The campaign to defeat Measure J announced that it has secured the endorsements from the San Benito Farm Bureau, Cattlemen’s Association and other agricultural and business organizations in San Benito County.
“Leading agricultural and business organizations are actively opposing Measure J because they understand it is a ploy by outsiders to create a fake debate to advance their own political agenda,” said Kristina Chavez Wyatt, spokeswoman for the No on Measure J campaign. “Measure J has been pushed on our county by the same folks who fought a solar energy farm in South County and whose real objective is to shut down our county’s small but important energy industry.”
According to the ballot measure language, Measure J would amend the General Plan to “ban high-intensity petroleum operations (such as hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, acid well stimulation, and cyclic steam injection, but not low-intensity petroleum operations) throughout all unincorporated areas, and all petroleum operations in residential general plan designations of Rural, Rural Transitional, Rural Residential, Rural/Urban, and Sphere of Influence Rural/Urban.”
“Its supporters are misleadingly portraying it as a ban on one controversial type of oil and gas drilling—hydraulic fracturing, or fracking,” Chavez Wyatt said in a press release. “But fracking isn’t even used, proposed or planned in San Benito County. In reality, Measure J bans virtually all drilling practices used in San Benito County. It would result in a shutdown of energy operations here and eliminate an important source of jobs, revenue for vital public services, and the ability of farmers, ranchers and other landowners to benefit from their mineral rights.”
According to Measure J opponents, agricultural and business organizations officially opposing the measure are:
- San Benito County Farm Bureau
- Monterey County Farm Bureau
- California Women for Agriculture – Salinas Valley Chapter
- San Benito County Cattlemen’s Association
- San Benito County Cattlewomen’s Association
- San Benito County Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
- San Benito County Business Council