Gary Patton's Land Use Reports
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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
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You can contact Gary Patton at PCL by emailing him at: gapatton@pcl.org.


Monday, July 30, 2007 – Highway 68 And The Board of Supervisors 

Two weeks ago, I received a visit in Sacramento from the office manager of the Indiana Wildlife Federation. The Planning and Conservation League is the National Wildlife Federation Affiliate in California, so this was kind of a “busman’s holiday” encounter. The woman who came by to see me was in California for a vacation trip, having just stayed with her daughter and grandkids in Orange County. She wanted to meet her California NWF counterparts, and swap observations and advice. 

As part of the get together, I naturally asked how she liked California, which she hadn’t visited before. She and her husband loved it! In fact, they described their route from Orange County to Sacramento, which took them on Highway One, all the way, along the spectacular Big Sur Coast. They claimed it was the most beautiful drive they’d ever made. When they reached the Monterey Peninsula, they decided to cut over to Highway 101 by going through Salinas, and took Highway 68. That, they said, was a total shock and surprise. They claimed they’d never experienced worse traffic! 

Monterey County is a “world-class” place. But building its reputation for world-class traffic congestion certainly can’t be good! If you care about traffic on Highway 68, you might want to check out the agenda for tomorrow’s Board of Supervisors meeting, since the County will shortly be considering major new development proposals in the Highway 68 corridor. 

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. 

More Information
Monterey County Board of Supervisors Agenda - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda073107.htm  
Unlike Santa Cruz County and San Luis Obispo County, Monterey County does not make its agenda documents available online. It only publishes the agenda itself. The item on tomorrow’s Board of Supervisors’ agenda relating to Highway 68 development is Item S-10. If you are interested in finding out more, and getting involved personally, you should contact the Highway 68 Coalition through Mike Weaver, whose email is michaelrweaver@att.net.
Indiana Wildlife Federation Website - http://www.indianawildlife.org/
Planning and Conservation League Website – www.pcl.org  


Tuesday, July 31, 2007 – More Items On The Board Agenda

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors is meeting this morning. A copy of the Board’s agenda is available online. You can get the reference on the KUSP website. 

Further deliberations on the County’s General Plan are now taking place outside of public view, in closed meetings being held by a small “committee” of the Planning Commission. So, you won’t find out more about the General Plan by attending the Board’s meeting today. You will find out about a number of other items relating to land use, one of which I mentioned yesterday. Here’s a sampler from the Board’s agenda: 

  • Item S-5 proposes a $150,000 contract relating to a water study in the Granite Ridge area of Prunedale, an area where development has been permitted to exceed reliable water supplies.
  • Item S-6 proposes an addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Salinas Valley Water Project, a project that is supposed to help solve existing overdraft problems in the Salinas Valley, but that has been relied on, in fact, to justify new development in water scarce areas.
  • Item S-8 proposes a freeway agreement to permit the construction of the Prunedale Improvement Project on Highway 101.
  • Item S-10 is also about water. It’s a study that could facilitate more development on Highway 68.
 These are all items that should be of interest to Monterey County residents. 
 
 For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. 
 
 More Information
Monterey County Board of Supervisors Agenda - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda073107.htm  


Wednesday, August 1, 2007 – LAFCO and Farmlands

I like to remind listeners about LAFCOs, whose actions sometimes have a determinative impact on land use policy. It was a decision by the Monterey County LAFCO, for instance, that has allowed the City of Greenfield, located in the midst of the most productive farmlands in the world, to double its geographic size, and to provide a new supply of “estate lots” for the well to do, as a replacement for the farmlands that would otherwise provide food and jobs for the ordinary folks! 

LAFCOs are kind of unusual, and unless you are really paying attention, their significance is easy to overlook. The acronym “LAFCO” stands for “Local Agency Formation Commission,” and state law establishes a LAFCO in every California county. LAFCO members are elected members of city councils, members of the Board of Supervisors, and elected members of special districts. Plus, each LAFCO has one “public” member. LAFCOs decide whether new cities can be created (so it has been the Monterey County LAFCO that has been saying “no” to a new city of Carmel Valley). They also decide on annexations to cities and special districts. 

You can see the Santa Cruz County LAFCO in action today, at 9:30 this morning, at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center. The Santa Cruz County LAFCO will be working to save farmlands in the Pajaro Valley. There is more information on the KUSP website. 

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. 

More Information
LAFCO Website – http://www.santacruzlafco.org/
LAFCO Agenda - http://www.santacruzlafco.org/pages/agenda/20070801materials/8-1-07.pdf
Map of Cooley Farmlands –http://www.santacruzlafco.org/pages/agenda/20070801materials/Cooley%20map%20web.pdf
LAFCO Staff Memo on Cooley Farmlands Proposal –http://www.santacruzlafco.org/pages/agenda/20070801materials/Cooley%20support.pdf  


Thursday, August 2, 2007 – The Transportation Commission Meeting

This week, I’ve been suggesting some meetings to attend. Those who care about the impacts that land use policy can have on our individual and community future will need to get involved themselves, personally, or let others, usually those with special economic interests, get most of the attention from decision makers. The best way to participate effectively, in my experience, is not by trying to take on everything yourself, like the Lone Ranger, but to “get organized,” finding others who care about the same issues you do, and then using your collective time, energy, and money to be sure that the concerns you have are well represented in land use debates. 

Most of those debates do, ultimately, get resolved in meetings of governmental agencies. Today, you have an opportunity to see the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission at work. The Commission will be meeting in Scotts Valley, starting at 9:00 a.m. There is more information at www.kusp.org.  

This morning, the Commission will be considering taking a position on proposed changes to the state’s eminent domain law and will receive an informational report on an update of the Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines. That discussion will also focus on state legislation I mentioned last week, Senate Bill 375, which could radically reshape the future growth and development of the State of California.  

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. 

More Information
SCCRTC Website – http://www.sccrtc.org/
SCCRTC Agenda - http://www.sccrtc.org/packet/2007/0708/TCAgenda0708.htm
Information on SB 375 –
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_375&sess=CUR&house=B&author=steinberg  


Friday, August 3, 2007 – The Global Warming Action Program Coordinator

The City of Santa Cruz is planning to put a new “Global Warming Action Program Coordinator” to work, starting as early as September. Here are the duties anticipated: 
  • Researching municipal best practices in reducing and responding to global warming
  • Coordinating volunteer and consulting expert resources
  • Coordinating city participation in regional global warming initiatives
  • Supporting internal City staff efforts to reduce and respond to global warming
  • Drafting and evaluating proposed General Plan Action Programs
  • Communicating the City’s global warming efforts and initiatives
 Funding to hire the new Global Warming Action Program Coordinator will come from development fees. New developments, in other words, will help fund efforts by the City of Santa Cruz to reduce the global warming impacts that such new developments cause. Since about 40% of current global warming emissions are directly related to land use and transportation, the City definitely has its finger on a sensitive spot.  
 
I also have to say that instead of just “talking about the weather,” the City of Santa Cruz is actually trying to do something about it. The State is deploying a program to “roll back” global warming emissions. That will take at least five years to get going. In the meantime, the City is trying to “stop digging the hole deeper,” which is always the first thing to do when you want to get out of a hole you’re in. 

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. 

More Information
City Job Announcement - http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/hr/ja/SantaCruzGlobalWarmingActionProgramCoordinator.pdf
The deadline for an application is TODAY, August 3, 2007!!