All good things come to an end, and the City of Watsonville is approaching the end of its General Plan Update process. I am looking at an official City of Watsonville Public Hearing Notice, which says this:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Watsonville, on Tuesday, September 25, 2012, at the 6:30 p.m. session, in the City Council Chambers, 275 Main Street, 4th Floor…, Watsonville, California, to consider [the] Watsonville Vista 2030 General Plan Update and Final Environmental Impact Report.

The City’s General Plan will guide how, when, and where the City will grow. It establishes the community’s vision of what the community wants to become and how that vision will be achieved through policy goals and objectives. The General Plan includes policy statements on conservation, land use, transportation, housing, public services, and parks and recreation, among others.

The proposed General Plan has been developed in response to a court case that invalidated an earlier General Plan revision. As the Public Notice says, “The project affects all properties within the City Limits of the City of Watsonville.”

If you live in or have a business in the City of Watsonville, don’t miss your chance to help shape the future of your community. What will probably be the final hearing is tomorrow night.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City of Watsonville Website
• Vista 2030 General Plan and EIR
• City Council Agenda Materials, September 25, 2012 Meeting

This morning, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, meeting at the County Governmental Center, will be considering a project that will, if approved and then constructed, profoundly change Aptos Village.

I encourage those who care about Aptos Village to check out what is being proposed by Barry Swenson Builder. You can get links to project information at kusp.org/landuse. Whatever you decide about the proposed project, you should probably follow up by letting the Board of Supervisors know your thoughts. To do that, you can attend today’s public hearing, or you can use the “email app” built right into the Board’s agenda, that let’s you easily send a comment on any agenda item of interest to you.

The project property includes approximately 11.5 acres, located in the core area of Aptos Village. The majority of the subject property is undeveloped, though an existing historic Apple Barn (currently an antique shop), the former Aptos firehouse, and miscellaneous other structures are located on the project site.

Proposed is the construction of a mixed-use commercial and residential development including 63 residential units and up to 75,000 square feet of commercial development. County staff and the Planning Commission have determined that the project is consistent with all applicable codes and policies and the Santa Cruz County General Plan.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• September 25, 2012 Board Agenda
• Staff Report - Aptos Village Project

As a former elected official myself, I do pay attention to elections, and this year I am paying particular attention not only to the amazingly important federal and state elections scheduled for November, but to some pretty important local elections, too. County Supervisorial elections in both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties will have a profound impact on future land use decisions. City Council elections, perhaps particularly in the City of Santa Cruz, may also have a big impact on future land use and water policy decisions.

If you are going to be voting in the City of Santa Cruz (and there is still time to register to vote, by the way), you might want to attend a candidates’ forum for Santa Cruz City Council candidates, scheduled for tomorrow evening. The forum will focus on water issues, and is sponsored by the Surfriders Environmental Alliance, the Surfrider Foundation, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Peak Water, Desal Alternatives, the Community Water Coalition, Teach the Forest, and Save the Waves.

The candidates’ forum will begin at 6:30 tomorrow evening at the Louden Nelson Center, located at 301 Center Street in the City of Santa Cruz. The law firm with which I am associated represents the Community Water Coalition, one of the sponsors, but that’s not the only reason I am going to be at the forum tomorrow tonight. I hope to see you there!

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Candidate Night Informational Flyer
• Your Right To Vote On Desal Website
• Register To Vote

The Land Use Report comes to your radio rather early in the morning, so you may be hearing this news for the first time right here. Don’t worry; stick with KUSP, as I hope you do, and you will hear this news again. Today is the official kick off of the KUSP periodic Pledge Drive. This is the time you can show your support for the great programming you get from KUSP Radio by giving a little something back to this nonprofit effort to bring the best of great music and great information to the Central Coast Region. KUSP is the station that brings you the Land Use Report. I hope you can help out and help support what I think of as a great local resource that helps make this part of California so special.

Now, a couple of tips on land use related items. If you would like to see what one Central Coast local government is doing about water conservation, track down today’s transcript at kusp.org/landuse. You will find a link to a proposed San Luis Obispo County ordinance that requires that water conservation be built in to new land use developments when such new developments are approved.

There is also a link to an article about Gus Speth, former environmental advisor to Presidents Carter and Clinton. Speth is calling for a “post growth” approach to our economy and environment. It’s an article worth reading!

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda Materials on Paso Robles Groundwater Basin Ordinance
• Staff Report on Proposed Ordinance
• Article - Gus Speth – “Ultimate Insider” Goes Radical

If you would like to take a little “field trip” to the “fields,” mark your calendar for Family Farm Day at the ALBA Rural Development Center. The ALBA Family Farm Day will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 6th, at 1700 Old Stage Road in Salinas.

The world “alba” means “dawn” in Spanish. As an acronym, ALBA stands for “Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association.” ALBA’s mission is to advance economic viability, social equity, and ecological land management among limited-resource and aspiring farmers. ALBA is trying not only to develop tomorrow’s farmers and sustainable agriculture leaders, but to improve marketing alternatives for small-scale, limited-resource farmers, while enhancing agriculture in a way that respects biological diversity.

Farm Day guests are invited to purchase a bounty of freshly harvested foods. Visitors are encouraged to bring cash and reusable bags for produce purchases. Children and bicycles are both welcome.

In other, and related, news, ALBA is now accepting applications, through October 15th, for its bilingual Farmer Education Program, designed to assist limited-resource persons who want to establish and successfully run an independent organic farming business. It is an impressive program. Get more information below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• The ALBA Website
• The ALBA Family Farm Days
• For more information contact: Nancy Bustos at (831) 758-1469, Ext. #15