With the governor’s signature late last month on AB 1602,
communities like San Martin that want to incorporate now have an
even playing field – for a while. San Martin residents should seize
this opportunity
One hundred years ago today, the town of Morgan Hill incorporated despite concerns from several early settlers. But the majority of those who voted on that historic occasion on Nov. 10, 1906, felt that becoming a self-governing municipality would give them more control over what their community would become in future years.
Just like Morgan Hill did a century ago, today San Martin seems to be getting closer to its dream of cityhood. With the governor’s signature in September on AB 1602, communities like San Martin that want to incorporate now have an even playing field – for a while. We urge San Martin residents to seize this opportunity.
Communities that are considering incorporating as cities must first meet the state’s requirement that they prove that they can pay for basic municipal services currently provided by the county government, like police and fire protection and road maintenance.
However, after the state’s dramatic reduction of vehicle license fees in 2004, communities have not been able to meet this standard. In fact, no new cities have incorporated in the state since the VLF was reduced.
Sponsored by Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), whose 27th district includes the unincorporated hamlet of about 8,000 residents, AB 1602 restores funding to enable new city incorporations.
“This bill restores a sense of fairness to the funding allocations that are critical for communities seeking self determination as cities,” Laird said of the bill that expires in 2009.
This week, also, proponents of San Martin’s potential leap to cityhood won approval of their “notice of intent” to circulate a petition asking local residents to incorporate. After the petition is launched, proponents have six months to gather signatures from at least 25 percent of registered voters within the pending city. There are about 3,000 registered voters in San Martin.
If the signatures are certified by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, San Martin must pay for a comprehensive fiscal analysis and an environmental impact report that could have a combined cost of more than $150,000. The last step would be a community-wide election that could come as soon as November 2007.
We hope San Martin residents fully support the efforts of Sylvia Hamilton and the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance with the goal of raising the funds. They’ve got $50,000 in the bank so far.
For years, San Martin residents have complained that the county, which has land-use control over the community because it is not incorporated as a city, uses the rural town as its dumping ground for undesirable development.
It’s time for San Martin residents to put their money where their mouths are. If they want to control their destiny, if they want self determination, now’s their chance.
With AB 1602 in place and LAFCO’s recent green light to circulate the petition, now’s the time for San Martin residents to put up or shut up. We hope all 7,000 San Martin residents show up at the petition “kick off” party Dec. 2, from 4 to 6:30pm, at the San Martin Lion’s Club Hall.
Like Hamilton we believe the incorporation effort’s success is critical to the community’s future.
