San Diego County voters were asked to decide the fate of two housing measures on Super Tuesday, one that could change how development plans for rural areas are decided in the future.
Measures A and B were voted on by all eligible voters within the county and, according to the latest results from the county Registrar of Voters Office, neither had gained the 50 percent support needed to pass.
Measure A: Amendment to the San Diego County General Plan
Measure A intends to amend San Diego County's General Plan to ensure that any changes that would increase residential density in semi-rural and rural areas would have to be approved by voters county-wide.
As of noon Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of ballots left to be counted, the measure was being rejected by about 51 percent of voters.
San Diego County resident Lawrence Newman said he voted yes on the measure because "We as the people of San Diego should have a say in terms of what happens to land use development."
Beth Marino voted no on Measure A because she wants to make sure the environment is taken into consideration when determining how to address the housing crisis.
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"Hopefully I made the right decision for myself and other San Diegans,” she told NBC 7.
If Measure A does not pass, any housing density changes to the general plan would be decided by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, which is the current practice.
Measure B: Newland Sierra Amendments to the San Diego County General Plan
A second measure on the ballot, the housing project Measure B, was initially passed by the Board of Supervisors but after a petition from San Diego County residents was placed on the 2020 Presidential Primary Election ballot to be decided on by voters.
Measure B asked voters to decide the fate of a housing project planned just off Interstate 15, next to the cities of Escondido, San Marcos, and Vista.
The Newland Sierra development calls for over 2,100 homes, a school, retail space, parks, and open space, which would require an amendment to the general plan because the area's current home allowance is 99.
As of noon Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of ballots left to be counted, the measure was rejected by 58 percent of voters. It would need at least a "yes" vote of at least 50 percent to pass.
Measure B is an example of how Measure A would work if it is passed -- in the future, every housing density project like Newland Sierra would need to go before voters.
In the case of Measure B, it appears that voters will reject a plan that was already passed by their elected officials.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters predicted more than two-thirds of the about 511,000 ballots expected to be received were still not counted as of noon Wednesday. Many of the untallied results were mail-in ballots that could take several days to get to the Registrar's Office.
