1,511 / 55.6% Yes votes ...... 1,209 / 44.4% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Meaning of Voting Yes/No

A YES vote of this measure means:

A "yes" vote would allow housing to be built before the theme park projects on Stewart Tract. It would also allow housing and commercial development other than a theme park to precede the building of a theme park under certain circumstances:

• The City receives adequate assurances that the theme park will be open within a reasonable time; OR

• The City agrees that there is another development that provides same level of jobs and economic benefit to the City as a theme park; OR

• The developed of the housing agrees to pay a fee.

A NO vote of this measure means:

A "no" vote would keep the current Plan which requires a theme park valued at more than $100 million be open before any new housing can be occupied on Stewart Tract.

The first document to be amended is the West Lathrop Specific Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan creates land uses for two areas of land, the Stewart Tract and Mossdale Village. Measure D focuses on the Stewart Tract portion of the Plan. Under the current provisions of the Plan, the primary focus of development on the Stewart Tract is a series of theme parks. The Plan currently requires a theme park to be open before any new housing can be occupied. Measure D would eliminate this restriction and allow housing to be built before the theme park for projects on the Stewart Tract; there is no such restriction on Mossdale Village.

In addition, the Plan currently requires builders to submit plans called "Urban Design Concepts: ("UDCs") to pre-plan large blocks of land. Currently, UDCs are reviewed by the Planning Commission, with the City Council acting as the appeals hearing body. If passed, under Measure D, the City Council will now decide the acceptability of the UDC for projects on the Stewart Tract only.

The second document to be amended is the Development Agreement between the City of Lathrop, Califia Development Group and Rudy Dell'Osso (the "Development Agreement"). The Development Agreement currently requires that a theme park valued at more than $100 million be open for business before the City will allow any new housing to be occupied on the Stewart Tract. If passed, Measure D would eliminate this "theme park first" requirement. In its place, the initiative proposes that housing and commercial development other than a theme park could precede the building of a theme park under the following circumstances.
1. The City receives adequate assurances that the theme park will be open within a reasonable time; OR
2. The City agrees that there is another development that provides the same level of jobs and economic benefit to the City as a theme park; OR
3. The developer of the housing agrees to pay a fee.

Under Measure D, the fee would be in the amount of $5,000 per residential dwelling unit on the Stewart Tract. The fee could be used to attract other types of business that will provide economic benefit to the City of Lathrop. Twenty percent of the fee paid would be available for use on the east side of Interstate 5. The spending of any of the fees collected would be in the discretion of the City Council.

The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure D. If you desire a copy of the measure, please call the city's elections official's office at (209) 858-2860, Ext. 323 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.

The West Lathrop Specific Plan is carefully planned expansion of our community that offer in-town shopping and services and recreational activities for all our residents. It contains not only theme parks, but offices, golf courses and a regional mall.

The project, called Califia, has overwhelming support from the residents of Lathrop. It will improve home values by giving the City a much larger tax base which can be used to improve our existing streets, provide better fire and police protection, build recreational facilities for our kids and improve our schools.

Measure D will allow Califia to begin building both the residential and economic community before ensuring a theme park ONLY if it provides substitute permanent jobs or pays the City an economic development fee which could total $42 million.

By law, Califia, and not the City, will still be required to pay for new sewers, streets, parks, schools, flood control and other improvements. Measure D protects Lathrop by requiring Califia to either generate jobs and economic development or pay the city a fee that could be used to subsidize those new jobs and businesses.

A YES vote on Measure D will create prosperity for Lathrop. It will enlarge our tax base and provide more money to fix our streets and make other improvements to our city. A YES vote on Measure D will produce benefits residents of surrounding cities take for granted.

A YES vote for the Lathrop Economic Prosperity Initiative is a YES vote for Lathrop's future.

/s/ Benny Gatto

/s/ Apolinar Sangalang

/s/ M. Bradshaw

Taxpayers wake up! A "Yes" vote on the mis-named Lathrop Economic Prosperity initiative will allow the Califia developer to sell land so 11,000 suburban tract homes can be built on Stewart Tract and Mossdale. The flood plain in West Lathrop will turn into an asphalt sea of endless subdivisions and strip malls, and traffic will be gridlocked on the freeways. Does this sound like a good idea to you?

"Economic Prosperity" for the existing residents of Lathrop?? Hardly. Who will prosper? Well, Measure D will certainly allow the Califia developer and Bay Area home builders to prosper.

The City Council has already issued $5 million in municipal bonds to pay for the SSJID project.

The developer promises $42 million in fees if he can't produce any jobs on Stewart Tract. This is an empty promise.\\The Califia project is a cynical fraud. It will never be built as promised. Say No to Norman Jarrett and his boondoggle! Vote NO on the deceitful Measure D "Economic Prosperity for Developers" initiative!

/s/ Michael W. Bricker

/s/ Rachel Bricker

/s/ Majorie J. Findley

/s/ Lois D. Findley

/s/ Thomas E. Moody

The mis-named initiative is a developer ploy to allow thousands of suburban tract homes to be built on the Stewart Tract. The existing plan requires the developer to pay for all infrastructure but that is no guarantee that existing taxpayers will not pay.

FACT: In 1996, the Lathrop City Council approved the West Lathrop Specific Plan, which would allow construction of four theme parks and 11,000 homes in the flood-prone Stewart Tract and Mossdale areas. Critics of the plan, including the Farm Bureau, the Sierra Club, and Sen. Patrick Johnston, warned the Council that the developer Califia (Norman Jarrett) had no intention of ever building the theme parks, but only wanted to build thousands of suburban tract homes for Bay area commuters.

FACT: In response to these concerns, the Lathrop Council signed a development agreement with Califia requiring construction of the first them park before a single house could be built.

FACT: Four years later, the developer has failed to attract any investor interest in the theme parks. He is now begging the City Council to be released from the theme park-first condition of the development agreement so he can sell the land to homebuilders for quick profits.

FACT: Study after study has proven that new homes are a financial drain on City coffers; the property taxes paid by new residents never cover the full cost of City services.

Tell the failed Califia developer that taxpayers will not bail him out!

Vote NO on Measure D!

Jobs, Not Housing!

/s/ Michael W. Bricker

/s/ Marjorie J. Findley

/s/ Thomas Moody

/s/ Lois D. Findley

/s/ Rachel Bricker

FALSE: The West Lathrop development will be a "financial drain on the City coffers".

TRUE: By law, the Califia developers, and NOT existing residents, must finance all necessary infrastructure, including roads, sewers and schools, before ANYTHING can be built. In fact, the expanded tax base that the project will generate is expected to produce extra taxes which can be used to improve ALL of Lathrop. Rather than cost you money, your property values should increase throughout the City.

FALSE: The Califia developers "only wanted to build thousands of suburban tract homes for Bay Area commuters".

TRUE: The homes in West Lathrop will be built for homeowners just like you. it's a carefully planned expansion of your community and includes lakes, golf courses, schools, shopping, parks and jobs. The proposal was carefully reviewed for many years and received extensive public input and broad support from Lathrop residents.

FALSE: Califia "had no intention of ever building the theme parks."

TRUE: Lawsuits filed in 1996 by Sierra Club and other non-Lathrop environmentalists caused theme park investors to shy away. These lawsuits delayed development. Theme park investors now need to see other development before committing the money needed to build a world class attraction.

The opponents are trying to scare you. Don't let outsiders', who don't have Lathrop's best interest in heart, deny you your opportunity to grow and prosper.

Vote YES on Measure D!

/s/ Bennie Gatto

/s/ Apolinar N. Sangalang

/s/ Mike Bradshaw