The Land Use Report

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Friday, May 18, 2012

Photo Credit: National Park Service

Tomorrow, you can volunteer to help track “Sudden Oak Death” in Santa Cruz County, by taking part in a “bioblitz” survey. A one-hour training will be given by U.C. Berkeley’s Dr. Matteo Garbelotto, and after the training you will then collect plant material on your own during the weekend, returning samples by Sunday, and thus helping scientists find ways to head off Sudden Oak Death in Santa Cruz County

I can’t imagine that you were already planning to do something like that, but I do encourage your involvement. The one-hour training program begins at 10:30 tomorrow morning. It will be held at the Cal-Fire Training Room, located on Gushee Street, in Felton. The meeting room is located immediately behind the forestry office, and if you are using GPS to get there, the address is 6059 Highway 9, in Felton.

The pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death threatens the beautiful Coast Live Oaks that are not only lovely in themselves, but that are vital to the survival of the plants and animals that depend on them. By tracking the fungus-like mold that causes the disease, it is possible to take steps to reduce the impact of Sudden Oak Death, and to protect at least some trees.

Your participation can make a huge difference. Here is a wonderful excuse to get our in our natural environment, and to do something that will help preserve and protect it. There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

Information on Sudden Oak Death

For more information call Annie Murphy: 831-818-9226

Or, contact organizers by email at:

Annie Murphy – anniekate@earthlink.net

Nadia Harney – nadiah@big-creek.com

Doug Schmidt – dschmidt@berkeley.edu

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Photo Credit: Railroad.Net

The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission is meeting this morning, starting at 9:00 o’clock. The meeting will be held in the Commission’s offices, located at 1523 Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.

On the agenda today are several interesting items. For instance, Agenda Item #5 is a proposal that the Commission approve draft goals, targets, and policies that are intended to reflect sustainability principles, for incorporation into the Regional Transportation Plan, or RTP. When finally adopted, this plan will become the Santa Cruz County component of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, and the approved policies will guide action on transportation project level decisions.

Agenda Item #6 will find the Commission discussing potential ballot measures, intended to get County voters to vote for more money for road and other transportation improvements. Many listeners may be interested in this topic! If you are not interested now, you probably will be if measures come before you later, on the ballot, asking for a sales tax increase, or something similar. Now would be a good time to start getting informed and involved.

Finally, Agenda Item #4 recommends that Iowa Pacific Holdings be selected to operate the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which will allow the Commission to finalize its purchase of the rail corridor running between Davenport and Watsonville. That’s exciting!

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission Website

Commission Agenda For May 17, 2012 Meeting

Staff Report on Selection of Operator for the Branch Rail Line – Agenda Item #4

Staff Report on RTP Goals, Targets, Policies, and Strategies – Agenda Item #5

Staff Report on Possible Revenue Raising Ballot Measures – Agenda Item #6

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Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Residents of the Monterey Peninsula well know the significance of Pebble Beach, which contains some of the most important Monterey Pine Forest remaining in the state of California. It has some pretty nice golf courses, too, not to mention scenic roadways and lovely homes.

The California Coastal Commission recently made what the Commission has called an “historic” decision about the future development of the Pebble Beach property. There is more information in today’s blog posting, available at kusp.org/landuse. Mary Shallenberger, the Chair of the Coastal Commission, said that the Commission’s action “ends decades of unproductive conflict about how to protect and develop the Del Monte Forest.” The Commission’s action clears the way for Monterey County to approve land use permits. A forest preservation easement, to be held by the Del Monte Forest Conservancy, will protect 635 acres of forest for the benefit of the public.

The “deal,” and that’s what it was, was negotiated in private between the owners of the Pebble Beach Company and Peter Douglas, who was then the Commission’s Executive Director. Douglas and Company representatives actually signed a joint letter, outlining the “deal,” prior to public involvement. This wasn’t exactly a public process. Despite requests that it address the issue, the Commission’s decision also did not require any onsite affordable housing. Maybe the County will insist on that in future action.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

Monterey County Weekly News Article on a New Book on the Monterey Pine Forest

Coastal Commission Press Release on Pebble Beach Decision

May 9, 2012 Coastal Commission Staff Report

Coastal Commission Website

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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Photo Credit: Blue Sky Real Estate

Land use decisions come in at least two different “flavors.” First, there are “policy” level decisions, like decisions related to the adoption or amendment of a city or county general plan. Second, there are “project” decisions.

Unless you are a first time listener, you will probably remember that I am consistently urging listeners to get involved in the land use “policy” decisions made by their local city council or board of supervisors. Adopted “policies” drive the decisions made on “projects,” and it is these “project” level decisions that actually result in changes to the natural landscape, or to our urban environment. LandWatch Monterey County has a publication entitled Land Use And The General Plan that provides some details on how this works.

“Policies” tend to be quite abstract, but “projects” are very specific, so most people get involved in land use issues at the “project” level. If four-story apartment building is proposed in your low-rise neighborhood, whether it gets approval or not may depend on the relevant land use “policies,” but neighborhood concerns focus on the “project.”

If you live in the City of Santa Cruz, and want to see how the “project” level operates, you should probably meet your ZA, or Zoning Administrator. There is a ZA meeting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. A number of city projects will get the go-ahead, or not, at that meeting. There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

City of Santa Cruz Website

ZA Agenda, City of Santa Cruz, May 16, 2012

Land Use And The General Plan

LandWatch Monterey County Website

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Monday, May 14, 2012

California Attorney General's Office

It is rare but not impossible that a public agency might carry out the entirety of one of its meetings behind closed doors. That is exactly what the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is planning to do tomorrow.

In any county, county government has land use jurisdiction over large areas of “undeveloped” land, and the land use and other decisions of county government are often the most important determinant of what will happen to a local community in the future. Persons who want to have an impact on the future of their community need to pay attention to what their county Board of Supervisors is doing. Luckily, the California Public Records Act gives every member of the public a right to look at government files. The Ralph M. Brown Act gives the public access to public meetings. These two statutory systems really make possible the kind of informed self-government that allows ordinary members of the public to affect the public policies that most affect them.

The “open government” provisions of state law, though, do allow City Councils and Boards of Supervisors to hold “closed” meetings in certain circumstances. Tomorrow, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, meeting as the County Water Resources Agency, has made the entirety of their meeting into a “closed” session, to deal with specified litigation matters. This is not the best news for those members of the public who would like to know “what’s going on?”

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

California Public Records Act

Ralph M. Brown Act

Monterey County Board of Supervisors Agendas

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Friday, May 11, 2012

Photo Credit: FORA

The Board of Directors of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority will be meeting today at 3:30. The meeting will be held at the Carpenter’s Union Hall, 910 2^nd Avenue in Marina.

Yesterday, I reported on a couple of the important land use issues that the FORA Board will discuss today. Both pieces of state legislation I mentioned are really “looking forward,” in that they focus on what might happen on the former Army Base in years to come. There is another perspective, however, which is also important. That might be called the “looking backwards” perspective. In other words, what has happened in the past on the lands of Fort Ord, which continues to have relevance for us today?

This year, LandWatch Monterey County has been focusing its popular “Around the County” series of presentations on both the past and the future of Fort Ord, and the next LandWatch “Around the County” meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14^th. The topic is Fort Ord Cleanup.

Past pollution has caused some very present problems. Speaking will be Bill Collins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Army Fort Ord
Base Realignment and Closure Cleanup Office, Stan Cook, Program Manager for the FORA Remediation Program, and Dan Amadeo, from Marina in Motion.

You are invited to this meeting on Monday. You can get links to more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

LandWatch “Around The County” Series on Fort Ord

LandWatch Website

FORA Website

FORA Meeting Agendas and Agenda Packets

Agenda for May 11, 2012 Meeting

Agenda Packet With Staff Reports

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Photo Credit: Monterey County Weekly

In Monterey County, two important land use related issues are “water” and the “future of Fort Ord.” If you care about Fort Ord, it might make sense for you to visit the agency that is presiding over its redevelopment. I am speaking, of course, of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, or FORA. The FORA Board of Directors is meeting tomorrow, starting at 3:30 in the afternoon. I have put a link to the agenda in today’s transcript, which is available at kusp.org/landuse.

The FORA Board will specifically be discussing a couple of pieces of state legislation, both carried by Assembly Member Bill Monning. Assembly Bill 1614 would extend the life of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority. Currently, the Authority will expire in 2014, and Assembly Member Monning’s bill would extend that date until 2024. There has been a good deal of discussion about what new conditions, if any, should be imposed on FORA in return for extending the life of the agency. Now would be the time to get involved, if you have an opinion or a preference.

The FORA Board will also discuss AB 1842, relating to financing the creation of a California Central Coast State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord. Again, those interested in this proposal should check out the staff materials and consider appearing tomorrow at the FORA meeting.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

FORA Website

FORA Meeting Agendas and Agenda Packets

Agenda for May 11, 2012 Meeting

Agenda Packet With Staff Reports

AB 1614 – FORA Extension

AB 1842 – Veterans Cemetery

Monterey County Weekly Story on AB 1614 

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Photo Credit: growninwatsonville.com

The Watsonville City Council met yesterday. Agenda Item #8.2 was of particular interest. This item proposed that the Council consider holding an Economic Development Summit, and was on the agenda at the request of Mayor Eduardo Montesino and Mayor pro Tempore Oscar Rios.

Economic development is a topic of central importance to Watsonville. In the past, the City has used “redevelopment” to provide assistance to private developers. Now that this is no longer possible, Council Member Daniel Dodge has proposed that the City convert farmlands next to Highway One into a site for some sort of big box store.

Council Member Dodge’s suggestion may, or may not, be the best way to stimulate economic development in Watsonville, and it probably would be good to consider alternatives other than turning productive farmlands into big box stores. A study just released in the last week or so appears to show that the rise of hate groups is directly correlated to the construction of Walmarts and similar big box operations. If KUSP listeners have economic development ideas, or opinions, now is a good time to get involved

You can find links to more information, including links to the study showing a correlation between the rise of hate groups and Walmart, at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

City of Watsonville Website

City Council Agendas

May 9, 2012 Meeting Agenda

City Manager Memo on Proposed Economic Development Summit

News article on Walmart-hate group correlation

Report on study on Science Newsline

Report on study on Atlantic Cities

Reference to study in Social Science Quarterly

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Photo Credit: Gary Patton

Downtown Santa Cruz is a pretty happening place, and the activities that go on there aren’t completely a matter of chance. There is, in fact, an organization that actively promotes the Santa Cruz downtown, and that does so using funds raised through assessments (sort of like property taxes) imposed by the Santa Cruz City Council. Just to be clear, the Council, a public body elected by Santa Cruz voters, imposes assessments that are then spent by a private organization, the Downtown Association. In common parlance, this is called a “public-private partnership.” If you would like to learn more, this topic is on the City Council agenda this afternoon.

In general, if a tax or assessment is imposed by a public agency, you would think that the public agency itself should be in direct control of how the money is spent, just as a way to promote accountability. In this case, though, a private group spends publicly generated money. This arrangement reflects the existence of a Business Improvement District, or “BID,” in the Santa Cruz Downtown Area. The monies raised come from businesses in the area, so it’s understandable that an organization run by those businesses should be in direct charge of expenditures. The City Council does supervise the effort, and tonight’s the time they do that, setting new assessments and reviewing the proposed workplan for the year ahead. You can get links to more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

What Is A BID?

Santa Cruz City Council Agendas

Agenda For May 8, 2012 City Council Meeting

Staff Report, Parking and Business Improvement Area Assessments

Downtown Association Workplan

Downtown Association Website

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Monday, May 7, 2012

Photo Credit: Los Altos Rod & Gun Club

Item #56 on the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is a continued public hearing on an application by the Los Altos Rod and Gun Club, to construct a clubhouse on their property, located at 14750 Skyline Boulevard in Los Gatos. Despite that Los Gatos address, the property is in Santa Cruz County. If it weren’t, of course, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors wouldn’t have jurisdiction.

The Rod and Gun Club has been around for a long time, and while an application to allow a gun club at this location might not be approved today, the general rule is that existing uses can continue to operate if they were legal when first initiated, and if nothing has changed. Land use regulation, in other words, almost always applies “going forward,” and not “retroactively.”

In this case, the Rod and Gun Club has a use that is controversial in the neighborhood (but that was legal when it first began). The problem the Club faces is that the Club now wants to make changes, by building a new clubhouse. This may well require a full examination of the operation of the gun club. The agenda item tomorrow notes that a preliminary investigation indicates a significant danger of lead contamination. Noise issues are already in the spotlight.

Tomorrow, the Board is expected to continue the matter until September. There are links in today’s transcript.

More Information:

Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog

Los Altos Rod and Gun Club Website

May 8, 2012 Agenda, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors

Staff Report on Gun Club Item