See Also: Index of all Measures

• Official WWW Site

Every California county is required to adopt a general plan, which is a comprehensive, long-term plan for the physical development of the county. A general plan addresses all aspects of development, and consists of a statement of development policies, and must include diagrams and text setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals. Subordinate land use actions, such as zoning ordinances, tentative maps, or development agreements, must be consistent with the general plan.

The Board of Supervisors previously adopted a general plan on January 23, 1996. However, a lawsuit challenging that general plan was filed. The Court held that, although the substance of the general plan satisfied the statutory requirements of law, the environmental review process followed in the adoption of the general plan did not comply with certain requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). As a result, the 1996 General Plan was set aside and the County was directed to readopt a general plan in conformance with the Court's decision. Since July 19, 1999, when the Court's judgment was entered, the County's land use regulatory authority has been defined by the terms of a court order (the "Writ") that was issued on that date. The Writ also requires court review of any new general plan adopted before it becomes effective to ensure that the deficiencies identified by the Court have been corrected.

The County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2004 General Plan after a lengthy process that included noticed public hearings before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, a recommendation by the Planning Commission, and environmental review under CEQA, including preparation of a new environmental impact report. However, following adoption of the 2004 General Plan, a referendum petition containing the requisite number of signatures was filed which had the effect of "suspending" the Board's approval of the 2004 General Plan. As a result of the referendum petition, the 2004 General Plan will not become effective unless it is approved by a majority of the voters at this election. If the 2004 General Plan is not adopted at this election, the Board of Supervisors will have to resume its efforts to adopt a new general plan. Until a general plan is adopted, the County will remain subject to the provisions of the court Writ. Any general plan adopted must be reviewed by the Court for compliance with its order, and approved by the Court, before it will become effective.

A "YES" vote on this measure is a vote to ADOPT the 2004 General Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors on July 19, 2004.

A "NO" vote on this measure is a vote AGAINST adoption of the 2004 General Plan. s/ LOUIS B. GREEN County Counsel

The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure B. If you desire a copy of the measure, which includes the 2004 General Plan in its entirety (423 pages), it is available online at http://www.co.eldorado. ca.us/elections. You may also call the El Dorado County Registrar of Voters' Office at (530) 621-7480 and a copy will be mailed to you at no cost to you.

County Supervisors' General Plan Resolution

Yes On B Web Site: We Agree, Yes on B

No On B Web Site: No Gridlock on Highway 50

Web index to documents on the El Dorado County General Plan, traffic issues, and reasons to vote No on Measure B

Your "yes" vote on Measure B will save El Dorado County taxpayers millions of dollars, preserve our rural lifestyle and allow us to finally solve the transportation problems that have brought gridlock to local roads + with developers paying for those improvements, not taxpayers.

By voting "yes" on Measure B, you will be approving the El Dorado County General Plan + a balanced, carefully crafted document required by state law that will fix problems and strictly control growth as our county moves into the future.

This General Plan has taken years to assemble and represents the best thinking of transportation planners, elected officials, business and agricultural leaders, neighborhood and taxpayer advocates, conservationists, public safety experts and over 36,000 hours of open public hearings. This truly is the community's plan.

Measure B benefits the people of El Dorado County in many ways: _ Requires developers + not taxpayers + to pay for needed road improvements _ Imposes strict new controls on growth and limits the number of apartments that can be built _ Protects our county's agricultural lands, using them as open space buffers against over-development and urban sprawl _ Requires long-range transportation planning so new roads are built before gridlock strikes _ Increases local fire protection and helps to secure the rights to over 20,000 acre-feet of clean, affordable water for county residents _ Protects private property rights by creating a process for individual landowners to appeal planning decisions

Measure B guarantees that approximately 75% of our county will remain open land, with residential development permitted on less than 25% - allowing new jobs and healthy economic growth while preserving our rural lifestyle.

After years of open public debate, we now have a General Plan that balances the diverse needs of our community, fixes problems and protects our quality of life.

It's time to move forward + "yes" on Measure B.

Helen Baumann
El Dorado County Supervisor Jack Sweeney
El Dorado County Supervisor Douglas Leisz
El Dorado County Citizens for Water Larry R. Fry
President, El Dorado County Fire Chiefs Association Wendell Smith
President, El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce

Vote NO on Measure B.

County residents shouldn't be forced to accept this highest-growth General Plan when lower-growth options are available.

Rejecting Measure B will require the Board of Supervisors to adopt a lower-growth General Plan that doesn't ruin our rural quality of life, gridlock our roads, and sell us out to housing developers.

Here are some basic Measure B facts:

• Measure B will increase the County's population from 121,000 to 317,000 over 20+ years, and triple traffic volumes on our roads. (Source: EIR page 3-24)
• Measure B allows 78,000 new homes. To provide a context: The City of Placerville currently has 4,500 homes, El Dorado Hills has 9,000, and Cameron Park has 7,500, totaling 21,000 homes. (Source: EDC General Plan EIR)
• We already have 20,000+ approved, undeveloped lots available. Highway 50 is gridlocked now. Highway 50 can't handle traffic from these 20,000+ homes, let alone traffic from Measure B's 78,000 homes.

Really? How can this be true if our population is allowed to increase from 121,000 to 317,000 and a single carpool lane extension from El Dorado Hills to Cameron Park is the only Highway 50 road improvement approved for the next 20 years.

After voters reject Measure B, a new General Plan can be approved in a few extra months from the lower growth alternatives the taxpayers have already paid for, according to El Dorado County Counsel.

Vote NO on Measure B.
s/ Nancy J. Campbell League of Women Voters, El Dorado County
s/ Kathi Lishman Placerville Mayor/Councilmember (1988-2004)
s/ Susan Olmstead Environmental Planning and Information Council (EPIC)
s/ William "Sam" Bradley El Dorado County Supervisor (1992-2000)
s/ Carol A. Patton Placerville Business Owner

Vote NO on Measure B.

The Supervisors' General Plan isn't about "Managed Growth and Open Roads" + it's about "Runaway Growth and Gridlocked Roads."

• The Supervisors succumbed to developer pressure and voted for the highest growth alternative out of four General Plan options. Measure B allows the County's population to increase from 121,000 to 317,000 over 20+ years.

• Measure B allows 78,000 new homes. To put this in context: The City of Placerville currently has 4,500 homes, El Dorado Hills has 9,000, and Cameron Park has 7,500. This totals 21,000.

• We already have 20,000+ approved, undeveloped lots available. Highway 50 is gridlocked now. Highway 50 can't handle traffic from these 20,000+ homes, let alone traffic from 78,000 homes which Measure B allows.

• Traffic from 78,000 new homes will triple traffic congestion on Highway 50. Extending the carpool lane from El Dorado Hills to Cameron Park is the only Highway 50 widening project proposed by CalTrans and the El Dorado County Transportation Commission for the 20+ year life of Measure B.

• This Supervisors' General Plan was placed on the ballot by developers in March, 2004, and rejected by 70% of voters. After voters said no, the Supervisors defiantly approved the same high-growth plan, and gave it a friendlier-sounding name to fool the voters.

Yes, we need a General Plan, but the massive amount of new housing allowed by Measure B is intolerable. After voters reject Measure B, it will just take a few extra months to approve a better General Plan from the lower growth alternatives the County has already formulated and paid for. Vote NO on Measure B. Its long-term consequences are unacceptable.

s/ Nancy Campbell, League of Women Voters, El Dorado County
s/ Kathi Lishman Placerville Mayor/Councilmember + (1988-2004)
s/ Sam Bradley El Dorado County Supervisor + (1992-2000)
s/ Charlie Paine El Dorado County Supervisor, District 4
s/ Lorraine Larsen-Hallock, El Dorado County Planning Commission (2000-2004)

El Dorado County Planning Commissioner Dave Machado says: "Claiming Measure B will allow 78,000 houses to be built is a scare tactic, nothing more. In truth, about 1,300 homes a year will be built under Measure B + some 26,000 over the next twenty years, a third of what opponents claim. No matter what we do, growth is going to happen. The question is + do we plan for it now, or let it occur haphazardly? Measure B limits and controls it."

The proposal voters rejected in March was a completely different plan. In fact, community groups like the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce and the El Dorado County Farm Bureau did not support the March proposal + but are strong supporters of Measure B.

Saying a new plan can be put together in a few months if Measure B fails is ridiculous. When was the last time you saw government move this fast? Measure B's general plan took over 36,000 hours of public hearings and $15 million to create. Starting over will take years and cost millions more. Meanwhile, growth will continue and problems will get worse.

El Dorado County has been without a general plan for 15 years. The community has come together on Measure B because it's time to move forward. Measure B controls growth, preserves rural lands, guards against fire and drought, fixes traffic and balances the diverse needs of our community. It protects taxpayers and our way of life. We urge a "YES" vote.

s/ John T. Doolittle United States Representative
s/ Tim Leslie Assemblyman, 4th District
s/ Norman A. Krizl President, El Dorado County Farm Bureau
s/ Ellen Day President, Taxpayers Association of El Dorado County
s/ Debbie Manning President & CEO, El Dorado Hills Chamber of Co