North County Officials support Yes on Measure A.
Don't miss this great news conference held today in Escondido. The video is here. Please watch the comments of these leaders in the North County who support Yes on Measure A.
The press release is here
North County Elected Officials Urge Support for Measure A to
Give Voters a Voice in Land Use Decisions
Escondido, Calif. – Escondido Mayor Paul McNamara and Vista City Councilmember Corinna Contreras today urged San Diego County voters to vote Yes on Measure A, the Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside (SOS) Citizens’ Initiative. At a press conference in Escondido, the two elected officials highlighted the benefits of voter involvement in approving General Plan Amendments and spoke about the history of Proposition S, an Escondido land use rule comparable to the countywide Measure A.
“In Escondido, the passage of Proposition S encouraged development where it was needed most,” said Mayor McNamara. “Prop S has not impeded economic development or housing development in Escondido, and there is every reason to believe that Measure A will similarly guide developers to build housing closer to jobs and infrastructure.”
Under today’s system, developers have repeatedly proposed large luxury developments in fire-prone areas of unincorporated San Diego County. Measure A gives voters a voice in deciding whether zoning changes for large housing developments in rural and semi-rural areas of San Diego’s backcountry should be allowed.
“Measure A encourages following the County’s smart growth general plan, which is the key to meeting our greenhouse gas emissions targets and creating a more sustainable region,” said Vista City Councilmember Corinna Contreras. “When the County does not follow its smart growth general plan, it destroys habitat while creating more congestion in our region and making housing less affordable. Sprawl is bad for the cities and bad for the countryside. Vote Yes on Measure A to limit sprawl.”
San Diego County’s General Plan concentrates new housing in areas where roads, public safety, schools and other services are already available. These locations are easier to defend from wildfire and have a lower taxpayer burden because they don’t require new infrastructure. The General Plan also zones for housing in areas that would limit traffic impacts.
San Marcos Councilmember Randy Walton, who was unable to attend, released the following statement, “San Marcos and other North County cities are working hard to build the right kinds of housing in the right kinds of places. If the County continues to approve sprawl projects requiring amendments to their smart-growth general plan, it undermines smart regional planning for our entire county. A vote of Yes on Measure A will help limit congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction while contributing to a vibrant, livable North County with housing and job opportunities for all.”
“Measure A will give voters a say in San Diego’s land use decisions and will reduce the outsized influence of political contributions from developers; it will be a game changer,” said JP Theberge of Grow the San Diego Way and the Yes on A Campaign. “The General Plan has areas zoned for 60,000 more housing units in the county. Measure A will encourage us to build where we smartly planned for development rather than inefficiently and in a haphazard manner in our fire-prone backcountry. This approach has worked in Escondido and in many other jurisdictions, and it will work in the unincorporated San Diego County too.”
###
Paid for by Yes on A, Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside 2020, Sponsored by environmental and land use organizations, Committee major funding from Endangered Habitats League. | State ID # 1418132
