California has a 40-year-old law desi-gned to protect
agricultural lands and open space from urbanization. Unfortunately,
its implementation is challenging throughout the state. CGF is
working to help enforce this law locally, and keep our ranch and
farmlands from development.
By Brian Schmidt
California has a 40-year-old law desi-gned to protect agricultural lands and open space from urbanization. Unfortunately, its implementation is challenging throughout the state. CGF is working to help enforce this law locally, and keep our ranch and farmlands from development.
We would like for residents to ask the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to enforce the Williamson Act and protect our agricultural heritage.
In 1965, the Legislature enacted the California Land Conservation Act (aka the Williamson Act) as a way to protect agricultural lands from urbanization. Under the Act, a landowner can voluntarily agree to retain lands in agriculture or other open space use for 10 years or more. In exchange, the landowner receives a significant reduction in property taxes on the land.
These contracts are renewed automatically unless the landowner gives a 10-year notice of non-renewal, at which point the property taxes gradually increase until they reach full value. Landowners can also under certain circumstances cancel Williamson Act contracts, but this comes with a hefty penalty. More than 40 percent of the land in Santa Clara County (some 362,000 acres) is under Williamson Act contract. Unfortunately, the county has not done a good job of enforcing these contracts.
The county has allowed development and subdivisions on some of these properties, leading to direct and indirect harm to local farming and ranching. These land-owners are not upholding their end of the bargain to keep these lands in agricultural use – but are enjoying their tax breaks.
Landowners who do not comply with their Williamson Act contracts are cheating taxpayers and harming the entire region by allowing our agricultural heritage to slip away.
CGF is asking the County to find a way to make sure that local agriculture is adequately protected as intended by the Williamson Act.
What you can do:
Join us in asking the county supervisors to:
n Develop criteria that demonstrate real (not token) agricultural use and actively enforce the Williamson Act to stop violations.
n Assess back taxes and penalties to make up for past laxity in enforcement.
n Prohibit the construction of mega-mansions on Williamson Act properties. These supersized houses directly interfere with agricultural operations and also serve to drive land costs out of reach of genuine farmers and ranchers who want to continue agricultural operations.
Write to: Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 70 W. Hedding St., 10th Floor, East Wing, San Jose, CA 95110. Fax: 408-298-8460. E-mail:
Ph***********@co*.sccg
ov.org.
Ask the clerk to distribute your letter to all members of the Board. Letters must be received by noon on Monday, June 6.
Fax or e-mail a copy of your message to us, to help us track our efforts on this issue: E-mail action@Gre enFoothills.org or fax 650-968-8431.
To learn more, read the article in our fall 2003 Green Footnotes newsletter, or visit the county’s website.
Speak up for the protection of our local farmlands. Your voice does make a difference.
Brian Schmidt is legislative advocate for Committee for Green Foothills. Readers interested in writing a guest column should contact editor Walt Glines at
ed******@mo*************.com
or 408-779-4106.
