monetary donations, and expenses listed at $44,240.02 as of Sept. 26. Donations include those made by local residents, with the largest being by San Benito County residents Shelley Geisier ($1,000) and Robert Mendiola ($1,000). 

Andy Hsia-Coron has also donated a total of $1,108.68. The biggest contributors, however, are environmental advocates and donors from around the Bay Area.

Environmental group Save Mount Diablo out of Walnut Creek contributed $30,000 on July 15, according to campaign disclosures. Co-founder of Wildlife Conservation Network and Los Altos Hills resident Charles Knowles gave $49,000 on Aug. 13.

Patty Quillin, wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and a Santa Cruz resident, contributed $49,000 on Sept. 6. San Francisco resident Shepard Harris contributed $10,000 on Aug. 29.