By tomorrow this time, it will already be 2013, so let me wish you a Happy New Year now. That Mayan Calendar thing didn't work out, so I think there will be lots of land use, and water, and transportation related items to talk about during the entire year to come. There will be lots of meetings, and other "indoor activities" related to land use policy.

My ambition is to keep you posted, though no one should ever rely on the Land Use Report to alert you to every important thing. I will continue to suggest that you connect up with some organized group that is both educated and involved in the issues you care about most. Elkhorn Slough is a jewel. There are groups paying attention. Highway 68 is a scenic road subject to development-related insults and injuries. There is a group focused on its future. In Santa Cruz County, think about protecting those Watsonville Wetlands, or keeping Bonny Doon Rural. And those University growth and desalination plant issues definitely come with groups attached.

I also recommend getting "outside" in the natural environment we are so privileged to inhabit. The Sierra Club is hosting a New Year's Day hike, tomorrow, in Carmel Valley. Check today's links below for more information.

More Information:

• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club Website
• Sierra Club Outings Schedule

We now have a whole New Year ahead. So, Happy New Year!

Predicting the future is always hard, and may even be counterproductive. Typically, we "predict" the future by extrapolating current trends. That system has its value, and sometimes works. There is a problem, however. An extrapolation of current trends fails to predict "new" actions, things that we or someone else does that are not being done now. We can, in other words, always change what we are doing, and transform the trends.

When I first got involved in public life in Santa Cruz County, in the early 1970's, Santa Cruz County was the fastest growing county in California, and the fifth fastest growing county in the entire nation. Predictions based on then current trends forecast a population of half a million people by the year 2000. It was predicted that almost all our prime farmland would be paved over, and that there would be urban development from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, along Highway One; from Santa Cruz to the Summit, along Highway 17, and from Santa Cruz to Boulder Creek, along Highway 9.

That didn't happen because Santa Cruz voters changed the land use policies that governed growth and development. Our freedom to choose what we are going to do is a reality, so instead of predicting what will happen to us, let's decide what we want, and make it happen!

More Information:

• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• The Story of Measure J

The City of Watsonville provides an almost textbook example of what I was talking about yesterday. For those who weren't up early yesterday morning, listening to the Land Use Report, the essence of my remarks was that our land use policy choices allow us to fashion a future that we want, so that we don't let the future just "happen to us." We can defy current trends, and take action to make the future be the way we want it to be.

For years, Watsonville has been engaged in an ongoing debate about what sort of community it wants to be. One key question is whether the City should pave over prime farmlands, to facilitate new development. City leaders have tended to be "expansionist," and in the early 1970's, the semi-official City slogan was, "from the foothills to the sea." If you know Watsonville, think about what kind of a City would result from putting that slogan into practice. It would be something like a coastal mini-Fresno or mini-Salinas. By adopting a voter initiative in 2002, City voters decided to focus City growth, and to stop paving over farmland. Now, another initiative measure proposes to change that policy choice. The point is clear: our land use policy choices determine what sort of community we will live in.

City residents who want to serve on the City's Planning Commission or on the Parks and Recreation Commission should know that the City is taking applications. Check out today's links below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• City of Watsonville – Commission Vacancies

Our "political" choices ultimately determine the kind of community we create. Land use policy choices are particularly important, though political choices of all kinds determine our future. Should we give more money for social programs, or provide more money for police? Should we build an arena for a basketball team, or reopen the community swimming pool? It does make a difference, just like it makes a difference whether or not we build a desalination plant, or build an expanded highway, or pave over farmland.

For many people, "politics" doesn't seem very "positive." Politics is, after all, intended to resolve "conflicts," and when feelings run high, conflicts can lead to ugly conduct. Nonetheless, "politics" is essential to our ability to create the kind of world we want, and we can't leave "politics" to others and expect that the results will be good. We need to get involved ourselves.

So how can we get involved in "politics" in a way that makes politics less "negative" and more "positive?" A workshop that explores how to "speak peace" when engaged in political action will be offered this coming Saturday, January 5th, sponsored by Nonviolent Communication of Santa Cruz. This workshop might be a way to learn how it's possible to participate in our "political" life without the mind-numbing negativity. There is more information below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Workshop Flyer - Speaking Peace When Engaged in Political Action

On Wednesday, I talked a little bit about the ongoing debate in the City of Watsonville about whether or not the City should expand its borders, to facilitate growth and development on what is now prime farmland. There are definitely different opinions!

In 2002, a broadly based coalition of community leaders supported an initiative measure that limited future expansion onto prime farmlands. Largely based on the passage of that measure, the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, gave approval for the City to annex a limited amount of farmland. It was a sort of "deal," though not expressed in those terms. The City would be allowed some expansion onto farmland, but would officially declare its intention to stay within the established and existing limits otherwise.

Former Mayor Daniel Dodge has now qualified an initiative measure that would modify the former agreement, and that would indicate the City's desire to annex more prime farmland along Highway One, presumably to allow the construction of a big box store. City voters will decide whether or not this is the direction they want their City to go.

In the meantime, the comment period on the Environmental Impact Report, or EIR, for the so-called "Watsonville Vista 2030 General Plan" is still open, but it won't be open long. The deadline for comments is Monday, January 7th. Get more information below.

More Information:

• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Watsonville Vista 2030 General Plan