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KUSP LandWatch
News
November 7, 2011 to November 11, 2011
November 7, 2011 to November 11, 2011
KUSP provided a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio from January 2003 to May 2016. Archives of past transcripts are available here.
November 7, 2011 to November 11, 2011
- Water (Not Traffic) On Council Agenda
Monday, November 7, 2011
- Policy Verses Projects
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
- War On Weeds
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
- The San Benito County 2035 General Plan
Thursday, November 10, 2011
- Natural Wonders Of Henry Cowell
Friday, November 11, 2011
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.
| Water (Not Traffic) On Council Agenda Monday, November 7, 2011 |
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The published agenda for tomorrow’s meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council shows an evening session beginning at 7:00 o’clock. This session was to focus on a plan to modify Pacific Avenue for two-way traffic. A “fast tracked” special joint meeting of the City’s Downtown Commission and the Transportation and Public Works Commission was specifically set to review this two-way traffic proposal, so as to allow the Council to move rapidly ahead, and to put the plan in place by mid-December. Something happened on the way to this “fast tracked” result. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the Mayor will unilaterally remove the item from the agenda, which means that the Council won’t be hearing from the public. If you were planning to testify, I’d check with the City Clerk before making the trip. What happened to the “fast track”? According to the Sentinel, the proposed change in traffic patterns would make it dangerously difficult for fire trucks to maneuver in their turns onto Pacific. If you can make it to the 3:00 o’clock session, Agenda Item #12 is all about changing City water policy to support an application by UCSC to the Local Agency Formation Commission, which can decide whether or not to allow the City provide water for University growth, including its proposed expansion into its undeveloped North Campus Area, and the construction of over three million square feet of new buildings. My law firm is actually engaged in that controversy. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Policy Verses Projects Tuesday, November 8, 2011 |
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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is meeting today, and will consider some possible amendments to its Coastal Zone planning policies. Coastal Zone development has particularly strong environmental and neighborhood protection standards; not only do the ordinary provisions of the Code apply, the County also enforces a set of standards that apply only within the Coastal Zone, and that were adopted to meet the requirements of the California Coastal Act. Among other things, these standards reflect a three-level set of “priorities” for development. The protection of agricultural land, and reserving land for “coastal dependent” uses has the highest priority. Current Code provisions do not permit the Board of Supervisors to reduce or relax a priority determination for a piece of property in connection with a project level application. As the staff report notes, this is somewhat unusual. The staff is recommending that the Board give itself more “flexibility” to assign properties to the various priority levels set out in the Code, and to do so in connection with a project level approval. Here is my observation: if you set up a system that allows the shuffling of policy priorities at the time of project applications, you really undermine the integrity of the policy. I think that Santa Cruz County has its “unusual” features for a very good reason. They help ensure that privileged developments (and developers) don’t dodge Coastal Act priorities. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| War On Weeds Wednesday, November 9, 2011 |
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If you can’t stop thinking about tomorrow, and are looking for something to do tomorrow, then consider attending the 13th Annual Central California Invasive Weed Symposium. The Symposium will be held at the Laguna Seca Track Pavilion, 1025 Highway 68, in Monterey County. You can find out more about the Symposium by clicking the link found in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. The conference will provide lots of information on weed control. There will be exciting speakers, interactive field expeditions, tool demonstrations, continuing education credits, and networking opportunities. Plus, there will be lots of delicious food! The keynote address will be given tomorrow by Ramona Robison, who is in charge of invasive plant management for the California State Department of Parks and Recreation. Jason Giessow, Jason Casanova, and Rene Leclerc will talk about the “Distribution and Impacts of Arundo donax from Monterey to Tijuana.” That’s a kind of “giant reed,” and it’s not a good thing to let it get started. In fact, there are many more speakers, addressing a widely ranging set of topics, including what ultimately happens to the herbicides used to control invasive weeds. The Symposium is sponsored by the California Native Plant Society, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the Big Sur Land Trust, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, and many other organizations. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| The San Benito County 2035 General Plan Thursday, November 10, 2011 |
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The future of land use in San Benito County is up for grabs. That’s because the Board of Supervisors has now officially initiated the steps necessary to amend the County General Plan. The General Plan is the County’s “Constitution for land use.” If you care about the future growth and development of San Benito County, now is the time to get involved. A “Notice of Preparation,” pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, was released on October 24th. This kicks off the environmental review process. Comments can be made until November 28th. The proposed 2035 San Benito County General Plan would be a comprehensive update to the General Plan adopted in 1980, which was updated through 1995. As the Notice of Preparation says, the purpose of the update would be to establish and implement new goals and policies for regulating development and balancing population growth with infrastructure availability, agricultural preservation, and natural resource protection. If I had to bet which direction those “new” policies will tend to go, absent some rather focused public involvement, I’d bet that the updated General Plan will likely permit and encourage more development than the current document. That’s why I say that the future of land use in San Benito County is now officially “up for grabs.” For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Natural Wonders Of Henry Cowell Friday, November 11, 2011 |
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On next Monday, November 14th, the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will be presenting a video on the “Natural Wonders of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.” Fred Mc Pherson, a long time county resident who has a Ph.D. in Human Ecology, as well as biology and teaching degrees, produced the video. The video being featured in the Henry Cowell Redwoods Park store during the holidays, and is also available at the UCSC bookstore. It will be offered to the 2012 Santa Cruz Film Festival. Mc Pherson’s video tells the story of remarkable animal life, rare native plans, geology and spectacular landscapes through the seasons, as captured over a five-year period in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The presentation on November 14th will begin at 7:30 p.m., at the UCSC Horticulture Building. If you really want to dive in to native plants, a “plant keying” session will start at 5:00 o’clock. “Plant keying” really means plant “identification.” Participants will learn terminology describing plant characteristics; learn to use a key to identify plants; learn to use the 2nd edition of the Jepson Manual, and practice keying unknown plants to family, genus, and species. If that sounds interesting, you should make the acquaintance of the California Native Plant Society. Click the link found below For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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