Sonoma County Voters Reject Measure J in Support of Local Farming

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. Read more