Dear editor,

When I was approached about a year ago outside Safeway by someone gathering signatures to put Measure A on the ballot, I was told this bill would "help protect homeowners from being taken advantage of by the county." The person gathering signatures assured me that I would be protected if the county "wanted to put a freeway through my backyard."

Upon closer inspection of Measure A, I can see that I was misled. What I found is that the only ones to benefit from this measure are the developers and large corporations who are supporting it. I learned that a similar law in Oregon has led to endless lawsuits over how to interpret the law. The Oregon law has resulted in expensive litigation in order to decide how much a property's value has been affected by any county decision. According to an impartial expert study ordered by Napa County, Measure A could cost millions each year to pay property owner claims, administrative costs and legal bills, all of which would jeopardize valuable county programs.

Oregon's version of Measure A has been a disaster. Napa should learn from Oregon's mistake and vote "no" on Measure A.

Holly Dowling

Pope Valley