Archive » May 18, 2007

Williamson Act Program in Jeopardy

  I have spent some time in my column here talking about issues that impact the Valley and necessarily, many of them have to do with agriculture since the majority of the land is still used for that purpose. For those people not involved in that industry, the primary, most obvious value of that activity is the lack of development and the incredible vistas provided at every turn of the road. A serious threat to all of that now exists with the announcement received today from the Governor’s office that in the May Budget Revision, the Williamson Act Subvention funding is proposed to be permanently eliminated. The Williamson Act program is a contract between an agricultural landowner and the local government where the landowner agrees for a rolling ten year period to keep the property in agriculture. In exchange for that agreement, there is a reduction in property taxes for that landowner for that period of time. The elimination of the Subvention funding means that the $39.1 million that cities and counties have been receiving from the state since 1971 to replace funds lost by AG property tax reduction, will, in the future, not be replaced. Despite encouragement from the Governor for cities and counties to continue the Williamson Act program to protect active agricultural lands from development, it is almost assuredly the death knell for this very constructive program.  This move will impact 16 plus million acres of land in the state which is 40% of the privately owned land, a potentially huge negative impact.

With budget crunches evident not only on the State level but also the local level, it is hard to imagine that Santa Barbara County will be willing to absorb the loss of dollars this program represents. What can we do to ensure that agriculture is supported to reduce the threat of development? We all need to write, call or email our representatives and the Governor to tell them that without this program, many in agriculture will no longer be able to provide the healthy, inexpensive food, fiber and medicine we have come to rely on. This message needs to be heard from all corners as soon as possible to prevent this enormously important program from being discarded.

 Is this Really the Government's Job?

Imagine a landowner getting a notice from the Department of Agriculture and Food fining them for not removing certain designated weeds from their property. Such is a reality in Ireland under The Noxious Weeds Act which “provides for penalties for convicted offenders” who do not remove specific “weeds” from a list of offending plants. Those listed in The Dublin Times ad include ragwort, thistle, dock and wild oat. Farmers and ranchers in the Santa Ynez Valley would be in a lot of trouble if they had to remove thistle and wild oats from their land since there is a lot of both in the pastures and on the sides of the road. Cattle love to eat the wild oats and young tender flowers of the thistle plant are also a delicacy they enjoy. Although there are many cattle in Ireland, not to mention even more sheep who no doubt enjoy a similar range of plant food, it seems odd that a government agency is dictating what foods they will be allowed to eat. Perhaps there is some overriding issue that we are not familiar with here, but it seems that one’s ability and responsibility to take care of one’s own land is being subsumed under the authority of the State. Keeping track and control of noxious weeds is important here in the Valley as well and many tax dollars in recent years have been spent in trying to positively impact what seems like a never-ending battle.

Unfortunately, what is a weed to one person is a garden favorite to another. Such is the case of pampas grass and ice plant, which for many years have been planted along highways and in gardens throughout the County. Now, taxpayers are paying to have these plants removed because some individual has decided that they are not “native” and, therefore, must be removed. It is my experience that many “native” plants are not as hardy as hybrids which creates a real dilemma. Do we try to plant as many “native” plants as possible to beautify our highways, or do we use materials like rocks and such that do not require extra water to survive? At what level is it appropriate for government to dictate what we plant and where? There seems, in recent years, for there to be a creeping hand in every part of our lives of government agencies that are only too happy to take control. There are those who abdicate their personal responsibility to public agencies because it is “so much easier” than for them to take charge of their own lives. If I recall correctly, it is precisely this thinking which made most previous generations of immigrants risk life and limb to reach the shores of the New World to avoid just this type of all-inclusive control by government. Are we to blithely ignore our own past and march to the same ideas we came here to escape?

 It's Not Free Speech!

There has been a lot of talk these days in the news media about free speech and First Amendment expressions in discussions about increasing incidents of inappropriate behavior in nightclubs and on talk shows. The scenario usually follows a similar pattern. First, the remarks are made, outrage is expressed, apologies are made and after either donations are made to some foundation or some therapy is administered, the whole thing is forgotten. Part of the discussion invariably involves how these remarks, however unfortunate, were really just one’s exercising of First Amendment rights.

You will not hear about this on any of the alphabet media stations, but a report on Fox News a couple of days ago really infuriated me and I think most would agree. Two radio persons, young men, were joking about raping three well-known, very high profile women and made numerous graphic remarks about how they would love to “see the expression on her face” as this was occurring. I have tried to be sensitive in describing this radio incident although it was very graphic in actual detail. While the young men were guffawing and giggling, I was struck with the realization that something profoundly horrible had happened. Although I only heard a report with many deletions and not the actual broadcast, I could not believe my ears. I could not believe that in the year 2007, there were still individuals who did not know that the act of rape was unadulterated violence and that it was akin to yelling “Fire” in a crowded theatre. There is NOTHING ever funny about rape. What was even more horrible to me was the resounding silence from the mainstream media! Was it because of the political affiliation of the women or was it because of the psyche of the mainstream media and those who support them? It occurs to me that if there was ever a case of someone needing psychological help, it was those two young men and perhaps the media as well. This is a serious change in our national consciousness if such behavior is now acceptable.

 Vail & Vickers, Santa Rosa Island Assaulted Again

There is an effort on the part of three California officials, Lois Capps, Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein to violate, once again, agreements between Congress and the Vail and Vickers Company over hunting on Santa Rosa Island. Many of you have followed the story of how the Vail and Vickers families who ranched on the island for over 100 years agreed to sell, under threat of condemnation, to the National Park Service for inclusion in the Channel Islands National Park with the condition that they be allowed to continue their ranching until the year 2011. The ink was barely dry on the agreement when various government agencies, as chronicled in the Santa Barbara News Press by then Acting Superintendent Tim Setnicka, conspired together to remove the cattle operation off the island. With the help of local environmentalists, the Environmental Defense Center, the National Parks and Conservation Association, a lawsuit ensued against the Park Service. The resulting agreement which destroyed the cattle operation with no compensation to the owners also had provisions regarding the deer and elk which remained on the island.

Capps, Boxer and Feinstein are now trying to with Bill S.1209, once again by virtue of mis-information, dismantle the agreement reached by all parties. This bill mandates the slaughter of healthy deer and elk herds on the island. An act of Congress apparently doesn’t mean anything to them and, if they are successful in their effort to deny Vail and Vickers their rights, it is a sad day indeed.

There is not enough space here to fully describe all of the events occurring at this time but please look to our website to give you further information. Representatives of  V&V are going to Washington, D.C. this week to give Congress a true story of what is going on since our own representative, apparently, are unable to. A complete text of their testimony will be on the website including a letter from Congressman Robert Lagomarsino, who sponsored the legislation in Congress including Santa Rosa Island regretting what is happening and reprints of the Setnicka expose of the breaking of the first agreement with Vail and Vickers. I believe you will find it fascinating reading. And what does this have to do with the Santa Ynez Valley, you may ask? My middle name is Vickers.

 It Looks Like Summer

The sun is warm, the grass is golden, the calves are growing, the foals are all here and healthy so it must be summer. From the looks of things, we’ll be celebrating summer for a long time this year, but who’s complaining. There are so many things to do here in the Valley and its environs! There are bikes to ride, picnics to enjoy, sunsets to watch and the annual festivals to attend. Now that we are weekly, we look forward to bringing you even more coverage of all of the great events which take place so close to home. Make sure you let us know if you have a celebration you would like the Valley to know about. While there are always issues of concern for us to think about, there are so many enjoyable activities to participate in. The only real problem is having to choose which one to attend! Have a good week!