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Despite concerns about its impact, the San Benito County Planning Commission reluctantly voted on May 21 to amend the county’s General Plan to incorporate Measure A, the initiative passed by voters last year that reshaped how the county makes land use decisions.
Though the vote was largely procedural, commissioners used the moment to discuss the measure’s long-term effects.
Passed by voters on Nov. 5, Measure A aims to halt commercial development in the county’s unincorporated area unless it’s approved by a countywide vote. Since December, any proposal to rezone agricultural, rural or rangeland to commercial use—often the first step in building any project—must be placed on the ballot. The initiative also eliminated four locations along Hwy 101 that the county had selected for commercial development.
Commissioner Robert Scagliotti called Measure A “a very bad thing for the county.”
“It strips us of any opportunities to bring in business and industry,” he said. “It hamstrings us; it’s a very, very poor decision.”
In January, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors set the ground rules for implementing the measure. They decided that elections will be held after a project completes its environmental studies and has been approved by both the Planning Commission and supervisors. They also determined that developers—not the county—must pay for those elections, unless the supervisors explicitly agree to fund them.
Associate Planner Jonathan Olivas said that Measure A applies only to projects that had not received any form of approval by Dec. 20, 2024, the date the initiative took effect. “If something was previously approved by the Planning Commission or the board, it is considered to have its vested rights and therefore could continue as approved,” he said.
That means projects without approvals, such as the Ag Center—a truck service building, refueling station, cold storage facility and large convenience store proposed along Hwy 101—would fall under Measure A.
Olivas and Principal Planner Arielle Goodspeed also noted that housing projects meeting state-mandated requirements are exempt from the measure.
“It basically stripped us of anything that would have made us money,” Scagliotti said. “It stripped us of commercial and industrial things out there on Hwy 101 that could have brought money to this community ”
Commissioners Robert Gibson and Bobbie Thomason echoed Scagliotti’s concerns. When the moment came to make a motion, none of the commissioners moved to approve the recommendation. Scagliotti even asked how he could vote against it.
Sean Cameron, the lawyer who provides legal counsel to the Planning Commission, recommended the commissioners voice their opinions but vote in favor. Since Measure A has already been approved by voters, the commission’s vote to include it in the General Plan was just a formality. “Otherwise, you’ll be in a tough spot,” Cameron told the commissioners.
After saying that there was no other way, Commissioner Vincent Ringheden made a motion to approve, which was supported by all the commissioners.
“It is not good for our county,” Thomason said when casting her vote. “We can’t bring in money, and that’s ridiculous.”
The amendment will now go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval at a future meeting.
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