Measure J, the controversial Sonoma County proposition to ban factory farming, was trailing overwhelmingly in early returns Tuesday, with 85% of voters saying ‘no’ and just 15% saying ‘yes.’ It needed more than a 50% tally to pass.
The measure was expected to affect fewer than 20 large farms in the county, but those huge producers enjoy broad support in a region where agriculture is a major economic driver. Dairy farmers Clover Sonoma and Straus Family Creamery, as well as egg producer Weber Family Farms, would have been hit by the ballot measure.
Backers say the farms are a source of pollution and can harbor animals in conditions that are inhumane and spread disease.
The proposition would limit the size of animal production facilities that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s description of large concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Those parameters cover dairies with 700 or more mature dairy cattle, and egg farms with more than 125,000 laying hens. The federal regulations also have size thresholds for facilities raising turkeys, lamb, ducks, horses, swine and broilers — chickens raised for food.
The measure would force those large farms to close or downsize within three years. No new farms that exceed the thresholds would be allowed.
Opponents of Measure J viewed the ballot measure as an “existential threat” that would shut down family-owned farms across Sonoma County.
Supporters, including the Berkeley group Direct Action Everywhere, said the ballot measure would close facilities that harm animals and pollute air and water. A Johns Hopkins University study from 2019 found CAFOs — where 90% of all U.S. livestock are raised — produce half of the country’s animal waste and “represents a public health hazard.”
Tensions over the measure intensified in the weeks leading up to the election. Sonoma dairy company Clover put messaging on its milk cartons urging voters to support the county’s farmers, including a QR code that directed shoppers to a “No on Measure J” page.
The Press Democrat reported Oct. 22 that an email sent Oct. 21 from a fictitious account threatened violence against the strategic committee behind the No on J campaign. A Yes on J spokesperson condemned the threat, the paper reported.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the threat.
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