REDWOOD NEEDLES

Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter, The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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Is the glass half empty or 43 percent full?

By Peter Ashcroft, Sonoma Group Chair

After a hard-fought campaign, the centerpiece of our political efforts this season, Sonoma County's Measure I (RHI), failed to pass with roughly 43% of the vote. Among city races, we had mixed success. Sierra Club endorsed growth boundaries passed in Rohnert Park and Sonoma, and a growth management ordinance passed in Healdsburg. Endorsed candidates were elected in most cities, although they failed to achieve majorities on the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Councils.

I want to make a point of thanking all Measure I supporters for their time, hard work, and money. We can, and should, be proud of the way we conducted ourselves in this campaign. While this defeat is undeniably painful, let's not forget how far we've come. We brought to a public debate the critical threat of loss of agricultural land through sprawl, and we raised the public understanding of the County General Plan and land use practices. A year ago, most voters didn't even know that we "had" a General Plan, let alone that it could be easily modified by the Board of Supervisors. Even our opponents were forced to claim (disingenuously or not) that they agreed that protecting farmland from sprawl and protecting the General Plan were laudable objectives, and that they would work cooperatively for that end in the future.

The Measure I campaign was marked by intentionally misleading opposition claims, and ominous references to vaguely specified "unintended consequences". To some degree, the opposition won the election by co-opting the message, and confusing the voters with claims that voting "against" Measure I was the way to reduce sprawl and traffic. So, while the voters rejected Measure I specifically, we can take some consolation in the fact that they broadly support its goals.

Where do we go from here? It's not yet clear. Plans are taking shape for a debriefing meeting to compare notes and distill whatever lessons we can about what worked well and what didn't. I firmly believe that we can attain the protections that Measure I would have provided if we are willing to make it a high priority over the course of several years. The question then becomes whether that focus for that extended period is the wisest expenditure of our finite resources. Any decisions along those lines will naturally require broad input from our volunteer base. The Measure I analysis is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 Monday, December 4, at the New College in Santa Rosa. This event will be open to all Measure I volunteers. Please call 523-4744 for more details.

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