The Santa Cruz City Council is meeting tomorrow, and at 7:00 p.m. the Council will consider the future of Arana Gulch. Arana Gulch is that lovely open space area located between the City of Santa Cruz and the unincorporated community of Live Oak. It’s about 68 acres in size, and runs from the Upper Yacht Harbor to Capitola Road. In 1978, City voters designated Arana Gulch as part of the City’s “Greenbelt,” by adopting the Greenbelt Initiative. Before that, Arana Gulch and Pogonip were both slated for residential development. Most of the Arana Gulch property was purchased by the City in 1994.

One of the actions that the Council will consider tomorrow is whether to eliminate land use and zoning designations that call for residential development. Amazingly, those designations are still on the official books. What’s proposed, instead, is a “parks” designation for the property. Approval to seek the annexation of City-owned lands that are not actually part of the City is also recommended.

More controversial will be the Council’s consideration of what to do with that “park land,” once it’s officially designated for park use. Lots of hiking and biking trails are recommended, including a much-debated bike path that would go through Arana Gulch, connecting Broadway (in the City) to Brommer Street, in Live Oak.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

City of Santa Cruz Website
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/

Land Use Report listeners know that land use issues in Monterey County are getting a lot of public attention. There’s a good reason for that. The future of the Salinas Valley, the most economically productive agricultural area in the United States, and probably in the world, is being debated. The County’s elected officials have come down strongly on the side of property owners who want to maximize their economic opportunities, and that means a plan that would allow future development almost anywhere that someone wants to develop. A citizen-based effort is trying to impose “limits” on future development, not so much on the amount, but definitely on the location of where that development would occur. Things have, to say the least, become contentious, and while that may be disturbing in one sense, it’s really what we should expect in a genuinely democratic debate about important matters. First, there is controversy and conflict, debate and discussion; then there’s a decision. That’s how democracy works.

The rules of the debate, of course, can become very important. Currently, Monterey County voters have been denied their right to bring important land use issues to a public vote, and that battle is being fought in the courts. Tomorrow, at the Planning Commission, there will be a discussion about the “LUAC” system, a system of Land Use Advisory Committees unique to Monterey County. Go to the KUSP website, and click on the Land Use Report link, if you’d like to know more.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

The Monterey County Planning Commission is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, July 12th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., to consider how to incorporate the “Land Use Advisory Committees” into the land use policy and project review process. These citizen committees have often played a key role in the important land use debates underway in Monterey County, and changing the “rules of engagement” for the LUACs can change the results of the debate itself. The Planning Commission Agenda for their special meeting is available at
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/pbi/cca/pc/2006/
07-12-06/Agenda%20for%20Special%20Meeting
%20with%20LUACs_071206.pdf

On Friday, you’ll have an opportunity to find out about coastal erosion from a group of scientists calling themselves the “Southern Monterey Bay Coastal Erosion Workgroup.” The Workgroup is holding a meeting from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Monterey Conference Center, and it’s open to the public.

The 20-member Workgroup is made up of scientists from federal and state agencies, local government representatives, and conservation experts. Speakers on Friday will include Holly Price and Brad Damitz of the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, Douglas Smith of CSU-Monterey Bay, Ed Thornton of the Naval Postgraduate School, and Lesley Ewing of the Coastal Commission. Charles Lester, the Deputy Director of the Coastal Commission, will speak about the need for a regional approach.

Erosion is a natural process, and of course our land use policies should take account of it. Sometimes they don’t, or at least not very well. Maybe even more pertinent is how human activities can magnify and accelerate erosion. You may recall the Pew Commission’s report on the state of the oceans, released a couple of years ago. The Commission, on which both Leon Panetta and Julie Packard served, identified development in coastal watersheds as the biggest single threat to the health of our coastal and ocean waters. Human-caused erosion plays a big part in that.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

The meeting is free, and will be held in the Colton Room of the Monterey Conference Center, located at 1 Portola Plaza, in downtown Monterey.

Background materials
http://www.asbpa.org/conferences/virtual_conf/
TUESDAY/TUESDAY_3A/cantralManagement.pdf

News briefs on the workshop
http://www.aggregateresearch.com/extarticle.asp?id=8958
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/

One of my favorite places on the Santa Cruz County North Coast is Swanton Berry Farms. This establishment, owned and operated by Jim Cochran, is a totally organic operation, and the strawberries he produces actually taste good! Really good! Furthermore, Jim’s employees have the benefit of some of the most progressive and humane labor policies in American agriculture today. My advice is to take a ride up the North Coast and buy some berries. You won’t regret either the ride or the berries; I can assure you of that.

Jim’s operations are now gaining national recognition, and most recently, Swanton Berry Farms is playing a starring role in a documentary film entitled, “Food For Thought,” which features a family from Brooklyn who went on the road for five months to learn about the food they eat. Before you run to the theatre, though, understand that this is a film still in production, and that’s actually the occasion for this bulletin to KUSP listeners. This coming Sunday, July 16th, Swanton Berry Farms is holding a benefit for the “Food For Thought” documentary. The party goes from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

The film’s producers are being helped by a group called “Slow Food.” If you think you can relate to that concept, and want to attend a wonderful excursion and benefit this weekend, I’ll see you at Swanton Berry Farms on Sunday!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Swanton Berry Farm Website
http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/

Directions to Swanton Berry Farm
http://www.swantonberryfarm.com/pages/contact.html

The Slow Food Website
http://www.slowfood.com/

“Food For Thought” Production Company
http://www.transformationfilms.com/

For more information on the film and the benefit contact India Nolen-Tuleja

• Telephone: 718-664-4948
• Email: inolentuleja@yahoo.com

The City of Marina is the first city you’ll hit in Monterey County if you travel towards the City of Monterey along Highway One. I think it’s fair to say that Marina is at the center of new development on the “Peninsula” side of Monterey County. On the “Salinas Valley” side, it would be hard to say which city is at the center of new development, since they are all attempting to grow as fast as they possibly can.

But let’s focus on Marina. Marina’s proposed development is not onto agricultural and open space lands next door to the city. That is the case in the Salinas Valley, but Marina is the only city in Monterey County with an Urban Growth Boundary, and the voters of the City decided that they didn’t want to follow the sprawl model so prevalent everywhere else. Instead they wanted to focus their new development ambitions within the current city limits, and particularly within areas on the former Fort Ord. In those areas, there are truly huge projects now underway. If you’re interested in land use policy, pay attention to Marina!

Which brings up the reason for this bulletin to Land Use Report listeners. I just got a notice from the City Clerk, announcing that the filing period for the Marina Municipal Elections will open on July 17th. One City Council position, and the Mayor’s position, independently elected in Marina, will be on the November ballot. So, if you’re a Marina resident, and want to run for City Council, check with the City Clerk next Monday.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

City of Marina Website
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/

Contact the City Clerk at
cityclerk@ci.marina.ca.us