City of Marina Community Reports   This community report was written by a student from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), as part of a volunteer program at LandWatch. The purpose of this collaboration is to engage students in their local communities, and to stimulate their interest in and knowledge about local land use issues. Participants in this program research issues and attend meetings in various communities in Monterey County, reporting on important agenda items and other items of interest. Community reports are written from the student's point of view, and do not necessarily represent the official position of LandWatch Monterey County. LandWatch is committed to offer information to the public, and we are happy to make our website available for these student perspectives. Please enjoy the following community reports from the various communities of Monterey County. Marina Made Visible Submitted by Sondra Schreibman Some scientists believe that time is solid, unbending. Although many people will tell you that time on a busy, cosmopolitan street moves much faster than on a warm, green pasture. In a city, time seems to move fast, like the trains that innovative technologies have brought to the ever more frantic masses, while time in the country seems to pass more slowly. The City of Marina is not exactly a pasture. The many modern shops and well-kept main streets are evident of the city's positive attitude toward development. The atmosphere, however, is still one that seems slow paced. Just a breath away from the main road, quaint houses are reminiscent of the languid poetry used by John Steinbeck that gives way to picturesque fields and bountiful pastures. The city of Marina may not serve state of the art coffee, but the community has maintained the friendly small town environment where I am sure that neighbors and community members would accommodate the desperately decaffeinated with a cup of homemade brew, if asked nicely. Though seemingly timeless, the fate of these fields, and of the modest way of life was, just recently, caught in controversy. In a landmark election, held last November, the country ushered in a new president just as the citizens of Marina adopted a controversial new land use doctrine: Measure E. For those unfamiliar with the politics in Marina, Measure E passed by a majority of the voters [53% to 47%] established an Urban Growth Boundary, or UGB. The open space within this boundary, namely the Armstrong Ranch, is protected from over-development for the next twenty years. Just recently LandWatch, one of the active participants in the drafting of Measure E, was presented with a lawsuit, by the city and against Measure E. I am not experienced in the workings of politics, but this action seems very strange. The city is suing a private organization for supporting a law that the people voted to pass? This seems, for lack of any other vocabulary, counter-democratic. A democracy is a delicate system, dependent on the participation of all of the people within, regardless of fame or fortune. In a democracy, the majority is king, and each individual controls an equal portion of the throne. When the will of the king is countered by the whim of the civil servants, democracy crumbles and may be upheld only as a banner. In recent years, it seems that the elected officials grow more boisterous as the people grow more suspicious. This lawsuit filed by the city only encourages this very type of frustrated surrender. In the coming weeks my partner David and I intend to gather through interviews, conversation and observation, a picture of the pieces of the throne of Marina, so that the nature of this lawsuit, and of this city, will be made visible to all those who care to see.   You can contact Sondra Schreibman at: Sondra_Schreibman@monterey.edu  [Return to Community Reports]
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