DeVita v. County of Napa

Opinion

MOSK, J.

In November of 1990, the voters of Napa County enacted Measure J, an initiative that amends the land-use element of the county’s general plan to preserve agricultural land. Measure J made the redesignation of existing agricultural land and open space essentially conditional on voter approval, with certain exceptions, until the year 2021. The questions before the court are whether a county’s general plan can be amended by an initiative of the county’s electorate acting pursuant to article II, section 11 of the California Constitution, and whether the electorate can properly…