Measure A Seeks Support for Agriculture Panel’s SOAR Alternative

Most Ventura County residents have heard by now about the SOAR growth-control measures that will appear on next week’s ballot.

But perhaps less familiar is the measure billed as the alternative to the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources measure--even though it’s also going before voters Tuesday and attempts to address the same concerns about urban sprawl and the loss of farmland.

Intended to serve as a poll of county residents, Measure A would not directly do anything, as opposed to SOAR’s countywide Measure B, which would prevent politicians from rezoning farmland and open space without a vote of the people.

Measure A would simply ask voters whether local leaders should implement the recommendations of the Agriculture Policy Working Group, a panel of farmers, environmentalists, building industry representatives and business leaders that examined the farmland preservation issue for more than a year.

The core recommendations are to establish fixed growth boundaries around all 10 county cities that only voters could widen; to add five “greenbelts,” or agricultural areas declared off-limits to development to the six that now exist; and to launch a program to educate the public about the complexities of saving farmland in a growing region.

Measure A also asks voters whether they support either starting a special district to purchase open space and farmland, or paying landowners for the so-called “development rights” some contend government would take from them by preventing their land from being urbanized.

Though the measure won’t directly change anything, it could lead to tough new ordinances and policies if voters strongly support it.

That, at least, was the intent of county leaders who placed Measure A on the ballot--and the hope of a group of farmers who have come together to promote it as a more reasonable solution to concerns about sprawl.

The group, Farmers for Responsible Land Use, plans to spend $20,000 on print and radio ads in the days before the election--a pittance compared to the more than $300,000 at the disposal of both the pro- and anti-SOAR camps.

It is urging voters to support Measure A instead of SOAR, or at least in addition to it, to ensure that the working group’s recommendations are not ignored.

“Measure A, though it hasn’t been well publicized . . . it was well thought out and there was a structured process involving many people with many different points of view,” said Rex Laird of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, which is spearheading the farmers’ campaign. “I don’t think the same could be said for SOAR.”

Supervisor Kathy Long, who founded the working group, proposed the advisory measure to poll residents on their support for the recommendations.

But in a reflection of the odd politics surrounding this year’s growth control debate, she wound up voting against it when Supervisors John Flynn and Frank Schillo insisted the more controversial open space district idea be combined with it. And county leaders later voted to spend public funds to begin the process of implementing the recommendations, even though they had yet to hear from the public.

“It gave me heartburn,” Long said.

However, she is now a Measure A supporter once again, saying the poll represents the best hopes of prodding her fellow politicians into action.

“I’m telling people to vote for it, because it will [show] all elected leaders that there is a strong feeling to do this, regardless of whether SOAR passes,” Long said.

Though some politicians and farmers see Measure A as an alternative to the SOAR initiative, other elected leaders and SOAR backers say the two measures actually complement each other.

“SOAR is a benchmark,” said SOAR leader Richard Francis. “The criticism I have heard from farmers is that SOAR would force them to sell the farmland in the cities. If SOAR passes and [Measure] A passes, I think we’ll be able to address that.”

Flynn and Schillo agree, saying that Measure A proposes broader ways to tackle the same issues as SOAR.

But they have different opinions on how one of Measure A’s recommendations--paying certain landowners for their land--should be funded. Flynn supports a sales tax increase, but Schillo advocates a tax on new development.

“If the people vote for this, we would have to sit down and decide what we’d do from there, but this is the first step,” said Schillo, who has been promoting Measure A to city councils and organizations throughout the county. “I’m getting really positive vibes. People are saying this is something they would be willing to support.”