PRESERVING YOLO COUNTY'S RICH FARMLANDS
By Dave Rosenberg
Yolo County Supervisor, District Four
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 Davis, 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. 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‚ 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 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 land area is zoned residential, industrial and commercial. Here's the chart:
| Classifications | Total in Acreage | Percent of Area |
| Agricultural | 607397.51 | .9540 |
| Commercial | 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 Yolo County totals 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
(1997) of county
158 acres placed from A-1 to A-P 270 acres currently in review
(in process) process
I take very seriously my role to preserve agricultural land in Yolo County. In late January of 1999, the Board of Supervisors was faced with a request to take land out of the Williamson Land Act contract protection so that a sewage treatment plant could be expanded, allowing further urban development. It was the first time since I took my seat on the Board that the Board was presented with a request to take land out of the Williamson Act. Sending a message, I am proud to state that I voted "no." I refused to vote to allow the land out of the Williamson Act to facilitate urban development. I will continue to be vigilant in protecting our precious farmland.