News Details (Posted: April 5, 2006):

Basis for Farmland Protection Set in Williamson Act

Full Description:

Whether it is looking at ways to preserve the backcountry of San Diego County, promote agriculture in San Diego County or lock-in open space easements under the General Plan 2020 process, all debates encompassing the future growth of San Diego County eventually fall back on provisions encompassed in the California Land Conservation Act of 1965 - commonly called the Williamson Act.

"The Williamson Act was passed in 1965 as a response to the problems facing farmers who were being forced out of farming by rising taxes on their land," said Briggs Nisbet, of the American Farmland Trust.

The act allows local governments to assess agricultural landowners based on the income-producing value of their farmland rather than on its "highest and best use."

According to the California Farm Bureau, there are currently 16 million acres throughout the state enrolled in Williamson Act contracts, which is more than 50 percent of the state's cropland. The intent of the act was to provide farmers with property tax relief and to encourage the preservation of agricultural land.

"Land use planning at the state level in California is functional rather than comprehensive. State land use policies are located in a variety of government codes and acts, and only counties and cities in California prepare comprehensive plans. The state has no comprehensive policy on agricultural land use. Instead, there are several state programs and numerous statutory policies that affect the use of agricultural land," wrote Nisbet in 1990.