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San Diego County, California, Voter Approval of Density Increases Initiative (2018)
| San Diego County Voter Approval of Density Increases Initiative |
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| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 6, 2018 |
| Status: |
 Not on ballot
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| Topic: |
| Local zoning, land use and development |
| Related articles |
| Local zoning, land use and development on the ballot November 6, 2018 ballot measures in California San Diego County, California ballot measures Local property on the ballot |
| See also |
| San Diego County, California |
An initiative to require voter approval of amendments to the county's general plan that would increase density in unincorporated areas did not make the ballot for the November 6, 2018, election in San Diego County, California.[1]
| A yes vote would have been a vote in favor of requiring voters to approve any proposed changes to the San Diego County General Plan that would significantly impact density in unincorporated areas of the county. |
| A no vote would have been a vote against requiring voters to approve any proposed changes to the San Diego County General Plan that would significantly impact density in unincorporated areas of the county. |
The group San Diegans for Managed Growth launched the campaign for the initiative with the name Safeguard our San Diego Countryside Initiative. The initiative was designed to require a vote on any proposed amendments that would change the San Diego County General Plan and that would increase density significantly in undeveloped areas of the county.[2]
Text of measure
Full text
Read the full text of the initiative here.
Background
The San Diego County General Plan was updated in August 2011. The introduction refers to the document as "a framework for the future growth and development of the unincorporated areas of the County." The plan also states:[3]
| “ |
Compared to the previous General Plan, this update reduces housing capacity by 15 percent and shifts 20 percent of future growth from eastern backcountry areas to western communities. This change reflects the County’s commitment to a sustainable growth model that facilitates efficient development near infrastructure and services, while respecting sensitive natural resources and protection of existing community character in its extensive rural and semi‐rural communities.[4] |
” |
| —San Diego County General Plan | ||
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diegans for Managed Growth designed the initiative to maintain the requirements laid out in the general plan and to prevent the county board of supervisors from amending the plan without voter approval.[5]
Lawsuit
Grossmont Healthcare District board member Randy Lenac filed suit against San Diegans for Managed Growth in May 2018, alleging that the group had not complied with state finance laws. San Diegans for Managed Growth admitted that a reported $98,500 contribution to the Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside campaign should have more clearly indicated the source of the donation. The report stated that the donation had come from San Diegans for Managed Growth, though the group behind the donation was the Endangered Habitats League, which had filed a separate report. Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League, is a member of San Diegans for Managed Growth.[6]
Support
Proponents
San Diegans for Managed Growth led the campaign in favor of the initiative. The group titled the initiative Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside.
Diane Coombs, the president of San Diegans for Managed Growth, and Pam Slater-Price, former county board member, stated the following opinion in The San Diego Union-Tribune:[7]
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Deep-pocketed developers present a false choice, that the only way to get a roof over every head is to build sprawl-style developments in the middle of the countryside, where they’ve purchased land on the cheap with the hope of building it up for a handsome profit. ... Sprawl-style developments ensnarl traffic, increase air pollution and reduce the incentive to develop housing close to existing services, jobs and public transit. Sprawl projects add to taxpayer burdens by requiring the county to build and maintain roads and extend services to remote places. The General Plan preserves our iconic countryside, guarding against turning our region into another Los Angeles. It protects scenic vistas, natural areas and farms, which provide a reliable local food supply.[4] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
Matthew Adams, vice president of the Building Industry Association of San Diego, said that the initiative would prevent necessary housing developments from being built. He made the following statement in opposition to the initiative effort:[5]
| “ |
Everyone here is going to go home to their house, the house they already have, and they’re going to feel good about what they’re doing without thinking about the people who need housing and how expensive it is.[4] |
” |
Path to the ballot
Proponents of the initiative submitted over 107,000 signatures to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters on July 23, 2018, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The registrar needed to verify 67,837 valid signatures by August 10, 2018, to place the measure on the November 2018 ballot. The measure did not make the November 2018 ballot.[5][8][1]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 San Diego Registrar of Voters, "Local Measures for November 6, 2018," accessed August 17, 2018
- ↑ Valley Center Happenings, "San Diegans for Managed Growth Launch Initiative Campaign," January 24, 2018
- ↑ San Diego County, "San Diego County General Plan," accessed February 2, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Backcountry ballot initiative launched that could limit housing," January 24, 2018
- ↑ San Diego Union-Tribune, "Development initiative backers admit disclosure error," May 25, 2018
- ↑ San Diego Union-Tribune, "Why initiative helps prevent San Diego from becoming another L.A.," February 16, 2018
- ↑ The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Backcountry petitions turned in, probably too late for November ballot," July 23, 2018
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