South County Newspapers

Soledad and Gonzales mayors want city position against county ballot

Posted on March 8, 2006

BY Laureen Diephof

Soledad Mayor Richard Ortiz asked the city council during the meeting on Wednesday to take a position opposing the Monterey County Quality of Life, Affordable Housing and voter control initiative.

Gonzales Mayor Matt Gourley opposes the same initiative.

Land Watch, a community-based nonprofit organization, to promote grassroots community action, proposed this initiative.

Ortiz feels if this initiative is voted in, cities like Soledad will have no jurisdiction over the city's growth.

"We do not want citizens of (another city in the county) telling the city of Soledad what it can or cannot build within the city or any future sphere of influence," he cited as an example.

Soledad Councilwoman Pat Stephens asked that the council, for the time being, keep an eye out for it. It was not known during the council meeting on Wednesday, that Land Watch would file a lawsuit that same evening to keep the initiative on the ballot.

The Gonzales City Council voted unanimously at the Monday evening council meeting for a resolution opposing the Monterey County quality of Life, affordable housing and voter control initiative.

The resolution states that the council was provided with materials concerning the initiative, and after considering it, the council expressed many concerns.
In summary, the concerns stated on the resolution against placing the initiative on the ballot are:

• Simple or routine matters would need approval by all voters.
• Development decisions within the city or region-specific would be voted upon by residents of the county, without a stake in the outcome.
• Some cities would be excluded from the initiative's provision.
• There would be constrains on future growth in the county to areas that are poorly suited for development.

The next step for the opposing cities will be to wait and learn the outcome from the Land Watch lawsuit.

Director of Land Watch Chris Fitz said in a telephone interview that the initiative is important because Monterey County is broke financially.

"There is no general plan and the board of supervisors has been unwilling to make decisions for responsible growth," Fitz said.

According to Fitz, responsible growth would come about through the Quality of Life, Affordable Housing and Voter Control Initiative.

"They have hijacked democracy by breaking the law," he added.

According to Fitz the law was broken when the supervisors allowed the deadline to come and go without putting the initiative on the ballot.

To get an initiative on the ballot petitions are taken with names, and the registrar then certifies that the petition is correct and legal.

There are then two choices to make; one is to adopt the initiative and make it a law, or to put it on a ballot for a vote.

According to Fitz the deadline passed on Feb. 28, and instead of doing what the law requires, the supervisors did nothing and now they face a lawsuit.