Letters to the editor

The Salinas Californian
Posted on May 15, 2007

No on Measure A

Let me see if I get this right: LandWatch decries the fact that our supervisors are financed by big business and out-of-town developers which, in their eyes, is a no-no.

At the same time, it is OK for LandWatch to get its major financial support from the Silicon Valley's Packard Foundation and hire out-of-town attorneys to
write "our" general plan. I don't get it.

In our representative form of government, we elect a supervisor from each district so each area has a voice in the way we are governed. The only district
represented by the land-use philosophy supported by LandWatch is District 5 on the Peninsula. Dave Potter is the only member of the Board of Supervisors who supports Measure A. Ironically, he received more money from out-of-county developers than the other members. All the other members of the board have been demonized for doing what they were elected to do.

The adoption of a general plan is complicated. Through the public hearing process and preparation of an EIR and economic study, our representatives arrived at a balanced approach that takes into consideration the concerns of all the elements of our communities.

What LandWatch couldn't achieve by district election of board members it now tries to achieve through the initiative process. They have engaged in a campaign that distorts facts, runs roughshod over private property rights and viciously maligns the character of those who disagree with their one-sided positions.

Support the Board of Supervisors. Our county's future depends on your vote. Vote "no" on Measures A and B, "yes" on C and D.

Jim Martins
Salinas