Democratic Party members of the Legislature have now voted for a budget that makes something like $12 billion dollars in cuts to what most of them think of as essential services. The basic plan advanced by the Governor is to make these difficult cuts, but then to extend some current taxes about to expire so that the cuts don’t have to be $24 billion dollars, the total budget deficit. This would be a balance of cuts and tax extensions, and the Governor has asked for support from Republican Party members of the Legislature simply to allow the public to vote on this tax extension proposal. The Republicans have refused to allow a public vote unless the Governor and the majority party agree to a long list of 58 different demands.

One demand is that the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, be amended to eliminate any environmental review of major projects in many, many cases. I have included the text of an alert describing this issue as an attachment to the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. If you don’t think this CEQA rollback is a good idea, you should let Governor Brown and Assembly Speaker John Perez know your thoughts. Plus contact your local legislators, of course! Obviously, if you think that undermining the CEQA process is a good idea, you should make those views known, too. As a personal aside, however, I hope that’s not your position!

More Information:

Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365”
http://www.gapatton.net

LA Times Article on CEQA Issue
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-
budget-environment-20110316,0,4304826.story

The next page is a condensed version of an “alert” distributed by environmental groups, outlining the challenge to CEQA, and what you can do about it.

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Take Action to Protect California’s Premiere Environmental Law

Exploiting the hardships caused by the economic climate and the state budget crisis, special interests are redoubling their efforts to pass legislation that would dismantle the Golden State’s premiere environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Individuals and organizations concerned about the public’s health and well-being, the environment and good government must push back this dangerous new wave of attacks on CEQA. We need your voice and action to help defend the rights of Californians and protect our environment.

In February, Senator Canella introduced SB 241—a measure that would allow 125 projects to receive immunity from CEQA. Now he is working on a more sweeping proposal attempting to attack CEQA from all angles.

PLEASE DO THIS NOW:

Send a message TODAY and Email, write or call Speaker Perez and Governor Brown to oppose measures that rollback the public health and environmental protections in CEQA. Obviously, contact your local legislators, too. Use the sample letter below for your message.

Speaker John Perez: Telephone: 916-319-2046; FAX: 916-319-2146 or Email: speaker.perez@assembly.ca.gov

Governor Jerry Brown: Telephone: 916-445-2841; FAX: 916-558-3160 or Email: http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php

For examples of how Californians have benefited from CEQA go to: www.calheroes.com

For more information or to receive regular updates about this campaign contact: Jena Price at the Planning and Conservation League at jprice@pcl.org or 916-313-4508.

Sample Letter:

Dear Governor Brown or Assembly Speaker Perez:

I am writing to express my opposition to SB 241 (Canella) as well as other similar and destructive measures attempting to rollback our fundamental environmental protections. These bills and proposals seek to undermine the ability of my community to participate in decisions that determine how our neighborhoods will grow. The legislation eliminates our ability to hold developers accountable for putting measures in place to reduce or avoid a development project’s negative environmental impacts.

For the past 40 years, community involvement in the environmental review process has improved proposed projects, reducing a project’s significant adverse impacts to public health and the environment, while improving our quality of life. These bills would allow a select number of projects to avoid public scrutiny.  These bills erode California’s legacy of environmental protection.  Therefore, I urge you to oppose these bills in the interest of your constituents and their health and well being.

Sincerely,

Residents of the City of Marina (and other interested persons) are invited to attend a community presentation on the Marina Downtown Vitalization Project. The presentation will be hosted by the Economic Development Commission of the City of Marina, and is scheduled for tomorrow evening, March 30th, from 6:30 to 9:30, at the Rocky Han Community Center. The Community Center is located at 211 Hillcrest Avenue in Marina. City staff and consultants will be on hand to discuss the Downtown Vitalization Project, and to provide highlights of the project’s Environmental Impact Report. Staff and consultants will be available to answer questions about the project after their presentation.

The Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan was initiated in 2006, with the ultimate goal of transforming central Marina, and specifically the Reservation Road and Del Monte Boulevard corridors, into a unique, vibrant, and pedestrian-friendly downtown. The hope is to create both diverse shopping venues and increased housing opportunities. Once adopted, the Specific Plan will act as the blueprint for future planning and development decisions.

Transforming the City of Marina Downtown Area is a major goal for the City. Get in on the ground floor by checking the links in today’s transcript, and by attending the presentation tomorrow.

More Information:

Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365” –
http://www.gapatton.net

Marina Downtown Revitalization Project Website
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=201

Flyer for the March 30th Presentation
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/documents/Development%20Services/
Strategic%20Projects/Downtown%20Vitalization/DVSP%20News%20
March%202011.PDF

For more information, please contact Anita De Amaral, Executive Assistant, Development Services Department, City of Marina: Telephone: 831.384.7324; Email: adeamaral@ci.marina.ca.us

Tomorrow, a Desalination Community Involvement Forum will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Sally Judd Griffin Senior Center, 700 Jewell Avenue in Pacific Grove. Check today’s transcript for more information.

The Community Involvement Forum scheduled for tomorrow is focused on the controversial Monterey Regional Desalination Project, but may also interest those following desalination on the Santa Cruz County side of the Bay. Desalination is “big news” in both Santa Cruz and Monterey County. There are some common themes in any desalination proposal, and cost is certainly one. A lot of objections to the Monterey Regional Desalination Project are based on the incredible water costs projected. Current water supplies cost in the hundreds of dollars per acre-foot. The desalination project will provide water costing multiple thousands of dollars per acre-foot.

Desalination, in one way, raises a major philosophical issue. Must supply and demand imbalances always be “solved” by increasing supply, or could we achieve the necessary balance by working on the “demand” side of the equation? Historically, Americans have always increased supply when limits are reached, but a more efficient use of existing resources may be even better, and specifically where water supply is concerned.

More Information:

Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365”
http://www.gapatton.net

Regional Desalination Project Website
http://www.amwater.com/caaw/customer-service/
rates-information/monterey-coastal-water-project.html

For more details on the Forum contact Catherine A. Bowie, Manager External Affairs, California American Water, 511 Forest Lodge Road, Suite 100, Pacific Grove, CA 93950; Email – catherine.bowie@amwater.com; Telephone 831-646-3208.

Last week, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors took action to “streamline” the County’s Zoning Code, to make it easier for permit applicants to get approval for projects that “vary” in some way from the basic standards that would otherwise apply. Obviously, it’s a good thing to help permit applicants avoid unnecessary “red tape.” The question, though, is always whether or not the so-called “red tape” is really “unnecessary.” The standards set in the Zoning Code are intended to apply to everyone, and to provide what is sometimes called “reciprocal” protection to adjacent property owners and to the neighborhood in general. The idea is simple: “if you don’t exceed a particular height limit on your property, I won’t exceed that height limit on my property either.” Thus, because of the commonly applicable zoning standards, enforced by the local government, the neighborhood overall will stay in scale. This has been of particular concern in the Live Oak Area, but this is really an issue in every part of the unincorporated county.

As finally adopted, the “streamlining” provisions added to the Code are applicable only within the Urban Services Line, and within what is called the “Rural Services Line” in the Aptos Supervisorial District and in the Bonny Doon-North Coast Supervisorial District. Supervisor Mark Stone, representing the San Lorenzo Valley Supervisorial District, persuaded the Board to maintain enforcement of the current zoning standards, in the area he represents.

More Information:

Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365”
http://www.gapatton.net

Agenda Item #49 on Permit Streamlining from the March 22, 2011 Agenda
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/
BDSvData/non_legacy/agendas/2011/20110322/PDF/049.pdf

Minutes and an audio recording of the March 22, 2011 Board Meeting will be available here
http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Government/BoardofSupervisors/
MeetingAgendasandMinutes.aspx

The Santa Cruz City Council will hold a special meeting on April 5th, starting at 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Under discussion at this specially called City Council meeting will be a proposed Habitat Conservation Plan (or HCP) that could affect the City’s future water supply.

Under both federal and state law, it is illegal to carry out activities that could result in the death of any individual member of an endangered species. Killing a plant or animal that is on the endangered species list is called a “take.” Removing water from the San Lorenzo River, for human use, actually does “take” endangered fish species that depend on the natural flow of the stream. The same thing is true of the North Coast streams and creeks that also supply water to the City’s system.

One way to “legalize” a “take,” if you will, is to adopt a Habitat Conservation Plan that establishes a set of activities that are intended, overall, to protect the endangered species. If approved by the proper federal and state resource agencies, the HCP will then allow activities that admittedly result in the take of individual members of the endangered species. As I said earlier, what happens with any HCP adopted for the City’s water sources could impact growth potential in the City’s Water Service Area. You may want to attend that meeting next Tuesday!

More Information

Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365”
http://www.gapatton.net

City Agendas are available at
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/index.aspx?page=752

City Council meetings are held in the City Council Chambers, located in the Santa Cruz City Hall. The City Hall is right downtown, across from the Main Library, at 809 Center Street.