By BLEYS W. ROSE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
|
A ballot measure renewing Sonoma County's open space tax was headed for passage by a comfortable margin in Tuesday's election.
With most of the absentee ballots counted and half the county's precincts reporting, Measure F maintained the two-thirds majority necessary for approval. About 74 percent of voters were supporting the measure.
Brian Bottari, campaign manager for the Friends of Sonoma County Open Space, Agriculture and Clean Water group, said supporters were confident the open space measure would win.
"We are just happy that the voters had the foresight to turn out and vote for this and other important issues," said Bottari, noting the Open Space District had a 16-year track record for voters to examine. "This was a referendum on how well the Open Space District works."
Bottari said voters expressed confidence in the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District agency that negotiates land preservation transactions.
"People live here for a reason," he said. "They love the agricultural heritage, the open space and the clean water resources. They realize that to protect the land forever, you have to purchase it."
Measure F appeared toward the bottom of a very long county ballot that was topped with candidates for Congress and state offices as well as a dozen state propositions. It would extend by 20 years the quarter-cent sales tax that raises about $18 million annually for urban separators, public recreation and farmland preservation.
"I like the idea, but I have to say that there sure is a lot of competition for my tax dollar," said Sarah Booth, a Santa Rosa voter who said she ultimately decided to vote for it. "There were highways and schools and trains and some other stuff I didn't understand."
Claire Turner, a Sebastopol voter, said she voted against the measure because "it seemed like an extravagance when people can't even afford to buy houses or their groceries."
And another voter, Ben Symington of Santa Rosa, said although he supports open space preservation, he voted instead for another measure on the SonomaCounty ballot, the light rail proposal.
"It was now or never for a rail line to San Francisco," Symington said. "Open space taxes don't expire yet, and they can always come back and make their case again."
The quarter-cent sales tax, first approved by Sonoma County voters in 1990, costs the average resident about $33 a year. At that time, the measure was approved by 55 percent to 45 percent, but state laws subsequently changed and made passage more difficult because two-thirds majority is now necessary.
Although the open space tax does not expire until 2011, advocates said they sought an early extension in order to keep funds flowing into open space preservation efforts. During the past year, they had also secured a number of very visible and attractive properties and thought it was strategically a good time to ask voters for tax renewal.
The measure was essentially the same as the one approved 16 years ago, except this time the district sought voter approval to allocate 10 percent of tax revenues to operations and maintenance. At various times, the district had come under criticism for buying land without much prospect of turning it over to a county or state parks agency.
Since it began purchasing properties and negotiating easements, the district has spent about $200 million in order to prevent development on almost 70,000 acres.
Supporters, who issued several mailers to registered voters during the campaign, argued that the district had amassed properties that supported worthwhile goals such as farmland preservation, public recreation and greenbelts between cities.
However, opponents, such as the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association, said they agreed open space preservation is worthwhile, but they did not think public tax dollars should fund it.
They criticized the district for buying property that was not threatened by development and that had little prospect of being maintained by cash-strapped state or county parks departments.
Still, some voters favored the measure because the money will be spent locally.
Sebastopol voter Hector Ruiz said he voted for extension of the sales tax because it funds local recreation like the soccer fields in Santa Rosa.
"To tell you the truth, I voted against all the state measures asking for more money because I don't trust them to spend it the right way," Ruiz said. "But when I know and can see the money goes for my parks, then I can support that."
Sonoma County is believed to have been the first in the nation to use a sales tax for land protection, and it ranks in the top 10 in accumulated acreage. In most other counties, privately funded land trust agencies buy the land and look to partnerships for operation.
Opponents of the open space measure said they were unable to raise much money to counter the mailers issued by supporters of the open space tax.
Proponents reported raising about $310,000.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/
Copyright © 2006 The Press Democrat