Vote will steer El Dorado growth

Nevada Appeal News Service

El Dorado County residents on Tuesday will vote on Measure G, an initiative to adopt a 20-year blueprint for growth.

Proponents say the county has been without a reliable general plan for t10 years and wasted million of dollars on planning that should have been spent on county services.

Opponents say a general plan approved by voters has never been done in California. Such a precedent would be challenged in court. The adoption of the plan, most of which dates to 1996, by ballot would be a shortcut that eliminates the opportunity for public comment.

If the measure is rejected, the county will continue to draft a new general plan, which has been in the works for two years and could be finished by July.

El Dorado County Supervisor Dave Solaro, who represents District 5, which includes South Shore, said he has taken a "neutral" position on Measure G. Supervisor Helen Baumann has also taken no stance.

But two out of the county's three other supervisors, Charlie Paine and Rusty Dupray, oppose the initiative. Jack Sweeney, a supervisor during the adoption of the 1996 general plan, supports it.

"This is the biggest issue that has faced the county in the last eight or nine years," Paine said. "It's literally the county's future. And (Measure G) would shortcut the process.

"The county has spent the last two years developing a balanced, defensible general plan, and we're literally months away from that outcome."

Paine said the initiative would mean maximum development in the county, provide no infrastructure, and cause the cost of building permits to skyrocket.

South Lake Tahoe city councilman John Upton was a county supervisor during the adoption of 1996 plan, decertified in 1999 by a judge because of procedural inadequacies. Upton agrees with Paine that the initiative would allow more growth, but that the market would and should determine the rate. He disagreed that infrastructure would not be required with development.

"Does anybody have any doubt that 20, 30, 40 years in the future, El Dorado County will have a few hundred thousands residents, instead of 160,000?" Upton said. "There is plenty of authority for the board to set mitigation at appropriate levels."

Upton said he supports the measure because it would adopt the core of the 1996 plan, which includes a tremendous amount of public input.

The county plan has yet to involve the public. Upton describes that process as the most difficult and intense part of the process.

"They've done none of heavy lifting on the plan in terms public input," Upton said. "It's a consultant-generated project at this point in time. They may say it will be adopted by July, but in my view, there's no end in sight, and it will keep costing the taxpayers money. We've got to stop the fiscal bleeding."

Voters on Tuesday will also be asked to support Measure H, which increases motel room tax areas of the county (excluding South Lake Tahoe and Placerville) from 8 to 10 percent.

Solaro said he supports the measure because the $177,000 it would generate annually would be spent on promoting tourism, which is vital to South Shore's economy, and provide money for veterans' programs.

Gregory Crofton can be reached at (530) 542-8045 or by e-mail at gcrofton@tahoedailytribune.com