Those who would like to maintain strong land use regulations in Santa Cruz County (and those who would like to weaken the existing regulations, for that matter) should be interested in Agenda Item #55 on tomorrow’s agenda of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. The item is titled:

Amendments To Update The Land Use Permit Framework And Regulations In County Code Title 13 (Planning And Zoning Regulations), Title 18 (Permit and Approval Procedures) And Chapter 16.01 (Environmental Review Procedures), And To Revise General Plan/Local Coastal Program Policies And Chapters 13.10 And 16.50 For Agricultural Uses

In essence, the County’s Planning Director and County Administrative Officer are asking the Board to change the rules for developers in Santa Cruz County, with a significant possibility that the protection of agricultural land, the protection of neighborhoods, and the protection of the natural environment will all be diminished.

Tomorrow’s agenda item just “kicks off” the process. If you care, either way – if you’d like to maintain current protections for the natural environment, neighborhoods, and agricultural land, or if you would like to relax the current rules – you should get involved, and get involved now. There is a link at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Agenda
• Agenda Item #55 – May 19, 2015 Board Agenda

Today, I want to remind you that the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is considering fundamental changes to its land use regulations. That’s happening this morning at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center.

In Salinas, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is meeting, and will address a permit item that I think has a lot of implications for the future of water quality in Elkhorn Slough. Interested persons should check out the agenda, and persons who are really interested should plan to be at the Board meeting this afternoon at 1:30 p.m., when the Board will take up Agenda Item #11, a public hearing to consider an appeal by the Ecological Rights Foundation from the Planning Commission’s decision to allow the so-called “Pick n Pull” auto dismantling operation to continue its operations on Dolan Road. One of the key issues is whether or not an adequate environmental review has been carried out. There is no current Environmental Impact Report, or EIR. Instead, the County is relying on a ten-year old “Mitigated Negative Declaration,” which the Ecological Rights Foundation claims ignores more recently uncovered information.

As with all the items I mention, if you care (in this case about the future of water quality in Elkhorn Slough), you should be there!

I have some links to more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey County Board Agenda Website
• Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Agenda
• Agenda Item #55 – May 19, 2015 Board Agenda

Today, I am listing a number of upcoming meetings, but before I do, I want to give you a “heads up.” The KUSP Board and station management have signed a “Letter of Intent” to sell KUSP’s frequency and transmitters to the Classical Public Radio Network. If that deal goes through, you will have to start doing your own investigation on upcoming land use related items, since I’ll be off the air. And frankly, doing research on your own would be a good idea no matter what! At any rate, there are some upcoming meetings about the proposed sale of KUSP. The first meeting is tomorrow, May 21st, in Monterey.

The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board is meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. There will be a meeting about the proposed “Pure Water Groundwater Replenishment Project” in Seaside, tonight at 6:00 p.m., with another meeting tomorrow. A “Santa Cruz Saves” report on water conservation is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tomorrow evening. On May 26th, there is a meeting on how to do aquifer recharge at home. May 26th is also the first in a series of meetings on the proposed Cal-Am desalination project, and May 26th is the last day to register for a free workshop on water quality in Elkhorn Slough, to be held on June 2nd.

There are links to more information on all of these meetings at kusp.org/landuse. You’re invited to get involved!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Message From The Chair of the KUSP Board of Directors
• KUSP Meeting Schedule
• Classical Public Radio Network
• PVWMA Meeting Agenda
• Pure Water Replenishment Project Meetings
• Santa Cruz Saves Meeting
• Aquifer Recharge Begins At Home
• Cal-Am Desal Project Meeting Schedule
• Register for the Free Elkhorn Slough Water Quality Workshop

I am following up on a brief announcement made yesterday. This evening, there is an important meeting about various water conservation proposals that have come out of the deliberations of the Santa Cruz Water Supply Advisory Committee. The meeting tonight begins at 7:00 p.m., and will be held in the Santa Cruz Police Community Room, located at 155 Center Street in Santa Cruz. The meeting is free and open to the public.

In the next few months, the City of Santa Cruz will be adopting a new Water Conservation Plan, and the event this evening is intended to stimulate some public input into that process. As the event organizers say, “among Santa Cruz residents, water conservation comes right after Mom and apple pie, or maybe ahead of apple pie, but there is [still] work to do to ensure that the new plan matches the community's sentiment.”

In January 2014, the City received a draft Master Conservation Plan from its consultant, Maddaus Associates, but the report was produced when desalination was still the preferred option, and the idea was that water conservation would be just a “complement” to the desalination project. If desalination does not go forward, there needs to be a greater role for conservation. A robust conservation plan could reduce the amount of investment needed in other water supply projects.

I invite all those within the City of Santa Cruz Water Service Area to attend that meeting tonight!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Santa Cruz Saves Meeting Announcement
• Water Service Area Boundary Map
• Online Water Planning Documents
• Maddaus Associates

Wednesday, I provided a list of lots of meetings, and one of the meetings I listed will be held on June 2nd. I am following up with more information, since I think that the meeting might well be of interest to many KUSP listeners, and certainly to anyone who cares about Elkhorn Slough.

This workshop on water quality in Elkhorn Slough is free and open to the public, but advance registration is definitely required, and the deadline to register is next Tuesday, May 26th. A link in today’s Land Use Report blog will take you right to the registration page. Point your browser to kusp.org/landuse.

At the workshop, scientific experts will present on water quality monitoring programs, long-term trends, and impacts of water quality issues on the slough. Agricultural experts will present on opportunities and constraints for improving runoff. Slough managers will discuss their work to restore and improve water quality.    

The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of only twenty-eight National Estuarine Research Reserves, and is a nationally recognized field laboratory for scientific research and estuarine education. On the agenda at the workshop will be “land use patterns in the Elkhorn watershed.” Land use will have a lot to do with the fate of the Reserve.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Moss Landing Marine Labs Website
• Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Reserve Website
• Registration Page For June 2nd Workshop