I start by pointing out the hyperbolae in the e-mail sent by the No on H supporter.

Dear Sir,

You do not represent the Republican voters in Rocklin in regards to measure H. I have worked with the Republicans & Democrats on this measure here in Rocklin. I have walked precincts. The majority of the Republican people here in Rocklin are voting NO on H. The signs that says ‘yes’ are on empty lots (do your own research), and the signs that say ‘no’ are on the average home in Rocklin – Republican & Democrats working together for a common goal. To think you would be a part of the funding by MASSIE & COMPANY, AND THE UNITED AUBURN INDIAN COMMUNITY OF THE AUBURN RANCHERIA, who can’t vote on this issue unless they live in Rocklin, is very disturbing. I realize the United Auburn Indian Community is concerned about money & the further expansion of the Thunder Valley Casino, I only hoped that the Placer County Republican Party chairman would do more homework, & find out for yourself what the people in Rocklin are really concerned about. Please ask the people. The regular people; Republican & Democrat, are concerned about the over population, the traffic, and the preservation of Clover Valley. As a Republican, I’m very disappointed in the latest flyer from the Rocklin Alliance for Open Space??, Yes on Measure H, with major funding by Massie & Company & the United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria.

Now Tom’s Response – Emphasis added where needed…

Thanks for taking the time to write.

As you might expect, the Placer County Republican Party tends to look to elected Republican leaders and Central Committee members from Rocklin when it comes to local ballot measures like Measure H. All of those people are supporting Measure H, so my views on the subject are somewhat irrelevant.

Our local Party is almost always at odds with the bogus Thunder Valley “tribe” and we have never had any direct or indirect support from Mr. Massie (as far as I know), so their support for Measure H was not very persuasive to anyone I know. What we found persuasive were the property rights and taxpayer protection arguments.

As a Republican, I support private property rights and I do not believe property owners should have to win an expensive election in order to use their own property productively. More than three-fifths of the land in Placer County is owned and operated by government; another one-fifth is directly controlled by government through agricultural conservation easements, Williamson Act contracts, Placer Legacy easements, and other means. Only one-fifth of the land is owned and controlled by private owners and much of that is already off-limits to development due to zoning laws and other government rules. I tend to think that government should do a better job of managing the four-fifths of the land that they own or control—and stop spending so much of their time and energy trying to control the tiny fraction of privately-owned that is available for development.

Furthermore, as a statewide leader in the California Taxpayer Protection Committee, I am concerned about what will almost certainly happen to Rocklin if the private owners of Clover Valley are not permitted to use their own land. Recently, the small City of Half Moon Bay was ordered to pay $40 million to a land owner who was not permitted to develop his land. The whole city budget is only about $10 million, so this has been a catastrophic blow to the city it may take them a generation to recover, even if the debt is restructured through municipal bankruptcy.Those facts are very similar to the Rocklin situation. Either the private land owners will be allowed to use their private land, or the taxpayers will be forced to pay for it. If Measure H fails, city leaders have no way to pay for the entire Clover Valley, so they will undoubtedly approve a new development plan—with 992 houses or more, rather than the 400 or so that are included in the current deal.

I have not taken a poll, but I suspect that you may be right that many Republicans in Rocklin will vote No on Measure H. Referendum campaigns can be very confusing and many people may not understand the legal effect of their votes. I am told that the current proposal sets aside 62% of the land as open space, which is something that the city has no ability to require. Many voters may assume that if Measure H is defeated, the city (or the courts) will require even more open space in the next proposal; they may not realize that such an outcome is extremely unlikely. Part of the mission of the Republican Central Committee is to investigate such matters and educate Republican voters.

We may not agree about this ballot measure, but I hope we will be able to work together on future ballot measures and campaigns. You are absolutely right that we need to do something about traffic in Placer County . The answer is not higher taxes or the abolition of private property rights; the answer is new roads and freeways. Our county budget has tripled in the last few years, but somehow they can’t find a penny for new highways. Your city budget has doubled in the last five years, but again, very little has been done to address traffic problems. We need to unite and tell our elected leaders that new roads and freeways are a priority for the voters.

Thanks again for your note.

Tom Hudson
Chairman, Placer County Republican Party