Friday, September 26, 2008

Locals worry about state, federal politicos butting in

By GARTH STAPLEY
gstapley@modbee.com

last updated: July 13, 2007 02:41:04 AM

Enlisting support from political heavy hitters appears to be a powerful emerging strategy in controversial developments.

And it works, judging by the outcomes of hotly contested plans for a huge business park in Crows Landing and a new town around the Turlock Golf and Country Club.

Both overcame significant opposition after letters from multiple state representatives, who normally stay out of land-use debates before local officials.

A congressman even weighed in on the Crows Landing tug of war, and two university presidents threw their weight behind the private country club vision.

"This is not business as usual," said Ray Simon, who retired after three decades as a Stanislaus County supervisor only weeks before February's Crows Landing vote. "If this is the beginning of an unheard-of era of state and federal representatives attempting to influence land-use planning, it's a sorry deal."

Developers pushing the tactic say it makes good sense as officials increasingly look beyond neighborhood impacts and turn to large-scale, regional planning.

"It's a different game" from past eras, said attorney Michael Warda, representing the country club team. "I like the fact that these guys (state legislators and university presidents) are paying attention."

Both sets of plans had drawn plenty of negative attention before the bigwigs got involved.

Gerry Kamilos and PCCP West Park last year lost key advisory votes by members of two county committees who favored Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood plan. People living in Crows Landing, Patterson and much of the West Side also lined up against Kamilos.

But he has friends in high places.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, joined state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, in a letter endorsing a rail link from the former naval air base at Crows Landing to the Port of Oakland. The letter does not mention Kamilos or his company, but he championed the short-haul rail idea and his competitor did not.

"We believe this may well be the most important development decision the county will ever make," Cardoza and Cogdill wrote.

Assembly members Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, and Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, wrote a similar joint letter to county supervisors, as did state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-San Luis Obispo, chairman of the state Senate's Agriculture Committee.

Kamilos was unavailable this week for comment, a secretary said.

Many said they were shocked at what some supervisors called meddling by higher-ups.

"I was sickened by the political manipulation," said Supervisor Jim DeMartini, who represents the West Side and whose vote was on the losing end of a 3-2 nod to Kamilos.

"The amount of political pressure we got on this thing was unprecedented. It was out of place, and if anything, I resented it. It was a local land-use decision, not anything that federal or state government should get involved in."

Others involved in the country club vote had similar reactions.

JKB Homes failed to win over municipal advisory councils in Hilmar and Delhi for its vision of 3,500 homes on 1,600 rural acres. Opponents gathered 550 signatures on petitions and county staff warned that the project could trump studies of a Highway 165 bypass of Hilmar and a nearby interchange on Highway 99.

But Warda, the development team's attorney, secured support from University of California at Merced Chancellor Steve Kang and California State University, Stanislaus, President Hamid Shirvani. And Galgiani joined state Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, in a letter to Merced County supervisors regarding the golf town plan.

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