THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY CHALLENGE
TO PRESERVE FARMLAND IN YOLO COUNTY
By Dave Rosenberg
Yolo County Supervisor, District Four
Since its founding in 1850 as one of California’s original counties, Yolo County has followed a different path. Born as an agricultural county, Yolo County has, for almost 150 years, maintained agriculture as its focus and its character. Even today, agriculture is by far the primal industry in Yolo County.
Agriculture in Yolo County uses the rich valley soils to provide food and fiber for the nation, as well as a livelihood and jobs for thousands. Virtually everyone in Yolo County is touched, in some way, by agriculture. Yolo County is the home of a great campus of the University of California, founded as the "University Farm" and continuing to impact California, the nation and the world on the cutting edge of agriculture, veterinary medicine and agri-science.
Yolo County’s path has been an uncommon one. Not so in Yolo County. For almost 150 years, Yolo County has (with rare exceptions) not permitted the urbanization of County land.
The keystone of our agricultural preservation in the Twentieth Century has been the "Williamson Land Act."
John Williamson was my friend. The great legacy he left to California is the agricultural land conservation act that bears his name: "The Williamson Land Act." John used to live in Yolo County, and he and I had many conversations about protecting our precious farmland. Prior to his recent death, I had the privilege of hosting John, his wonderful wife, Jean, and their extended family in my home as John and Jean celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I think of John from time to time, and know he’d be proud of our efforts in Yolo County to protect our farmland.
From the day I was sworn in to my position as a Yolo County Supervisor in January of 1997, I have worked hard to continue an important Yolo County tradition: Preserving Yolo County’s rich farmland.
Considering the financial and growth pressures facing county governments throughout California, Yolo County has not chosen an easy path. One need only look next door at Sacramento County to see a typical example of a county which has chosen to urbanize. Sacramento County has taken the more typical path of growth, urbanization and industry. In Sacramento, you can hardly tell when you’re leaving the "city" of Sacramento and entering the "county" of Sacramento except for the color of the street signs.
Yolo County has chosen a far different path.
Over the 150-year history of Yolo County, County Supervisors have recognized the importance of conserving our rich natural resources, and have consistently protected the County’s agricultural heritage from urban encroachment. The County of Yolo has resisted urban development in the unincorporated areas of the County, and has channeled urban development toward existing cities.
In Yolo County’s agricultural preservation efforts, a myriad of strategies have been used: The County’s General Plan, zoning regulations, the "Williamson Act," to name a few. A recent UCD study comparing General Plan policies of seven Central Valley counties consistently concluded that Yolo County is one of the strongest advocates and more successful counties in preserving agriculture. [Sokolow, Alvin D., "Farmland Protection in the General Plan: A Comparison of Seven Central Valley Counties," Dept. of Applied Behavioral Sciences, (May 1994).] A subsequent and related UCD study reviewed state, county and city farmland policies in the Central Valley, concluding that county governments are the principal defenders of agriculture, and identified Yolo County’s set of policies as one of the most clear and unequivocal about the top priority of farmland protection. [Sokolow, Alvin D., "Farmland Policy in California’s Central Valley: State, County and City Roles, California Policy Seminar, Vol. 9, No. 4, (October 1997).]
As most of us in Yolo County live in an urban setting, we may not realize how much rich farmland we actually have in Yolo County unless we "set out into the country" and actually drive those county roads. I have. I’ve driven the county roads up and down the great County of Yolo, and have seen the tomato and rice fields, the row crops, the vineyards, the orchards and the rich farmland which make this County unique. I have committed myself to protecting and preserving this agricultural heritage in Yolo County.
Here’s a statistic that may surprise you: Over Ninety-Five Percent of Yolo County’s unincorporated land area is currently zoned as agricultural. And that’s a lot of land! Over 600,000 acres in Yolo County are zoned for agriculture. Less than 1% of Yolo County’s unincorporated land area is zoned residential, industrial and commercial. Here’s the chart:\
| Classifications | Total in Acreage | Percent of Area |
| Agricultural | 607397.51 | .9540 |
| Commercia | 231.53 | .0003 |
| Industrial | 1131.1 | .0017 |
| Residential | 2627.63 | .0042 |
| Unzoned (i.e., Roads/Channels) | 25259.96 | .0398 |
| Totals | 636,646.63 | 1.0000 |
Since I’ve been a member of the Board of Supervisors, growth in the unincorporated areas of the County of Yolo has been kept to a minimum. In the two-year period of 1997 and 1998 combined, Yolo County’s unincorporated areas added a total of only 425 people and added a total of only 57 houses! That’s slow growth!
| Year Total Population | Unincorporated Population | % change |
| 1996 | 151,700 | 20,850 |
| 1997 | 153,700 | 21,125 - 1.3% |
| 1998 | 156,800 | 21,275 - 0.7% |
Unincorporated
| Year | Total Housing | Units Housing | Units % change |
| 1996 | 57,509 | 7,014 | |
| 1997 | 58,020 | 7,056 | 0.6% |
| 1998 | 58,805 | 7,071 | 0.2% |
Perhaps the most significant statistic, however, is the amount of acreage preserved in agriculture by way of agricultural preserves and conservation easements. The following chart shows that just in the two years since I’ve been on the Board of Supervisors, we have placed (or are in the process of placing) fully 2,475 acres in permanent agriculture through conservation easements and agricultural preserves. By way of comparison, all residential developments in the unincorporated areas of Yolo County total 2,627 acres!
| Newly Established (in past 2 years) | Newly Established (in past 2 years) |
| Agricultural Preserves | Conservation Easements |
| 276 acres placed from A-1 to A-P | 1,771 acres in unincorporated area |
| 158 acres placed from A-1 to A-P | 270 acres currently in review |
But, we cannot rest merely on what we do not in the Twenty-First Century. We have been vigilant in protecting our precious farmland through the vehicle of the Williamson Act, and we have started the process of permanent agricultural land preservation through the purchase of conservation easements. There is more to be done. As we move into the Twenty-First Century, Yolo County must seriously consider establishing Urban Limit Lines. The Yolo County Farm Bureau has taken a leadership and far-sighted position in support of Urban Limit Lines. I support them as well.
The pluses of our farmland conservation policy affect us all. Farmland is preserved. Agriculture is fostered. Large open spaces divide and separate the four urban centers (Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento and Winters), and prevent them from melding together into rural megolopoli.
The minuses challenge us, however. The County’s decision to preserve farmland and open space has cost Yolo County revenues which it sorely needs to provide essential services to County residents. After all, farmland provides very little tax benefit. A regional shopping mall would provide tremendous tax benefits to the County.
But it’s important for Yolo County to stay the course to preserve farmland, and to fight the pressure and temptation to urbanize and mall-ize the County. And make no mistake that the pressure is intense and is building. Great segments of County land -- outside the urban zones of cities -- are owned or optioned by those who would wish to "develop" (and I don’t mean orchards and row crops).
It’s time, now, for some bold vision and some bold steps if Yolo County is to continue to preserve its agriculture heritage into the Twenty-First Century. I call upon the cities of Yolo County, in partnership with the County of Yolo County to develop what I call a "Yolo County Greenline Plan." Here’s what I suggest:
1. Each of the four cities in Yolo County (Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters) will, through their respective General Plan processes achieve a community consensus as to its own "Urban Limit Line," that is a line of ultimate urban development, beyond which the community has chosen not to grow. It is especially important that Woodland establish an Urban Limit Line to the South and Davis establish an Urban Limit Line to the North, so that we can preserve the farmland between our two largest urban centers. The County of Yolo, also through its General Plan process, will develop similar urban limit lines commensurate with the cities’ choices, as well as for the few urbanized areas of Yolo County (e.g. Esparto, Dunnigan, El Macero, etc.).
2. The combined plan of "Urban Limit Lines" will be known as the "Yolo County Greenline Plan." It will be manifested in a simple Yolo County map which shows the ultimate urban limits and, importantly, displays the preserved open space and farmland surrounding the urban limit lines. Not only will the Yolo County Greenline Plan declare urban limits, but it will preserve agricultural land and open space, and will create large green zones between urban areas.
3. Ultimately, the "Yolo County Greenline Plan" will be memorialized in a "Compact" to be signed by Yolo County and each of the four cities, and witnessed by representatives of the Farm Bureau, Chambers of Commerce, the Sierra Club, the Yolo County Farmland Trust, UCD, and other appropriate organizations. As a contract of mutual benefit, the "Compact" will have both legal and moral suasion.
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors, I am confident, will support the "Yolo County Greenline Plan." Will the cities join as well?
I urge the citizens of Yolo County to begin the dialogue with their elected leaders to urge support for this plan to preserve -- for the next century -- the agricultural heritage of Yolo County.