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8A – Daily News – Tuesday, February 8, 2011 Landowners fear they'll have to sell if California axes conservation program SACRAMENTO — In some ways, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed elimination of California's Land Conservation Act is just one more symbol of the state's great budget disaster. For many agricultural advocates, the consequences of abandoning a long-held strategy to preserve farmland and open space go well beyond the state's projected $25.4 billion deficit. Supporters say eliminating the 46-year- old law — commonly known as the Williamson Act — will diminish an impor- tant source of environmental protection for 16.5 million acres and increase develop- ment pressure on farmers and ranchers. The Williamson Act enables counties to contract with farmers, ranchers and other landowners, generally for 10-year terms, to keep the property taxes on their acreage lower. In exchange, the owners agree to keep the land out of development. Historically, the state has provided funds to the counties to offset their property tax losses. If the program goes away, some landowners question their ability to contin- ue operating their farms and ranches in the face of higher property taxes. "That would mean our family unit of five generations would be going out of the cattle industry,'' said Pamela Payen of Sacramen- to, who is a co-owner of the family ranch along with her husband, Louis "Sam" Payen. The Payen Ranch winters hundreds of head of beef cattle in the Sloughhouse area each year. In summer, the cattle are hauled to the high mountain meadows of Sierra County. All 10,800 acres of the Payen "If we lose that act, California will never be the same. It will not. We'll lose our Western heritage, everything. It's a huge issue for everyone who is a Californian." ranch owner Pamela Payen Ranch land in California are enrolled in the Williamson Act. "If we lose that act, California will never be the same. It will not," Payen said. "We'll lose our Western heritage, everything. It's a huge issue for everyone who is a Californ- ian." The act has critics. In 2005, the Legisla- tive Analyst's Office recommended that lawmakers begin phasing out state support. The analysts suggested that local govern- ments could find other ways to resist pres- sure to develop in open space. They said the $35 million to $40 million allocated to the program was too costly, adding that there's no assurance that the lands protected actually face development pressures. Eventually, large state budget deficits forced reductions in state support, starting with a 10 percent drop in 2008. Even so, the language of the act remained in place. In 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut funding to a $1,000 placeholder. Some counties absorbed the 2009 losses. Sacramento County, for example, allocated $512,000 to keep local contracts whole. Smaller, more rural counties, such as agriculturally rich Yolo, faced dispropor- tionate burdens. Yolo County absorbed the entire $1.3 million in lost state support in 2009. "It's been the cheapest farmland preser- vation tool in California history," said Yolo County cattle rancher Casey Stone. "And it's a relatively small investment to keep in place from our perspective." Last year, in an attempt to keep a modi- fied program in place, the California Farm Bureau Federation successfully backed Senate Bill 863, which allowed contracts to be shortened to nine years as counties assessed Williamson Act lands at slightly higher values. SB 863 appropriated $10 million for the modified program. Now that program, too, is on the state Finance Department chop- ping block. Should the funding support disappear, Stone said, economic realities will deter- mine what happens next. "It forces growers, if they can't make a decent income to pay the property taxes, to look at the highest and best uses of their property," he said. "That means residential development in some areas." Petrea Marchand, Yolo County's head of intergovernmental affairs, said the justifica- tion for eliminating the Williamson Act has been that "if counties want this program they should pay for it." She said it would be a mistake for the state to assume "that local governments can afford to support this land program in per- petuity." And the state does benefit from preserv- ing open space. "The act is important for food security, reducing greenhouse gases, habitat preservation," she said. More than 60 percent of Yolo County's agricultural land is enrolled under the Williamson Act. Under SB 863, Yolo County expects to receive about $300,000 this fiscal year and $500,000 yearly there- after. "Just zeroing out the funding I think would be a pretty devastating thing for a lot of rural areas that have in the past worked closely with other interests to preserve open space in California," said Jenesse Miller, communications director for the California League of Conservation Voters. "Given that California is going through a lot of progressive thinking about how to reverse sprawl, this would be a step back." Payen said her family's ranch, in opera- tion since 1852, already is facing the pres- sures of change in Sacramento County's pastoral landscape. There are plans for hard-rock quarries on three sides of the ranch that will "take from this area a beautiful part of California that reflects the way it was 200 years ago," she said. In its place, she said, will be heavy industry and the long-lasting effects of diminished air and water quality along with noise pollution. UC, CSU face deep cuts but will avoid fee hikes SACRAMENTO (AP) — The chancellors of the University of California and California State University systems said Monday that they don’t plan to seek stu- dent fees increases this year, despite a state budget pro- posal that calls for more than $1.4 billion in com- bined cuts to higher educa- tion. But UC Chancellor Mark Yudof and CSU Chancellor Charles Reed 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA We Accept EBT “Your Family Supermarket” We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF WE FEATURE SPECIALLY CUT MEATS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE Beef Rib Steaks (Bone-In) $499 lb. Strawberries (Product of USA/Mexico) 1 lb. clamshell or Blueberries 11 oz. (Product of Chile) $279 ea Crocker Cake Mixes 18-19.5 oz. 4 for Betty (Product of Mexico) Prices good Feb. 9 thru Feb. 15, 2011 Meat Specials Boneless Beef Rib Eye Steaks $599 Asparagus $ lb. Produce Specials Standard Size (select varieties) 159ea Grocery Specials Betty Crocker Frosting 12-16 oz. $500 Munchies Chips 7-16 oz. $199 Fritos, Cheetos, Rolo Gold or 3 for Dole Orange Juice 59 oz. cartons 2 for $500 Liquor Special Bud, Miller or Coors $ 18 pks. 1199 +CRV $500 Tropicana Trop 50 Orange Juice or Salads 2 for Select varieties $299ea Bonnerts Fruit Pies 24-26 oz. oz. $399ea Breakfast • Lunch American - Asian - and Su-Shi Food Lunch Special Morning Special 7am - 8:00am • 2 Pancakes • 1 Egg • 1 Bacon • 1 Sausage $1.99 Cheese Burger & Fries Special Open Mon-Sat. 6:30am-3pm, Closed Sunday 607 Main St. • 527-0772 Gift Certificates available $3.95 Cereals 17-25.5 oz. $400 Kellogg’s THE SUGAR SHACK CAFE said their promise won’t hold if Californians don’t agree to tax extensions that Gov. Jerry Brown is propos- ing for the June ballot. ‘‘He already told Mark and I straight up: If this doesn’t pass we’re going to come back and cut you some more. We can’t afford to take any more cuts,“ Reed told reporters Monday. ”You have to pay for what you get. Brown, a Democrat, wants to ask voters in a June special election to extend increases on income, sales and vehicle taxes for five years to help close Califor- nia’s $25.4 billion budget shortfall through June 2012. He is trying to win Republi- can support in the state Leg- islature to get a two-thirds majority to place it on the ballot, but GOP lawmakers have steadfastly opposed it. 384-1563 WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin Chops $249 lb. Brown is proposing a combined $1 billion in cuts to UC and CSU, and $400 million in cuts to communi- ty colleges. Community col- leges would also raise fees by $10 per unit under Brown’s proposed plan. Reed’s comments Monday were the most explicit threat to date of the further deep cuts that are possible The chancellors of all three systems testified at a budget hearing in Sacra- mento on Monday, where they said they are prepared to make deep cuts to admin- istration, teaching staff and services for students. They warned, though, that California’s renowned higher education system is being jeopardized and they are likely to continue to turn away hundreds of thousands of students. California Community Colleges Chan- cellor Jack Scott said if the proposed budget is enacted, his system will have to turn away 350,000 students next year because it will not have enough classes to offer. ‘‘We are particularly good at creating those mid- level jobs“ such as firefight- ers, nurses and mechanics, Scott said. ‘‘We are, of course, a bargain, even with the suggested increase of $10 per unit in our tuition next year.’’ Spokespeople for the Republican leaders in the state Assembly and Senate did not immediately return a message from the A.P.