County's leading environmental organization strongly endorses Measure B

Although it came a bit late in the game, Sonoma County Conservation Action’s (SCCA) strong and unequivocal endorsement and support for Measure B, the provision that would limit new hotels to 25-rooms or less (until annual occupancy rates reach 80 %) verifies exactly what proponents have been saying all along. SCCA has been Sonoma County’s leading and largest environmental organization since 1991, focusing on reducing environmental impacts and strengthening quality-of-life concerns.

In a press release announced on 9-19-2013, SCCA’s Board Chairman David Keller expressed the following: “The issue of how our towns and cities are going to develop within the urban core is an important one, just as we are very concerned about developments in our rural lands. We are persuaded by arguments of preserving town character and a small-growth approach that is more appropriate for a town the size of Sonoma.” 

SCCA President Emeritus and former Sonoma County Supervisor Bill Kortum had this to say in bolstering Preserving Sonoma’s Measure B. “We ultimately felt that preserving the small town experience for both residents and visitors strikes the right balance for the City of Sonoma.” 

SCCA’s endorsement urges “a public conversation about the impacts of tourism,” and states the following: “Catering to the high end tourist industry has impacts on the environment, residents, and farming. High end tourism prices out ordinary people such as farmers, renters, workers and local businesses. Affordable living is slipping away.” 

Proponents of Measure B have said from the outset that a majority of the voters in the City support smaller hotels, built with smaller environmental footprints, less use of resources and minimal quality-of-life impacts. 

Three members of the Sonoma City Council – Brown, Rouse and Cook – are arguing for no limit to the size and number of new hotels, but despite their efforts in opposing Measure B and its going to a vote of the people, the issue will be decided in a City election on November 19; a vote for the future of Sonoma. Yes, on Measure B.