No urgent need to develop Southeast Quad at this time

Dear Editor, This is clearly the generation of “me,” the richest generation, a self-centered generation that has lost its sense of world community. As nation we gobble up resources and distribute waste without consideration of any of those who will follow after. We give back very little. We are paying less tax than in 50 years, and it seems that richer you are the less you pay.

We insulate ourselves in a world that has no sense of reality. We have done a poor job in electing our leaders who often times are more interested in promoting and protecting their self-interests as opposed to the greater good of us all. Even our religious leaders have fallen, hiding abuse, promoting self-indulgence and living a life of hypocrisy. Our values are misaligned. Our priorities misplaced.

Today’s youth has lost hope. I see distress and despair and if this is America, I can’t imagine what it is like in third world countries. We read an article that a million people died in Somalia from starvation. So what do we do? We turn the page of the newspaper like it never happened. We know that many parts of our oceans are dead from the toxins, plastics and overfishing. Today, 99.9 percent of all species that have existed on Earth are extinct (www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/overview.html?gclid=COS6wPuV9K0CFeUaQgod7xWgvA). We have become a nation of great consumers and greed.

Greed is all around us and it is in Morgan Hill. I can’t see a greater example of greed when we look at the Southeast Quadrant, where the city wants to annex 1,200 county farmland acres into residential homes and other misguided developments. We have over 3,000 acres within the city limits that remain vacant. Annexation is unnecessary. This is not an issue of need as it is of want. None of this makes sense until you follow the money, because it has nothing to do about smart growth, preservation or even following our General Plan as it is about greed.

This council, the mayor and the administration have been unduly influenced by zealous developers and landowners. It’s an ugly relationship of false trades, a great deception, giving up prime agricultural land for development and passing it off as protection. It is like cutting off one of your legs and expect ing to walk. California’s climate allows us to grow nearly 24/7, and we grow it better than anywhere in the world so why deplete a precious resource?

If you think that there is plenty of land and water for agriculture – think again. Global climatic change is here. The deserts of the southwest are moving north. Farmland will become ever so precious. As water resources dwindle the nation and a world will face a mass human migration, drought, starvation and a depletion of precious resources. The current fight over oil will change to wars over water – that is not my opinion but the opinion of scientists around the world. Has anyone checked today’s weather? December was an historic dry month and this is one of the warmest winters on record. The trend of change is well documented.

So what does this city do? It is set to pave over a major and productive area of our county. It recently proposed an Agricultural Mitigation Policy that is a developer’s Magna Carta, it excessively allows for development that runs contrary to our General Plan, and state and county policies and the values of this community of slow and smart growth.

This plan is not being brought forth in an open process. The Planning Commission and others have been purposely excluded from comment or review. The council by a meager vote of three and the influence of millions in developer dollars can just do about anything that they want. The Assistant City Manager has said at recent workshop that the council will adopt an “aggressive” approval process of the plan. Why? I don’t understand why the rush.

This is such a game changer for our community. I believe selective members of this council want this to be approved and done before any of us have a chance to participate in the process, change or even stop it. It really is time for all of us to take notice and stop the unnecessary loss of productive and valuable farmland. And if you think this land is not productive, let me share with you otherwise.  I took several hundred photos of this green, lush and bountiful land over the late summer. Land that is actively farmed and productive nurtured by a wonderful aquifer than is the envy of many other communities. If you would like more information send me an email at

fa*******@ch*****.net











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I am asking all of you to help me and to help this community, to preserve what we have. It is for our future, our children and theirs. 

Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill