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NINTH CIRCUIT RULES 14-1 CITIZEN PETITIONS NEED NOT BE TRANSLATED
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"The full Court of Appeal's opinion emphatically rejected the argument that privately circulated initiative, referendum, and recall petitions must be translated into Spanish under the VRA," said Fred Woocher, an attorney with Strumwasser and Woocher, who argued the case on behalf of LandWatch and other plaintiffs. "There is obviously no longer any basis for the County to claim otherwise. Furthermore, there is no legal basis for the County to delay moving forward with the elections on the qualified petitions – one an initiative to amend the county General Plan and one a referendum overturning approval of Rancho San Juan."
Click here to read the full press release... |
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STATUS OF INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM CAMPAIGNS |
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LandWatch needs your financial support to fight the County’s latest proposal
for a County General Plan (GPU 4) - a recipe for sprawling development,
which will pave over thousands of acres in Monterey County. The Butterfly
Village/Rancho San Juan Referendum and the Community General Plan Initiative
will NOT be on the November ballot! Four members of the Board are
determined to approve GPU4 before our measures make it to the ballot, and we
must leave no stone unturned in our effort to stop them! Click this link to
read how you can help.
Read more on the status of the initiative and referendum campaigns... |
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CITY OF SALINAS AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING |
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LandWatch strongly objects to the MOU and reprimands the Board of
Supervisors and the Salinas City Council
for failing to represent the public interest. Their official actions should
advance public interests. The so-called “Greater Salinas Area Memorandum of
Understanding,” which comes out of discussions behind closed doors, from a
series of so-called “litigation” sessions, has very little, if anything, to
do with the Environmental Impact Report issues that are at the heart of the
City of Salinas lawsuit on the Rancho San Juan EIR, and which are the only
issues that the Board or the Council could legitimately have discussed in a
closed session.
Read our letter to the Board of
Supervisors and the City of Salinas... |
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THE GENERAL PLAN IS A DISASTER |
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LandWatch Monterey County is reviewing the latest draft of the County
General Plan (GPU4). GPU4 fails to provide build-out data, a fundamental
requirement in a general plan. Not only does GPU4 fail to integrate
important plan elements, important policies among the elements are
dramatically inconsistent. In short, GPU4 is a planning disaster!
Read
our comment letter to the County Planning Commissioners... |
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Few debates in the U.S. are more emotionally charged than the one over
sprawl -- the exodus, since World War II, of America's middle class from
cities to far-flung residential areas. Environmentalists, small farmers, and
social-justice activists deplore sprawl for its unhealthy effects on land
and communities. Suburbanites bristle at the attacks on their personal
choices -- the desire for safety, good schools, and a piece of land.
Read an interview with smart growth expert Anthony Flint... |
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SUPERVISORS RUSH GENERAL PLAN |
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County Supervisors appear poised to rush yet another project through the
approval process. But this time, it’s not a single development. It’s the
general plan, the county’s 20-year blueprint for future growth.
“It’s hugely disappointing that the Board of Supervisors wants to repeat the
same mistakes as last time,” says Planning Commissioner Keith Vendevere.
Read Jessica Lyons’ report in the Monterey County Weekly... |
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SEPTEMBER RANCH MOVING AHEAD |
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LandWatch is keeping a close eye on the controversial September Ranch
project in Carmel Valley. It is currently moving through the planning
process. LandWatch wrote a detailed comment letter to the Planning
Commission urging them to delay the hearing to provide adequate time for the
public to review the FEIR and staff report. The Final Environmental Impact
report was released just three days before the scheduled hearing.
Read
our comment letter on September Ranch... |
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INITIATIVE IN FLORIDA FOR LAND USE CHANGES |
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A very interesting initiative has won unanimous approval from the Supreme
Court in Florida. It is called the Hometown Democracy Amendment. It will
put the voters back in charge of the places where they live by requiring
that certain land use changes be submitted to the local electorate for
approval.
Learn more about this initiative their website... |
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Your financial support of LandWatch Monterey County is critical and important to the future of our community. If you clicked on the letter regarding the Status of the Initiative and the Referendum you understand what is happening with the planning process in Monterey County and why the work of LandWatch is so important. Your financial contribution to LandWatch allows us to make sure that Monterey County will have a responsible General Plan that is good for the local economy, protects the environment, and accomplishes our social equity goals. Please give as generously as you can. Thank you.
Contribute to LandWatch here... |
