Letters to the editor

The Salinas Californian
Posted on May 23, 2007

I am voting against Measure A on June 5 because it is bad government:

Measure A was not "written by the community" as it claims. Rather, it was written by two out-of-towners. LandWatch, the principal mover of Measure A, pulled out of the county discussions process, presumably because it was not going as they wanted. While the county plan did not give any group everything they wanted, it resulted from a process of extensive discussions and give and take among a variety of groups, all under the direction of our elected
officials. That is how government is supposed to work.

Measure A did not and will not undergo the scrutiny of an environmental impact study. The county plan did. Supporters of Measure A have sued others who they claimed failed to undergo environmental scrutiny. Measure A locks in its rigid terms for 25 years. Times change. Certainly the agricultural industry has changed greatly in my 33 years living here. Our plans need to change with the times. Measure A handcuffs our elected officials. It is inflexible and each needed change will require an expensive and unnecessary countywide vote. That is not good government. For these reasons and others, I urge a "no" vote on Measures A and B, and "yes" vote on the county plan, Measure C.

Tim McCarthy
Salinas