• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Farmland and Growth in Stanislaus County

July 25, 2013 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

California Housing Tract
California Housing Tract

In 1995, Beyond Sprawl  sent shock waves through planners and developers throughout the entire state. The Bank of America sponsored study of the costs of sprawl immediately became a primary reference for those who favor smart growth.

Almost twenty years later, sprawl remains a major detriment to quality of life, especially in the San Joaquin Valley. Nonetheless, just as the foreclosure crisis is easing, Valley movers and shakers are ramping up for another sprawling growth splurge.

The Modesto Chamber of Commerce has presented a “plan for prosperity” that opens up some 7700 acres in the Beckwith Triangle west of Highway 99 near Modesto. This land would be folded into the Modesto General Plan, ostensibly for industrial and commercial use. The key element is a road tax. In essence, the Chamber is asking Valley citizens to once again subsidize growth. The cover story is that the Chamber’s plan will bring much needed jobs. The reality is that there is very little likelihood of a local jobs boom anytime soon.

If the Chamber were serious about jobs, it would offer a cost/benefit analysis of the consequences of eliminating prime farmland in favor of speculative commercial and industrial prospects. Instead, the Chamber is trying to avoid discussion of the severe loss of farmland involved in its plan.

When farmland preservation becomes an issue, Chamber spokespersons cite figures showing net increases in irrigated farmland over the last decade. They leave out the fact that almost every acre of those increases is dependent on unsustainable ground water.

They also avoid any discussion of the distinctions between farmland statewide. In all, California comprises about 100 million acres. Of that total, around 27 million acres are cropland. About 9 million of those irrigated acres are considered prime farmland, and “unique or of statewide importance.” Virtually all of the farmland surrounding Modesto and neighboring towns is this high quality farmland.

High quality farmland differs from the rest in several ways. One of the most important is in its ability to produce a wide range of crops. California’s famed agricultural production is not just a matter of quantity. California produces 99% or more of the nation’s almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts. It also produces over 90% of the nation’s wine grapes. The high quality farmland that produces these crops and many more is literally irreplaceable. There is nothing else like it in the entire nation.

Given the growing demand for food and water worldwide, and given California’s unique capacity for food production, it’s a virtual certainty that high quality farmland can only grow in value—most likely exponentially. Contrast the value of that farmland with the speculative value of the Chamber of Commerce’s “plan for prosperity.”

When the Modesto City Council proposed a sales tax for public safety and other pressing needs, the Chamber of Commerce and the Modesto Bee suggested it’s foolish to trust our elected officials. Given what we know about Chamber’s history of promoting developer subsidies, how wise is it to trust yet another speculative “plan for prosperity”?

When Valley citizens don’t trust their elected leaders, they can vote them out. When they subsidize growth, all they can do is pay the bill. The Chamber and its members are always happy to collect.

 

Filed Under: Featured, History Tagged With: growth in Stanislaus County, Modesto Chamber of Commerce plan for prosperity, Stanislaus County farmland

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

So What if Romney Doesn?t Solve the ?Root Causes? of Poverty?
So What if Romney Doesn’t Solve the Root Causes of Poverty?
We handle problems all the time without dealing with their root causes.
nymag.com
The Facts of Life - The Bulwark
The Facts of Life – The Bulwark
My suggestion last week that perhaps the best way some of us who’ve been conservatives can now help the country is to help the Biden administration succeed, and help the Democratic party move to the center, seems to have stirred up a minor tempest in the conservative teapot. I asked whether one shouldn’t consider allying…
thebulwark.com
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
WSJ News Exclusive | Texas Electric Bills Were $28 Billion Higher Under Deregulation
Texas’s deregulated electricity market left millions in the dark last week. For the past 20 years, its consumers have paid more for their electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities, a WSJ investigation found.
www.wsj.com
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
The making of Madison Cawthorn: How falsehoods helped propel the career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right
Cawthorn has emerged as one of the most visible figures among newly arrived House Republicans, who have promoted baseless assertions and pushed a radicalized ideology that has become a driving force in the GOP.
www.washingtonpost.com
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
Los Angeles Just Opened a Tiny Home Village for the Homeless
The colorful community was built in just 13 weeks!
www.housebeautiful.com
California's coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: 'The devil is already here'
California’s coronavirus strain looks increasingly dangerous: ‘The devil is already here’
California’s coronavirus strain is more transmissible than its predecessors, is more resistant to vaccines and may cause more severe cases of COVID-19.
www.latimes.com
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden's Sweeping COVID Package
More Than 150 Biz Leaders Endorse Biden’s Sweeping COVID Package
More than 150 business leaders from various industries have signed a letter backing President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP's voters
Exclusive: Defeated and impeached, Trump still commands the loyalty of the GOP’s voters
www.usatoday.com
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
The Christian Prophets Who Say Trump Is Coming Again
In the growing community of charismatic Christian prophecy, faith in Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House is a new dividing line.
www.politico.com
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
AOC raises $1 million in Texas relief, heading to Houston as Ted Cruz douses Cancun flames
The New York congresswoman said she would travel to Houston to highlight the problems faced by Texans hit by power outages and freezing weather.
www.newsweek.com
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
Rush Limbaugh Did His Best to Ruin America
How the right-wing talk radio icon corrupted the Republican Party, spread hate, racism, and lies, and laid the groundwork for Trumpism
www.rollingstone.com
?I Don?t Trust the People Above Me?: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
“I Don’t Trust the People Above Me”: Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection
Interviews with 19 current and former officers show how failures of leadership and communication put hundreds of Capitol cops at risk and allowed rioters to get dangerously close to members of Congress.
www.propublica.org

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design