 |
Home | Issues & Actions | About |
Archive Page This page is available as an archive to previous versions of LandWatch websites. |
KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of March 31, 2003 to April 4, 2003
"Listen Live"
|
|||||||
KUSP LandWatch
News |
|||||||
|
ogo.gif" width="108" height="109" border="0"> "Listen Live" |
KUSP provided a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio from January 2003 to May 2016. Archives of past transcripts are available here.
Week of March 31, 2003 to April 4, 2003
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
Monday,
March 31, 2003 – Meetings About Trains
I hate to say I made a mistake, but so I did. Last Friday, I referred
to a meeting on trains, to be held on what I described as “Monday
April 1st.” Well, today is Monday, and it’s not April
1st. I wasn’t really trying to trick anyone. It just turns
out that I’m calendar challenged.
My mistake came to light because a loyal listener accessed either the KUSP or the LandWatch website, where transcripts of these Land Use Reports are posted. I do encourage listeners to check out the website, at www.kusp.org, and to send me an email with any comments or suggestions. If you catch me in a mistake, I might even correct it on the air!
Here’s the real scoop on meetings about trains. Today, Monday March 31st, at 6:00 p.m. at the Pajaro Middle School, there will be a meeting on proposed train service to Pajaro. On Wednesday, April 2nd, at 7:00 p.m., at the Steinbeck Center in Salinas, there will be a meeting to discuss proposed Caltrain service to the Salinas train station.
Naturally, the public is invited to both of these meetings. Attendance would be worthwhile for anyone who is concerned about the future shape and character of Monterey County. The Caltrain services proposed assume that Monterey County will become more of a bedroom community for Silicon Valley workers. That’s certainly one, but not the only, choice!
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
More Information on Proposed Rail Service
http://www.tamcmonterey.org/rail/Meeting Information
http://www.mclw.org/pages/issuesactions/
transportation/032603trains.html
Tuesday,
April 1, 2003 – Desalination in Moss Landing
Today, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will discuss a proposed
desalination plant in Moss Landing. The agenda item suggests that
the Board will approve a letter to the California Public Utilities
Commission, and will receive further information from staff about
the proposed desalination plant.
The California-American Water Company, which provides water on the Monterey Peninsula (and not, incidentally, in North Monterey County) is seeking approval to create a major new water source, using desalination technology. There are lots of strictly environmental issues involved. Would the plant, for instance, adversely affect either the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary or the biology of Elkhorn Slough?
Many issues, though, aren’t strictly “environmental.” Cal-Am is a private water company, operated on a “for profit” basis. It’s a subdivision of a multinational corporation, not based in the United States, which is buying up fresh water supplies all over the globe. Unless something changes, the only public control over the desalination plant would come from the Public Utilities Commission, a non-elected state agency. The existing jurisdiction of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District would be displaced, which means that the voters would have no direct say over the proposed project. Depending on what the Board of Supervisors does, this situation might change, so the meeting today, at 10:30 this morning, is important.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/suagenda/agenda.htm
Wednesday,
April 2, 2003 – The HUD Conference
Yesterday and today, the United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development (usually called “HUD,” or “H”—“U”—“D”)
has been holding a meeting at the Salinas Community Center. The
title is “Cultivating Our Communities.” There’s probably
still a chance for you to sit in on today’s session.
Our communities can’t function properly without adequate housing that is affordable to ordinary working families, and to people of low or even very low incomes. HUD’s mission, nationally, is to address such housing needs, and they’ve been paying a lot of attention to California. You can get more information on HUD’s California programs by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. You can use the KUSP website to make suggestions for future Land Use Reports, as well.
For the immediate future, in other words for the next two or three days, I’m planning to discuss some innovative housing possibilities that may exist on the former Fort Ord.
This national asset, over 27,000 acres (which is about as big as the City and County of San Francisco) will shortly be turned over to local governments in Monterey County. To cultivate our communities well, and to provide for their future success in terms of the economy, the environment, and social equity, our local communities really do need to focus on what is often called “quality, affordable housing.”
Fort Ord could provide some important answers.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
HUD in California
http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=ca
Thursday,
April 3, 2003 – Fort Ord Housing Opportunities
Our economy, our environment, and social equity are all profoundly
affected by how well we plan for the future. Providing for quality,
affordable housing is a key requirement in any adequate land use
plan.
Unfortunately, it is particularly hard to use local planning techniques to achieve the kind of quality, affordable housing that our communities need. Historically speaking, providing adequate, affordable housing has not even been seen as a major community responsibility. Traditionally, every person or family has been individually responsible for finding the housing they require. Private builders are supposed to produce the housing needed. The private market, in other words, not community action, is supposed to match “demand” with “supply.”
The problem is that the private market does not, in fact (and can’t, under current economic conditions) produce housing that can be afforded by average and below average income persons.* Unleashing more “supply” doesn’t result in housing that meets the actual “demand” for housing that can be afforded by working families, and by persons with low or very low incomes. Community action is necessary.
The Fort Ord Reuse Authority (or FORA) is comprised of local governments in Monterey County, and they’ve just initiated a process to see what they can do. A new report is out, with lots of good suggestions. There is more information on the KUSP website, and I’ll have more to say on this topic tomorrow.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
The Clark Report
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
fortord/clarkreport/index.htmlFORA Website
http://www.fora.org/* A fuller explanation is available at
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
housing/052202prices.html
Friday,
April 4, 2003 – More on Fort Ord Housing Opportunities
Several months ago, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, or FORA, commissioned
a Washington, DC based consultant firm, the Clark Group, to tell
FORA what it can do to support the production of quality, affordable
housing on the former Fort Ord. It turns out there are lots of things
that FORA can do:
This is only a “partial list” of what’s found in the Clark Group report, and the report itself probably isn’t exhaustive in its recommendations. There are lots of things that FORA can do, and the “good news” from the last FORA meeting is that FORA is really going to consider doing some of them.
What’s more, FORA is going to invite the public to be a part of the process. Between now and June 13th, FORA will be holding one or more public workshops, to get the public involved. They’re going to be interested in reactions to the Clark Group report, will take other suggestions, too. At their meeting on Friday, June 13th, FORA will then consider formal action. The suggestions made in the Clark Group report will definitely be “on the table,” and so, undoubtedly, will be other suggestions that come out of the public participation process. Now would definitely be a great time to start getting involved.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
The Clark Report
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
fortord/clarkreport/index.htmlFORA Website
http://www.fora.org/
Archives of past transcripts are available here
|
CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
|