Martinez voters face competing measures F and I on the June 5 ballot, each stating that passage will protect parks and open space. But residents will want to pay close attention to the details, particularly the city attorney’s impartial analysis. Written by an anti-growth group and endorsed by the Sierra Club, Measure I creates a new “overlay” applicable to specific public and private property and establishes new use restrictions for approximately 550 properties. The city attorney writes that Measure I may raise legal questions about its validity and its consistency with the city’s housing and land use elements of the General Plan. This suggests that Measure I will trigger litigation if it passes. In an effort to defeat the NIMBY initiative, a group of Martinez residents including Mayor Rob Schroder and Councilwomen Noralea Gipner and Debbie McKillop are promoting the alternative Measure F. It re-designates 1,706 acres of publicly owned open space, park and recreation land in Martinez as permanent open space or park and recreation where the zoning cannot be changed except with a vote of the people. Click HERE to view an informational website created by the City of Martinez to inform residents about the two measures. Click HERE to view the Contra Costa County Elections Department page on Measure F. Click here to view the Election Department page on Measure I. Martinez voters who would like more information about how to get involved in the Measure F campaign should email ProtectMartinezCitizens@gmail.com. For questions or comments, contact BIA’s East Bay Executive Director for Governmental Affairs Lisa Vorderbrueggen at 925-348-1956 or lvorderbrueggen@biabayarea.org.
