Press Release, No on Measure J

Measure J in Sonoma County, Vote NO

 

By now, you have likely heard of Measure J that is hitting the ballot this fall. You may have even seen some “Yes on J” protesters around.

This ballot measure- if passed - would disrupt the entirety of what makes Sonoma County what it is.

The goal of this initiative is to put animal agriculture farms out of business, and has nothing to do with pollution or animal husbandry. It will force Sonoma County, and the Bay Area to change their consumption, stripping away their choice to choose LOCAL. If passed, our residents in the Bay Area will have to pay a higher price for meat, dairy, and eggs, as it will have to be imported from farms further away, perhaps from even larger operations. We're incredibly lucky to live in a diverse agricultural area. We want to uplift and support the farmers in Sonoma County who are still providing their residents with fresh products raised in their proverbial backyards. 
 
If it is passed, it will - increase greenhouse emissions from trucking in products from further away, increase the cost of food, shut down local, often multi generational businesses, put thousands of employees out of work, and force the import of other meat, dairy, and eggs from outside the county and state. 
 
We need YOU to help in the fight against this. This isn’t a partisan issue either. Both Sonoma County Democrats and Republicans have come out on the NO side. The Petaluma City Council unanimously is against it. Healdsburg City Council just voted against it 4-1. The entire Board of Supervisors is against this measure. The measure is written in a way that is purposefully confusing. Large farms are just that - large. But no matter the size, we're all held to the strict Bay Area Water Quality Control board standards. Size of a farm does not equal environmental problems. They claim it’s only “large farms” but we have asked lawyers to review and it’s not so clear. Even if it was only large farms , that would wipe out valuable infrastructure that smaller farmers, like us, need to survive. With the infrastructure gone, we would likely go out of business. Straus Creamery would likely go out of business. Artisan cheese producers would likely go out of business. 
 
We have seen many restaurants with signs in their windows, thank you! Several others with “No on J”’in their menus or on receipts. Thank you! If you need signs, visit HERE or let us know. If you need a toolkit on how to answer questions visit HERE or ask away. If you want to help in other ways, please let us know! 
 
More on the No on J from California Alliance of Family FarmersRoots of Change (with a big NO endorsement from Albert Straus), the Sonoma County Farm BureauFood and Family FarmsNo on Measure J campaign and  Farm Trails
 
We are Sonoma Strong.  
 
Thank you and #FeedPeopleDuck - Liberty Duck!
 
Jim, Jennifer, and Eric Reichardt