No on Measure A

Carmel Pinecone
Posted May 11, 2007

Editorial

OF ALL the failings of Measure A, one is so bad it provides all the reason anybody would need to vote against the measure, which is on the June 5 ballot. Ironically, this fatal flaw is the very thing Measure A’s backers — LandWatch and other activist groups — consider one of its most important components: The requirement, now and forever, that the Monterey County
Board of Supervisors lose its authority to make amendments to the county’s general plan, and that any such amendments be submitted to the voters for
approval.

“Let The People Decide,” is LandWatch’s hollow slogan.

But while pretending to be virtuously in favor of the democratic process, what the group is actually doing is trying to impose legislative gridlock on the people of the county — the ones who live here now, and the ones who will live here in the future. Indeed, the LandWatch campaign to get Measure A passed vividly demonstrates why some issues are just not suitable for public referenda. For example, some issues are too complicated to put directly to the electorate. Can more than a few members of the public honestly say they understand what Measure A would do? It was drafted without any public input. It wasn’t
analyzed in an EIR. And it is far too long to be printed on the ballot.

Basic principle No. 1: If proposed legislation is that lengthy, it should be properly debated and subject to the rigors of the normal legislative process. Furthermore, campaigns tend to be emotional rather than analytical. That’s why Measure A’s backers are using catchy slogans and scare tactics to win votes.

Basic principal No. 2: If you’re getting a bunch of advertising in your mailbox that reduces a complicated law to a series of catch-phrases, you shouldn’t even be voting on it. That’s what your elected representatives are for. Also, by imposing a permanent requirement that general plan amendments be put to the public for a vote, LandWatch is tying to ensure that the elected representatives of the various regions of the county permanently lose their ability to vote for what they think is in their constituents’ best interests. This
effort is arrogant, to say the least.

Basic principle No. 3: Don’t tie the hands of future generations. And lastly, by requiring a public vote for even the tiniest general plan changes, Measure A, while pretending to be a populist, grassroots initiative, would actually ensure that only wealthy landowners would be able to dream of attempting to get a change in zoning for their property. Basic principle No. 4: Don’t throw the
baby out with the bath. Absentee ballots have already started going out.

We urge you to vote No on Measure A.