Tomorrow, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will both be holding regular meetings.

In Santa Cruz County, the Board will consider a proposed 40-unit senior housing development at 2500 Soquel Avenue, in the Live Oak Planning Area. The proposal is to divide an approximately 3-acre parcel of land on which St. Stephens Lutheran Church now stands. Two parcels would be created, one of 1.28 acres, on which the church would continue to exist, and one of 1.79 acres, on which the 40 new senior housing units would be constructed.

In Monterey County, the Board will be taking a lunchtime tour of the Firestone Business Park and Encore Recycling facility, located at 340 El Camino Real in Salinas. Members of the public can also take the tour.

While I didn’t see any reference to this on the Board’s online agenda, as of the time I recorded today’s Land Use Report, open space activists who care about the future development of Fort Ord think that the Board may be going to consider the sale of the Whispering Oaks property and other habitat parcels during their meeting tomorrow. If you care about that possibility, check with the Board of Supervisors. You may want to attend the meeting, or communicate with your representatives.

Links to both agendas are available below.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda - Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
• Agenda - Monterey County Board of Supervisors
• St. Stephens Affordable Housing Proposal (Santa Cruz County)

I like to advertise opportunities for KUSP listeners to get directly and personally involved with the governmental decision making process, and so I am happy to tell you that there are lots of interesting meetings to attend today.

Tonight at 7:00 o’clock, the Soquel Creek Water District is making a presentation on water challenges in the Mid-County area of Santa Cruz County. The meeting will be held at the Aptos Community United Methodist Church, located at 221 Thunderbird Drive in Aptos.

Also tonight, at 7:15, the group called Aptos Local Economies (sometimes also called “Save Aptos”) is meeting at the Aptos Grange Hall, 2555 Mar Vista Drive in Aptos. The focus of this group is the proposed expansion of the Safeway Store, and the reconfiguration of the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center. That is a big issue for Aptos, and visitors are welcome at the meeting tonight.

Finally, the Santa Cruz City Council is meeting at 2:30 in the afternoon, and at 7:00 p.m., to discuss water issues. The Council will be making appointments to its Water Supply Advisory Committee at the 2:30 session. At 7:00 o’clock, the Council will be considering actions related to the current drought conditions affecting the City. Those actions could profoundly affect everyone who depends on water from the City of Santa Cruz. You can get more information below.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Aptos Local Economies Facebook Page
• City of Santa Cruz Council Agenda
• Staff Report - Water Supply Advisory Committee
• Proposed Membership - Water Supply Advisory Committee
• Staff Report - Drought Response Actions
• Soquel Creek Water District Website
• Aptos Community United Methodist Church Website
• For more information about the Soquel Creek meeting call 831-688-2210

The California Coastal Commission is meeting today and tomorrow, in Pismo Beach, and because the Commission webcasts its meetings, you can watch what is going on without having to make the drive down south.

Representatives of environmental groups are expecting to testify at a hearing to be held this morning, on ocean fracking. These environmental groups include the Environmental Defense Center, based in Santa Barbara, Surfrider Foundation, the California Coastal Protection Network, the Ocean Foundation, Wildcoast/Costa Salvaje, and CFROG (Citizens For Responsible Oil and Gas). These groups have prepared a report called “Lift The Fog on Ocean Fracking.” They will be urging the Commission to take a number of specific actions that will result in more public information about what the oil companies are actually doing, offshore, and more public control over actions that could be putting our marine environment at risk.

Thursday, the Commission will focus on a number of Central Coast items, specifically including a review of requests from both Monterey County and Santa Cruz County that the Commission allow modifications to the counties’ current Local Coastal Programs, in each case to “streamline” the local government permit process. These actions will be considered as part of Agenda Items #27 and #29.

You can get the details and full staff reports by using the agenda link below.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Coastal Commission Agenda
• Lift The Fog On Ocean Fracking

Can I persuade you to go tramping around in the woods and forests of the Central Coast Region, all in the name of science? I’d like to do that, and I am giving you a real opportunity to schedule ahead.

Mostly, I find out about meetings only shortly in advance, and when I put the word out on the Land Use Report I know that I am not really giving listeners a fair opportunity to show up and be heard. If you hear about a meeting at seven in the morning, and I suggest that you show up in Salinas, or Santa Cruz, or somewhere else by 9:00 a.m. on the very same day, the chances that you can actually do that are relatively slight.

But what if I tell you, today, on February 13th, that you should plan ahead for activities on April 12th or May 4th? I am giving you lots of time, here, to plan to participate in the 2014 effort to document the extent of Sudden Oak Death in the Central Coast Region.

The spread of Sudden Oak Death in both Monterey and Santa Cruz County is a real threat to our environment, and volunteers are needed for this year’s survey project. This is a one-day commitment. It’s April 12th in Santa Cruz County, and May 4th in Carmel Valley.

The US Forest Service and the California Native Plant Society are involved in this effort. I hope you will plan to get involved, too. There are details below.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Sudden Oak Death Blitz Website

Last Saturday, a rather rainy day, I attended the 10th Annual California Water Law Symposium. This annual water law conference is totally run by students of the following California law schools: UC Davis School of Law; Golden Gate University School of Law; UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall); University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; University of San Francisco School of Law; and UC Hastings College of the Law, which acted as the host this year. It would be hard to overstate the quality of the information presented and the eminence of the speakers. If KUSP listeners would like to get a feel for the topics and speakers, you should check out the link available at kusp.org/landuse. There are lots of materials available on the website.

I learned a lot at the Water Law Symposium. One of the things I learned is that atmospheric scientists believe that the melting of Arctic ice, related to global warming, is a major cause of the high-pressure ridge that has blocked rainfall from reaching California this water year. I also learned (or had reconfirmed, more accurately) that water planners think that we are in the middle of an historic drought, despite the precipitation so evident last weekend. It is a time to stop fooling around on water, and fundamentally to reform our water system.

Check out that website! Lots of lessons we need to learn.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Water Law Symposium Website