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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of May 2, 2011 to May 6, 2011
Week of May 2, 2011 to May 6, 2011
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 2, 2011 to May 6, 2011
- Monday, May 2, 2011
Roosters And Land Divisions / City Water
- Tuesday, May 3, 2011
What Is A GRR?
- Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fancy A Visit To Helm?
- Thursday, May 5, 2011
One Week From Today
- Friday, May 6, 2011
Environmental Mitigation Banks
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 2, 2011 Roosters And Land Divisions / City Water |
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The Monterey County Board of Supervisors meets tomorrow. So does the Board of Directors of the Pajaro County Sanitation District. So does the Board of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. Here’s the good news: that’s all one meeting! Different hats will be doffed and displayed, as the five Board Members transmogrify themselves and carry out their other assigned duties. As ever, I recommend actually participating in one of these meetings once in a while, even by way of simple observation. The “boring” factor can be overcome if you realize that these five elected officials have considerable power to affect the future of Monterey County’s economy and environment. Besides, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will be taking up a couple of items tomorrow that are of some real public interest. For instance, should roosters be allowed in residential districts throughout the County? And if so, how many? That is Item #S-2. Item #S-1 is an application by a landowner on the Monterey Peninsula to divide a 38-acre parcel into four smaller parcels. Land division applications are among the most important land use items ever considered by a local government. In Santa Cruz tonight, there is a Water Commission meeting at City Hall, starting at 7:00 o’clock. The Commission will be talking about how much the City’s proposed water projects are going to cost! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, May 3, 2011 What Is A GRR? |
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I was serious about the “boring” factor yesterday. Many people do find governmental meetings “boring.” I don’t, but I have a real hang up about “self-government,” which is what keeps me going through long discussions about roosters in residential neighborhoods. Again, that’s a topic that is on the agenda of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors today. In Santa Cruz County, the Board of Supervisors will be taking up a controversial vacation rental ordinance today. If you support it, or if you hate it, now would be the time to speak up. The Santa Cruz County Board will also consider how it should regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. You can get links to more information on the KUSP website. Here’s a puzzler: what is a GRR? At the start of today’s Board meeting at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center, the Board of Supervisors will join with a few other people to become the Board of Directors of Zone 7 of the Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and will consider hiring an outreach consultant to get the public involved in decisions on a “General Reevaluation Report,” or GRR, which describes the proposed Pajaro River Flood Control Project. This is something I work on for the Sierra Club, and I urge you to get engaged. The proposed project can have big impacts in the Pajaro Valley. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, May 4, 2011 Fancy A Visit To Helm? |
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This is late notice, but there will be an interesting meeting for farmers and rural landowners, starting at 9:15 this morning in Helm, California. If you are listening to the early version of this Land Use Report, airing at 6:33 a.m., you could probably make the meeting if you begin driving immediately. I’ve linked to a map in the written transcript of today’s Report. I don’t actually expect anyone will take me up on the suggestion. To be charitable, Helm is “way out there.” It’s to the East of Interstate 5, and if you check it out on Google Earth, you will find that there isn’t much “there” there. The topic, though, is one that those in the Monterey Bay Region need to be thinking about. EcoFarm is sponsoring the meeting this morning, which focuses on how farmers and rural landowners can capture flood flows for groundwater recharge, and therefore find workable solutions for mitigating chronic groundwater overdraft. If you have been paying attention, you’ll know that these are besetting problems in both Monterey and Santa Cruz County. On Tuesday, May 10th, somewhat closer to home, there will be a “Field Day With Bill Zeedyk” in Paicines, California, which will provide similar information. The flyer I’ve seen says you’ll learn to do “water harvesting on low-standard rural roads.” That one costs $50 dollars. There is more information on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, May 5, 2011 One Week From Today |
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Yesterday, I told listeners about an interesting meeting located a couple of hundred miles away, and beginning about three hours after the Land Use Report went on the air. My purpose was more to inform on the topic than to promote actual attendance at that meeting. I know people need a little advance notice, if I really expect them to attend some of the meetings I mention. Today, I’m providing advance notice for a meeting to be held on Thursday, May 12th, one week from today, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., at the Unity Temple, located at 407 Broadway, in Santa Cruz. Admission is free. This meeting, I believe, will be extremely informative. It’s about water. That’s a key issue for Santa Cruz County residents, and I hope you’ll put this meeting on your calendar. The program is titled “Sustaining Our Water Future in Santa Cruz,” and will feature a presentation by James Fryer, former head of Conservation Programs for the Marin Municipal Water District. There will also be a slide show presented by Bobby Markowitz, of Earthcraft Design, entitled "Rain Catcher.” James Fryer is the author of a Food & Water Watch report, Sustaining Our Water Future. He has researched the potential of conservation and compared the cost of conservation to desalination.
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| Friday, May 6, 2011 Environmental Mitigation Banks |
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In recent Land Use Reports, I’ve mentioned how Habitat Conservation Plans work. The term "Habitat Conservation Plan," or HCP, makes it sound like an HCP is a pretty good thing. Despite the name, though, an HCP isn’t mainly about "conserving habitat," it’s mainly about facilitating development. Under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts, it is illegal to kill any individual member of an endangered species, unless you get a “take” permit. “Take” means “killing,” by the way. If you are proposing construction in an area where endangered plants or animals live, you can’t do your construction until you get your “take” permit on a project-by-project basis. Bureaucratically speaking, that’s hard to do. Enter the HCP, to make it easier. The HCP is supposed to protect some habitat, so that killing endangered species in other places won’t need an individual “take” permit. The process was illustrated in Agenda Items #40 and #41 on this week’s edition of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors’ Consent Agenda. Landowners who wanted to build small home additions in the Ben Lomond and Scotts Valley areas were allowed to do so, even though it was clear that this would kill endangered Mount Hermon June Beetles. They used a so-called “Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank” to get the authority to go ahead. Links to relevant agenda materials are on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.More Information Gary Patton writes a daily blog, “Two Worlds / 365” Item #40, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Agenda for May 3, 2011 Item #41, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Agenda for May 3, 2011 |
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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