Legal questions persist about MALT, Measure A

In its recent endorsement of Measure A, the IJ editorial board ignores unresolved corruption allegations and ongoing legal actions against the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (“Extend Measure A tax for parks, open space and agriculture,” May 1). In 2020, MALT sued the county to conceal official public records alleged to contain evidence of MALT’s Measure A funds misuse. In January 2022, a renewed Public Records Act request again sought release of these official County documents.

These requests seek official county records believed to contain evidence of MALT’s alleged fraud, insider-dealing, appraisal inflation and gross conflicts of interests. These public records may also demonstrate systemic Measure A oversight problems, as well as MALT’s intentional refusal to follow applicable state laws on recusal, disclosure and conflicts of interests.

The editorial board did not caution that these public records requests have implications for Marin voters on June 7 regarding MALT’s play for Measure A funds. The pursuit of these hidden public records blocked by MALT continues.

As currently written with MALT’s private business interests in mind, Measure A provides no Board of Supervisors view into who has applied for public funds; no transparency how MALT evaluates and awards easements and grants to recipients; no independent review of MALT-commissioned appraisals; no county mechanism to monitor involved ranches; and no county redress for recipient violations and practices.

The barn door to corruption is wide open.

With its nine-year renewal to be decided June 7, Measure A could give MALT at least $13 million in taxpayerbased funds. Unresolved legal pursuits against MALT and blocked official public records make it foolhardy to rush Measure A to the ballot box. Send this Measure A back for rewrite so 100% of its public funds go to Marin’s public parks and open spaces. Vote no on this version of Measure A.

—Mark A. Walsh, Novato