Creation of the Town of San Martin moves closer to becoming a long-awaited reality, thanks to Assembly member John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, author of AB 1602. This critical legislation has passed the state legislature and now awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. Without raising taxes or fees, this legislation provides newly incorporated towns with a larger share of current tax monies, thereby enhancing the financial feasibility of incorporation.
Residents of San Martin have dreamed of having a viable voice in the destiny of their own wonderful community for over five decades. The San Martin Neighborhood Alliance, Inc. (SMNA) took up the torch four years ago. Past attempts failed due to two obstacles. First, a community cannot incorporate if it infringes on the Sphere of Influence (SOI) of any other city. During prior attempts, Morgan Hill and Gilroy SOI lines met in the middle of San Martin. In the mid-80s, those lines were pulled back to create the San Martin Planning Boundary. This obstacle no longer exists. Second, a community can only incorporate if it has a strong enough tax-base to provide the same level of services currently provided — WITHOUT raising taxes. Past attempts did not have a sufficient tax-base. Passage of AB 1602, eliminates this obstacle.
The primary reason for incorporating San Martin is to gain local control of land use, growth, planning policy and other governmental activities. The five-member Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors currently makes all decisions for the unincorporated community. Residents of San Martin only account for 1 percent of the county’s population and only 5 percent of District 1 in which they reside. This makes it difficult for local opinions to influence policy decisions for the community of San Martin.
Incorporation of San Martin would create a local, politically accountable, governing body — a Town Council — to make decisions for this diverse, yet limited geographic area. The Town Council would be more visible, accessible and responsive to the wishes of local residents. Community residents would work with their locally elected Council to set policy and regulations and would be better able to voice its opinions on local issues.
San Martin is a unique part of unincorporated Santa Clara County and already has some of the key positive attributes of a town. The community has a name, a distinct geographic area, a variety of land uses and a positive working relationship with both bordering cities. Residents and business owners have true community spirit and are proud to be a part of San Martin. They should have the right to decide if they want to be legally recognized and represented in an incorporated Town.
SMNA encourages everyone to attend our monthly meetings; become better informed and provide your valuable input.
Sylvia Hamilton is the founder and current president of the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance. She is the chair of the Perchlorate Community Advisory Group. She’s lived in San Martin for 30 years and is a retired school teacher. She’s also a member of the Morgan Hill Times editorial board. Reach her at
sy*******@ho*****.com
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