Business groups critical of Measure A
Both sides draw endorsements and criticisms

Posted May 11, 2007

By DAWN WITHERS

PACIFIC GROVE - Business interests throughout Monterey County have aligned against Measure A, the general plan initiative on the June ballot, even as national and international groups announce their support.

Business leaders and heads of various county chambers of commerce condemned the measure as growth restrictive during an afternoon press conference Thursday in front of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, saying the measure would prevent much-needed affordable housing and hinder the county's agriculture industry from keeping pace with international competition.

"Measure A would tie our hands," said Luis Alvarez, president of Alvarez Technology Group in Salinas and incoming board chairman of the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The initiative is competing with the general plan approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in January.

That plan, known as GPU4, has the chambers' endorsement and appears on the ballot as both Measures B and C, which ask voters whether they want to ratify GPU4.

Major endorsements of Measure A, however, were also made public Thursday from Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz; Bill Monning, a human rights lawyer and director of the Mandell-Gisnet Center for Conflict Management at the Monterey College of Law; and four national and international environmental groups.

"Based upon a broad review of materials generated by both supporters and opponents of Measure A," Monning said in a statement, "I have concluded that support for Measure A will protect (the) broadest range of interest of ALL Monterey County residents."

Measure A 'critical'

Chris Fitz, executive director of LandWatch Monterey County, a major Measure A proponent, said the endorsements show how critical Measure A is to
preserving open space and the county's coastline.

But chamber leaders called the union between the Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula chambers unique, saying it was the first time they've worked together to defeat a growth measure.

Astrid Coleman, president and CEO of the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce; Moe Ammar, president of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce; and Peter Kasavan, chairman of the Salinas Valley Chamber of
Commerce board, blasted Measure A during the press conference.

"Measure A would severely restrict cash flow to our cities and county ... shut down economic growth and squeeze government services and resources," Kasavan said.

GPU4 includes seven community areas and nine rural centers targeted for growth. It also features a wine corridor plan that would allow the construction of up to 40 artisan wineries without additional environmental review.

Measure A envisions a different scenario for development in the unincorporated areas of the county over the next 25 years. Drafted by slow-growth advocates under the direction of LandWatch Monterey County, the initiative would require a countywide vote, with few exceptions, before any development could occur outside of five community areas: Pajaro, Castroville, Fort Ord, Boronda and Chualar.

Opponents say GPU4 is a superior plan because it's undergone a thorough environmental review, been scrutinized at dozens of public meetings and keeps important land use decisions in the power of the supervisors, not the voters.

The initiative's voting requirement, they said, would make development in unincorporated areas expensive and push agriculture companies out of the county to regions with fewer restrictions on development.

Fitz said the requirement for a ballot vote on subdividing ag land can be avoided if smaller parcels are merged into larger parcels or if the landowner
agrees to put ag land into permanent conservation.

Contact Dawn Withers at withers@thecalifornian.com.