For over forty years Morgan Hill has had voter approved growth control ordinances. However, judging by the amount of new construction going on in Morgan Hill these days, it’s hard to tell. When I have asked city officials why there is so much growth, I am either told that its from developers catching up on permits they never used during the recession or that the State of California is now mandating that we grow more. This needs to STOP!
Typically, residents come to or stay in Morgan Hill because it is a small town, is safe and has a somewhat slower pace of life. If we grow as fast as the State wants us to, we will very quickly become an extension of San Jose and inherit many of its big city problems. Even today we are beginning to experience major problems with congestion which boarders on gridlock, an unmet need for additional Police officers, roads that are in disrepair, increased class sizes in our schools, a rapidly disappearing green belt and little money and no legitimate plan to deal with these issues.
I am in favor of Slowing residential growth in Morgan Hill to a more reasonable, manageable and sustainable level. We must also have a budget where we can provide for our current needs without the extra money generated from development. That way, we can use those fees for their intended purpose; the expansion of infrastructure, building of road, schools and increasing the level of law enforcement and other city services. Slower growth will enable Morgan Hill to retain and hopefully recapture some of its small-town feel, which is quickly being consumed by the uncontrolled expansion of Silicon Valley. I will stand up to those who are pushing for uncontrolled growth at the expense of our city and our natural resources. The will of the residences matter, not the demands of developers or politicians in Sacramento.
What advocates of growth claim and why I disagree
The response that I often get from city officials is that we need more growth because the taxes from construction help our budget or that we will be penalized by the State of California if we do not agree to their demands for a higher rate of growth.
First of all, it is a very irresponsible and short-sighted practice for the city to rely on growth and new construction to meet the needs of our budget. By its very nature, residential growth brings with it additional costs and demands on city resources and increased strain on our already overloaded infrastructure. In addition, if we rely on taxing new construction for our necessities, what do we do when we run out of space? How do we provide the additional infrastructure, roads, schools, police, fire, emergency services or water and other resources that more residents will require? That is not a responsible way to manage our budget and creating a more difficult situation for future generations.
As for the State demanding additional growth, my solution is simple: We fight back. If California wants to threaten to reduce or eliminate our funding because we are limiting growth based upon the demands of our citizens, then we challenge their ability to do so legally and politically by aligning ourselves with other like-minded cities and towns throughout the state. This will put political pressure on law makers in Sacramento and can help us save our town.
In addition, if the State wants more growth, we can demand that they build additional highways and infrastructure to accommodate those people and come up with a plan on how we are going to provide water and other resources for 50% more residents. I will stand up for the will of our residences. I am not the kind of person that has ever backed down from a fight and I am not going to start now.
What about the Housing Crisis?
This is not to say that I do not understand or acknowledge that there is a housing shortage in California. I am in the residential construction industry, believe me, I understand. However, the solution is not to force every small town to build, against the will of their residents, at an unreasonable and unsustainable rate. This destroys the character of small towns and strains their resources. We must have slow, reasonable growth that we can manage and plan for. We must also ensure that those that build our community can actually afford to live here by paying them a reasonable wage.
If you agree with me that we should slow the growth in Morgan Hill to a reasonable and sustainable level, please consider voting for me this November 6th. Also, you can join my campaign by contacting me here.