Community sentiment, so far, seems to be running against the development of a 2,200 slot machine casino, proposed to be located near the Hollister Airport. The five-member California Valley Miwok tribe and its investment group, Game Won (and that's spelled "Won") are having a hard time convincing the Board that this group has any legitimate ties to San Benito County, or that the public would benefit from the development. Labor representatives have strongly supported the casino, claiming that it would create "thousands of jobs." Local residents and the Sheriff, however, aren't convinced, and none of the promises relating to economic development have been made in writing.

The Chairperson of the Board, quoted in a local newspaper, appears to be holding out for tangible economic benefits: completely fixing Highway 25, expanding Hazel Hawkins Hospital, and guaranteeing the County millions of dollars in revenue every year. Just as in the Coast Hotel project in Santa Cruz, economic benefit is at the heart of the land use decision. San Benito County officials appear to want the proof, before they buy the pudding.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

San Benito County Website
http://www.san-benito.ca.us/

Hollister Freelance Story
http://www.freelancenews.com/news/
contentview.asp?c=145532

Tomorrow, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will hold an all day workshop on the Monterey County General Plan. The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will be held in the Agricultural Commissioner's Auditorium, located at 1428 Abbott Street in Salinas. The local General Plan is often called the community's "Constitution" for land use, since it guides all future development in the community. Anyone interested in understanding the system of land use regulation that governs the growth and development of California communities, will get what amounts to a "short course" on General Plan law by attending the workshop. The public is most definitely invited.

Because it's a workshop, and not a public hearing, the public's own input will be somewhat restricted, coming at the end of the day. During the day, two different groups will present alternative visions for the future of Monterey County, as those futures might be achieved through different General Plan policies. The first group is the so-called "Refinement Group," a business and development alliance. They will present their own, laborious rewrite of a "third draft" General Plan Update initially presented to the Board of Supervisors last June, by the Planning Commission, and totally rejected by the Board, largely because of testimony from members of the "Refinement Group." Tomorrow morning, I'll give you some more information about the workshop and what's on the schedule.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Monterey County Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/

Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htm

Community General Plan
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/012805communitygpu.html

County General Plan Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/

Refinement Group General Plan
http://www.refinegpu.org/

Today's the day for that "short course" workshop on General Plan policies that I described on yesterday's Land Use Report. The workshop is taking place at the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's Auditorium, located at 1428 Abbott Street in Salinas. It's an all day affair, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you're interested in land use policy, this will be worthwhile.

Two groups are presenting alternative visions for the future of Monterey County. The group I didn't talk about yesterday is comprised of eighteen different community organizations, with members from throughout Monterey County. During the period from July through December of last year, these groups held seven community forums, in various locations in Monterey County, two of them conducted entirely in Spanish. With the assistance of a professional planner, these eighteen community groups then produced a "Community General Plan," based on community input and the "Twelve Guiding Objectives" that were adopted by the Board of Supervisors at the beginning of their still pending General Plan Update effort. This "Community General Plan" was delivered to the Board of Supervisors in January of this year, and shortly thereafter, the Board set up today's workshop session, to allow the Community General Plan to be compared to the so-called "Refinement Group" plan. The workshop today is intended to "illuminate the differences." I think it will.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Monterey County Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/

Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htm

Community General Plan
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/012805communitygpu.html

County General Plan Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/

Refinement Group General Plan
http://www.refinegpu.org/

Next Tuesday, the Santa Cruz City Council will conduct an official tour of the old Salz Tannery site, located at 1040 River Street. The tour will begin at 12:30 p.m., and is intended to illuminate what might be involved in converting the Tannery into a proposed Arts Center. The public is encouraged to attend.

The proposed Tannery Arts Center is a redevelopment project that would be sponsored, in part, by the City itself, and which the City hopes would have positive economic impacts. Does this sound a little bit like the controversial Coast Hotel project? In fact, the concept is exactly the same: the reuse and redevelopment of a private property that could benefit from rejuvenation, with the City pitching in City money to help make a public-private partnership possible, and with the ultimate aim of improving an area that is blighted, coupled with a positive impact on the City's finances.

In this case, though, the City is asking for community participation before it works out the details for the project, so both the economic issues, and the design issues, can be addressed collaboratively. The Coast Hotel project was completely negotiated by City and Redevelopment representatives before the public could make its concerns known. The result is the current referendum effort. If that referendum qualifies, the Council might want simply to start over, and to follow a process like the one they're using for the Tannery.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Information on the Tannery Arts Center can be found on the City's website
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/

Last Wednesday, I was privileged to sit through an entire day with the California Coastal Commission. I got there at 10:00 o'clock in the morning, as the Commission began its business, and I got out the door slightly after 6:00 p.m., with the Commission still meeting. When I left the Commission meeting after a full day of observation, I have to say that I was in very good spirits.

One reason, of course, is that the Commission did what I think was the "right thing" on the item I came for. Monterey County had approved a new subdivision in the Coastal Zone, in an area of proven groundwater overdraft, and the Commission sustained its decision to reverse this local government approval. The main purpose of the Commission, really, is to protect coastal resources when local governments don't, and I was delighted that the Commission made what was obviously a hard decision for them, but a decision that will have very positive effects for the existing residents of North Monterey County, and for overstressed water resources in the Coastal Zone.

More generally, though, I was impressed as a California taxpayer and resident by the consistently thoughtful and professional work done by the Commission and its staff. We're getting extremely good work from these folks, and I'm proud of what they do. If you'd like to hear from the Executive Director of the Commission, Peter Douglas, he'll talk tonight in Monterey about how we need to insure a stable funding source for the Commission, to protect both marine and coastal resources. There's more information at www.kusp.org.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

To attend the event at which Peter Douglas will speak, please contact Lupe Garcia at , or Heather Allen at .