Water is a big topic in Monterey County, and I’d suggest that there are really three main areas of activity, speaking geographically.

The Monterey Peninsula has a long time water problem, most directly related to the fact that the California American Water Company is now taking more water out of the Carmel River than it legally should. This fact is pushing the Peninsula to look for alternative supply options, with desalination at the top of the list. This afternoon, the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project Governing Committee is meeting in the Conference Room of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, starting at 1:30. That proposed desalination project will be the focus of discussion.

In North Monterey County, groundwater overdraft is a key concern. While the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is poised to adopt new Basin Management Plan to address the issue, that Plan won’t solve all the groundwater problems in North County, even if the PVWMA Plan is ultimately successful.

In the Salinas Valley, where groundwater overdraft is also a major problem, the key issue right now is how to utilize an unused allocation from the Salinas River.

I have put links to more information on all of these areas of concern below.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda, March 31, 2014 Meeting WSPGC
• PVWMA Basin Management Plan Update
• PVWMA Basin Management Plan Memo – Next Meeting April 16th
• Salinas Californian News Article on Salinas Valley Water Project

It’s April Fools’ Day, but I am not fooling around when I tell you we have a big water supply problem. As noted yesterday, water supply is a problem in all of the major geographic areas of Monterey County. It’s a problem in all of the major geographic areas of Santa Cruz County, too. Current drought conditions make everything worse, but the basic problem in Santa Cruz County is that growth and development and water use have exceeded the resources available. Water resources are simply “oversubscribed.”

The problem is most obvious in the Pajaro Valley, where groundwater overdraft has been progressing for seventy-five years or more. In 1984, the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency was established to deal with this problem. So far, there is no solution. Action on a Basin Management Plan Update has been scheduled for April 16th.

The City of Santa Cruz relies on surface water, and residents and businesses in the City’s Water Service Area are facing the fact that demands exceed reliable supply (at least if the City complies with laws to protect endangered fish species).

In mid-county, groundwater overdraft, coupled with the drought, is propelling the Soquel Creek Water District into action. There is a meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m., to discuss the District’s new “water use reduction program.”

Get more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City of Santa Cruz Water Department Website
• PVWMA Basin Management Plan Update
• PVWMA Basin Management Plan Memo – Next Meeting April 16th
• Soquel Creek Water District Notice of April 1, 2014 Meeting

The most important land use and planning decisions in any city are made by the city council. However, cities generally establish lower level planning bodies to handle issues that require public input but that are not necessarily seen as needing a council level decision. Of course, the process established almost always allows an appeal to the council, so that members of the public can receive review at the highest level, should they be dissatisfied with a lower level decision.

Typically, a city council will create the position of “Zoning Administrator,” or ZA. The ZA is usually a staff person who makes decisions on behalf of the city where public input is desirable. I recently had an opportunity to participate in a ZA hearing at the City of Santa Cruz. I found it professional, and fairly conducted, with all parties (including the city staff) having an ample opportunity to express their views.

City councils also appoint a “Planning Commission,” comprised of a number of citizen volunteers, who hear more involved and controversial planning and land use items. Often, the decisions of the planning commission are “advisory” to the council. Sometimes the commission can make a “final” decision, subject to appeal.

If you’d like to see the City of Santa Cruz ZA and Planning Commission in action, be advised that the ZA meets today, at 10:00 a.m., and the planning commission meets tomorrow, at 7:00 p.m. Links to the agendas are below.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission – Meeting of April 3, 2014
• City of Santa Cruz Zoning Administrator – Meeting of April 2, 2014

The California Coastal Commission meets next week. On April 10th, the Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed Sand City resort development often called the “Ghandour project.” It includes 1.34 million square feet of new construction, comprised of 184 condominium units, plus associated commercial development. It would be located to the ocean side of Highway One, and the development would be right in the middle of significant coastal dune habitat, including habitat that supports the snowy plover, an endangered species. This proposal is not something that the Commission would normally think was a very good idea. In fact, there are lots of Coastal Act policies that would normally make this proposed development a non-starter from a Coastal Commission perspective.

The proposed Monterey Bay Shores Resort, however, does not come to the Commission through what might be called a “normal” process, and the staff recommendation is for approval with conditions. Litigation and administrative appeals over the period of fifteen (15) years, during which time the Commission has refused to approve the project, ultimately resulted in a settlement agreement, signed last December 24th. You could say that this was a wonderful Christmas present for the developer.

If you care about this kind of coastal development, check below for more information. You can still get involved!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Coastal Commission Website
• Meeting Agenda – April Meeting
• Staff Report: Hotel On The Dunes

Land use issues are usually thought of as “environmental” issues, since the decisions we make about land use have an incredibly important impact on the natural environment that ultimately sustains all life.

Land use decisions also have significant economic and social consequences, and I have often characterized land use issues by reference to the “Three E’s” (“Environment,” “Economy,” and “Equity”). For today’s Land Use Report, let’s focus in on how important the “environmental” perspective is when we talk about land use.

I want to highlight the “environmental” aspects of land use issues, because I am recommending that listeners tune in to, or record, an upcoming television documentary about environmental education, produced by Bob Gliner, a former professor at San Jose State University and now an outstanding and award-winning documentary filmmaker.

“Growing Up Green” documents a unique statewide effort in Michigan, where both rural and urban schools have built school reform around a study of the environments that students inhabit. I think that many KUSP listeners will find it to be inspiring.

If you’d like to watch or record “Growing Up Green,” it will show on KQED-9 on Monday April 7th, at 11:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, April 8th at 5:30 a.m. There is more information below.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• KQED-9 Website Announcement
• Bob Gliner Website