Q.I've heard about the Rural Heritage Initiative. What will it do?

A.   The Rural Heritage Initiative ("RHI") is about stopping sprawl in the rural areas of Sonoma County. RHI will (for a period of 30 years) require voter approval of amendments to the Sonoma County General Plan changing the density or land use designation of land, in unincorporated parts of the county, now designated for certain agricultural and resource uses. RHI will help us to keep our most important rural land use rules just the way they are now, unless the voters agree to change them.

Q.Just what is the "County General Plan" and why should we change it anyhow?

A.  The Sonoma County General Plan is the document that contains the basic rules we have established for the ways land in Sonoma County may be used -- a kind of land use "constitution." RHI won't change the General Plan at all, it will protect it from unwise changes by giving the voters, instead of the Board Of Supervisors, the right to approve certain important amendments.

Q.OK. But what effect will RHI's passage have?

A. Passing RHI will help us to save Sonoma County from the kind of suburban sprawl that has already ruined other places in California. RHI will give the people, instead of the Board of Supervisors, the final word on some very important decisions about the future of Sonoma County. That's the way it should be.

Q.So, RHI is about stopping sprawl?

A. That's right. RHI is about stopping sprawl and protecting the quality of life that makes Sonoma County a special place to live. We've all watched sprawl consuming many of the most beautiful and livable places in the Bay Area, turning farming and open space into subdivisions and office parks. The sprawl monster is knocking at our door right now, and RHI will give the people of Sonoma County the power to send it away. The sprawl stops here.

Q.Will the Supervisors still be able to make some changes?

A. Sure. Except for amending the land use designation, or increasing the density of protected agricultural or resource land, the authority of the Board of Supervisors will remain unchanged.

Q.  Don't we already have urban growth boundaries?

A. Most Sonoma County cities have adopted urban growth boundaries ("UGBs"). The Rural Heritage Initiative will work with the UGBs already in place to ensure that our rural lands are protected from suburban sprawl and that future growth in our county is city centered and sensible.

Q. How will RHI affect zoning changes and use permits?

A. The Rural Heritage Initiative simply addresses the way we make certain amendments to the County General Plan. RHI will only affect zoning or use permit actions if they require one of those amendments. Otherwise, the zoning and use permit processes will remain unchanged.

Q. I want to stop sprawl. Why would anyone object to RHI?

A. Some people have heard rumors that RHI would interfere with farming activities or the development of public water systems. That's just not true. RHI simply requires voter approval to change some of the County General PIan provisions that already protect our rural lands.

Of course, if you want to turn farms or forests into giant new subdivisions, RHI may require you to ask the people of Sonoma County for permission to change the land use designation. Some may object to that, but we think it's the right thing to do.

Q. So farmers will be able to keep farming? 

A. Of course they will!  RHI will protect Sonoma County farm land. Farmers will be able to plant, grow and sell their crops, change crops when they decide to, construct buildings on their farms -- all the things they do now. RHI won't change any of those things in any way.

Q. What does "density" mean?

A. In this case, density is defined by the Sonoma County General Plan as "the number of acres per residential dwelling unit." So, we're talking about the number of homes, apartments, etc., permitted on parcels of various sizes. Under our General Plan, farm family and farm labor housing are not included when counting dwelling units, so RHI won't affect construction of those facilities.

Q. I think it's a good idea for the voters to decide about General Plan changes. 

A. We think so, too. At the very least, all voters should have the opportunity to decide about some of the most important General Plan amendments -- the ones that will determine the kind of Sonoma County we will leave for our children. The Board of Supervisors will retain discretion in all other matters.

Q.But, isn't it expensive to put questions like this on the ballot?

A. It only costs about twenty or thirty cents per voter, depending upon the details of a particular election. That's a reasonable price to pay to give the people a voice  in determining the shape of our county.

Q.I'm worried about affordable housing for my kids.

A. We certainly need affordable housing in Sonoma County, and RHI won't prevent its construction on appropriate parcels. In order to prevent sprawl from destroying our farms and forests, it's best to locate new housing inside our urban growth boundaries, where there is cost-effective access to utilities and transportation services. If we want to preserve Sonoma County as a special and unique place, we need to make sure that future growth is city-centered. RHI will help us to do that.

Q.I heard that RHI will mean no new parks. We need one in my neighborhood!

A. Remember, RHI will only affect certain County General Plan amendments. It will allow the Supervisors to change the land use designation to build parks primarily for non-intensive recreational and educational uses, like hiking and nature study, without any voter approval. On the other hand, construction of parks with extensive athletic fields, large parking lots, lighting, etc., on rural land now in one of the protected designations is a different matter.  RHI will require voter approval of General Plan amendments for such high impact projects. We think that's a good thing.

Q. What if Santa Rosa needs to build a pumping station for the Geysers pipeline? 

A. No problem. Property owned by cities in the unincorporated areas of Sonoma County isn't subject to the County General Plan, or to RHI.

Q. But our Supervisors haven't allowed much growth. Why bother with RHI?

A. RHI is about protecting Sonoma County's future. All you have to do is look around to see that we are near the brink of an explosion just like the one that destroyed Santa Clara County's rich rural tradition. Once home to the richest assortment of orchards anywhere, that place is now called Silicon Valley, and the trees have all been cleared to make room for freeways and subdivisions as far as the eye can see. We don't want that to happen here, and we think the best way to prevent it is to allow the voters to make the critical decisions about land use in our county. They are simply too important to leave to politicians.

Q. Thirty years seems like a long time. My son would be 48!

A. That means he's 18 now, and will be able to vote on the most important choices facing Sonoma County in the coming decades. We hope he begins by voting for the Rural Heritage Initiative in November, to establish his right to help decide our county's future.

Q. Has this type of initiative worked somewhere else?

A. It sure has. RHI is based upon initiatives like Napa County's Measure J, which has been protecting rural and agricultural land in neighboring Napa Valley since 1990.  Other California counties, including Ventura County, have adopted similar measures. These related measures have been working well, and fairly, in California for years, and have been upheld by our state judicial system

Q. Have we ever done this here before?

A. Yes, we have. Most recently, in 1998, the Board of Supervisors placed Measure D on the ballot. Measure D requires voter approval of any amendment to the County General Plan that increases the density of land use in the Petaluma-Novato Community Separator. Measure D passed with the approval of more than 76 percent of the voters, and is now protecting our rural lands south of Petaluma. RHI will extend that protection to land throughout Sonoma County.

Q. Who is supporting RHI?

A. The Rural Heritage Initiative is sponsored by Citizens for Sonoma County's Future, a grassroots organization of people who care about Sonoma County and want to protect this beautiful and special place for succeeding generations to enjoy. Some of RHI's organizational supporters include the Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club and Sonoma County Conservation Action. Mike Reilly, Chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, is an RHI supporter, along with elected officials from Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma and Windsor. All over Sonoma County, farmers, teachers, students, doctors, citizens from every walk of life, are supporting the Rural Heritage Initiative because they want to save our rural lands for our children and grandchildren and prevent the kind of nightmare development that has replaced rural Santa Clara with Silicon Valley. If you care about our county and its future, we need your support, too. Please call 523-4744, or look the "What you can do" page to learn how you can help.