State - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating funding for the Williamson Act, resulting in widespread criticism in Amador County and throughout the State. The $35 million program protects 16.4 million acres of farm land from conversion to non-agricultural use, including wildlife-friendly agricultural lands and fields leased for hunting. A similar proposal was made under Governor Gray Davis in 2003. In Amador County, over 95,000 acres or 34 percent of the county’s total acreage falls under the Williamson Act. Should the governor’s proposal be approved, the county could stand to lose approximately $100,000 in subvention payments. Elimination of the program would also remove tax incentives given to landowners to prevent them from developing their land. In an exclusive TSPN interview, local vintner and agriculturalist Ken Deaver found the proposal worrisome. Deaver and others involved in agro-tourism have also expressed concern that the economic contributions from agricultural lands will suffer greatly. According to one state analyst, removing land protections will raise taxes and fees, and would re-impose sales tax on farm equipment and supplies and extend the sales tax to more products and services. Lost revenue would also push counties to raise fees. The Williamson Act passed in 1965 to protect open space and agricultural land from urban sprawl and development, as well as environmental protections. The act enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural or open space use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal because they are based on farming and open space uses. Story by Alex Lane