Donohue says he's against Measure A
Mayor's words made as a private citizen

Posted May 24, 2007

By DAWN WITHERS
The Salinas Californian

Less than two weeks before Election Day, Salinas' mayor Wednesday ended his silence on how his county should grow.

Mayor Dennis Donohue said Wednesday he opposes Measure A, also known as the general plan initiative, saying it would undermine economic development in Monterey County.

"I believe that Measure A will ultimately cost this county billions of dollars in revenues and thousands of new employment opportunities," Donohue said during a press conference outside the National Steinbeck Center in Oldtown Salinas.

Donohue said after much thought, he decided he is so strongly opposed to the measure he needed to speak

out against it as a private citizen.

Measure A is a slow-growth, citizen-sponsored general plan competing on the June 5 ballot with a general plan designed by county staff and approved by the
county Board of Supervisors in January, known as Measure C.

Backers of Measure A, including Salinas City Councilwoman Jyl Lutes, say the initiative would prevent disorganized planning on agricultural land by limiting subdivision in the unincorporated county.

It wouldn't, they say, harm the county's economy or
largest industry - agriculture.

"(The No on Measure A campaign) must have put huge pressure on Dennis," said Chris Fitz, executive director of LandWatch Monterey County, a primary
backer of Measure A. "It was my understanding he felt strongly about staying out of this."

Lutes was unavailable for comment.

Individually, City Council members and the mayor are free to comment on the measure. But both City Councilman Steven Villegas and Donohue said the city
attorney's office has cautioned council members about taking a position as city officials. That's because of a lawsuit alleging the city used taxpayer money to
campaign against the repeal of a utility tax in 2002.

City Attorney Vanessa Vallarta declined to comment on the advice her office has given to council members.

"(Vallarta) just wants us to be careful and not leave
ourselves open to a suit," said Villegas, who added he
won't be making any public statements about his
position on the measure.

The Salinas City Council, whose members are divided on the general plan issue, has not taken a formal position on Measures A and C. All the city councils in south county, on the other hand, have come out against
Measure A. Dozens of other elected officials, including Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, county supervisors Fernando Armenta and Simón Salinas, oppose Measure A.

Lutes outspoken

Lutes has been an outspoken supporter of Measure A since 2005, when the initiative resulting in the ballot measure was first circulated.

Her name appears on some of the official ballot arguments in support of Measure A as a councilwoman. Likewise, City Councilman Tony Barrera is listed as a supporter on the Measure A endorsements as a councilman. The documents, however, note that their support does not imply an official endorsement by the city council.

Opposing Measure A are City Councilwoman Janet Barnes and City Councilman Sergio Sanchez as private citizens. But Sanchez said he doesn't plan to try and get the council to pass a resolution against Measure A.

"I am proud (Donohue) took the leadership role," Sanchez said. "He probably had to think hard about where he wanted to be on this issue."

City Councilwoman Gloria de la Rosa declined to comment.

Besides LandWatch, Measure A has the endorsement of the Ventana Chapter of the Sierra Club, among other environmental and community groups.

Measure A also has garnered the support of many elected officials, such as Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, and county Supervisor Dave Potter.

On the other hand, the plan approved by supervisors, also known as General Plan Update 4, has the endorsement of nearly every chamber of commerce and agricultural organization in the county. It appears on the ballot as both Measures B and C, which ask voters in different ways whether they want to ratify GPU4.