Counties are subdivisions of state government, and they have plenary power over land use in all areas of the county that are not located within an incorporated city. Here are a few interesting items coming up for discussion tomorrow before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

The most consequential item is probably Agenda Item #49. In a nine-page letter, the county staff is proposing a number of changes to the county’s permit procedures. An enduring goal, for more than the forty years I have followed these issues, has been to find a way to achieve a more “user-friendly” permit process, while preserving environmental and neighborhood protections. This letter is intended to kick off another round of possible code changes.

Agenda Item #50 is important, too. The county staff is proposing an ordinance that will govern how to administer a special tax for parks purposes that won voter approval in the election held on June 3rd.

Finally, I think Agenda Item #34 (on the Consent Agenda) is worth your review. Santa Cruz County ranks fifth in the nation for the number of artists per capita, and has been selected to participate in a national pilot project program on Craft Entrepreneurship, sponsored by the online sales site, Etsy.

You can get more information on all of these items below.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Board of Supervisors Agenda – June 17, 2014
• Staff Report, Agenda Item #49 – Code Revision
• Staff Report, Agenda Item #50 – Parks Funding

Each week, I check out the upcoming agendas of both the Santa Cruz County and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and I’d recommend this practice to everyone, particularly if you live in an area outside an incorporated city. Counties have expansive powers over land use in unincorporated areas, and since land use decisions affect us all, it is kind of a “good citizenship” thing to be aware of what your local Board of Supervisors is doing. If you knew what they were doing, you might want to get involved! Tuesday is the day that Boards of Supervisors meet, and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will be meeting in Salinas, starting at 10:30 this morning.

One item of interest on today’s agenda will be the Annual Monterey County Crop Report. The County Agricultural Commissioner will make that report in person, shortly after the Board meeting gets underway. It is always interesting to see what is happening with the County’s agricultural economy. It is a three billion dollar plus business! While this may be an editorial comment, I do think, with that kind of money at stake, that County residents would be well advised to make sure that the County’s agricultural lands are protected and preserved.

I invite listeners to track down the link to the Agricultural Commissioner’s website below. That website has an abundance of interesting information about Monterey County agriculture, including some discussion of key land use issues.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agricultural Commissioner’s Website
• Monterey County Board Agendas

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County, or TAMC, is planning for the development of what they are calling a regional bus corridor, but the proposed corridor would also accommodate cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians. No new roads are being suggested; however, some existing roads would need to be widened in connection with the project.

The recommended multimodal corridor would begin at the proposed Monterey Branch Line Light Rail station at 8th Street in Marina, then continue along 8th and 9th Streets to 2nd Avenue. The corridor would then head up 2nd Avenue to Imjin Parkway, and continue along Imjin Parkway to Reservation Road, then along Reservation Road to Davis Road. The County plans to widen Davis Road, and to construct a new Davis Road Bridge. That proposed road-widening project is in the preliminary design/environmental phase. At the intersection of Davis Road and Blanco Road, the multimodal corridor would shift East on Blanco Road to accesses Salinas via West Alisal Street and Lincoln Avenue to a downtown Transit Center.

If you are familiar with this suggested route, you will understand that the proposed project could have impacts to agricultural land. TAMC is hoping to get feedback, and to address questions or concerns, at a meeting to be held this morning, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Marina Community Library, 190 Seaside Avenue, in Marina.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• For more information, and to RSVP, contact Ariana Green at TAMC
  Email - ariana@tamcmonterey.org / Telephone: 831-775-4403

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, in collaboration with the University of California at Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College, is exploring whether or not passenger rail might be a future possibility for Santa Cruz County. Recently, the Commission invited Dr. Anthony Perl to town to stimulate discussion about what local agencies might learn from passenger rail systems elsewhere in the world. Dr. Perl’s presentation, titled “Building the Foundation for A Passenger Rail Renaissance: How Global Experience Can Contribute to California’s Creation of a New Model for Rail.” was held on May 15th in mid-county, and was attended by about 70 people. A video of Dr. Perl’s talk, filmed by Community Television, is now available for viewing in the Commission’s online library. I have a link to the Library, and to Dr. Perl’s presentation below.

The Commission is serious about assessing the feasibility of passenger rail service on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, and your participation is encouraged. The Commission will be seeking to answer questions about local rail service viability, including potential short, medium and long term scenarios. The first public meeting and survey is scheduled to take place in July. You can keep informed by signing up for Rail eNews! Get more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Transportation Commission’s Online Library
• Presentation By Dr. Anthony Perl
• Information on Dr. Anthony Perl
• Passenger Rail Study
• Sign Up For Rail eNews

A group called “American Stewards of Liberty” is devoted to the protection of individual property rights. If you would like to find out more about this group, check today’s transcript for relevant links. Most recently, the American Stewards of Liberty have advanced the idea that federal agencies are required to “coordinate” with local governments in developing and implementing federal plans, policies and management actions. Mostly, the Stewards believe that the federal government isn’t properly “coordinating,” and that this means that many federal regulations are illegitimate.

In many ways, the “coordination” concept seems to be a kind of modern-day “nullification,” with claims about the illegitimacy of federal regulations echoing the kind of claims made by Southern states in the years prior to the Civil War.

Claims that federal land use related regulations are overreaching have become rather common in recent years. Cliven Bundy, the Nevada cattle rancher who has defied federal orders with respect to his use of federal lands, and who has refused to pay grazing fees and to follow other requirements, is one example. The “Constitutional Sheriff” movement also claims that various federal environmental regulations are illegitimate. I encourage KUSP listeners to consult the links I have placed below, and to read the discussion about “coordination” found on the Stewards’ website. You can find that transcript at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• American Stewards of Liberty Website
• Stewards of Liberty – Local Government Coordination
• Information on the Cliven Bundy controversy
• Links to more on the “Constitutional Sheriff” concept