D5 Supervisor Candidate Calls Out County Board of Supervisors at Land Use Meeting Today for Underhanded Plans to Skirt State Law by “Bundling” GPAs to Rush Through Controversial Votes on 10K+ High Density Homes Most Residents Can’t afford, in High-Fire Risk Areas

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“Arsivaud Says Supervisors Influenced by Developer Contributions Show Blatant Disregard for Public Input With “Bundling” Votes / Tells Board: Delay Hearings to 2019.”

SAN DIEGO (May 9, 2018) – Concerned about haphazard, high-density development that the average resident can’t afford, proposed in high-fire rural areas, Jacqueline Arsivaud, Candidate for District 5 County Supervisor is calling out the current Board of Supervisors today for its plans to process twice as many General Plan Amendments (GPAs) than allowed by California State Law.  Arsivaud will testify at the Board of Supervisors hearing on Wednesday, May 9 at 9 a.m. against the “bundling” strategy and will call on the current Board to defer all large development decisions that do not conform to the current General Plan to the new Board of Supervisors scheduled to be seated in January 2019.  

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“Because a large portion, in many cases a majority of supervisors' campaign election funding comes from the building industry, I call on this Board to delay these approvals until 2019 to avoid the appearance of rewarding campaign contributors by bending the rules to rush GPA projects through before a new Board, and the SOS ballot initiative, take effect.  This is a matter of good governance and of restoring public trust and confidence in the office, badly damaged by the appearance of "pay for play" access.” 

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State law allows for four GPA votes within a year, yet according to County planning officials in this video  San Diego County plans to “bundle” seven projects together in three upcoming votes as a way to expedite hearings.  Highly controversial projects in Supervisorial District 5, some of them previously rejected by county staff, County Board of Supervisors, or the voters of San Diego County,  like Lilac Hills (Valley Center), Newland Sierra (Twin Oaks Valley), Valiano (Harmony Grove) and Harmony Grove Village South will be grouped together and voted on at once by the Board of Supervisors, bringing the potential of 10,129 home/units to high-fire risk areas – all to be approved in the span of four months with possibly no review by the Planning Commission.  

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“This is a brazen attempt to undermine the citizen input process,” says Jacqueline Arsivaud.   “It shows how little regard our current Board has for its residents and our public review process.

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“Residents and taxpayers pay the price for devastating sprawl-style developments like these located in far-flung countryside with out of control traffic, high wildfire risk and no infrastructure to support density,” says Arsivaud.  “This is not smart, sustainable growth, it’s the county putting developer profits before taxpayer interests once again.  To group GPA projects together and vote on them all at once, is unconscionable – it might be technically legal, but it sure doesn’t pass “the smell test” in terms of public trust.”

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Arsivaud cites her concerns over traffic, sprawl developments and wildfire evacuation safety as motivating her run for the seat.  “Land use and public safety are core issues facing the Board of Supervisors,” she says.  “The taxpayers need a Supervisor who will prioritize residents’ interests and safety, which is why I have vowed not to accept any campaign contributions from developers.”

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A 37-year resident of San Diego County, Arsivaud is a former farmer and tech industry businesswoman who currently serves as elected Chair of the Elfin Forest Harmony Grove Town Council.  She is also an elected member of the San Dieguito Planning Board.  She has spent the past 13 years volunteering her time to advocate for the residents of the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. She led her community’s involvement in the County’s recent General Plan Update and believes smart growth is essential to San Diego County’s future and the quality of life of residents.  Former Supervisor Pam Slater-Price is one of many Arsivaud supporters, as well as Jerry Harmon, the former mayor of Escondido and Eric Anderson, former San Diego County Farm Bureau President, among many notable citizens of San Diego County. For more information, www.jacquelinefor2018.com.  

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Note: Jacqueline issued this public comment during County Board of Supervisors Land Use Meeting on May 9th at 9 a.m. at Board of Supervisors North Chamber, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, Video can be downloaded using the following link: Jacqueline testifies about bundling.mp4

download file here