Garfinkel, lead organizer of CEFF. Similarly, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an October story about Clover Sonoma’s “No on Measure J” ads on its milk cartons. This story contained statements from Benedetti of Clover Sonoma and Garfinkel of CEFF. Yet other publications ran stories that contained statements from only one side. For example, El Observador , a San Jose-based bilingual news site, ran a mid-November story that had been originally shared by a bureau of Public News Service, a Colorado-based nonprofit that provides stories in the public interest for free to news outlets. This story only contained statements from King of CEFF and Almira Tanner, lead organizer for Direct Action Everywhere. Other publications relayed information about Measure J primarily through opinion-editorial pieces. Berkeleyside , one of the three local news sites of Cityside, a Berkeley- based nonprofit focused on nonpartisan journalism, mentioned Measure J only in a December op-ed piece from Tanner of Direct Action Everywhere. In the piece, Tanner discussed Measure J extensively by comparing it with Measure DD in Berkeley. Measure J received state coverage through sites like Ag Alert , the news site for the California Farm Bureau and national coverage through sites like Salon , which terms itself as a digital site for progressive journalism. On posts on nonprofits’ websites, Measure J gained attention through writeups on sites ranging from the National Association of Counties, a D.C.-based nonprofit that serves county elected officials and county employees
to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a D.C.-based organization that advocates for farmers and ranchers. Supporters and opponents of Measure J also shared information about Measure J through social media platforms. For example, the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, which started as a supporter of Measure J, posted an audio interview from September with Tanner of Direct Action Everywhere on Meta/ Facebook. As the focus on Sonoma County and animal agriculture businesses subsides, the concerns that farmers and activists share may be the starting point for finding common ground. King says issues that worry CEFF include greenhouse gas emissions, the spread of avian flu and the health of farm workers. Ghirardelli says Sonoma County animal agriculture businesses are continuously protecting and improving the natural environment. “Our post-op of the Measure J campaign is not just for us but for all of agriculture. Locally, this legislation generated very high interest. Other recent local campaigns ordered approximately 400 signs to be distributed. The ‘No on Measure J’ campaign ordered over 4,000 signs. We kept running out. We’re still evaluating how everything came together. We want to do the best we can to explain the importance and intricacies of local agriculture,” says Ghirardelli. g
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April The Entertainment Issue
With such lauded offerings as the Country Summer music extravaganza and a host of community events, festivals and gatherings slated for the warm-weather season, the North Bay is gaining a reputation as an entertainment mecca across the Bay Area.
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March 2025
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