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Listen to the reports each weekday at 6:49 am & 8:49 am To
suggest a topic for a future land use report, or to convey a comment,
please use this link.
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| Past
Reports
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP by Gary Patton, Executive Director of The Planning and Conservation League. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP You can contact Gary Patton at PCL by emailing him at: gapatton@pcl.org.
Monday, May 28, 2007 – Yes, Yes, No, No (Or Is It The Opposite?) The Immediate Past Chairman of the Monterey County Republican Party summarizes the arguments like this: “No, No, Yes, Yes, this is how we fix this mess!” It’s catchy, I must admit, and maybe supporters of Measure A should be responding with “Yes, Yes, No, No, that’s the way we ought to grow.” For listeners who’d like a more thoughtful analysis, however, the transcript of today’s Land Use Report contains a link to an article by the Editor of the Monterey County Weekly, which thoughtfully reviews the options, before coming down in favor of Measure A, the Community General Plan Initiative. Besides their “No, No, Yes, Yes” slogan, the Republicans make the totally unsupported claim that the Community General Plan Initiative <quote> “contains a hidden billion dollar tax on new homeowners.” That tax is quite hidden, I must say! It’s escaped everybody else’s attention. Perhaps because it’s a pure figment of the Republican Party imagination. My Daddy used to say, “If you’re lying in the road, you could get run over.” It’s probably better to tell the truth. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Tuesday, May 29, 2007 – The Santa Cruz City General Plan Update On Thursday evening, May 31st, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the City’s General Plan Advisory Committee will be holding a meeting in the Police Community Room, 155 Center Street, in Santa Cruz. You can get more information from Tom Graves, a staff member in the City’s Department of Planning and Community Development. I’ve put contact information in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. Agenda items slated for action include “Final Approval of [the] Land Use Map.” This is an important item. Nothing is actually “finally approved” until after the Planning Commission and the City Council take action, but the General Plan Advisory Committee is proposing to send their recommendation forward after they act on Thursday. The “Map” identifies what kind of developments will b e permitted on every parcel of land located within the City of Santa Cruz, and zoning designations must conform to this Land Use Map. So, if you care about what the City thinks should happen to your property, or to your neighborhood, checking out this Land Use Map before final action is taken is quite a good idea. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Wednesday, May 30, 2007 – Restoring The Carmel River Speaking of Carmel Valley, exciting things are happening on the Carmel River. Today, a technical advisory committee that has been working on restoration of the Carmel River is meeting to discuss the current status of efforts to remove the San Clemente Dam, restoring the river to a state in which it can once again support a steelhead fishery. The Planning and Conservation League has been deeply engaged in this restoration effort, as have been the Big Sur Land Trust, the Coastal Watershed Council, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy. Most recently, the Planning and Conservation League, in collaboration with the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, has published a “Supplemental Carmel River Watershed Action Plan.” This document outlines what removal of the dam would mean for the health of the river. If you’d like more information, I can connect you up with those working directly on the project. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information If you’d like more information on the Carmel River Watershed Action Plan, please contact me at: gapatton@pcl.org. Thursday, May 31, 2007 – An Eco-Farm Event I was inspired by the activists who met with me, most notably because a lot of them were honest to goodness farmers. Here’s what amazed me, though: efforts to preserve and protect viable commercial agriculture in the Central Valley are being directly supported by the efforts of an organization based in Santa Cruz County. The Ecological Farming Association, whose head office is in Watsonville, works closely with Central Valley farmers, to help them transition to an economically and environmentally sustainable system of organic farming. On Saturday, June 2nd, you are invited to attend the Heartland Festival & River Fair, a celebration of food, farming, and healthy living in the San Joaquin Valley. Sounds like a great family trip, and I bet you’ll come away as inspired as I was. There is more information on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Friday, June 1, 2007 – June 5th Meeting in Marina Any local government wanting to implement its land use policies must face the question of how to finance the necessary governmental actions. It used to be that a city or county could simply set a “tax” on property to provide the funding that the local government required. During my first term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, state law allowed a local government to apply whatever tax rate it wanted to, against the value of property located in the county, the value of each property being set by the County Assessor. That system of taxation ended in June 1978, with the passage of Proposition 13. Since then, funding for local government activities has largely come from state government, or from locally imposed “fees.” Residents have an interest in making sure that the fees set are fair to them individually, but they also have an interest in being sure that the local government sets fees high enough actually to finance its necessary operations. Again, if you’re a Marina resident, the public hearing next Tuesday is relevant to you! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. City of Marina Website - http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/
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