Letter to the Editor, Napa Valley Register, May 4, by Pamela Jackson
I received a slick brochure recently that knocked my socks off. Opponents of Measure C changed their ballot arguments in a Napa County Superior Court settlement due to objectively false statements, yet this brochure makes it sound as if they won the suit. They did not. They paid $54,000 for their misstatements. Furthermore, the Superior Court did not validate the effects of Measure C.
Here are the “No on C” ballot arguments which were removed per the lawsuit:
1. “Measure C will outlaw future farming in the Ag Watershed;” (Absolutely not true.)
2. “Restrictions from Measure C will prevent property owners from … adding to one’s home” (Actually Measure C exempts a 150 foot radius around houses, more than an acre and a half.)
3. “Please join … Napa County Supervisors and Mayors in Napa County, who all oppose Measure C.” (No, not all of them oppose Measure C.)
4. “Measure C will reverse these protections by allowing 795 acres of oak woodlands to be removed—" (In truth, the 795 acre exemption supports, not reverses, the current protection.)
The brochures that Measure C opponents are stuffing in our mailboxes are shady and misleading. Evidently, there is truth in advertising but not in politics. Profit-motive driven behavior that trumps truth seems to be a profound problem in our national soul lately and it is becoming a threat to our democracy.
But let’s hope we can at least address this in our own backyard. If government won’t limit the greed that leads to the continued slashing of our forests then the solution has to come from the people.
The flyer tells us how far some members in the industry will go. They will deceive -- and that doesn’t set well with me. We need to stand up against big money, stand up for clean and adequate water for our children. The Valley will continue to prosper but let us at least keep the oak trees on the hillsides that replenish our aquifer. Measure C is a visionary compromise of vineyard development and our community’s water needs.
I’ve got my socks back on now; please vote yes on C with me.
Pamela Jackson
Napa