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SOLANO COUNTY = LAND USE INITIATIVE<= /p>

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<= b>= Some people call the Land Use Initiative the Orderly Growth Ini= tiative. This title obscures the truth. = The initiative does not control growth in an orderly manner.

The Initiative places a moratorium on growth. It freezes all county lands and guarantees = court litigation. READ the FINE PRINT ! The City coffers and present City = land owners would be the only beneficiaries. Real Estate land Owners on limited lands inside City Limit lines would then have their prices go up because of= an imbalance of supply and demand. Cities require exorbitant fees and taxes. T= he County does not.

The Initiative liberally offers people the = right to take away their own ability to elect <= /span>new directions in different supervisors and = to review and update its <= /span>general plan. T= he Initiative freezes it= in concrete, eliminates public input. The present Chairman of the B= oard of Supervisors has just recently shut down the Public Forum Committee. This would have been one of the only places where there could have been an open public debate of this particular issue. It reminds me of the City of Vallejo obstructi= ng and obscuring public information.

This growth control initiative would in fact forsake broader social purposes. <= o:p>

(1) It exclud= es people from the country,

(2) Halts growth in rural areas,

(3) Does not address <= u>the issue of restrictive housing types in cities,

(4) Does not address <= u>the issue of restrictive, exclusionary down-zoni= ng practices in cities (fewer residences per acre of land= ).

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= The initiative calls for timing and sequencing its growth, but it actually halts, restricts, excludes opportunity for people. It allows cities to expand their spher= es of influence without providing building and housing type mixtures and it excludes certain groups of people from housing by prohibitive high land cos= t or because of negligently depressed land values, the result of ignoring dilapidation and deterioration.

<= /span>

The opponents and proponents have made very impassioned pleas on bo= th sides trying to appeal to the masses. All they accomplished was get on the front pages of the newspapers.= So far the only ones benefiting are the people getting their pictures in the papers, the politicians, the radicals, the liberals, the rights, the lefts.= But what about the guy who pays the taxes, the guy who needs a helping hand to = get a new job, or the housewife who just lost her husband to another woman. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

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<= b>= The Land Use Initiative focuses on eliminating the right to spe= ak, on reducing the right to the pursuit of your own home. = It reduces the right to own and use private property. It also reduces and takes away some of our rights to representation.

The American Dream has become an American Nightmare. People are beg= ging for reduced housing costs, wishing they hadn't bought when interest rates w= ere so high. People are pleading for more land to be made available for dwellin= gs that are not in City Limits. Don't the cities now have a monopoly on development and housing ?

Is there really free choice of life style in the Napa-Solano Countie= s or are the people being planned to fit into a mold ?

The current land use policies are unimaginative and do not put fait= h in the free market, in a free society. It places more value on "the process" of the few rather t= han allowing the masses to determine their destinies as guaranteed by the Constitution. The Initiative is a con. It allows people= to determine their fate. But in <= u>light of the recent media hipe and w= ell orchestrated political whoopla on both <= u>sides, the people will be persuaded to <= u>give up their rights. The goal is to persuade those who vote to give up their choices and the choices of those who don't vote, to l= ock into place "the plan" with NO future opportunities to change it u= ntil the next generation votes. By freezing the market forces, the people are being persuaded to= limit their opportunities.

Planning is vague, obscure and intimidat= ing. Is planning= for the benefit of government or the = environmentals ? How does the average family fit into the picture ?

What is the bigger picture ?=

<= /p>

Some weeks ago I talked with a news man from ABC television concern= ing the county employees impasse. I asked him what he made out of the whole thi= ng ? He gave me a very simple answer, one that I could understand - "What happens in Solano County will determine what happens everywhere e= lse in California. "Could this also be what the land use initiative is about ?"=

Over the years I've seen many lose jobs and opportunity, hom= es broken in order to see a coastal commission formed. I've seen the San Francisco Bay sequestered to a rat and mosqu= ito preserve mandating slow access to water uses. I've seen the Suisun Marsh be= come a catch basin not fit for cattle, inaccessible to human feet, protected by federal and state caretakers for the benefit of the ducks. Is the Land U= se Initiative but another set of tentacles spreading into the fabric of our society ? What is the reason for freezing land uses into a holding patt= ern ? Until "they" can regroup ? Opportunity or oppression is knoc= king on the door of Solano County, = folks, depending on how we vote on this land tyranny plan.

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The Space Age is upon us. People are moving in from all over the World to our lovely state. Without the so called urban s= prawl in the Santa Clara Valley there <= u>probably would not have been a Silicon = Valley. Without Silicon Valley we would not have= seen the advent of the microchip. And without that the Space Age would not have = been possible. People are moving to our area because of our climate: from the fr= ozen continental East Coast, from the dictatorial Central and South American countries and from the oppressed Asian countries to our west. -- <= u>Industry wants places to locate their roots of tomorrow, for the dreams of our <= u>young people, for the hopes of the f= ree.

= So instead of offering them bickering behind closed doors, educate them to the impacts of a frozen land use.

Non-competitive land costs.

Non-competitive building types

Non-competitive leadership.

An atmosphere of dissension, disgust, disrespect for democracy.

The factor of discouraged hopes and drea= ms.

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= What are the avai= lable alternatives ?

= What are the avai= lable compromises ?

= Where is the good judgment ?

= If the voters pass this initiative, they will be blocking their alternatives and damaging the ability to compromise !

ARE WE GOING TO LET THE Berkeley based INITIATIVE WRITE= RS
DICTATE OUR LIVES ?

READ THE FINE PRINT OF= THE INITIATIVE

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=

= Years ago, a handful of patriots declared "No taxation without representation." The Boston Tea Party was the symbolic beginning of the call to freedom. Men did not meekly sit by and watch. They were men = of action, motivated to the will of free determination, not to be ruled by tyr= anny but by their own consciences and dreams, not to subjugate others.

=

=      Today, many have = become lazy, leaving the deciding to others. Many= people don't even register to vote, let = alone vote. In our last local election we saw a 38% turnout of the registe= red voters. Assuming that only 50% of the eligible people bother to register, t= he election turnout was a pretty poor showing. What is happen= ing to us ?

=

= * Maybe it's the result of dishearte= ning media reports.

*&nb= sp;   Maybe it's because everybody is too bu= sy.

*    Maybe it's because too many people don't th= ink one vote will make a difference.

*    Maybe it's the demoralizing impacts of blee= ding the taxpayers in worship of the sacred less fortunate.

*    Maybe it's the fact that facts are obscured= , data access is obstructed, meetings hidden, agendas controlled.

*    Maybe it's because there isn't an active vo= ter registration program.

*    Maybe it's= the thousands and thousands and thousands of pages of laws, rules, regulations, codes, edicts, restrictions, mandates, ordinances, resolutions in existence NOW.

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<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= Did you ever stop to think that every day every one of us no matter whether we = are a "law abiding citizen" or not , breaks at least one law ? Maybe people are fed up with the, as one planning commissioner put it, "baloney".

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>=

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= Not every man has or takes the time, has the patience to think about the effect= of his own behavior on those around him. Most would agree it is unreasonable t= o let others determine our feelings and thinking 100%. Yet too many are no-longer open to new ideas, no-longer welcome potential explanations of what's happe= ning to us. "I can't believe that. I won't hear that. It's not nice to think like that." We live in a free so= ciety where relationships are determined by intimidation, deceit and fear, and al= so by compassion, understanding and respect= . How can people vote for representatives, for a system, without thinking abo= ut these things ? Some do.

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= SIGN ORDINANCE

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<= u>= Our= Letter No. 3 addressed the Vallejo Sign Ordinance as a local matter. Since then pe= ople from different communities have agreed! Sign ordinances are oppressive, anti-commerce and in restraint of trade.

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<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= The new sign ordinance in Vallejo<= /st1:place> will declare nearly 2/3rds of the existing permissible signs illegal and a public nuisance. This taxable property will be declared "unnecessary clutter". So far the City Council has delayed any and all action on the ordinance. I think they are hoping the matter blows over. Maybe they are waiting to see if the community can come to some kind of a consensus.<= /o:p>

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<= b>= CONSENSUS= ! = What does that mean? It means nobody disagrees, b= ut is there agreement ? What does consen= sus have to do with free trade ?, = a contract ? Consensus? All those disagreeing are hammered into silenc= e, decide to comply, bury their oppositions in their bones and get cancer or h= igh blood pressure later.

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= On November 1, 1983 when the Vallejo City ordinance for gouging business signage was heard by Planning Commission, the spokesman for Concerned Merchants Association was held off to the last by the Commission Chair. Obviously he was the spokesman for a large number of those attending. After a few minutes of his speaking the chair's assistant interrupted in an inflammatory manner saying the speaker had exceeded the time limit for speaking. (5 minutes to that point, yet it was recognized by all that he= was representing and speaking for at least 2 dozen merchants and individuals in= the audience, and many not in attendance.) The speaker did acquiesce to the chair after a few more words. Talk about attempt to inflame the business community. The people in attendance were not at all happy with this m= uzzling of free speech, but they remained orderly.

<= /span>

When the "official" minutes of that meeting came out - th= ere wasn't scarcely more than a passing mention of the principal speaker for the opposition - distorting, deleting, inferentially discrediting what he said.= The opposition to this latest oppression = of the entrepreneurs has been consistently = obstructed from public input, blocked from prese= ntation. Remember: The Beauty tyrants are coordinating this push through planning. A= nd planning department staff want to keep their jobs. In part that's done by h= ow the "official minutes" of the meeting is kept.<= /span>

= ;

The sign ordinance is just a small piece of the pie, though. Instead of concentrating so much time and e= ffort into it, the Council, should be directing staff to work with industry to relieve the burgeoning need and pressure of the microchip industries by actively encouraging them to move into this Napa-Vallejo-Fairfield Triangle. We have a tremendous opportunity to build a business park in our area, such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Businesses moving into a catalytic environment such as that would not put up crummy signs. They would bring their own good standards of design with them and utilize local talent;=

= &nb= sp; NOT MUZZLE LOCAL TALENT !

The research triangle concept is the model for the Enterprise Zone.= It is not one run by Community Development = bureaucrats, personally committed to ke= eping their jobs. Fairfield recognizes the possibilities of an ENTERPRISE ZONE and yet they quibble over land swaps and worn out orchards. The City of Napa continues to bury its head in the = sand. It pretends not to notice the interest, hoping it will go away and when som= eone does bring it up that person runs the risk of being ostracized. Vallejo,= as some playfully say, is issuing life vests to all its residents. "L= et's make sure no one drowns in the next high tide while businesses are being sandbagged."

"Economic Development Districts" as proposed by governmen= t is just another form of blight by planning. See the Assembly bill being propos= ed by Assemblyman Sam Farr. Classifying development this way may obscure the f= act that the taxation siphonage, functions of redevelopment, will remain intact, under a separate title.

There is a tremendous amount of competition be= tween Fairfield, Vacaville= , Vallejo and Benicia. As a result they are driving housing costs up instead of down to improve image. = Napa is very cand= idly discouraging development.

Vacaville<= /st1:place> is presently going in another direction. They have vacant land coming out of t= heir ears in the form of existing industrial parks. Fairfield has the same thing. Vallejo doesn't h= ave that, but does have the water, water, water. And then there is all this = land to the north of Vallejo into Napa County. Very seldom do I see any intense agriculture use there. I thi= nk they just want to look at the<= /u> "pretty" green hills (brown 8 mont= hs every year) while real estate values<= /u> are driven sky high in the valley. The area between Napa and Vallejo is a disgrace to the proud wine industry in North Napa County. South Cou= nty is a hodge-podge of activity without a compass. Why is Napa forcing development into = Solano County ? They don't= talk of specific area plans for that area and if they have, it has been obscured= and discouraged.

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= REDEVELOPMENT= - BLIGHT BY PLANNING

Collinsville-Mo= ntezuma Hills Litigation - the residents of Birds Landing are suing t= he county because the redevelopment project is not in conformity with current state l= aw. It was in conformity when the project was approved prior to the first of the year. Since then, however, the law has changed. The residents are complaini= ng because over 90% of the land is vacant grazing land. For this redevelopment project to be declared qualified for redevelopment it needs to qualify as b= eing blighted. Vacant grazing land hardly seems "blighted" unless t= he sheep have overused their turf.

Southeast Vallejo Redevelopment - one superv= isor said "It needed it" referring to the conditions in that end of to= wn. Yes, it is true much of that area of Vallejo has been forgotten thru the years but= it should have been taken care of by the city and county on a regul= ar maintenance schedule. Now the Redevelopment Agency gallops in= to the scene and gets to save the hides of our elected officials. What really happens is that the area is rehabilitated within the empire of the Redevelopment Agency. The Supervisor who said <= u>that part of Vallejo needs it, was = correct. However, he's willing to go for improving the image in light of the fact th= at only 10-15% of $30,000,000 tab is devoted to city improvements and another 25-30% to County areas.

= ;

That leaves the majority of the money for indefinite purposes. School issues have not been addressed = as to the pass-through of state e= ducational funds being used to build schools= and overpasses without a voter approval o= r explanation. Duplication of funding, so-called simple explanation= s - bleeding State coffers under the false claim of "need", and loopholes - Lack of school accounting and highway building funds. Maybe a public audit is needed ? An investigation.

<= b>= Blight issues are not resolved. The definition of Beauty and beastly aesthetic is = not defined. For the City as a sovereign entity to impose its tas= tes on its citizenry is tyrannical and exceeds the privileges of representative= s in a free society.

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>=

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-bidi-font-family:"T= imes New Roman"; letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>Even Tom Hannigan's proposed legislation of March 19= 83 defined blighted areas as :"those which are characterized by — properties within the area suffering from economic dislocation, deterioration, or disuse resulting from faulty planning."= His current proposed legislation proposes to eliminate faulty planning as one of the requirements of blight.

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Faulty Planning ?

<= o:p>

<= b>Does Hannigan admit the possibility ? Ever since Christmas, Val= lejo City planners have declared port= ions of Southeast Vallejo blighted. These so = called conditions have been well known for many years by Council and = staff; and have not occurred over night. In order for an area to be redeveloped= it must be called blighted. Raw, vacant land to be used for new development hardly qualifies for blight. Is this to enhance real estate values ?= =

<= o:p>

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-bidi-font-family:"T= imes New Roman"; letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>At the same time, the Sonoma Blvd. White Slough area= has been ignored until recently. City Council members even dared to admit not knowing the existence of present City Limit lines in the area. This troubles me. Our representativ= es don't even take the time to kn= ow their jurisdictional territory. Maybe they have suffer= ed the same as the common man: from obscured and obstr= ucted access to information. How are the other jurisdictiona= l claimants of White Slough handling this ? (Army Corps of Engineers, Bay Conservati= on District Commission, California Department of Fish and Game, Cal-Trans, etc.)

<= o:p>

<= span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";letter-spacing:-1.0pt'>= It seems to me that Sonoma Blvd.- White Slough is truly blighted because of the flooding, rats, road closures, business closures, mosquitoes. Could it be the undue hardship of jurisdiction= al squabbling is the major cause of = blight?

<= b>=

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= &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; OUR LETTER No. 4

= &nb= sp; = Ernst & Ernst

= &nb= sp; = Address= o'Set Publications

Fr= anklin “Harry” Ernst III

&= nbsp; Permission is hereby granted to any person, magazine, newspaper, other periodical, or media to reprint this monograph in any single issue of the periodical in question, so long as two conditions are met: (1) the monograph is printed w= ord for word, including diagrams, figures, and footnotes, and (2) the following reference is given at the bottom of the first page on which the reprinted article begins:

“This article is taken from OUR LETTER No. 4, titled Land Use Initiative, Signs, Redevelopment, February 8, 1984. Published by Addresso’Set Publications, P.O. Box 3009, Vallejo, California 94590.”