We are thrilled to announce that the voters of San Benito County have passed Measure A! A strong majority of voters supported this citizen-led initiative, which protects open space, wildlife and farmland and empowers the people of San Benito to decide how the county will grow. Green Foothills supported the Measure A campaign throughout the process, together with a broad coalition of environmental groups and community members.

Measure A’s victory is a huge win for farmland and wildlife. It changes how land use decisions are made in San Benito County, requiring a vote of the people to redesignate land from agricultural, rangeland, or rural to commercial, industrial, or residential. Measure A allows the people of San Benito to have a voice in the process, creating the opportunity to guide the county towards smart, responsible growth. It provides an extra layer of protection for San Benito’s farmland and open spaces, honoring the County’s agricultural heritage and maintaining the resilience of local food systems.

Measure A also removes four commercial “nodes,” or areas set aside for commercial development along Highway 101, so development in these four areas would also require voter approval. These nodes are within a critical wildlife linkage that allows wildlife to move between the Gabilan and Diablo mountain ranges and the Santa Cruz Mountains, which is essential for survival of wildlife in San Benito and beyond. Removing these commercial nodes helps to protect this important linkage.

Thank you to everyone who supported Measure A. We couldn’t have done this without you, and we’re grateful for your support. Whether you were actively involved in the campaign or voted “yes” on the measure, you were an essential part of this victory.

Our work is far from over. We will continue to carefully monitor land use decisions and development proposals in San Benito County, and work as hard as ever to protect local open space, farmland, and nature for the benefit of all.

Green Foothills is local, vocal, and effective because of our many supporters who always stand ready to speak up for nature and farmland. If you have family and friends in San Benito County who want to protect the environment, please encourage them to sign up for Green Foothills’ email newslettter at greenfoothills.org/subscribe. We’ll alert them when there’s an opportunity or threat to the local environment in San Benito.