The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Votes to Oppose the SOAR Initiative

2/21/2018

The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Votes to Oppose the SOAR Initiative
Area business leaders site concerns with property rights, economic vitality

On February 20th, the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously voted to oppose the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative, known as S.O.A.R.

The proposed initiative would require a vote of the people of Oceanside for any request requiring a zone change to open space or agricultural property. This initiative destabilizes farmers’ rights, creates devastating community impacts, and denigrates the City Council.

A group of Oceanside farmers opposed to this initiative have formed a coalition called Keep Farming in Oceanside to educate voters on the realities of this misguided ballot initiative. In addition to the chamber, other entities opposed to S.O.A.R. include: The San Diego County Farm Bureau, Beach House Winery and large-scale farms such as, Mellano & Co., and the Nagata Brothers.

According to the Keep Farming in Oceanside coalition, the measure would:

Destabilize farmers’ rights and threaten agricultural lands by blocking farmers’ ability to finance improvements and remain competitive.
Prohibits construction of new processing and packaging facilities needed for continued agricultural operations without a citywide vote.
Restricts necessary infrastructure improvements such as the construction of roads, utilities and other public facilities.
Places a moratorium on existing general plan and zoning designations until 2038, and requires costly citywide elections for even minor changes.

“The Chamber recognizes that Oceanside residents have elected a city council that deserves the opportunity to do their job,” said Scott Ashton, CEO of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. “There are already strategic land use processes in place, and S.O.A.R. aims to fix a problem that is not broken.”

9 Comments

DANA CORSO

2/23/2018 01:13:10 pm

As a small business owner of 30 years, a licensed California Realtor and the President of ACTION ( Alliance of Citizens To Improve Oceanside Neighborhoods) I personally reached out to Scott Ashton asking him how they came to a fair and balanced decision WITHOUT including ANY proponents of SOAR??? He refused to answer the question! So the Board members took an opposing position against SOAR without ever hearing from "the other side"! Wow!
And that is how democracy in Oceanside seems to be playing out regularly. Remember, the Chambers opposed North River Farms Development ( the proposed high density housing in South Morro Hills) our ONLY agricultural land in Oceanside. As well as the City Staff, City Planning, the Planning Commission, the community and yet these same Council members Scott refers to..kern, lowery and feller disregarded all of us and told the developers to move forward! This will end up just as the Villa Storia Project, whereas, the City has to pay 1.1 million dollars a year in subsidies!!! As a Chambers member I am embarrassed and ashamed of how this decision came down! Just proves to me that the Chambers doesn't represent Oceanside citizens nor does our current Council..kern, Lowery and Feller. It's all about the money folks and not the greater good of Oceanside. Shame on you for basing your " one sided "decision on the orders of our corrupt Councilmen. Thank God for SOAR ( the citizens voter Iniative) and for the opportunity to get rid of kern and Lowery in November. Enough of the good ole boys and corruption folks! Enough is enough!

Scott Ashton

2/23/2018 04:38:01 pm

Hi Dana,

While we welcome differing opinions on our blog and social media platforms, we will call out anything that is not true. There are 3 items in your post that I need to refute...
1). You mentioned that I refused to answer your question. When you emailed me, I responded as follows: "I’m going to be out of the office until Feb 13th, but if you give me a call after that, we can discuss it further." I never heard back from you.
2). You mentioned that the Chamber opposed North River Farms. This is a false statement. The Chamber did not oppose North River Farms. Here is the exact wording of the Chamber's position related to South Morro Hills from our February 21, 2017 Board minutes: "Chamber supports a 24 month window for a South Morro Hills Community Vision Plan to develop before supporting any individual projects proposed for the area." This position has been twisted by SOAR proponents and misrepresented as opposition to North River Farms.
3). You state that you are a Chamber member. You are not a member of the Oceanside Chamber.

The citizens of Oceanside elect a City Council to make zoning decisions. SOAR would implement ballot box zoning and puts the livelihood of our local farmers at risk and also sets a very bad precedent for governing our City. The Chamber has a responsibility to fight a harmful initiative such as this, and we take that responsibility seriously.

Scott Ashton, CEO
Oceanside Chamber of Commerce

3/13/2018 11:04:23 pm

Scott,

Per our conversation, at the Economic Development Commission meeting on March 1st., where I had e-mailed you about being locked out of the blog here to respond to your message..you approached me after we saw each other and apologized. You suggested I use a different method, different computer,...I accepted your apologies and said I look forward to responding to this respectfully.

1. I called you twice and copied many on the e-mails trying to arrange a presentation from SOAR. I never received any return calls
(upon your return from your vacation) and quite honestly believe the only reason why I am able to respond now is because of our conversation at the EDC meeting.

2. I agree with you that most of the farmers were working together to develop a vision plan for South Morro Hills. The problem is, the City Staff, the City Planners, the Planning commission, ACTION, the Chambers, Preserve Calavera, the community agreed with you, BUT 3 greedy councilmen (kern, feller and lying Lowery) disregarded all of us and gave Integral the "go ahead" to move forward! This is the same developer that built on the historical Mission property and left the City with $1.1 million dollars in subsidies! Thanks, and how does that help Oceanside?

Plus, I thought the Chambers took a position that they would oppose further conversion of land zoned Commercial/Industrial to residential,
because it would further exacerbate our already BAD jobs to housing ratio. And, last year the Economic Development Element of the General Plan, the consultant said.. converting farmland to housing is going in the wrong direction.

3. As I pointed out to you, I am a member of the Chambers and I have the paid receipt of the invoices and welcoming letter from you. With all do respect, I know that you apologized for the oversight and vowed to make any corrections in your system. I am not in the business of trying to create friction only facts and transparency. I look forward to constructive conversations to bring awareness to the Citizens.

With respect to SOAR in Ventura & Napa Counties, you did confirm with me that the professor you spoke with stated that the voters renewed SOAR with wider spans. Why, because it works!
All of the misleading propaganda is an attempt by greed to convert land to only benefit the out-of-town developers, and Corrupt Council members. I am disheartened that our City Chambers is being coerced by our City Council. I suspect that after kern, Feller and Lowery get wind of my response...they will assign their attack dogs (like Ms McGinty, whom I have Never had a conversation with).. to spin it all...it's so predictable. I am simply trying to educate, inform and support the neighborhoods in Oceanside. I encourage all to support SOAR and to demand responsible development!

Furthermore, your last paragraph states "the citizens of Oceanside elect a City Council to make zoning changes .". Really? The Citizens didn't elect our Mayor whom kern, feller and Lowery appointed. The Citizens didn't vote for our Treasurer or our City Manager..Clearly, this council majority seems to think the Citizens input doesn't matter. SOAR does not put our local farmers at risk. It protects our farmland, remember it's Kern, Feller and Lowery that are pushing for a zoning change and General plan amendment to include high density housing in our ONLY agricultural land in Oceanside. There are only a handful of Commercial growers, whom would love to convert their land from farming to high density housing and they can, but the Citizens of Oceanside can make that decision and not 3 corrupt Councilmen! So many reasons why high density is NOT conducive to South Morro Hills! Solution: SUPPORT SOAR!

Elizabeth Puckett

11/4/2018 08:09:19 pm

Corso just got my vote.
Good luck Tuesday!!

Suzanne Hume

3/3/2018 12:24:53 am

I agree with Dana!

Donna McGinty

3/10/2018 02:02:04 pm

I am glad that Scott of the Chamber refuted the Corso as the usual lies being told at every meeting she has. She says
she represents 42 neighborhoods in Oceanside - Lie.
She says she is a Chamber member in Oceanside - Lie.
She is not one of the SOAR board.
She says she speaks for all of the neighborhoods - Lie.
Thank you for showing her what she is.
Donna McGinty

3/11/2018 06:36:17 pm

Scott, why is the OCC getting engaged and taking a position on a citizens initiative?

3/12/2018 08:27:14 am

Because it negatively impacts business and we have a responsibility to speak out on behalf of the business community. It also sets a terrible precedent of ballot-box zoning.

3/15/2018 11:23:13 pm

How exactly does it impact businesses negatively?

Zoning from commercial to residential I can understand because it’s not aligned with our economic development goals so I’m having difficulty with why Ag and O zoning to residential is ok now?

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The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Votes to Oppose the SOAR Initiative

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