I encourage you to check out the written version of these Land Use Reports to get more information. If you do, you'll find the title of today's report is "Water and Development." Those two words encapsulate most of the subject matter I address here on the Land Use Report. I guess we could throw in the word "transportation" to round it all out.

In terms of "water," here are some "heads up" announcements. Tonight, the City of Santa Cruz is going to hold a Water Conservation Master Plan Modeling Workshop, starting at 5:00 p.m. in the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Water wonks are definitely invited. The workshop will be followed by a meeting of the City's Water Commission, starting at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Tomorrow, the City Council itself will be meeting in those chambers, starting at 2:30 in the afternoon. A good part of the meeting will be devoted to water-related matters, including a proposal to spend $350,000 to study water supply reliability. Water rationing issues are also on the agenda.

In terms of "development," here is an advance notice of a luncheon meeting of the League of Women Voters of Monterey County. On April 9th, that's Wednesday, you can attend their noon luncheon and get a "development" update provided by LandWatch Monterey County. Check out these items below.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Water Conservation Workshop – April 7, 2014
• Water Commission Agenda – April 7, 2014
• Santa Cruz City Council Agenda – April 8, 2014
• Agenda Report – Water Rationing at the City Council
• Agenda Report – The $350,000 Contract
• LandWatch At The League of Women Voters – April 9, 2014
• LandWatch Website

Last Thursday, I alerted listeners to a meeting of the Coastal Commission being held this week in Santa Barbara. On the Commission's agenda on Wednesday, April 9th is a proposed "Eco-Resort." This 184-room condominium development would be located within the sand dune habitat found on the ocean side of Highway One, in Sand City. Links to lots of information, including pictures and diagrams, are found below.

The project is unusual in that the Coastal Commission staff recommends approval, albeit with a lot of conditions. Developments on the ocean side of Highway One, in the middle of the habitat of an endangered species (in this case the snowy plover), are not usually projects that the Coastal Commission staff thinks are a good idea. In this case, though, approval of the project would set the stage for the settlement of a lawsuit against the Commission. That is an obvious factor in the consideration of the proposal. At least one environmental group, called the Pelican Network, is supporting the development. The Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Audubon are all opposing it, and have written a strong letter, outlining their environmental objections.

I encourage listeners to weigh in on this important matter. There is still time to let the Coastal Commission know what you think.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Coastal Commission Agenda
• Monterey Bay Shores Project Website
• Monterey Bay Shores Project Pictures and Diagrams
• Monterey Bay Shores Facebook Page
• Audubon California Alert
• Pelican Network Website
• Coast Weekly Article on the Eco-Resort
• Monterrey Herald Article on the Eco-Resort
• April 3, 2014 Land Use Report on the Eco-Resort
• Click here to receive a copy of an opposition letter from environmental groups

Local governments make most of the land use and development decisions that I talk about here on the Land Use Report. That particularly includes city councils and county boards of supervisors. County governments have land use jurisdiction over all lands that are not located within the boundaries of an existing city. If land is located within a city, then the city council of that city has jurisdiction.

City councils and boards of supervisors almost always make their decisions based on advice and recommendations provided by the city or county planning commission. Sometimes, the decisions made by planning commissions are final, though subject to an appeal to the council or the board. Planning commissions, in other words, are important. If you care about land use, you really should be following the activities of your local planning commission, just as you should also be following the decisions of your local city council and board of supervisors.

Today, the Monterey County Planning Commission is meeting in Salinas, starting at 9:00 a.m. A link to the Commission's agenda is at kusp.org/landuse. The commission will be considering a "Right To Farm" ordinance, new procedures governing how to amend the County General Plan, and an ordinance change that would make it more difficult for oil companies to explore and produce oil and gas in residential districts in Monterey County. There are some other items of interest, too!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Planning Commission Agenda – April 9, 2014
• Planning Commission Meeting Website – Agendas and Minutes

The Carmel River is a major source of water for the Monterey Peninsula. It is a source of water for fish, too, including endangered steelhead trout. In fact, the California American Water Company has been taking more water out of the river than they are legally allowed to remove, and they have been doing that for years. These excessive water diversions have degraded the river's ability to support steelhead, and Cal-Am is under an order to cut back. A big motivation for the proposed desalination plant is the fact that diversions of water from the Carmel River have to be reduced.

There is a nonprofit organization that focuses specifically on the Carmel River, and perhaps even more importantly, on the Carmel River watershed. That organization is the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, and I'd like to make sure that listeners who care about the Carmel River know about its work. I have put a link to the Conservancy's website in the transcript of today's Land Use Report, and I encourage you to visit the website, look around, and then to subscribe to the email alerts that the Conservancy will provide, from time to time. They're free!

Most recently, the Carmel Valley Association has alerted its supporters that the Conservancy will be doing an update to the 2005 Watershed Assessment and the 2007 Action Plan. You might want to get informed about some exciting projects in process and on the way!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Carmel River Watershed Conservancy Website
• Carmel River Watershed Conservancy Facebook Page

You could probably tell from listening to the Land Use Report yesterday that I pay quite a bit of attention to the land use, water, transportation, and environmental issues that affect Carmel Valley. One way I keep up to date on land use issues affecting Carmel Valley, and affecting Monterey County in general, is by subscribing to the newsletter of the Carmel Valley Association, or CVA. I definitely encourage listeners to do the same.

I often find out about Monterey County land use issues, in the first instance, from the CVA Weekly Bulletin. The latest edition of the CVA Weekly Bulletin indicates that the Carmel Valley Association Board of Directors has come out in favor of Measure O, a ballot measure going before the voters of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District in June. If you are one of those voters, you should start paying attention to Measure O, if you haven't already started doing that. In essence, Measure O would start the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District down the road to a possible public acquisition of California American Water, the private, for-profit water company that currently delivers water to the Peninsula.

The CVA Weekly Bulletin didn't outline the reasons for the CVA position in favor of Measure O, but it did say that it would be publishing its argument for a "Yes" vote in future editions. Good reason to subscribe!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• CVA Weekly Bulletin
• CVA Website
• Monterey Elections Notice About Measure O Ballot Argument
• Monterey Herald News Article on Ballot Language Lawsuit
• Coast Weekly Article on Ballot Language Lawsuit
• Ballot*Pedia Website Discussion of Measure O
• Monterey Herald Editorial on Measure O