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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of May 28, 2007 to June 1, 2007
Week of May 28, 2007 to June 1, 2007
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 May 28, 2007 to June 1, 2007
- Monday, May 28, 2007
Yes, Yes, No, No (Or Is It The Opposite?)
- Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Santa Cruz City General Plan Update
- Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Restoring The Carmel River
- Thursday, May 31, 2007
An Eco-Farm Event
- Friday, June 1, 2007
June 5th Meeting in Marina
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary A. Patton. The Wittwer & Parkin law firm is located in Santa Cruz, California, and practices environmental and governmental law. As part of its practice, the law firm files litigation and takes other action on behalf of its clients, which are typically private individuals, governmental agencies, environmental organizations, or community groups. Whenever the Land Use Report comments on an issue with which the Wittwer & Parkin law firm is involved on behalf of a client, Mr. Patton will make this relationship clear, as part of his commentary. Mr. Patton’s comments do not represent the views of Wittwer & Parkin, LLP, KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
| Monday, May 28, 2007 Yes, Yes, No, No (Or Is It The Opposite?) |
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The Monterey County Republican Party opposes the Community General Plan Initiative. It could be they think that the words “Community” and “Communism” are just too similar to take a chance on a measure that would let the community vote on major land use changes, one of the most important features of Measure A. The Immediate Past Chairman of the Monterey County Republican Party summarizes the arguments like this: “No, No, Yes, Yes, this is how we fix this mess!” It’s catchy, I must admit, and maybe supporters of Measure A should be responding with “Yes, Yes, No, No, that’s the way we ought to grow.” For listeners who’d like a more thoughtful analysis, however, the transcript of today’s Land Use Report contains a link to an article by the Editor of the Monterey County Weekly, which thoughtfully reviews the options, before coming down in favor of Measure A, the Community General Plan Initiative. Besides their “No, No, Yes, Yes” slogan, the Republicans make the totally unsupported claim that the Community General Plan Initiative <quote> “contains a hidden billion dollar tax on new homeowners.” That tax is quite hidden, I must say! It’s escaped everybody else’s attention. Perhaps because it’s a pure figment of the Republican Party imagination. My Daddy used to say, “If you’re lying in the road, you could get run over.” It’s probably better to tell the truth. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, May 29, 2007 The Santa Cruz City General Plan Update |
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Monterey County isn’t the only place where discussions about the General Plan are in full swing. The City of Santa Cruz is in the middle of a General Plan Update process right now, and since the local General Plan is the “Constitution” that governs land use decision-making, you are invited, and advised to get involved. On Thursday evening, May 31st, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., the City’s General Plan Advisory Committee will be holding a meeting in the Police Community Room, 155 Center Street, in Santa Cruz. You can get more information from Tom Graves, a staff member in the City’s Department of Planning and Community Development. I’ve put contact information in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. Agenda items slated for action include “Final Approval of [the] Land Use Map.” This is an important item. Nothing is actually “finally approved” until after the Planning Commission and the City Council take action, but the General Plan Advisory Committee is proposing to send their recommendation forward after they act on Thursday. The “Map” identifies what kind of developments will b e permitted on every parcel of land located within the City of Santa Cruz, and zoning designations must conform to this Land Use Map. So, if you care about what the City thinks should happen to your property, or to your neighborhood, checking out this Land Use Map before final action is taken is quite a good idea. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, May 30, 2007 Restoring The Carmel River |
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For listeners who’d like to do something personally to support the Community General Plan Initiative, which appears as Measure A on the June 5th ballot in Monterey County, I’m informed that tonight’s the night. A “Get Out The Vote” rally is scheduled in Carmel Valley, this evening, from 5:30 to 6:30. If you attend, you’ll find out exactly what you can do to help. You can get more information below. Speaking of Carmel Valley, exciting things are happening on the Carmel River. Today, a technical advisory committee that has been working on restoration of the Carmel River is meeting to discuss the current status of efforts to remove the San Clemente Dam, restoring the river to a state in which it can once again support a steelhead fishery. The Planning and Conservation League has been deeply engaged in this restoration effort, as have been the Big Sur Land Trust, the Coastal Watershed Council, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy. Most recently, the Planning and Conservation League, in collaboration with the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, has published a “Supplemental Carmel River Watershed Action Plan.” This document outlines what removal of the dam would mean for the health of the river. If you’d like more information, I can connect you up with those working directly on the project. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, May 31, 2007 An Eco-Farm Event |
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A couple of weeks ago, I spent the morning in Modesto, where concerned residents wanted to discuss what they might be able to do to preserve and protect the commercial agricultural land on which the economy of the Central Valley depends. As you undoubtedly know, the Central Valley is ground zero for California sprawl. Not only do our sprawling patterns of land use lead to the loss of agricultural land, they have also made the Central Valley the polluted center of an air quality crisis. Central Valley air quality isn’t just bad, it’s getting worse, and childhood asthma has hit the Valley in epidemic proportions. I was inspired by the activists who met with me, most notably because a lot of them were honest to goodness farmers. Here’s what amazed me, though: efforts to preserve and protect viable commercial agriculture in the Central Valley are being directly supported by the efforts of an organization based in Santa Cruz County. The Ecological Farming Association, whose head office is in Watsonville, works closely with Central Valley farmers, to help them transition to an economically and environmentally sustainable system of organic farming. On Saturday, June 2nd, you are invited to attend the Heartland Festival & River Fair, a celebration of food, farming, and healthy living in the San Joaquin Valley. Sounds like a great family trip, and I bet you’ll come away as inspired as I was. There is more information on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, June 1, 2007 June 5th Meeting in Marina |
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On Tuesday, June 5th, the Marina City Council will be holding a public hearing to consider an ordinance amending current Municipal Code provisions relating to fees and service charges. If you own property in Marina, or are a resident of Marina, you might want to attend this hearing. You can get more information below. Any local government wanting to implement its land use policies must face the question of how to finance the necessary governmental actions. It used to be that a city or county could simply set a “tax” on property to provide the funding that the local government required. During my first term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, state law allowed a local government to apply whatever tax rate it wanted to, against the value of property located in the county, the value of each property being set by the County Assessor. That system of taxation ended in June 1978, with the passage of Proposition 13. Since then, funding for local government activities has largely come from state government, or from locally imposed “fees.” Residents have an interest in making sure that the fees set are fair to them individually, but they also have an interest in being sure that the local government sets fees high enough actually to finance its necessary operations. Again, if you’re a Marina resident, the public hearing next Tuesday is relevant to you! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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