Why I Support the Community Separator Initiative on the Ballot This November

After months of discussions and exploring modifications, I have decided to support the Sonoma County community separator initiative that is on the ballot this November.

This issue has been deeply perplexing for. I believe in limiting urban growth and maintaining vital green belts around Sonoma County’s nine small cities. My advocacy on behalf of preserving public spaces and ecologically sensible stewardship began with a successful battle to preserve a New York City park from privatization more than 35 years ago. Over the years, I have volunteered to help community groups design parks, preserve green space, sustain free assembly, regulate noise and air pollution, reduce waste and encourage alternatives to burning fossil fuels. Much of the current work that my company, Progressive Source Communications, involves countering climate change and fighting the ominous Monsanto Doctrine and the poisoning of our food, soil and water.

But I also believe in creating affordable and attainable housing, which was my only reason for questioning the green belt renewal. For this reason, during the past months I have joined a small group of fellow housing activists in lobbying to amend the community separator initiative to allow our Supervisors to create, on a case-by-case basis, at least a few low- and moderate-income non-profit small home communities on less than 1% of the land of the soon-to-be-enlarged community separator zone.

This exemption, however, was not supported by the initiative's advocates, or by any other elected officials or candidates for Supervisor in my district: Lynda Hopkins, Noreen Evans, Marion Chase, Tim Sargent or Tom Lynch. Moreover, friends and allies were alarmed that an affordable-housing zoning variance could widen into loopholes and eventually overrun the green spaces that so many have fought for so long to preserve.

So I have concluded that our community will need to work to create innovative new housing initiatives elsewhere. For starters, I believe we need to modify zoning and permitting requirements in areas outside of the green belt and open spaces in order to respond effectively and with an open heart to the many moderate-income members of our community who no longer can afford to remain in (or have their children return to) Sonoma County.

And while we do, we will maintain and expand the green belts around our wonderful cities, an initiative that I now fully support.

Whew. That's a relief.