The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County is dedicated to the protection of lands that have significant natural resource, agricultural, cultural, and open space value. Its website says that the Land Trust has protected more than 11,800 acres of such lands since 2006, and that the Land Trust has raised more than $40 million dollars for land conservation.

I have links to more information about the Land Trust in today's transcript. That transcript can be found at kusp.org/landuse. I even have a link that will let you sign up to become a member of the Land Trust, if you are so inclined. You don't need $40 million dollars to do that.

IF you were a Land Trust member you would be eligible to sign up for one of the "Star Creek Adventures" that the Land Trust is sponsoring. Adventure trips to the Star Creek Ranch are scheduled on both May 18th and June 14th. The Ranch is located in the "Heart of the Pajaro Hills." I have some links that tell you more.

I am a big fan of actually getting out in the environment that we can help preserve and protect by local government action, and by nonprofit programs of preservation and protection like those carried out by the Land Trust. Both hiking and mountain biking will be allowed on these upcoming adventure days with the Land Trust. The property looks pretty spectacular. Think about a trip to the Star Creek Ranch!

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Land Trust Website
• Land Trust Recent Accomplishments
• Join The Land Trust
• Information About The Star Creek Ranch
• Star Creek Ranch Adventures Sign Up Page

The California Coastal Commission is meeting this week in Inverness. I kind of like Inverness, and maybe that Commission meeting would a good excuse for a trip. Of course, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, none of us actually have to drive to Inverness to see the Coastal Commission in action. The Commission provides a "real time" web broadcast of all of its meetings, and that is certainly convenient, since the Commission considers items from the entire California Coastal Zone each meeting. It appears, for instance, that the Commission is going to be talking about some proposed road improvements in Santa Monica on Wednesday, May 14th. It's nice that interested persons from Santa Monica don't have to make that long trek all the way up to Inverness, just to be able to see what happens on that single item.

I have mentioned this "webcast" feature before because if you are interested in land use and planning issues, the premier land use and planning agency in the State of California is the California Coastal Commission. Even if you don't have a specific interest in a particular agenda item, it's a lesson in land use policy to watch the Commission at work.

Central Coast permit and policy items will be handled on Thursday, May 15th. Did you know that fireworks displays on the coast need a coastal permit? They do. The City of Santa Cruz wants to shoot off some fireworks on October 14th, and the Commission is going to talk about it on Thursday.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• May 14 - May 16 Coastal Commission Agenda

Recently, the Santa Cruz Sentinel ran an article that delivered a surprising message. Right here, in the heart of what most people think of as a particularly "environmental" area within the state, we have some of the worst local water quality of any place in California. That report on water quality comes from the State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, fondly known as OEHHA. Central Coast water customers receive some of the poorest water in coastal California, "rivaling tap water in the Central Valley," as the Sentinel put it.

The managers of local water agencies were quoted in the Sentinel article, and they generally downplayed the significance of the OEHAA report. Nonetheless, this is not comforting news for Santa Cruz water officials. While local water agencies appear to be meeting existing state standards, these standards are often changed, to reflect new information about public safety dangers. As you can tell from its name, the Office of "Health Hazard Assessment," is charged with assessing potential public health threats, and then providing that information to the public, and to the government at all levels. When the state government hears that current water quality standards may not be keeping up with our latest knowledge, the standards tend to be changed.

The drought is already teaching us that water is the "infrastructure" of life. We need it, and we need it to be clean and healthy. The OEHAA report says we have challenges ahead.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Information about OEHAA
• Santa Cruz Sentinel article on water quality issues
• Los Angeles Times map of pollution burdens (type in your zip code)

Reports from space-exploring efforts always mention whether or not other planets might have water. If so, maybe there is, or was, some life there. Water really is the "infrastructure" of life.

On the Monterey Peninsula, a water hookup moratorium has been in place for many years, and the State Water Resources Control Board has issued an Order requiring the Peninsula to withdraw less water from the Carmel River. In other words, there's not enough water now, and you have to cut back even more. There are multiple efforts to define how to do that, and what local government leaders would like is not only to find a water source to replace the Carmel River water that is being illegally diverted, but to discover some way to provide additional water, too, so that growth and new development (at some level at least) can recommence.

If you watch television, you may have seen an advertisement with a woman speaking on behalf of the California American Water Company. She is on the beach with a pair of binoculars, looking out to sea. It's hard to believe that she really needs those binoculars to see the ocean. "There's a lot of water out there, she says, "Let's use it. No water shortages ever again."

For a different perspective, you might want to read With A Grain of Salt, a more professional analysis. There is a link at kusp.org/landuse. According to that report, desalination may not be the panacea that Cal-Am's actress predicts.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Reports of water on Mars
• Cal-Am Water Company Television Ad
• Pacific Institute – With A Grain of Salt

Because residents and businesses on the Monterey Peninsula receive their water service from a private company, the California American Water Company, it is this private company that has to decide how best to deal with the problem posed by State Water Resources Control Board Order 95-10. That Order directs Cal-Am to develop and implement a plan to replace unlawful diversions from the Carmel River. The company has developed a "Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project" to accomplish that requirement. The Water Supply Project chosen by Cal-Am is mainly based on the construction of a new desalination plant. The California Public Utilities Commission is overseeing implementation of the project.

The Public Utilities Commission is not a "local" government agency, and many members of the public, including many elected officials, have wanted to have more "local control" over what decisions are ultimately made. If Measure O were adopted in June, the public would be indicating its desire to move towards a public acquisition of Cal-Am, so that all aspects of water supply for the Peninsula would be in the hands of locally elected officials. Those local officials would displace the PUC.

Measure O is quite controversial, and unless and until there is a direct public takeover, local officials are trying to find other means of making sure that the public interest is achieved.

I'll talk more about this topic next Monday!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
• Governance Committee Agreement
• PUC Sizing Agreement