The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is meeting tomorrow. Lots of important land use items are on the agenda.

Item #54, on the Consent Agenda, is a proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the Transportation Commission. Approval will lead to the development of a travel demand model, specific to Santa Cruz County, so the County can establish land use policies that will create fewer traffic jams. Or at least, that's the hope. Item #62, the first item on the Board's regular agenda, is a public hearing to consider proposed new Affordable Housing Regulations. Maintaining a commitment to a strong affordable housing program is important.

Item #63 is important, too. That's a public hearing on the County's 2015 Growth Goal, a hearing required by voter-enacted Measure J. If you want more or less growth in future years, you might want to testify!

Agenda Item #64 is another public hearing. The Board will be taking testimony on proposed changes to the County's Vacation Rental Ordinance. Finally, for those who might be affected by various planning and land use fees, the public hearing on Agenda Item #65 is where you can make your thoughts known.

I have provided links to all these items in today's Land Use Report blog. That can be found at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• December 9, 2014 Agenda, Santa Cruz County Board
• Agenda Item #54 – Traffic Demand Model
• Agenda Item #62 – Affordable Housing Regulations
• Agenda Item #63 – 2015 Growth Goal
• Agenda Item #64 – Vacation Rental Regulations
• Agenda Item #65 – Unified Fee Schedule

This afternoon, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will hold a joint meeting with the Water Resources Agency and the Water Resources Agency Board of Directors. These agencies, which are officially separate, are mostly just the Board of Supervisors itself. The "joint meeting" announcement is a legal formality. You won't see all sorts of non-Board of Supervisors members when you attend.

You might want to attend! The meeting will focus on a proposed Interlake Tunnel Project. The recommendation is for a go-ahead to prepare and issue Requests for Proposal for geotechnical and final design engineering, permitting, and environmental approval, along with a financing plan. Something like $2.5 million dollars will be committed, if the agencies say "yes." Approving the recommendation will also direct the Monterey County Water Resources Agency to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement, to ensure that union labor is used. This reflects a legislatively imposed requirement for this project, with state money only being available if there is such a Project Labor Agreement.

The Xasáuan Today Blog posting on December 4th noted that 11.68 inches of rain was recently received in the watershed, but that this led to almost no inflow to Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio. The proposed Tunnel Project would help maximize the effective capture and use of rainwater.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Board of Supervisors Agenda Page
• Xasáuan Today Blog Posting on December 4, 2014

For those who follow land use issues "PC" means a local agency "Planning Commission" and "ZA" means the local agency "Zoning Administrator." Most local governments, including both City Councils and Boards of Supervisors, establish a PC composed of citizen volunteers, and designate a ZA, who is usually a senior staff person in the City or County Planning Department. The ZA handles smaller items. The PC handles more major items. The ability to appeal decisions to a higher authority, ultimately to the City Council or Board of Supervisors, is part of the decision-making hierarchy.

The Monterey County PC will be meeting today, at 9:00 a.m. The Monterey County ZA will be holding a hearing tomorrow. Some significant items appear on both of these agendas, links to which can be found in the Land Use Report blog, at kusp.org/landuse. I invite you to take a look at what projects are being proposed.

Just to whet your appetite, the Planning Commission will be considering a proposed six-parcel land division on River Road, bringing more development to a rural area. The Commission will also be considering a proposed new parking lot for the Palo Corona Regional Park. The ZA will be considering a number of proposals to demolish existing residential structures, to replace them with larger ones.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• ZA Agenda, December 11, 2014 Meeting
• PC Agenda, December 10, 2014 Meeting

One of the amazing natural features of the Monterey Bay Region is Elkhorn Slough. I trust many KUSP listeners have experienced the Slough in person. If you haven't, why not track down the transcript of today's Land Use Report, which is published as a blog, at kusp.org/landuse. If you click the link to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, you can learn a lot about Elkhorn Slough, including how to get out on the properties around the Slough yourself, to get some first hand experience.

Water quality in Elkhorn Slough is a major issue, just as water quality in the Monterey Bay is a major issue. Land use affects water quality, so the right kind of land use regulations can have a major impact on the health of both the Slough and the Bay.

Today, I'd like to alert you to an extremely interesting video presentation. That presentation discusses water quality concerns at Elkhorn Slough and documents recent research results that show that sea otters are playing a vital role in helping to restore Elkhorn Slough to health. There is a link to the video in today's Land Use Report transcript. In addition, for those who would like to know more about sea otters, I have included a link to the website of Friends of The Sea Otter, which is working for better water quality in Monterey Bay.

Check out that video, called "Sea Otter Cascade." It provides a great example of how Nature is working to keep our environment healthy!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• Video Presentation – Sea Otter Cascade
• For more information, contact Grey Hayes – coastalprarie@aol.com
• Elkhorn Slough Foundation
• Friends of the Sea Otter

As residents in parts of the Salinas Valley know, nitrate pollution of groundwater is a major problem, and a major public health concern (and particularly in the Salinas Valley). So, here is some good news! The State Water Resources Control Board has developed an interactive tool to help you determine if your private water well is close to other wells with nitrate concentrations above public health standards.

This tool is called "Is My Property Near a Nitrate-Impacted Water Well?" It allows users to determine if their well is within 2,000 feet of a nitrate-impacted well. The interactive tool also includes a "Frequently Asked Questions" section, to help users learn more about nitrate in groundwater.

The tool was created in response to the State Water Board's 2013 Nitrate Report to the Legislature. In announcing the new tool, State Water Board Executive Director Tom Howard said: "Groundwater contamination poses a challenge to all types of drinking water sources, requiring effort by property owners with private wells to have them tested regularly for contamination. This interactive tool provides valuable information on nitrate in groundwater, allowing property owners to make an informed decision about whether to test their private well."

You can access the interactive tool through a link provided in today's Land Use Report blog.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton's Two Worlds Blog
• State Water Board Interactive Tool – Press Statement
• State Water Board Home Page
• Nitrate Contamination Interactive Tool