San Luis Obispo County residents have an opportunity tomorrow to get a brief but helpful introduction to land use policies and procedures. On Tuesday, starting at 9:00 o'clock in the morning, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will be holding a joint meeting with the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission. The joint meeting is what is often called a "study session," and since local government meetings are open to the public, you can attend and benefit from the same presentations that Board Members and Planning Commissioners will be receiving.

The joint meeting tomorrow is like a tutorial on land use planning as it is practiced in San Luis Obispo County. Local residents who want to be involved in land use issues will definitely benefit from attending. Here is a listing of some of the topics to be covered:

• A report on the discretionary permit process
  
  
• A report on the roles and responsibilities of the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors
  
  
• A report on recommendations from the Planning Commission on suggestions from the Streamlining Committee
  
  
• A report on the Department of Planning and Building's program priorities

In addition, the Board will be asked to review and approve a proposed Board of Supervisors policy on submission of written materials at hearings before the County Board of Supervisors.

You can get more information on the meeting tomorrow below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

San Luis Obispo County Website
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Home.htm

Board Agenda, September 8, 2009
http://slocounty.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?
view_id=2&event_id=55

Today, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will hold a joint study session with the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission. I highlighted this meeting yesterday, and want to remind you again.

One of the items that will be on the agenda this morning will be of particular interest to anyone serious about participating in land use policy making in San Luis Obispo County. If you can attend this morning's meeting, pay particular attention to Agenda Item A-5, which will be a report and discussion on the "roles and responsibilities" of the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission.

As the County Counsel notes, state law requires each county to designate a "planning agency" to carry out the requirements of the State Planning and Zoning Law. State law imposes very significant procedural requirements on local government, but very few substantive requirements. If you care about land use, you need to understand the mandated state procedures. That's really the topic for today's study session. After a brief introduction from County Counsel, the Board and the Planning Commission will engage in a discussion of their respective roles in making legislative policy changes and individual, "quasi-judicial" decisions on proposed projects. Due process and public participation issues will also be addressed.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

San Luis Obispo County Website
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Home.htm

Board Agenda, September 8, 2009
http://slocounty.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?
view_id=2&event_id=55

Staff Report: Roles and Responsibilities of the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors
http://slocounty.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?
view_id=2&event_id=55&meta_id=153318

State Planning and Zoning Law
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?
section=gov&group=64001-65000&file=65000-65010

You can review other state laws relating to land use and planning by looking through provisions of the Government Code on the Leginfo Website, found at
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html

The California Coastal Commission usually meets for three days each month. This month is different, and the Commission is meeting for one day only. The meeting is taking place today in Eureka, and you can watch the meeting on a real time basis through a webcast service on the Commission's website. I think it's good that this webcast service is available, since if you happen to be interested in land use policy in Santa Cruz County, and want to see what happens with respect to some significant policy changes affecting Santa Cruz County, and being considered by the Commission today, you can avoid a very long ride to Eureka!

The proposed policy changes under review by the Commission relate to how Santa Cruz County will handle certain types of residential projects, including accessory structures and second units. The general purpose of the changes proposed by Santa Cruz County is to reduce the scope of the regulatory process for smaller-scale residential projects while not sacrificing reasonable protection of important coastal resources, including public viewsheds, agricultural land, sensitive habitat areas, and public access. The Coastal Commission staff is recommending that the Commission approve the Santa Cruz County changes, which argues that Santa Cruz County has done a good job in following Coastal Act requirements, as it tries to streamline its procedures. You can get much more information below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

California Coastal Commission Website
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/

Agenda, September Coastal Commission Meeting
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html

Staff Report on Santa Cruz County LCP Changes
http://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2009/9/W17a-9-2009.pdf

Regular listeners know that I have a bit of a bias towards public participation. It's no surprise that I'm so delighted to be able to advise you of a meeting being held this evening at the Elena Baskin Live Oak Senior Center, located at 1777 Capitola Road in Live Oak. First District County Supervisor John Leopold and the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Agency should be complimented for the extensive public outreach and public education they are doing around a programmatic initiative they call "Building a Stronger Soquel and Live Oak."

The Redevelopment Agency is governed by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, but it's actually a separate governmental agency. Mostly, what the Redevelopment Agency does is to make strategic investments to improve community infrastructure, and community economics, in the Live Oak/Soquel area. Street and road improvements are typical Redevelopment Agency projects. So are parks improvements. The meeting tonight, however, is set to focus on affordable housing and economic vitality. Increasing the amount of affordable housing, and strengthening the local economy are both at the heart of the mission of the Redevelopment Agency. Significant amounts of money are available for investment, and thanks to Supervisor Leopold, you can help formulate the strategy and the program.

I've put links to more information below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Agency Website
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/red/

Community Meeting Schedule
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/red/community.html

I am happy to tell you that you are officially invited to the 7th Annual Chuck Haugen Conservation Fund Picnic! The picnic this year is being held on Sunday, September 13th (that's this weekend) at Toro County Park, on Highway 68 near Salinas. The event is scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and it's a great event for the whole family. It's free (except for a $6.00 county parking fee), and the festivities include a gourmet barbeque, live music, a silent auction, and an awards and grants ceremony.

One of the awards will go to Marina City Council Member Ken Gray. He is receiving the Steve Addington Conservation Employee of the Year award, with special recognition of his lifetime achievement. The mission of the Chuck Haugen Conservation Fund, which is presenting the award, is to appreciate and inspire volunteers and professionals who participate in the conservation of Monterey Bay Area ecosystems. The late Steve Addington, for whom the award is named, played a pivotal role in securing most of Fort Ord as natural habitat. Ken Gray's work on habitat protection is definitely in the Steve Addington tradition.

Here's another announcement: The City of Marina is sponsoring a coastal cleanup day on Saturday September 19th. You can get more information on both of these events below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Event organizers are urging you to bring your own plates and utensils, to reduce waste and the carbon footprint of the event. Dishwashing stations will be provided. Conservation organizations are welcome to set up display booths highlighting their work. For more information on setting up a booth call Jackie at 949-633-0873. General information is available at www.chuckhaugenconservationfund.org, or by calling 831-384-1376.

Find out about the Marina Coastal Cleanup Day at
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=86