 |
Home | Issues & Actions | About |
Archive Page This page is available as an archive to previous versions of LandWatch websites. |
KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of June 9, 2003 to June 13, 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 June 9, 2003 to June 13, 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,
June 9, 2003 – Monterey County Meeting on Ag Policies
Frequent listeners know that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors
is conducting an important General Plan Update process. So far,
the Board is three years into the process, and has spent between
three and four million dollars. The Board is just about to release
an official “second draft” of the proposed General Plan
Update, for public comment and environmental review. Prior to doing
that, the Board is conducting a number of “workshops”
and other meetings, and one of them is being held this afternoon.
Today, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Supervisors Lou Calcagno and Butch Lindley are hosting a “public meeting with agriculture,” to discuss the General Plan Update. The meeting will be held at the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at 1432 Abbott Street in Salinas. The following issues will be a specific focus:
It’s fair to say that agricultural representatives have been highly critical of the General Plan Update process so far. That may be one good reason for some non-agricultural folks to attend the meeting this evening. There’s more information at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Supervisor Lou Calcagno: 831-755-5022
Supervisor Butch Lindley: 831-385-8333
Monterey County GPU Information
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/
Tuesday,
June 10, 2003 – Key Issues: In Santa Cruz And Hollister
Tonight at 7:00 o’clock, at the Hollister City Hall, at 375
Fifth Street, the Hollister City Council will be holding a special
joint meeting with the General Plan Steering Committee. Hollister,
like many local communities, is doing a General Plan Update, and
the joint meeting tonight is a kind of kickoff. City staff is going
to outline the General Plan process, and will provide an “audit”
of the existing General Plan. If you care about the future of San
Benito County, and particularly about the City of Hollister, this
would be a good meeting to attend. In terms of next steps, a community
workshop on land use alternatives is scheduled for Saturday June
21st.
A local General Plan is the “Constitution” for land use in a local community. It’s hard to overemphasize its importance, so for those concerned about land use issues in the Central Coast, Hollister would be a good place to be this evening.
Closer to the coast, the Santa Cruz City Council also has some important land use items on its agenda. At 3:00 p.m., at the Santa Cruz City Hall, the Council will hold a public hearing on “impediments to fair housing choice.” At 4:30, the Council is going to discuss the proposed widening of Highway One. If you’re not on the way to Hollister, I’d suggest you stop by.
You can send me a comment or suggestion through the KUSP website, at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
City of Santa Cruz
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/Santa Cruz City Council Agenda
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/City of Hollister
http://hollister.ca.gov/Hollister City Council Agenda
http://hollister.ca.gov/goverment/
citycouncil/CCMEETINGMAIN.htm
Wednesday,
June 11, 2003 – Seaside Meeting on EIR and CEQA Workshop
The City of Seaside is updating its General Plan. State law requires
each city to develop a local General Plan, and to address the issues
of traffic and circulation, housing, noise, safety, open space,
conservation, as well as “land use” in general.
In other words, the state requires each local community to plan for its future, but it doesn’t tell the local community what that plan has to be. Who does? Theoretically, the people of the community decide. That means, however, that they have to get involved. Self-government only works when we get involved ourselves.
Seaside, in the past, has been a great place for working families to find housing they can afford. That’s no longer true. The typical house in Seaside now goes for something like half a million dollars. It’s a good time for Seaside residents to get reengaged!
If you’d like to help the City of Seaside “scope” its Environmental Impact Report on the General Plan come to a meeting of the Seaside Planning Commission tonight, at 7:00 o’clock.
You might also mark your calendars for a workshop on Saturday, September 13th, focusing on environmental review. That’s a long way off, but CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, really does represent a powerful tool for community self-government. LandWatch and the Planning and Conservation League will help interested citizens figure out how to make CEQA work for them!
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
City of Seaside
http://bbs.ci.seaside.ca.us/Seaside General Plan Update
http://www.ci.seaside.ca.us/general%20plan/gp.htmLandWatch Events Calendar
http://www.mclw.org/pages/calendar.htm
Thursday,
June 12, 2003 – Upcoming Workshop on Highway One
Last Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council considered issues relating
to the proposed widening of Highway One. Widening Highway One would
be expensive. Of course, it would also have very significant environmental
impacts. One important question is whether such a highway widening
project would actually do very much for congestion, over the long
run. Whatever your thoughts are on these matters, it’s obvious
that the proposal to widen Highway One raises questions that are
of fundamental importance for the future of Santa Cruz County.
There’s a non-secret agenda motivating these Land Use Reports. Since the future of our communities will be decided by housing, land use, and transportation decisions that are largely made by local governments, it’s important that we get involved. Democratic self-government actually does work, but only when we do get involved ourselves. If the community gets involved in planning for its future, better decisions are almost certain to be made.
That said, the City of Watsonville, at the other end of Santa Cruz County, is also holding a meeting on Highway One. It’s scheduled for Thursday June 19th, one week from today, at 6:30 p.m., at the Watsonville City Council Chambers. CALTRANS, the California Department of Transportation, will be making a presentation, and people from all over the county really should be there. For more information, go to www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
CALTRANS Statewide Website
http://www.dot.ca.gov/CALTRANS District Five Website
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/Map of CALTRANS District Five
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/images/d5map.pdf
Friday,
June 13, 2003 – A New Railcar in Salinas
Transportation issues are among the most important (and difficult)
issues facing a local community. By law, the local General Plan
has to address both land use and transportation. Furthermore, the
Land Use Element of a General Plan must be consistent with the Circulation
Element. The local community must plan for and provide the transportation
infrastructure necessary to accommodate the growth that the land
use designations allow. There needs to be a workable way to pay
for necessary transportation infrastructure, and to make sure it’s
in place as new growth generates new demands on existing facilities.
One transportation strategy is the use of “rail” or “light rail.” Rail is generally cost effective. However, providing rail facilities can also lead to some unanticipated effects. Bringing BART to Walnut Creek, in the Bay Area, turned that small rural community into a major business center. As Salinas, Santa Cruz County, and the Monterey Peninsula consider rail options, they need to keep that example in mind.
If you’re interested in rail, you might want to see a new kind of rail car, called the “Colorado Passenger Railcar,” which will be on view at the Salinas Train Station tomorrow, Saturday, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There’s more information at the KUSP website. Click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Contact: Walt Allen at 831-775-0903, or walt@tamcmonterey.org
TAMC Website
http://www.tamcmonterey.org/
Archives of past transcripts are available here
|
CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
|