• • •

There is a weird symmetry in the recent decision by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to deny the people of Carmel Valley the right to vote on incorporation. By forcing the incorporation proponents to pay for an extensive Environmental Impact Report and numerous other studies—a move that will add years to the incorporation process, if it doesn’t kill it outright—the LAFCO board clearly drives home the notion that the County does not care about what these people think or want.

The fact that the winning argument against the vote was carried by Tony Lombardo, an attorney who relentlessly represents the interests of the most powerful businesses and developers in the county, reinforces the belief that Monterey County government serves the good old boys, and not its citizens.

The LAFCO board’s insistence on an EIR is also weird, especially in response to a demand by Lombardo. Since when is this man so keen on tracking a project’s environmental impacts? Do the members of the LAFCO board expect the people of Carmel Valley, or anyone else, to believe that their decision is based on a desire to protect the environment?

This decision appears to fit a troubling pattern: It is the fourth time in six months that a local political agency has derailed a citizens’ initiative.

Following the California law that allows citizens to bring issues to a public vote, activists have gathered enough signatures to qualify three other proposals for the ballot—initiatives against developments at Rancho San Juan and Butterfly Village, and for a General Plan to guide future growth in the county. All three were disqualified by the County Board of Supervisors and are now in litigation.

By denying the people of Carmel Valley the right to make an incorporation decision for themselves, LAFCO proves that they need that right—that they can’t depend on their elected representatives to act on their behalf. It is unfortunate that they feel that they have to take matters in their own hands. They deserve our support.