Sonoma County voters to decide on Measure J

Sonoma County voters will decide the fate of large-scale farms in November. The contentious Measure J is drawing national attention.

PETALUMA, Calif. - Hundreds of thousands of chickens are housed on Mike Weber’s farm in Petaluma in Sonoma County. The agricultural roots run deep for Weber. Four generations of his family have tended to the chicken houses on this farm.

"I grew up on it, my house is right over there, my grandma’s house is right next door," said Weber. "Our family’s been producing eggs in Sonoma County since 1912."

Each day, the farm produces about half a million eggs that are processed, packed and sold at grocery stores. In November, voters in Sonoma County could reshape the agriculture industry in the region and Weber says, end his family’s legacy.

"It would just take the egg basket of the world and put an end to it," Weber said.

Advocates and supporters of the measure see it very differently. They argue large farms like Weber’s are a problem.

"Operating in secrecy are factory farms, and they’re polluting our waterways. Almost every waterway is impaired," said Kristina Garfinkel, lead organizer of the Coalition to End Factory Farming.

"There’s been documented animal abuse at these farms. Myself and others don’t feel like they belong in the county."

The contentious debate over Measure J has captured the attention of the county’s nearly 500,000 residents. Street signs weighing in on the issue dot neighborhoods and dirt roads. Opponents and supporters have held dueling rallies. Both sides expressed strong opinions about the impact of a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.

"Should this pass: our county, the way it is today, the food we have here today, it will go away," said Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. "Our whole county will change."

A coalition of more than 40 environmental and animal rights groups gathered 37,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. At a board of supervisors meeting, a supporter explained why they wanted to send the issue to voters.

"We’re using the ballot measure process to take the power back and directly pass legislation that protects the community, when the government fails to do so."

If Measure J passes, Sonoma County farms with more than 700 dairy cattle or 82,000 laying hens would be required to downsize or close within 3 years. It would also prohibit new large farms from opening. Sonoma would be the first county in the nation to ban "concentrated animal feeding operations" or CAFOs, a term used by the Environmental Protection Agency for regulating agricultural discharge. Activists use the term ‘factory farm’ interchangeably.

Proponents of the measure believe it would impact about two dozen farms including Weber’s, though the exact number is disputed. Opponents say the number doesn’t matter.

"In my estimation, one farm is too many. And if we have farms going out of business, it’s going to create a complete trickle-down effect, no matter what size farm you are," said Ghirardelli. "No matter what you produce, you’re going to be negatively affected."

In 2018, activists from Berkeley-based Direct Action Everywhere stormed Weber’s farm, in protest of alleged animal abuse, live-streaming it on social media. Some took chickens, they claimed they were rescuing, a few have since been charged with crimes.

"They didn’t help our animals," said Weber. "It only exposed them to potential viruses, it didn’t help anything here, only created an animosity between two different groups."

Direct Action Everywhere is part of the group supporting Measure J. Weber pointing to their tactics as a cause for concern. Garfinkel says there are many organizations that make up their coalition.

"To me it’s a distraction, this footage and trial, all a distraction," Garfinkel said. "Because they don’t want to actually talk about the measure which is to end factory farming."

Eager to dispute allegations of animal abuse and polluting the environment, Weber offered a tour of his farm. He showcased the passive drying system, to take chicken manure and turn it into organic pellets to distribute to other farms. He also opened up the doors to the chicken houses, emphasizing they meet federal and state regulations and other third-party animal welfare standards to earn labels like "certified humane."

"Animal welfare is critically important," said Weber. "If you stress an animal, she doesn’t give you an egg, she doesn’t put on weight, she doesn’t give milk. Animal welfare is the number one job."

Weber says his farm is still recovering after they were forced to euthanize 550,000 chickens in December, after an outbreak of bird flu. One thing both sides of the measure agree on: if a ban like this succeeds in a place like Sonoma County, it could gain traction elsewhere.

It’ll be voters who decide the outcome of the debate and both sides are urging people to educate themselves before they turn in their ballots.

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