This opinion was contributed by Jordan Blancarte of the Yes on Measure D Committee. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artÃculo en español aqui.
My name is Jordan Blancarte. I’m a local farmer and helping lead the Yes on Measure D Committee. I moved to San Benito in 2019 to work land my family has owned for nearly 30 years. While many residents can trace their roots here far deeper than I can, I have learned to love this county and call it home.
My path here was not a straight line. Before farming, I studied and researched magnetospheric physics. That might seem like a strange pivot, but the two have more in common than you might think. At their core, both physicists and farmers are problem solvers. And every day on a farm brings something new, whether it is a burst underground water line, broken equipment, or shifting crop prices. Farmers adapt. That is what drew me to this life.
Agriculture is deeply embedded in San Benito’s identity, but holding onto that identity is getting harder. Last year alone, the county’s crop report showed farmed acreage decreased by more than 3,000 acres, citing housing and commercial development as drivers behind that decline. When farmers face thin margins on traditional crops, the offers from developers get harder to turn down. Measure D gives farmers another option.
I would ask you to set aside how you feel about cannabis for a moment and look at what the measure actually does. It will come as no surprise that our county needs new revenue. Roads need repair, we need stronger fire protection, and law enforcement resources remain stretched. At the same time, residents already feel the weight of taxes in today’s economic climate.
Measure D helps change that equation. It gives farmers a viable crop to grow, and the ones who choose to grow it pay the tax. The County Auditor-Controller projects that Measure D could generate up to $20 million annually by 2028, without raising taxes on residents.
A Yes vote does not loosen the rules the Board of Supervisors put in place. It simply fixes the cultivation tax rate so farmers can participate. And the county can finally start collecting revenue from a system that has produced zero dollars since 2018.
On the cannabis question: whether you like it or not, whether it is grown here or not, Measure D will not change adults’ access to cannabis. That is decided at the state level. But if we want a say in how this industry is regulated, we have to participate in it. Policymakers listen to the counties at the table, not the ones who walk away from it. San Benito deserves that seat.
To me, this is a practical choice. We can leave the system as it is today, collecting nothing, or we can adjust the rate so it actually works. That gives farmers a workable path, gives the county revenue, and asks nothing more from residents.
Vote Yes on Measure D.
Jordan Blancarte
Yes on Measure D Committee
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