After sixteen years as a Board member, Monterey County Supervisor Lou Calcagno will be leaving the Board, effective tomorrow. His successor is Judge John Phillips. To read a short interview with Supervisor Calcagno, track down the link in today’s transcript at kusp.org/landuse.

Supervisor Calcagno will have plenty of things to keep him occupied, looking forwards. Among other things, he has lots of cows to take care of! Looking backwards, the Supervisor indicates some satisfaction about the County’s budget situation, but he does express some regrets on the land use front. One development he voted for, on Highway 68, didn’t turn out so well, from his perspective. What he thought was going to be the result of the development approval isn’t what actually happened. That was a development, he says, that "wasn’t supposed to be." One of the Supervisor’s last votes was for another Highway 68 development, the Ferrini Ranch project. Time will tell if the results are going to be as positive as he believes.

Boards of Supervisors make incredibly important land use decisions. I have put a link to my "Five Simple Rules" for elected officials in today’s blog transcript. That represents advice for elected officials. My advice for the rest of us can be summed up in one word: participate! Our system of democratic self-government only works when we get involved ourselves.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Weekly Story On Lou Calcagno
• Five Simple Rules (For Elected Officials)

Yesterday, I noted the departure of Supervisor Lou Calcagno from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. The title of today’s blog transcript is a kind of follow up in rhyme. Yesterday’s title was "A Salute to Lou." Today, it’s a "Great Big Welcome To Someone New."

I am referencing, in today’s title, a changing of the guard on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Today is the first day on the job for Supervisor Ryan Coonerty. He is succeeding his father, Supervisor Neal Coonerty, who is stepping down from the Board after eight years of service. I have placed a link to a nice news story on Ryan Coonerty in today’s transcript, which is available, as always, at kusp.org/landuse. There is also a link to my "Five Simple Rules" for elected officials, and let me reiterate the one preeminent rule for the rest of us: "participate!"

Land use policy and project decisions have an immense impact on our local economy, on the natural environment, and on how well we do in meeting our social equity goals. Starting next Tuesday, Supervisor Ryan Coonerty will be facing very important land use policy and project decisions, on a weekly basis, and the decisions he makes will be better, I can absolutely guarantee, if they are informed by vigorous public participation.

A great big welcome to Supervisor Coonerty!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Good Times Story on Supervisor Ryan Coonerty
• Five Simple Rules (For Elected Officials)

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors will soon be considering a proposed ordinance that would update how the county deals with archeological resources as the county considers various land use developments. I have provided a link to an informative news story about this proposed new ordinance in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report.

The proposed ordinance reflects the requirements of both the 2010 Monterey County General Plan, and a recently enacted state law, AB 52, which was signed by Governor Brown last September, and which became effective on January 1st of this year. I have a link to the General Plan and to the new state law in today’s transcript.

Terry Robinson, General Counsel to the California Native American Heritage Commission, is quoted in the Monterey County Weekly article as saying that the new law is a "game changer." AB 52 was co-authored by Assembly Member Luis Alejo, who represents areas in both Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Its intended effect is to require planners to work more closely with local Native American descendants. Among other things, the proposed county ordinance would create a new Native American Advisory Panel. That is actually controversial within the Native American community. Developers, of course, are also concerned. Let’s pay close attention as this proposed ordinance is considered at future Planning Commission and Board hearings.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Weekly Story
• Text of AB 52, As Chaptered
• 2010 Monterey County General Plan

The next regular meeting of the Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, is set for January 26th. However, LAFCO has a special meeting today at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Commission Conference Room, located at 132 West Gabilan Street in Salinas.

The meeting today is essentially an opportunity for concerned property owners in the Santa Lucia Community Services District to protest a plan to expand what are called the "latent powers" of that District, to allow the District to provide broadband communications services. A link to a brief staff report can be found in today’s blog transcript. The meeting will be conducted by the Commission’s Executive Officer, so it is not anticipated that the full Commission is going to be in attendance. It is also not anticipated that there will be any significant protest. If there is, then the full Commission will get engaged.

A "Community Services District" is able to provide a broad range of services. These can include park and recreation services, or water, or sewer, or garbage service. And, such a District can also provide broadband Internet services, but only with the Commission’s approval. The LAFCO law provides for LAFCO to oversee smaller, local districts. If you care about this proposal, you should check out the links at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County LAFCO Website
• January 8, 2015 LAFCO Agenda
• Staff Report – Broadband Services Agenda Item

Regular listeners have heard me mention the Land Use Report blog on many occasions. To say it again, if any listener wants to follow up on a topic discussed on the Land Use Report, she or he can get links to more information at kusp.org/land use.

After I record the Land Use Report segments for the week to come, I turn the transcripts into a set of blog postings, and those blog postings include live links to more information about the topic of the day. The idea is to implement the mission of the Land Use Report (what I sometimes call its "unhidden agenda"), which is to emphasize public participation in the land use decision-making process. Any participation is probably all to the good, but "informed" participation is actually the best kind. Hopefully, the links provided are informative, and can be of assistance to those who want to get personally and directly involved.

Incidentally, the KUSP blog website also makes it easy to send me an email, to convey a compliment, or a complaint, or to suggest a topic for a future presentation on the Land Use Report.

One final note: you can also get access to a set of "Land Use Links" by going to the blog website. I invite you to look them over. I’m hoping that you’ll do more than "listen," and that you will get personally involved in land use decision-making in this New Year upcoming!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog