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Board directs staff to begin Measure A general‑plan amendments and sets moratorium rules, appoints cost policy for election funding
Summary
After voters approved Measure A, the board voted unanimously to begin general plan amendments, seek quotes for CEQA and consulting work, adopt a moratorium template with exemptions, and require applicants to pay special-election costs while reserving board discretion on regular-election funding.
After San Benito County voters approved the “Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions” initiative (Measure A), the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 11 voted 5–0 to begin the formal implementation steps the initiative requires.
Staff summary and next steps: Principal Planner Ariel Goodspeed and other planning staff summarized Measure A and the county’s implementation obligations. Measure A adds voter-approval requirements for certain land‑use redesignations affecting unincorporated agricultural, rural and rangeland areas, and it preserves a set of limited exemptions (for example, redesignations needed to comply with state housing law that meet specified findings). The initiative’s effective date was 10 days after certification; staff advised that Measure A’s new processes apply retroactively to actions after March 1, 2024 for planning and that some existing applications may now be subject to the voter-approval requirement.
Board direction and vote: The board voted unanimously to: (1) initiate a general plan amendment to incorporate Measure A’s language into the 2035 General Plan and related zoning code changes; (2) obtain quotes and scope for outside consultants to perform the necessary CEQA review and technical work; (3) prepare a model ordinance requiring project applicants to bear the cost of any special election called to satisfy Measure A, while reserving the board’s discretion to consider funding a measure if it is scheduled on a regular election; (4) create a public-facing Q&A/handout for applicants and the public; and (5) consider adoption of a temporary moratorium on new applications subject to Measure A while staff completes the general-plan amendments, with an explicit exemption for projects already in the application pipeline as of Dec. 20, 2024. The board also directed staff to return with an implementation timeline and cost estimates. The motion passed 5–0.
Why it matters: Measure A changes the county’s land‑use process by requiring voter approval for certain re‑designations of agricultural and rangeland and for new or expanded landfills. Implementation requires planning and legal work, public outreach, and coordination with the county elections office; staff warned a special election can add several hundred thousand dollars to a project’s cost if one is requested.
