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Reports
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP by Gary Patton, General Counsel of The Planning and Conservation League. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Monday, February 23 2009 – Meetings Tomorrow The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will meet tomorrow. Item #65 on the agenda, scheduled for 1:30 in the afternoon, is a study session on the local impact of climate change. Discussion under this item will be led by the County’s Commission on the Environment, and I’m betting that this study session will be well worth attending. Topics to be covered include energy efficiency, local renewable energy generation, green building, and solid waste reduction. A section of the agenda is also focused on the magnitude of the greenhouse gas problem, and how we can develop models accurately to tell us how we’re doing, and how we can do better. Not specifically mentioned for the study session is any consideration of how land use and transportation policies might be changed to help reduce global warming emissions. In fact, there are things that can be done in these areas, too! There is another meeting worth attending tomorrow, albeit the meeting is being held in Sacramento. If you are tired of the kind of anti-democratic spectacle we’ve just witnessed in the State Capitol, where a minority of our state legislators were able to prevent a strong majority from passing a budget that didn’t include massive tax breaks for big corporations, then consider attending the “Constitutional Convention Summit” sponsored by the Planning and Conservation League and business and good government groups. There is information on both of these meetings on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Santa Cruz County Website – http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ Tuesday, February 24, 2009 – Water And The Future: City of Santa Cruz As I often note, land use policy and water policy are related. This afternoon, important water policy issues will be addressed by the Santa Cruz City Council, at their meeting to be held at 3:00 p.m. I encourage your attendance! What the City Council will consider this afternoon is a proposed “Water Shortage Contingency Plan,” that will guide water cutback orders, when supplies are impaired. According to the City staff, it’s likely that such cutbacks will be required this year within the City of Santa Cruz Water Service Area, probably staring as early as April. What is not specifically on the Council’s agenda, but is certainly related, is a discussion of efforts by the City Council to expand the City’s current Water Service Area, to allow UCSC to build over 3,000,000 square feet of new buildings. If you remember Measure J, adopted by 80% of the City’s voters in 2006, such Water Service Area expansions were supposed to be voted on by the public. The Council hasn’t heeded that voter directive, which was challenged by UCSC in a lawsuit. In implementing a settlement of a different lawsuit, the City has decided to initiate, itself, an expansion of its Sphere of Influence, with the result that UCSC will get water for its 3,000,000 square feet of new growth, with the rest of the City’s water customers finding themselves in a much more difficult position. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information City of Santa Cruz Website - http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/ Wednesday, February 25, 2009 – Features Of The State Budget Deal If you would like to find out more about the California State budget, I recommend the California Budget Project (an independent, nonprofit organization based in Sacramento) as an excellent source of accurate information. I have put a link to their website in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. Media coverage has tended to play up the “dramatic” aspects of the budget standoff, with photos of locked down legislators sleeping at their desks, including a fine shot of local Assembly Member Bill Monning getting some much needed rest on the Floor of the Assembly. The “real” story, though, is what actually “happened,” legislatively, in connection with the final budget vote. As you might guess, the “real story” is that California’s largest corporations got big tax breaks, even as the Legislature imposed new taxes and service cutbacks on the rest of us. These tax breaks are ongoing, so that future budget battles will be even more painful. This happened only because it takes a 2/3 vote to pass the budget, so that a majority of the Legislature had to make concessions to a minority of right wing ideologues, who demanded the business tax breaks as the price for their vote. For those who care about land use, the concessions granted were particularly bitter. Among the tax breaks was a “tax credit” that will help sprawl builders sell as yet unconstructed new homes that are built on California farmlands and open space. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information: There is lots of great information on the California Budget Project Website – http://www.cbp.org/ Thursday, February 26, 2009 – Lobbying Resources Today, I’m going to be spending the morning at De Anza College, in Cupertino, helping to prepare an environmental studies/English speech and writing class for an upcoming visit to the State Capitol. I am specifically letting them know how they can lobby effectively on the issues they care about most. I thought maybe I’d give listeners to the Land Use Report a short summary of what I’ll be telling the college students I’m meeting today. First, knowledge is power! You cannot be an effective participant in your government if you don’t independently find out what’s going on. Luckily, for those interested in state government, there is a fantastic website that can give you almost everything you need. It’s at www.leginfo.ca.gov. The “leginfo” website provides (1) copies of all legislation being considered; (2) the daily schedule of committee meetings and floor sessions; (3) links to information on individual legislators; (4) committee rosters; and (5) the rules of the Legislature. You can also “subscribe” to bills you care about, so you don’t lose track. The second point is that elected officials pay attention to those who “squeak,” as in the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” We have a “supply and demand government.” If we demand what we want, ultimately our government is likely to supply it. That means your personal involvement! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information The California State Legislative Information Website - www.leginfo.ca.gov Friday, February 27, 2009 – Technology and Citizen Participation As I noted yesterday, self-government means we need to get involved “ourselves.” The very first step is getting independent information about what’s going on. At the state government level, the “Leginfo” website provides great resources. Information resources available to citizens and residents interested in local government actions is a lot more spotty. I happened to notice a story in the most recent edition of California Counties Magazine, the magazine that goes to every elected County Supervisor in the State (and to some former County Supervisors, too, like me). Denise Pennell, Interim Clerk of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, noted that Monterey County provides government television to broadcast live meetings throughout the County over the Internet. Not every local government has that kind of “webcast” capability and it’s a great bragging point. I encourage other local governments to “go and do likewise.” However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Monterey County actually provides very little effective access to online information about its agenda. “Watching” something happen to you, is a lot different from having access to the same information the Board members have. Santa Clara County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Cruz County do a much better job of informing their citizens and residents about the Board agenda than Monterey County does. Compare the agenda materials online, to see the difference. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information The California State Legislative Information Website - www.leginfo.ca.gov |