I am writing to encourage voters in the City of Goleta to elect Paula Perotte as our Mayor on November 6. Paula has served us well on the City Council for eight years, including three years as the mayor appointed by city councilmembers. Among the many things that impress me about Paula is her commitment to protect and preserve Goleta’s agricultural heritage and open space, regarded by many as our “green mental health zones.”

In 2012, Goleta residents became alarmed by an outside developer’s proposal to build 1,200 housing units on agriculturally-zoned Bishop Ranch. Paula Perotte was an early supporter of the Goleta Agricultural Lands Protection Initiative (G2012), a measure to protect Bishop Ranch and Goleta’s four other largest agriculture parcels from rezoning for large developments. The Goodland Coalition’s efforts to let the voters decide were affirmed when G2012 was resoundingly approved by 71 percent. Now, any attempted rezone of these five large agricultural parcels first requires approval by Goleta voters.

We have a clear choice in the upcoming election for Goleta mayor. While Paula Perotte endorsed G2012, her current opponent helped lead the opposition and signed the ballot argument against Measure G2012. He supported the then status quo, that Bishop Ranch could be rezoned any Tuesday just by a vote of three council members.

I hope that Goleta residents who favor protecting our agricultural lands from development will join me in voting for Paula Perotte in the upcoming mayoral election.

Bob Wignot is the past chair of The Goodland Coalition.

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