Fruit picking, wine tasting and weddings — Silicon Valley leaders want to preserve the romance of their farmlands through tourism as the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” gives way to strip malls and tech campuses.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously moved forward with the idea of creating an economic development office to build a regional brand identity around South County agriculture. Proponents, led by South County District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas — argue it could breathe life into the sweeping rural landscape as a major visitor destination.
It’s unclear how much creating the office could cost. County finances are struggling, with officials juggling a $250 million budget deficit. Supervisors in the coming years will have to weigh tax dollars needed to support the county’s public hospital system and social safety net services. County officials will report back to supervisors in February for a decision, with a proposal that includes possible mid-year budget allocations for the office’s creation.
Arenas said housing developments springing up in South County — namely under the builder’s remedy legal tool allowing developers to bypass local zoning restrictions in areas that don’t comply with state law — are threatening to erase the region’s history. She argued it’s critical to show the economic value of these lands in their current state.
“It isn’t viable if we don’t have additional support for those who are struggling to continue to be farmers in the last segment of farmland in our county,” Arenas said at the meeting. “In our district we have about 23 out of roughly 60 or 65 builder’s remedy projects … on farmland, which is very telling of an issue that is making agricultural land viable and having it work for us.”
Santa Clara County crops netted a gross value of $371 million in 2023 — a jump from $358 million in 2022, according to the county’s most recent crop report.
The proposal goes beyond farmers, Arenas added.
“This is a proposal for economic development for unincorporated areas,” she said.
South County leaders and business owners are lining up to champion the proposal with a plethora of ideas. Among them: freeway signs, farm-to-table dinner events and promotions for small businesses that could help preserve the last vestiges of a valley that once seduced famed naturalist John Muir — the architect of U.S. national parks.
Supportive community letters to county supervisors on Tuesday fired off a number of businesses ready to push the region’s rebranding forward: pastoral wedding venues, organic heirloom tomato stands and scenic ranches to hold wine and coffee tastings.
“One of South County’s gems are our wineries, whom many Santa Clara County residents are still somehow unaware of our existence. Unaware that they can drive 30-60 minutes south for a delicious wine country experience rather than two hours north,” Wineries of Santa Clara Valley President Kim Engelhardt said during public comment. “Establishing an office of economic development will create a central, coordinated hub to support agricultural businesses in the unincorporated county areas.”
While supportive of the idea, Supervisor Susan Ellenberg raised concern that the county’s structural budget deficit might pit the office’s work against other services residents need.
“I have no doubt that unincorporated communities in South County have by definition been undeserved with regard to economic mobility, because they never had a city to lead that action. And we know that when people are economically self-sufficient there is less reliance on social services,” Ellenberg said.
But she argued the county has historically left “proactive economic development” to cities.
“Undertaking a new, significant body of work and creating a new office — regardless of the clear merits — is a really significant decision and in my opinion would have to be weighed against our current stated priorities, budget circumstances and staff bandwidth,” Ellenberg said.
County Executive James Williams said resources for the office exist within the county — they just need to be coordinated.
“We are in a situation of more limited resources. I think the entire board recognizes that,” Williams said at the meeting. “We’d be in a position to bring forward a proposal that tries to thoughtfully layer together existing resources for a more coordinated approach, provide augmentation of those resources and proceed accordingly.”
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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