KUSP Radio has translators and other facilities to make sure that news of the Central Coast gets “over the hill” into Santa Clara County. Today, I want to let Santa Clara County listeners know about an upcoming Creeks and Watersheds Conference, sponsored by the Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition.

The Creeks Coalition works to increase public involvement in watershed and creek issues in Santa Clara County, and they’re hosting their First Annual Creek and Watershed Conference next Saturday, November 17th, from 8:30 in the morning till 3:30 in the afternoon at Pioneer High School’s Performing Arts Center. The conference location is at 1290 Blossom Hill Road, in San Jose, and more information is available in the transcript for today’s Land Use Report. .

The November 17th conference is being sponsored by Pioneer High School, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the City of San Jose, the City of Sunnyvale, and the Committee for Green Foothills, among many others. Attendees who register will get lunch, and learn not only about the historical conditions of Santa Clara County’s creeks and watersheds, but also ways to get involved, personally, in creek and watershed issues that directly affect local residents and local communities.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition
http://www.sccreeks.org/

Creeks and Watersheds Conference
http://www.sccreeks.org/event.htm

The Monterey City Planning Commission will meet this afternoon and evening, at the Monterey City Hall. For those interested in the issue of condominium conversions, it would be a good meeting to attend. You can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report icon found on the KUSP website. The public hearing on the city’s proposed condominium conversion ordinance is scheduled for the afternoon session, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The state’s Planning and Zoning Law requires each city and county to designate a “planning agency,” and most local governments have established planning commissions. These are configured in a number of different ways, and are usually granted very significant authority. In other words, planning commissions really mean something. If you agree with the premise underlying this Land Use Report, that our land use policy decisions have an extremely important impact not only on our local economies, and our natural environment, but also on our ability to achieve our social equity goals, then you need to become personally acquainted with your local planning commission.

And if you care about social equity, there is no better issue to pay attention to than a proposed condominium conversion ordinance that governs how the owners of rental properties can convert them into ownership properties, potentially displacing lower income tenants. I’m not sure exactly what the City’s proposal is, but City residents ought to find out!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

City of Monterey Website
http://www.monterey.org/

Planning Commission Agenda
http://www.monterey.org/boards/planning/agendas/2007/1113pctentative.pdf

Assembly Member John Laird and former Assembly Member Fred Keeley both have the same advice. In short, they’re advising Santa Cruz County residents to tax themselves to pay for transportation improvements. Assembly Member Laird, who certainly knows whereof he speaks, says, “Santa Cruz County will have trouble meeting all transportation needs with state funds alone.” No help from Sacramento, in other words. Or, maybe more accurately, not enough help!

Of course, it makes sense to decide what transportation improvements you want, before taxing yourself to pay for them. Most elected officials on the Transportation Commission seem to think that widening State Highway One is the main objective. The voters, when last asked in 2004, did not share that view. Therefore, a Transportation Funding Task Force has been in operation since September 2005, trying to devise a proposal that could get at least majority support, not to mention the two-thirds vote that most local tax measures would require. Tonight is their last meeting.

If you are interested in the transportation future of Santa Cruz County, you should already be involved in this effort. However, until the bulldozers begin their work, it is almost never “too late” to engage. I hope some listeners who have not yet been involved will attend the meeting tonight, which will be held at the Del Mar Elementary School in Live Oak.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Transportation Funding Task Force Website
http://www.tftaskforce.org/welcome.htm

Assembly Member John Laird’s Letter
http://www.tftaskforce.org/pdf/0703LairdLetter.PDF

Draft Transportation Funding Improvement Plan
http://www.tftaskforce.org/plan.htm

The Del Mar Elementary School is located at 1959 Merrill Street (off 17th Avenue), in Live Oak.

Long time listeners know that I have an “unhidden agenda,” which is to increase your involvement in the local, state, and national decision making processes that bear on land use policy. I believe that land use policy decisions ultimately determine the future of our local economies, the natural environment, and our ability to achieve our social equity goals.

If we let other people make the land use policy decisions for us, we are not likely to be pleased with the results. That’s because public benefit competes against private interest in virtually every land use decision, and the private interests tend to win. Those who are likely to make money from land use decisions invest money in the lobbying and other activities that bring them the decisions they want. Unless the public gets engaged in the decision making process, the public interest gets left behind. In short, if you really want “self government,” you do need to get involved yourself!

Yesterday, I mentioned transportation policy. It’s critically important. You might want to connect up with a local group working on these issues, like People Power; or, you might want to explore a website, based in British Columbia, which has resources addressing a wide range of transportation planning and policy issues. Check below for a link to the Victoria Transport Policy Institute. I recommend it!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

People Power of Santa Cruz County
http://www.peoplepowersc.org/

Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI)
http://www.vtpi.org/

One of our most important “land use” laws is the Endangered Species Act. If you really get interested in land use policy, you’ll need to delve into both the California and Federal statutes. You can find some references by tracking down today’s transcript on the KUSP website. And if you do visit the website, please send me an email with your comments and suggestions. As frequent listeners know, I like to advertise upcoming events, and I often find out about them from listeners. I usually need a week or so notice to get something on the air, but if you have an idea about something you think I should highlight, I do hope you’ll let me know.

The Endangered Species Act is our own statement, to ourselves, that we are simply not going to allow actions by human beings to drive another species into extinction. Most human activities are aimed at achieving both individual and community goals, and come out of a combination of both public and private interest, as we try to create a world we want. That’s because each one of us is both an “individual” and a member of one or more “communities.”

We also, however, ultimately are dependent on and are part of the natural world. The ESA says that we will simply not do things we might want to do, if the effect on the natural world would endanger other species. Maybe, since we do depend on the natural world, that rule is ultimately in our own self-interest!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

California Endangered Species Act (CESA
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/habcon/

Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA)
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/