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Source: Mendocino Country
MEASURE A HAS BEEN RESOUNDINGLY DEFEATED Mendocino County clerk recorder Susan Ranochak has issued her final preliminary vote count just after midnight on election eve. With 38 percent of registered voters being counted, Measure A has lost 62% to 38%. Absent an outlikely turnout of over 90%, the corporate sponsored measure to rezone the Masonite site has been resoundingly defeated. Developers Diversified Realty of Beachwood Ohio purchased the property to develop a shopping center in 2007 knowing it was zoned industrial. Last year, supervisors voted 3-2 to scope the Ukiah Valley Area Plan to allow major buildout of a mixed use shopping, industrial and residential park there. But two supervisors who supported the project were not re-elected, and the company opted to appeal to county voters to enact its custom designed zoning designation. They formed a dummy front group of political wanna bees organized as "Mendocino County Tomorrow" who were encouraged to lend their names to DDR's "Mendocino Crossings" initiative in return for promises of future support if they chose to run for office. Then, the company hired a bunch of thugs from southern California to obtain 10,000 local signatures on the petition with guile, deception, intimidation and flattery. ---snip---
At the outset of the campaign, county supervisors and city councils in Fort Bragg, Willits and Ukiah urged a no vote on the measure. At the same time, LAFCO issued a critical report warning that critical services would be impacted by the project and the developer would escape responsibility for the costs. Soon, county staff did the same. These documents can be viewed at www.mendocinocountry.com. Since then, Developers Diversified donated over $800,000 to its controlled campaign committee through another front corporation called Mendocino LLP incorporated in New Jersey. "Yes on Measure A, citizens to bring jobs, etc" spent all that money on canvassing, research, polling, legal, accounting, advertising, graphic designing, printing and mailing services. Their ignominious defeat is a national news story.
Read more: www.mendocinocountry.com
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