Letter: Perspective on Measure V

Letter to The Editor

Apr 28, 2026

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I had assumed California strictly prohibits building where toxins are highly concentrated, so I wanted to evaluate the claim that contaminants have been found in high levels at the prospective Village Farms site. I researched how the toxins there compare with where I live, Mace Ranch, and was shocked to learn that my neighborhood was built directly atop a Superfund site (Frontier Fertilizer)!

I learned that in the 1990s, banned carcinogens were measured in groundwater at up to a million times the EPA drinking water standard. But this was all cleaned up, and we have raised children here for eight years without worry. In fact, I had no idea about this history until I did the research.

I share this to give a sense of proportion. The worst PFAS reading at Village Farms is roughly 3,000 times lower than what was measured beneath my own home, yet Mace Ranch is a thriving neighborhood where toxins have never been an issue.

And unlike Mace Ranch, Village Farms won't be built on top of its contamination source. Toxin levels were also higher under the Cannery and Wildhorse.

If Davis found it safe to build Mace Ranch, the Cannery and Wildhorse — and the thousands of families living there, including mine, are glad they did — then Village Farms deserves the same chance.

Please vote yes on Measure V.

Greg Francis

Davis