League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Mendocino County, CA November 3, 2009 Election
	Measure A Former Masonite Facility Plan County of Mendocino Majority Approval Required Fail: 9022 / 37.11% Yes votes ...... 15292 / 62.89% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure A

Arguments Against Measure A

Vote Yes on Measure A. There is nothing more important to Mendocino County than keeping our retail dollars local rather than having our residents drive to places like Santa Rosa to do their shopping. According to economists, Mendocino County is losing up to $169 million annually in retail sales revenue to nearby counties. Measure A allows the creation of a mixed-use retail center + Mendocino Crossings + with space for anchor stores like Costco as well as national and regional shops and restaurants, giving residents the option to shop locally instead of driving to Santa Rosa or Eureka. The economists estimate that in addition to property taxes, Mendocino Crossings will bring more than $1.7 million annually in sales tax revenue to Mendocino County and another $74 million in redevelopment revenues by 2048. These funds will provide our county with much needed resources to improve public safety, health and human services, schools, parks and recreation, maintain our roads and so much more. Measure A identifies numerous techniques for making Mendocino Crossings a sustainable and green development, including use of renewable energy. This is consistent with the owner's commitment to solar power, who earlier this year announced the largest solar distributed generation program of its kind at more than 200 of its shopping centers. With the poor economy and unemployment skyrocketing, Mendocino County needs to find ways to stimulate the local economy and create jobs. Economists also estimate that Measure A will create more than 700 new jobs at various wage levels, plus several hundred additional jobs during construction. Mendocino Crossings will provide opportunities for local jobs for local residents. Measure A allows small manufacturing businesses at the site in addition to retail and residential, creating a true smart growth project. Join us and Vote Yes on Measure A. For more information please log on to http://www.VoteYesOnMeasureA.com. s/ Daniel Rosales President, Mendocino County Tomorrow s/ Dan Edwards President, Mendocino County Deputy Sheriff's Association s/ John Pinches s/ Robin F. Collier Small Business Owner, Ukiah Resident s/ Sam Ware RTD. Former Bus. Owner, Fort Bragg Resident Rebuttal to Arguments For REBUTTAL TO THE ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE A Don't be fooled by empty promises and false claims. Nothing is more important to Mendocino County than our quality of life, our environment and our local economy. We can have good jobs without sacrificing environmental quality and our community character. It makes no sense to rezone prime industrial sites needed for forest products manufacturing, renewable energy, green building technology and other manufacturing uses. We already have plenty of land appropriately zoned and ready for Costco and other large retailers. Economic studies indicate Measure A will reduce sales at existing local businesses and actually cause a net loss of 280 local jobs, plus the future loss of industrial jobs that pay far better than retail. Measure A is so poorly defined the 9111 Study says any tax benefits to Mendocino County or Redevelopment are "purely hypothetical and impossible to address in an accurate manner." But we know Measure A will allow a huge "conceptual" project with no environmental review, no public hearings, no public comment and no conditions. There is no guarantee problems will be identified or fixed by the developer. Measure A doesn't require the developer to use renewable energy, green building techniques or sustainable practices. The developer has already said they will not build any manufacturing or residential units on the site. The developers who wrote Measure A claim their application was rejected by Mendocino County but they never submitted a completed application. Protect local control of our economy, our future, our environment, and our quality of life. Please vote "NO" on Measure A. NoOnA.com for more information. s/ Douglas F. Crane Pres, Crane of Ukiah, Bldg & Eng. Contractor & City of Ukiah City Council Member s/ Rachel Binah Retired Coastal Business Owner Environmental Caucus Chair emeritus s/ Dave Turner Vice Mayor of Fort Bragg / Local Business Owner s/ Shannon Riley Ukiah Business-owner / Ukiah Main St. Program Executive Boardmember / SOLE Treasurer s/ Art Harwood Forest Landowner 23A4

Measure A evades all environmental review, public hearings, public comment, and local regulations everyone must follow, including the requirement that developers must pay to fix the problems they cause. COUNTY TAXPAYERS COULD BE STUCK PAYING MILLIONS + Measure A will create traffic gridlock that will cost $20+ million to fix with NO guarantee the developer will pay for that or other expensive problems with sewer, traffic, air quality, and more. All County taxpayers will suffer the consequences or get the bill for what the developer doesn't fix. Measure A was paid for by a giant Ohio based multi-national development corporation to approve 310 pages written by them for a huge "conceptual" project. Their Measure A says: "All uses, site plans and descriptions are conceptual...and subject to change." There is NO guarantee they will build anything, and if they do, no one can say what it will be. MEASURE A IS NOT NEEDED +There are over 100 acres of land already zoned for large retail in the Ukiah Valley and a need for only 218,000 square feet of new retail countywide by 2025. Measure A foolishly converts a prime industrial site to low wage retail. A glut of retail will come at the expense of existing local businesses and local jobs, hurting communities countywide. If Measure A passes, it will encourage other corporations to write their own initiatives for properties like the Georgia Pacific Mill or Remco sites without community input. Noyo Harbor could be rezoned for onshore support for offshore oil drilling with NO environmental review. Measure A is bad for local business, bad public policy, and bad for our future. That's why the City Councils of Fort Bragg, Point Arena and Ukiah all unanimously urge: "Vote NO on Measure A" Protect local control, our local economy and our future. Stop corporate special privileges. Support equal treatment for all. Vote "NO" on Measure A s/ Carre Brown First District Supervisor s/ John McCowen Second District Supervisor s/ Kendall Smith Forth District Supervisor s/ J. David Colfax Fifth District Supervisor Rebuttal to Arguments Against REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE A Now that Measure A has qualified for the ballot, Supervisors are telling Developers Diversified Realty (DDR) to go through the planning process + Yet it's a process that has no end. That's why DDR is taking the Mendocino Crossings proposal directly to voters. THE FACTS: DDR submitted an application to the County for Mendocino Crossings 4 years ago. The County didn't process the application + saying Mendocino County needed to complete the Ukiah Valley Area Plan (UVAP) and UVAP Environmental Review under CEQA. In the meantime, DDR held 21 community meetings asking for input to find out exactly what the public wanted at the former Masonite site. From these meetings DDR updated their plans to include what the community requested + creating a sustainable, smart growth, mixed-use project + one that provides light industrial for manufacturing, retail for large membership warehouse stores, multifamily and live-work residential, restaurants and entertainment uses. A revised application was filed in 2008. Again, the UVAP EIR was delayed. DDR continued asking the County to process their application + the County continued not to act. State law will ensure all required environmental studies are completed if Measure A passes. DDR will fund all Measure A mitigation measures including traffic improvements. Additionally, the County's own report states that Mendocino Crossings has its own deep water well. Opponents are using scare tactics and misleading statements to stop Measure A. Don't be misled. Measure A is about local shopping, keeping tax revenues local and creating more than 700 jobs. Vote Yes on A. s/ John Pinches s/ Jim R. Wattenburger Former Dist. 2 Supervisor s/ Al Beltrami Former County CEO s/ Richard Moser Former Mendocino County Planning Commissioner s/ Randy W. Huffman Owner, Agwood Mill & Lumber 23A5

Full Text of Measure A

AN INITIATIVE TO ENACT A GENERAL PLAN AND ZONING CODE AMENDMENT, AND MIXED-USE SPECIFIC PLAN FOR THE FORMER SITE OF THE MASONITE FACILITY Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of this Initiative is to enact the Mendocino Crossings Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan for the former site of the Masonite facility in order to increase Mendocino County's economic base and to meet future mix of commercial and residential housing needs, and to amend the General Plan and Inland Zoning Code to accommodate same. The Specific Plan is designed to: 1) Create jobs by providing for a mix of land uses including large and small retail, commercial, office, light industrial that will create a variety of new job opportunities at various wage levels; 2) Keep sales tax revenue in the County by providing new retail opportunities; 3) Provide increased funding for public services and schools through the property and sales taxes generated by the project; 4) Allow for residential units with the retail and commercial uses to create a walkable live-work community; 5) Incorporate solar energy technology into the Specific Plan area; 6) Reduce environmental impacts and conserve energy through green building techniques and other mitigation measures; 7) Conserve and enhance County water resources by providing an independent water source to serve the Specific Plan area; 8) Incorporate detention ponds and bio-swales to capture storm water runoff; 9) Accommodate public transportation to bring people to the project and to the City of Ukiah from the surrounding region; 10) Provide pathways and bicycle storage areas to encourage alternative modes of transportation. Section 2. General Plan Amendment. The General Plan of the County of Mendocino is amended as set forth in Exhibit A (copies available from County-Clerk-Elections office or online at http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us + Assessor-Clerk-Recorder - Mendocino County Tomorrow + Measure A) and incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. The full text of Exhibit A commences on page A-1 of this petition. (Proposed deletions from the existing text of the Mendocino County General Plan are shown in strikethrough text; proposed additions are shown in underlined text.) Section 3. Amendment to the Inland Zoning Code, Division I of Title 20. The Inland Zoning Code of the County of Mendocino is amended by adding Section 20.138.025 to Chapter 20.138, to provide as follows (proposed additions to FULL TEXT OF MEASURE A + Continued the text of the Inland Zoning Code are shown in underlined text): Section 20.138.025 "P-2": Mendocino Crossings Mixed- Use Masonite Specific Plan. The P-2 Mendocino Crossing Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan shall apply to the area covering Assessor Parcels 170-170-04, 05 and 12; 170-190-02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 09, 14 and 15. Section 4. Adoption of Mendocino Crossings Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan. The Mendocino Crossings Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan is hereby adopted. The full text of the Mendocino Crossings Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan is set forth in Exhibit B (copies available from County-Clerk-Elections office or online at http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us + Assessor-Clerk-Recorder - Mendocino County Tomorrow + Measure A) and incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. The full text of Exhibit B commences on page B-1 of this petition. (The language of the proposed Specific Plan is entirely new.) Section 5. Implementation. A) Effective Date. This Initiative shall be effective as provided in section 9122 of the California Elections Code. Upon the effective date of this Initiative, its provisions amending the General Plan of the County of Mendocino are hereby inserted into the General Plan as an amendment thereof, except that if the four amendments of the mandatory elements of the General Plan that are permitted by State law for any given calendar year have already been utilized in the calendar year in which the Initiative becomes effective, this General Plan amendment shall be the first amendment inserted in the County's General Plan on January 1 of the next year. Upon the effective date of this Initiative, any provisions of the County's Zoning Code or Zoning Maps or other ordinances and policies affected by this Initiative that are inconsistent with the General Plan amendments adopted by this Initiative shall not be enforced to the extent of such inconsistency. B) Reconciliation of Provisions. The Mendocino County General Plan in effect on the date of the filing of the Notice of Intent to Circulate this Initiative petition ("Filing Date"), and that General Plan as amended by this Initiative, comprise an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the County. In order to ensure that the County's General Plan remains an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the County as required by State law, and to ensure that the actions of the voters in enacting this Initiative are given effect, any provisions of the General Plan or Maps, Zoning Code or Zoning Maps, or other ordinances or policies 23A1 FULL TEXT OF MEASURE A + Continued affected by this Initiative shall be amended as soon as possible and in the manner and time required by state law to ensure consistency with the provisions adopted by this Initiative. C) Interim Amendments. The Mendocino County General Plan in effect on the date of the filing of the Notice of Intent to Circulate this Initiative petition ("Filing Date"), and that the General Plan as amended by this Initiative, comprise an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the County. In order to ensure that the County's General Plan remains an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the County as required by State law, and to ensure that the actions of the voters in enacting this Initiative are given effect, any provision of the General Plan that is adopted between the Filing Date and the date that the General Plan is amended by this Initiative shall, to the extent that such interim-enacted provision is inconsistent with the General Plan amendments adopted by this Initiative, be amended as soon as possible and in the manner and time required by state law to ensure consistency between the provisions adopted by this Initiative and other elements of the County's General Plan. Section 6. Interpretation & Severability. This Initiative shall be interpreted so as to be consistent with all federal and state laws, rules, and regulations. If any section, sub-section, sentence, clause, phrase, part, or portion of this Initiative, is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Initiative. The voters hereby declare that this Initiative, and each section, sub-section, sentence, clause, phrase, part or portion thereof would have been adopted or passed even if one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, parts, or portions are declared invalid or unconstitutional. If any provision of this Initiative is held invalid as applied to any person or circumstance, such invalidity shall not affect any application of this Initiative that can be given effect without the invalid application. This Initiative shall be broadly construed in order to achieve the purposes stated in the Initiative. Section 7. Effect of Other Measures on Same Ballot. This Initiative adopts General Plan amendments, Inland Zoning Code amendments, and the Mendocino Crossings Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan for the site of the former Masonite facility, Assessor Parcels 170-170-04, 05 and 12; 170-190-02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 09, 14 and 15. By voting for this Initiative, the voters expressly declare their intent that any other measures which appear on the same ballot as this Initiative and relate to the general plan designation, zoning, or FULL TEXT OF MEASURE A + Continued permitted uses on the site of the former Masonite facility, Assessor Parcels 170-170-04, 05 and 12; 170-190-02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 09, 14 and 15, or which purport to amend or limit any provision of this Initiative, or allow uses incompatible with this Initiative, shall be deemed to conflict with the entire cohesive scheme adopted by this Initiative. Because of this conflict, if this Initiative and any such other measure receive a majority of votes by the voters voting thereon at the same election, then the measure receiving the most votes in favor shall prevail and no provision of the other measures shall take effect. Section 8. Amendment. Except as provided in the Mendocino Crossing Mixed-Use Masonite Specific Plan, this Initiative may be amended only by a majority vote of the voters of Mendocino County. 23A2