Yes on Measure A

[You have a point]

Nova wrote:

<quoted text>Talking out of your A...ss

Now THAT was an intelligent argument. I think I'll change my vote.

[Kumar]

Carol, while I fundamentally disagree with you, I think that was the most eloquent defense of a Yes on A vote that I have seen.

I think that the biggest danger here is that the debate has become focused on the mall, which is not really what the measure itself is about. The mall is optional, as explained in the DDR plan's disclaimer. What is NOT optional is the precedent that a yes vote sets- essentially saying that in the future in Mendocino County, and perhaps other places as well, the political arena is an okay place to approve developments if you don't want to go the regulatory route. That is AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.

[You have a point]

Get Out wrote:

<quoted text>
You have not been here longer than I have, even if 30 years is true. I doubt it is, if you don't know what restaurant Carol owns. You loose on all accounts. Pay up and get your nose out of our business.

So you've been here longer than 30 years? Cool. I have been here since '78 actually, no matter if you don't believe me simply because I didn't know what restaurant she owned. Never eat there, however I DID eat at their hamburger joint a lot, to bad its gone. Does Will still have his Mustang, you know the silver one with the stripes? See I know who they are now that someone else with some class decided to answer my question with out trying to insult me.

And I suppose you know the name of EVERY restaurant owner in town then huh? That's how you quantify being a local?

Ironic you title your blog "Get Out" isn't that what you do every time you head down to Santa Rosa to spend your money and support they're economy instead of your own community's?

Next time your there... don't bother coming back.

See? I can be rude too.

[You have a point]

MendoMike wrote:

<quoted text> Also why do you insist there will be no CEQA at the site? Do a Google for CEQA, read it, and you'll understand it's State regulations that cannot be waived by a vote at the County level. If you don't believe me then call Millview water district and ask them.

Hey Mike, I did what you said. Spent about 30 minutes reading the PDF from the CEQA site and didn't find what you mentioned. Can you be more specific about where I can find it? I'm curious.

Thanks.

[Downtown Sucks]

If the people at the Main Street Program would look at this as an opportunity to bring out of town shoppers (that come here to go to Costco or what have you) into the downtown they would see downtown would be great.
And while everyone is up in arms about Measure A, WalMart is expanding and the City is going to cut State Street down to 2 lanes from Low Gap to Gobbi. How will that affect traffic???
If you want to be involved in the community politics why not get into all of it and not just one piece of land?
Because you don't really care about the community you're just afraid of "out of town developers".

[No on A-ssholes]

No on A-ssholes from out of state developing our county into another Sonoma County!

No on The BIG LIE!
No on Measure A!
Keep Mendocino -Country!

[More to the story]

Kumar wrote:

Carol, while I fundamentally disagree with you, I think that was the most eloquent defense of a Yes on A vote that I have seen.
I think that the biggest danger here is that the debate has become focused on the mall, which is not really what the measure itself is about. The mall is optional, as explained in the DDR plan's disclaimer. What is NOT optional is the precedent that a yes vote sets- essentially saying that in the future in Mendocino County, and perhaps other places as well, the political arena is an okay place to approve developments if you don't want to go the regulatory route. That is AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT.

Kumar, you need to check out the history of the initiative process in California and specifically on land issues. Our government leaders, years ago, came up with this system for times when a local board or council is not actually speaking for the people at large, but their own special interests or personal feelings. When we elect these people, there is a wide variety of issues for which we vote. To say that people voted for McCowan or Brown solely on the fact the opposed Mendocino Crossings is very short sided. That said, the initiative process in there for the people if the board refuses to be fair. In the case we have today, four of five supervisors have openly and publicly opposed this project, and yet they objected to the project without giving it due process. Regardless of whether a completed application was ever submitted, these four opposed it without ever seeing an EIR, reading one study, or getting any public input through the normal process. In effect, they are the ones who have gone around the process, not DDR.

Back to the initiative process in California. The process was not only approved through legislation, but the Supreme Court of California has backed it up when challenged. The same people who wrote that law, also set the limits, and the rules... such as the fact that an initiative is not considered a project and therefore does not go through the CEQA process. This is also a part of the law, and when challenged was upheld. That being said, how is DDR doing anything other than what is provided by law in our state.

It's funny that the initiative process is used all the time by environmental groups wanting to preserve wetland, or open spaces and keep them from being developed. In these cases, they go around the local boards who may see a need based on economic developments for the property to be used rather than open space forever. Check out Napa county.

The initiative process is hardly going to set a precident for anything, as it has been used for the last 40 years in California. It will most certainly not lead to off shore drilling as our supervisors have suggested, as it would have to pass the will of the people. This would never happen, so this is simply a scare tactic.

While I can respect your opinion on what should happen at this site, let's not lose site of the issues and make it something that it is not. The initiative is not the problem here. The real problem is that our county is in an economic collapse and we have thousands that have no job. No other company or person is coming forward with the ability to develop this property or provide jobs or revenue for the county. The supervisors who made up their mind without due process is the real issue here. Had they been willing to move forward with the normal process and not shut it down with a lame excuse such as the never ending UVAP, we would not be at this point.

[No CEQA Here Is Why]

MendoMike wrote:

<quoted text>
Also why do you insist there will be no CEQA at the site? Do a Google for CEQA, read it, and you'll understand it's State regulations that cannot be waived by a vote at the County level. If you don't believe me then call Millview water district and ask them.

There will be no CEQA review if Measure A passes. Here is why, as quoted directly from the Impartial Analysis of Measure A in the ballot pamphlet:

"The General Plan and Zoning Code Amendments and adoption of the Specific Plan [Measure A] are exempt from environmental review normally associated with such projects, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because they are subject to adoption by the ballot initiative process. The normal procedural requirements relative to noticing, public hearings, public comment, or findings...will not apply to this ordinance."

What more proof does anyone need that Jeff Adams, Robin Collier and all the other yes on A cheerleaders are lying when they say the DDR Measure A project will have to comply with all the CEQA environmental review? DDR is spending a million dollars to sell the Big Lie. We will wind up paying a lot more than that if this turkey passes. Vote NO on Measure A. We can't afford it.

[Vote NO on A]

DDR has ripped off the initiative process. The initiative was a progressive reform from around the turn of the century that was intended to let the people break the hold of the railroad monopoly that controlled the state government in California.

DDR, a hundred years later, has joined the parade of huge corporations that seek to pervert the initiative process to use it as a tool of corporate interest, not the public interest. They have spent close to two million dollars to sell this project to us, beginning last year with all the dog and pony shows, half a dozen county wide mailers, push polling, and focus groups.

The onslaught of campaign cash picked up this year by paying to write Measure A to create special rules for themselves, paying paid signature gatherers to get it on the ballot, and the unrelenting onslaught of slick mailers, radio, tv, and the constant phone calls. They called my mother three times in one week.

If Measure A was truly such a great idea, they would not need to push it so hard to sell it to us. Time to send DDR packing. Tell them our votes and our community is not for sale. Vote NO on A.