Sonoma County Voters Reject Measure J in Support of Local Farming

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Early results in Sonoma County show that voters have rejected Measure J, a closely watched initiative that would have drastically reshaped farming in the historically agricultural county.

At a watch party in Santa Rosa on Tuesday night, the mood was joyous as Dayna Ghirardelli, the executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, announced that early voting showed an 85% vote for no on Measure J.

The party, featuring many more flannels, boots and mesh caps than one usually sees a political event, served Clover milk and Strauss ice cream — two companies whose largest suppliers in Sonoma County would have had to close or downsize had Measure J passed.

Ghirardelli told KQED that the results were a resounding message in support of local farms.

“I can see where they may have thought this had to do something with animal welfare, but it has nothing to do with animal welfare,” Ghirardelli said of the measure’s supporters. “Our farmers here take great care of their animals and the land. We are third-party animal welfare certified. We are organic. We do all the things that we need to, to take care of our animals. And I think that unfortunately, with all due respect, they were duped.”

Farmers and agricultural interests across the state closely watched Measure J. Had it passed, advocates vowed to place similar measures on the ballot in other California counties.

In a statement, the Coalition to End Factory Farming said the No on J campaign had resorted to “scare tactics and falsehoods.”

“While the opportunity to alleviate animal suffering and move our society in a better direction fell short today, we’ve always known that this will take time and we trust that people are going to get there,” the statement read.

Measure J would have placed strict limits on the size of individual animal farms, banning any farm that meets the federal definition of a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. Advocates, including the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, campaigned on the argument that larger animal farms pollute the environment and are more likely to mistreat animals.

Local farmers, politicians and business groups overwhelmingly opposed the measure, arguing that it would put long-standing family-owned farms out of business, some of which have operated in the county for over 100 years. Opponents also argued that it would have caused exponential job losses, higher food costs and less locally sourced eggs, milk and poultry; and that trucking these into the county would have negated the measure’s environmental goals.

Had the measure passed, farms not in compliance would have been fined $10,000 a day. It would have authorized civilian enforcement and tasked the county agricultural commissioner with implementing and managing a job retraining and reentry program for farmworkers who would have lost their jobs.

Campaign spending for Measure J was high for Sonoma County, topping $2 million. Much of the contributions came from outside the county, and the majority of funds went to oppose the measure.