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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of October 3, 2011 to October 7, 2011
Week of October 3, 2011 to October 7, 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 October 3, 2011 to October 7, 2011
- Monday, October 3, 2011
Water Awareness Training
- Tuesday, October 4, 2011
GIS Training
- Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Monterey County And Water
- Thursday, October 6, 2011
More On Water Issues In Monterey County
- Friday, October 7, 2011
Water Supply Alternatives For Monterey County
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, October 3, 2011 Water Awareness Training |
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The "Land Use Report" focuses, as might be expected, on land use policy and project decisions. "Land use," however, is not a stand-alone category. Transportation, water supply, and water quality issues are all related to the "land use" topic. If you are interested in land use (as I hope you are), you might also be interested in an upcoming Water Awareness Course sponsored by Transition Santa Cruz. The course will run from October 4th (that's tomorrow) through November 8th, skipping October 18th. Sessions are scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Louden Nelson Community Center, with one session scheduled for Saturday, October 29th, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., at the Kresge Garden at UCSC. Participants are welcome to sign up for the entire course, or for a single class. The Water Awareness Course will cost $30 to $90, on a sliding scale, or $5 to $10 for a single class session. Tomorrow's session is with Tom Myers, a meteorologist, who will provide an overview and introduction to "Water and Our Relationship To It." On October 11th, Rick Longinotti will discuss "Regional Supply Needs, Limits, And Resilient Solutions." The Water Awareness Course will provide participants with both policy insights and practical advice. I hope KUSP listeners will check it out. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, October 4, 2011 GIS Training |
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Transition Santa Cruz is sponsoring a Water Awareness Course, and the first session is this evening at 6:30. There is a sliding-scale charge for the Water Awareness Course, but it's definitely affordable. I hope that some KUSP listeners will participate. Today, I am highlighting another educational opportunity. This is definitely not a low-budget item, and it is geared not for the general public, but for planning professionals. I am reliably informed that at least a few planning professionals do listen in to the Land Use Report, since I sometimes get either complaints or kudos from members of the profession. Hopefully, this announcement is not totally irrelevant, but it's not for everyone. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation provides a Coastal Training Program, geared for professional planners, and the program is presenting a two-day "Introduction To Geographic Information Systems," or GIS, scheduled for October 28th and 29th at UCSC. Cost for the course is $500. Remember, I warned you that it wouldn't be cheap. The course is addressing an important topic, since our ability to do planning is immensely improved by the availability of GIS technology. For the non-professional, check out the Santa Cruz County GIS, or the website of GreenInfo, to see some of the possibilities. There are links below. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Monterey County And Water |
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Today and tomorrow, I will try to provide a kind of "index" to some of the key water policy issues in Monterey County, but let me give a disclaimer at the outset: two brief, one minute and thirty-second reports can't begin even to list the complexities involved, much less to dispose of them. I have, however, provided online links below which can get you started. Many of the current issues revolve around what is perhaps the most difficult of Monterey County's current water supply problems; namely, the need to find a new water supply, or the equivalent, for the Monterey Peninsula. By "equivalent," I mean a conservation-oriented approach, and/or a series of smaller solutions, rather than one big solution. Cal-Am, the private water company that is currently serving the Peninsula, is taking more water from the Carmel River than it is legally entitled to take. The solution proposed, and not only by Cal-Am, is the so-called Regional Water Project. Issues related to groundwater overdraft in the Salinas Valley are also being addressed. There is a new problem with what had been thought to be an almost complete "solution" to that less immediate but nonetheless real crisis. Finally, the dysfunction of local government in Monterey County is a factor in all of these water supply issues. That's perhaps the "hottest topic" for public discussion, right at the moment. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, October 6, 2011 More On Water Issues In Monterey County |
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The Salinas Valley contains the most economically productive farmland in the world, and the Valley has a groundwater overdraft problem. One key component of what was thought to be the solution, an inflatable dam in the Salinas River, has just failed. The problem can't be ignored. As someone has noted, the "business" of Salinas Valley agriculture is the business of water exportation. Crops like lettuce and strawberries require lots of water, and Monterey County exports those crops (water transformed), and gets paid for the exports. No water, no business! A proposed desalination plant addresses the "big" water supply problem, the need to develop a new water source for the Peninsula. That solution has become problematic. Desalination plants are both costly and environmentally damaging, but the most significant problems have turned out to be in governmental oversight. Self-dealing by the past Chairperson of the County Water Resources Agency (who was supposed to be acting for the public) has been clearly demonstrated. Charges and counter-charges abound. The chief staff person of the Agency also seems to have been thinking mainly of himself, rather than the public. You can find out more on these issues through the links below. It appears that a "reboot" of water policy in Monterey County is really what is required. This time around, the public needs to be more involved. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, October 7, 2011 Water Supply Alternatives For Monterey County |
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A commitment to public participation in land use decision-making is based on an implicit claim; namely, that ordinary people can master complex public policy topics, and can come up with as good an "answer" as the so-called "experts." I do believe this. This is not to say that "experts" aren't important, or that professional advice is irrelevant. To the contrary! I just say that ordinary members of the public need to guide our public policy decision-making. There is an inevitable corollary to a claim that our public policy decisions should be based on public participation. Members of the public need to spend time to educate themselves on the issues, and they need to spend the time necessary to get involved personally, and to master the key policy topics that must be addressed in the decision-making process. In Monterey County, where water supply issues are of paramount importance, that means that it is critically important that members of the public start developing some "expertise" in water supply planning. Luckily, LandWatch Monterey County is trying to make that possible. On Monday, October 10th, LandWatch will present an "Around The County" meeting on Water Supply Alternatives." The event will be held at the Hyatt Resort Hotel in Monterey, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Remember, that is next Monday. I hope many KUSP listeners will be there. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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