Item #56 on the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is a continued public hearing on an application by the Los Altos Rod and Gun Club, to construct a clubhouse on their property, located at 14750 Skyline Boulevard in Los Gatos. Despite that Los Gatos address, the property is in Santa Cruz County. If it weren’t, of course, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors wouldn’t have jurisdiction.

The Rod and Gun Club has been around for a long time, and while an application to allow a gun club at this location might not be approved today, the general rule is that existing uses can continue to operate if they were legal when first initiated, and if nothing has changed. Land use regulation, in other words, almost always applies “going forward,” and not “retroactively.”

In this case, the Rod and Gun Club has a use that is controversial in the neighborhood (but that was legal when it first began). The problem the Club faces is that the Club now wants to make changes, by building a new clubhouse. This may well require a full examination of the operation of the gun club. The agenda item tomorrow notes that a preliminary investigation indicates a significant danger of lead contamination. Noise issues are already in the spotlight.

Tomorrow, the Board is expected to continue the matter until September. There are links in today’s transcript.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Los Altos Rod and Gun Club Website
• May 8, 2012 Agenda, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
• Staff Report on Gun Club Item

Downtown Santa Cruz is a pretty happening place, and the activities that go on there aren’t completely a matter of chance. There is, in fact, an organization that actively promotes the Santa Cruz downtown, and that does so using funds raised through assessments (sort of like property taxes) imposed by the Santa Cruz City Council. Just to be clear, the Council, a public body elected by Santa Cruz voters, imposes assessments that are then spent by a private organization, the Downtown Association. In common parlance, this is called a “public-private partnership.” If you would like to learn more, this topic is on the City Council agenda this afternoon.

In general, if a tax or assessment is imposed by a public agency, you would think that the public agency itself should be in direct control of how the money is spent, just as a way to promote accountability. In this case, though, a private group spends publicly generated money. This arrangement reflects the existence of a Business Improvement District, or “BID,” in the Santa Cruz Downtown Area. The monies raised come from businesses in the area, so it’s understandable that an organization run by those businesses should be in direct charge of expenditures. The City Council does supervise the effort, and tonight’s the time they do that, setting new assessments and reviewing the proposed workplan for the year ahead. You can get links to more information below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• What Is A BID?
• Santa Cruz City Council Agendas
• Agenda For May 8, 2012 City Council Meeting
• Staff Report, Parking and Business Improvement Area Assessments
• Downtown Association Workplan
• Downtown Association Website

The Watsonville City Council met yesterday, and I thought that Agenda Item #8.2 was of particular interest. This item proposed that the Council consider holding an Economic Development Summit, and was on the agenda at the request of Mayor Eduardo Montesino and Mayor pro Tempore Oscar Rios.

Economic development is a topic of central importance to the City of Watsonville. In the past, the City has used “redevelopment” to provide assistance to private developers, and now that this is no longer possible, Council Member Daniel Dodge has proposed that the City try to get approval to convert farmlands next to Highway One into a site for some sort of big box store.

Council Member Dodge’s suggestion may, or may not, be the best way to stimulate economic development in Watsonville, and it probably would be good to consider alternatives other than turning productive farmlands into big box stores. A study just released in the last week or so appears to show that the rise of hate groups is directly correlated to the construction of Walmarts and similar big box operations. If KUSP listeners have economic development ideas, or opinions, now is a good time to get involved.

You can find links to more information, including links to the study showing a correlation between the rise of hate groups and Walmart, below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City of Watsonville Website
• City Council Agendas
• May 9, 2012 Meeting Agenda
• City Manager Memo on Proposed Economic Development Summit
• News article on Walmart-hate group correlation
• Report on study on Science Newsline
• Report on study on Atlantic Cities
• Reference to study in Social Science Quarterly

In Monterey County, two important land use related issues are “water” and the “future of Fort Ord.” If you care about Fort Ord, it might make sense for you to visit the agency that is presiding over its redevelopment. I am speaking, of course, of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, or FORA. The FORA Board of Directors is meeting tomorrow, starting at 3:30 in the afternoon. I have put a link to the agenda in today’s transcript, which is available at kusp.org/landuse.

The FORA Board will specifically be discussing a couple of pieces of state legislation, both carried by Assembly Member Bill Monning. Assembly Bill 1614 would extend the life of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority. Currently, the Authority will expire in 2014, and Assembly Member Monning’s bill would extend that date until 2024. There has been a good deal of discussion about what new conditions, if any, should be imposed on FORA in return for extending the life of the agency. Now would be the time to get involved, if you have an opinion or a preference.

The FORA Board will also discuss AB 1842, relating to financing the creation of a California Central Coast State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord. Again, those interested in this proposal should check out the staff materials and consider appearing tomorrow at the FORA meeting.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• FORA Website
• FORA Meeting Agendas and Agenda Packets
• Agenda for May 11, 2012 Meeting
• Agenda Packet With Staff Reports
• AB 1614 – FORA Extension
• AB 1842 – Veterans Cemetery

The Board of Directors of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority will be meeting today at 3:30. The meeting will be held at the Carpenter’s Union Hall, 910 2nd Avenue in Marina.

Yesterday, I reported on a couple of the important land use issues that the FORA Board will discuss today. Both pieces of state legislation I mentioned are really “looking forward,” in that they focus on what might happen on the former Army Base in years to come. There is another perspective, however, which is also important. That might be called the “looking backwards” perspective. In other words, what has happened in the past on the lands of Fort Ord, which continues to have relevance for us today?

This year, LandWatch Monterey County has been focusing its popular “Around the County” series of presentations on both the past and the future of Fort Ord, and the next LandWatch “Around the County” meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 14th. The topic is Fort Ord Cleanup.

Past pollution has caused some very present problems. Speaking will be Bill Collins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Army Fort Ord Base Realignment and Closure Cleanup Office, Stan Cook, Program Manager for the FORA Remediation Program, and Dan Amadeo, from Marina in Motion.

You are invited to this meeting on Monday. You can get links to more information below.

This is Gary Patton.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• LandWatch “Around The County” Series on Fort Ord
• LandWatch Website
• FORA Website
• FORA Meeting Agendas and Agenda Packets
• Agenda for May 11, 2012 Meeting
• Agenda Packet With Staff Reports