The Monterey County Board of Supervisors meets tomorrow. Item #19 on the Consent Calendar is the Annual Report of the County’s Agricultural Advisory Committee, covering the period from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. There is a link to the Report in today’s Land Use Report transcript, available at kusp.org/landuse. If you are interested in agriculture in Monterey County, check it out. The Report outlines a number of issues of importance to the future of agriculture, and identifies the appropriate staff person to contact to follow up.

Commercial agriculture in Monterey County is a big business. Here are some of the key issues mentioned in the Report:

• Threats from pests, especially the Light Brown Apple Moth and the European Grapevine Moth.
  
  
• Runoff and erosion related to the use of “hoop houses.”
  
  
• How compatible uses are treated under the Williamson Act (in other words, what uses will be permitted on agricultural lands with a Williamson Act contract). The County has determined that carnivals, festivals, races, weddings, and private parties are NOT compatible.
  
  
• What sort of compatible uses will be permitted in the County’s designated “Winery Corridor.”

Again, this is a report worth reading to see an inventory of the issues facing commercial agriculture in Monterey County.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Agenda Materials For September 18, 2012 Meeting

The future of Fort Ord is being hotly debated! I hope you are following the debates. Even more, I hope you are getting personally involved. A recent news article reports that Assembly Member Bill Monning has proposed a kind of “compromise” approach to one of the conflicts. Check out the article and get more information at kusp.org/land use.

You can go beyond reading about the issues, and get involved yourself, by attending one of these upcoming meetings:

• Tomorrow, on Wednesday, September 19th, the League of Women Voters will sponsor a talk by Bill Weigle, titled: "Why Should We Keep Fort Ord Wild?" The presentation will take place at noon, at the Unitarian Church, located at 490 Aguajito Road in Monterey. If you’d like lunch, which costs $15, please make a reservation.
  
  
• On Thursday, September 20th, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., the Fort Ord Reuse Authority will hold a Community Information Session on the proposed Parker Flats Remedial Activities and Resulting Community Impacts. The meeting will be at the Carpenters Union Hall, located at 910 2nd Avenue in Marina.
  
  
• On Friday, September 21st, there is a Community Walk with Seaside Mayor Felix Bachofner, County Supervisor Jane Parker, and Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado. Meet at 5:30 p.m. at the barricades just east of Marshall Elementary School in Marina.
  
  
• On Monday, September 24th, there will be a Community Meeting about the Fort Ord National Monument. Eric Morgan, BLM Manager, will be discussing what the National Monument status means and what the next steps are. The meeting will be held at the Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Street, in Seaside, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Full details on these events are found in today’s transcript.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Herald Article On Bill Monning Recommendation on Fort Ord
• Monterey County Weekly Article - A Flurry of Public Meetings on Fort Ord

It has probably not escaped your attention that there will be an election on November 6th this year. There is quite a choice at the Presidential level, and there are some important choices to be made at the state level, too. Last week, I highlighted one of the state ballot propositions that will have a big impact on land use, Proposition 31, and I would be remiss not to mention the supervisorial elections being held in every county in the Monterey Bay Region. In most of them, land use issues are right at the center of the debate. I hope you are getting informed and getting involved.

As you probably know, KUSP makes it easy to send me an email, and I am always delighted to hear from listeners. I really do try to respond to what listeners tell me; so, don’t be shy.

Last week, a listener alerted me to a website called “The Inside Scoop,” focusing on the Santa Cruz City City Council elections, and sponsoring a forum scheduled for today at 6:30 p.m. It’s unclear to me who is sponsoring the site, but one interesting feature is an ability to use the site to pose questions to the candidates, and to indicate, by voting, what questions you think are most important. I am pleased to say that a lot of the issues identified do relate to land use and water policy.

You can get a link to my direct email, and to “The Inside Scoop,” below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Land Use Report, September 14, 2012 – Proposition #31
• The “Inside Scoop” Website

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is holding a Transportation Policy Workshop this morning. The workshop will begin at 9:00 o’clock, and will be held in the offices of the Transportation Commission, located at 1523 Pacific Avenue, in downtown Santa Cruz. If you have some time this morning, you are definitely invited to attend this Workshop.

The Commission itself is a “who’s who” of local elected officials, most of whom I assume will be attending. The list includes all members of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, and City Council Members from Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and the City of Santa Cruz. Three members of the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District also serve on the Commission. You can check out the membership of the Commission, and review today’s Workshop agenda below.

The main item on the agenda for this morning’s Workshop is a discussion of proposed passenger rail service on the Santa Cruz Branch Line, once it is fully in public ownership. How we are going to use “our” railroad line? It is an important topic. A decision about who is going to operate the local service is obviously important. Other tasks needed to conclude the acquisition include: finalizing purchase documents, completing the escrow process, and purchasing necessary insurance policies.

Remember, you’re invited to the meeting this morning!

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda For September 20, 2012 Transportation Policy Workshop
• News Release on Acquisition of the Rail Corridor
• Project Information – Rail Line Acquisition

I doubt many KUSP listeners have focused their attention on the Garrapata Water System. I happen to know, though, that KUSP does have a dedicated band of listeners in Big Sur. What happens to the Garrapata Water System may be highly relevant to them.

It was, in fact, a listener in Big Sur who first suggested that KUSP sponsor a “Land Use Report,” to provide information about key land use issues affecting the Central Coast. In a lot of ways, I am here each weekday morning because of some KUSP listeners in Big Sur.

So, while everyone should be concerned about the Garrapata Water System, since everything is hitched to everything else, as John Muir noted, this item is mostly for those living on the Big Sur coast, and specifically for those who may rely on, or be affected by, what happens with the Garrapata Water System.

A “Clearinghouse” bulletin from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments indicates that Monterey County is doing an “initial study” on a proposal to demolish two 13,000-gallon water tanks, to install two 32,000-gallon water tanks, and to install approximately 1,200 linear feet of distribution pipe, and a new filtration system, along with a new accessory structure.

If you want to follow up, there is more information below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• AMBAG Website
• The proposed project is located on APN: 243-301-021
• Public review of the initial study ends on October 4, 2012
• For more information on the proposed project contact: Joseph Sidor – 831-755-5262