REPORT:
On November 6th, Oceanside voters will have
the opportunity to vote on a ballot measure that will impact our local economy for decades to come. Measure Y, more commonly referred to as the SOAR initiative, not only could have lasting economic impacts, but also would eliminate local farmland, encourage sprawling estate lot development in Oceanside’s backcountry, and make “ballot-box planning” land-use restrictions a reality in Oceanside. Measure Y would require voter approval for any change in the zoning of land currently designated for agricultural or open space. This takes away property rights from farms by making it cost prohibitive for farmers to mount a political campaign, not to mention the cost to the city taxpayers to hold an election. This past Spring, upon recognition of the potential detrimental effects of the measure, the Chamber commissioned Dr. Lynn Reaser of Point Loma Nazarene University to complete a study on the economic impact of Measure Y. The complete study is available for download at www.OceansideSoarStudy.com. According to Reaser’s report, Measure Y will fail on its core promise of protecting public recreational lands and open space “because most open space used for parks and recreational activities is City-owned and already requires a vote of the people for any zoning change.”
6 | Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Business Journal
MEASURE Y WOULD DEVASTATE FARMERS AND STALL ECONOMIC GROWTH Similarly, the claim that Measure Y will safeguard Oceanside farmland is false. In fact, Dr. Reaser’s study came to the opposite conclusion: “The Initiative will likely lead to the demise of active farms in Oceanside, with land either being left to go fallow or sold into large estates for the wealthy.” According to Chamber CEO, Scott Ashton, “This measure is not about saving open space or farms. Measure Y is simply an affront to property rights. It benefits a small group of estate owners at the expense of our farmers and the rest of our community.” Oceanside Farmers have deep concerns about the consequences of this measure. Neil Nagata, owner of Nagata Brothers Farms, Inc. in South Morro Hills, President of the San Diego Farm Bureau sees the initiative for what it truly is. “Measure Y doesn’t help agriculture, it hurts agriculture. Farmers must depend on land values as a significant part of how we borrow money to fund our farm. By stripping our property rights from us, [Measure] Y will actually hurt our ability to stay in business. Every burden that we add just makes it easier for foreign competition to move in and replace us. If farmers go bankrupt, we’d have to lay off employees, and the land won’t stay green. The decision would be to
Fall 2018 | www.oceansidechamber.com
