Supervisors ask for closer look at possible impacts of animal ag ballot measure

Skipping other options this week, Sonoma County elected officials order a report on possible effects on county agencies and the community should the measure pass.

photo credit: Michelle Del Cueto
Coaltion to End Factory Farming  volunteers Sarah Van Mantgem of Windsor
and Kristina Garfinkel of Santa Rosa turn in signatures on March 4, 2024.

This week, Sonoma County Supervisors took a first look at a ballot initiative that would ban so-called factory farms in unincorporated areas of Sonoma County.

The ballot text alleges that large CAFO’s - concentrated animal feeding operations - are a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, along with a host of other detriments to people, animals and the environment.

With the initiative collecting the needed signatures to qualify for the ballot, county supervisors were given three options on how to proceed, as Wendy Hudson, Sonoma County’s chief deputy registrar of voters explained.

"Adopt the ordinance without alteration within 10 days; two, submit the ordinance without alteration to the voters at either a special election or the next statewide election; or three, order a report on the impact of the measure," Hudson said.

Anticipating major economic implications and fiscal obligations should the CAFO ban pass, the supervisors asked for a comprehensive report.

Supervisor Lynda Hopkins noted a raft of concerns, ranging from how the measure could affect community programs like 4-H, to the county budget.

"This could potentially be a multi-million dollar implementation if this were to move forward," Hopkins said. "And it would essentially be an unfunded mandate on county government with us having to stand up new programs."

Hopkins also raised the possibility of the Board registering formal opposition to the measure.

Supervisors David Rabbitt and James Gore are also strident in their concern over the effects of banning large animal ag operations.

Of the measure, Gore, who previously worked in the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, said he feels, "this is really ideology masked in environmentalism."

"To me that's disingenuous," Gore said.

And Rabbitt said he’s concerned about downstream impacts on the local economy.

"I know in my hometown of Petaluma, through the outbreak of avian flu, feed facilities, for instance, veterinarians, there's a kind of a whole cascading support structure that would be affected negatively if something like this were to go forward," Rabbitt said. "Again, 20 to 60 businesses that are going to go out of business have a ripple effect throughout the industry, including even professional services of attorneys and bookkeeping and accountants and so on and so forth."

A report on the ordinance is expected within the next 30 days.