Measure G: showdown time in Carmel Valley

"So it’s showdown time in Carmel Valley. Will those in favor of local control win the shootout and bring local development and governance issues to a town council comprised of Carmel Valley residents? Or will voters fear the unknown and unintended consequences, and leave the decision-making to the supervisors in Salinas?

Some anti-town folk say they worry incorporation will ruin Carmel Valley’s rural character. It’s more likely, however, that the community’s existing governing body, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, will.

“History has shown that the concerns of the community have been ignored,” Supervisor Dave Potter says.

This is why, ultimately, incorporation is about local control. Carmel Valley residents have one representative on the Board of Supervisors – Potter, who lives in Carmel, and who is routinely outvoted by the other elected officials when it comes to land-use policy decisions. There isn’t any extra water in Carmel Valley, which means most individuals can’t even get a permit to build a second bathroom. But when it comes to big-ticket development projects – like Carmel Valley Ranch, Rancho San Carlos, the Quail hotel expansion and Clint Eastwood’s Tehema – the supes eagerly have given the green light, usually by a 4-1 vote, with Potter dissenting."

From Monterey County Weekly
Carmel River photo from Kevin's Hiking Page