In California, the trial courts are called “Superior” courts. A Superior Court, or trial court, decision only affects those parties directly involved in the litigation. Appellate court decisions, however, if they are published (and not all of them are) can establish a precedent that has a more general impact. In effect, appellate court decisions (and decisions of the Supreme Court, too) have the same kind of impact as legislation. The decisions state rules that other courts are bound to follow in similar cases.

If you happen to be a mobilehome park resident, worried that you may be ousted from your mobilehome by the conversion of the park from a rental park to an ownership park, a recent decision of the Second District Court of Appeal is good news. In Carson Harbor Village v. City of Carson the court held that the General Plan policies of the City of Carson trumped the desire of the mobilehome park owners to convert their park, which would probably have displaced many lower income tenants.

This decision strongly affirms what I have often said about the local community General Plan. Here’s the court speaking:

Cities must have general plans governing development, including the protection of open space, and must also deny proposed subdivisions that are inconsistent with their general plans.

Check out this very important court decision at kusp.org/landuse.

This is Gary Patton.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Carson Harbor Village v. City of Carson
• Court Opinions Website

Last week, lightning struck and the rain came down, but only ever so briefly where I live. I live in the City of Santa Cruz, and City residents are still worrying about long-term water supplies. If you happen to live within the City of Santa Cruz’s water service area, and that means in the entirety of the City, in Pasatiempo, in Live Oak, and in parts of the City of Capitola, you might want to show up at the City Council meeting this evening. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., at the Santa Cruz City Hall, and there are links to more information, at kusp.org/landuse.

Tonight, Agenda Item #28 will be an update report from the City’s Water Supply Advisory Committee, often called WSAC [that is generally pronounced wah-sack], which has been given three different assignments. First, Committee members were instructed to learn about the City’s water sources and delivery system in detail, to learn about the community’s water supply and demand, and to learn about opportunities to improve the reliability of Santa Cruz’s water supply. Second, the Committee was directed to “explore possible solutions in detail.” Third, the Committee is supposed to provide the City Council with a list of recommendations to solve the supply and demand gap.

Tonight’s presentation to the Council will provide a kind of “first installment” on that list of recommendations. From what I can tell, the Committee will have a truly innovative proposal for the City by October.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City Council Agenda, August 11, 2015 Meeting
• Report to Council on Agenda Item #28
• WSAC Website

Yesterday, I mentioned last night’s meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council, with an emphasis on the presentation made by the City of Santa Cruz Water Supply Advisory Committee, or WSAC.

Today, let me relay an invitation. I have received a press release headlined this way: “PUBLIC INVITED TO AUGUST WATER SUPPLY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING.” I hope that invitation will be of interest to many of you.

The Water Supply Advisory Committee is going to hold two sessions this week. The first session is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday August 13th, at 5:00 p.m. A second session will be held on Friday, August 14th, at 2:00 p.m. Both sessions will be held at the City’s Police Community Room, located at 155 Center Street. All members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend.

The Water Supply Advisory Committee is due to present their recommendations to the City Council in October. Currently, WSAC members are working as individuals and in groups to put together portfolios of solutions to address the City’s water supply challenges. These proposals will be presented and discussed at the two meetings I just mentioned. These meetings, in other words, are quite likely going to be both interesting and lively, as WSAC works on strategies for decision-making around implementation of the final proposal.

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

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• WSAC Website
• City Press Release On WSAC Meetings
• WSAC Documents For August Meetings

There are four cities in Santa Cruz County, and the City of Capitola is one of them, though everyone should note that at least half the population of Santa Cruz County doesn’t live in any city at all. Sometimes, people get confused, and think that the various “place names” we know, and use, mean that the designated locations are cities, but that’s not true. Aptos, Soquel, Boulder Creek, Live Oak, Freedom, Bonny Doon, and Davenport (to name a few) are not cities at all. Those unincorporated areas are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors. There are only four cities, with their own city councils, and Capitola is the smallest. Size, however, does not equate to importance!

The Capitola City Council will be meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. The Council is still meeting at the City Hall, located at 420 Capitola Avenue, though there is a proposal to turn the City Hall into a hotel, and to move the center of government elsewhere. That’s very controversial, but that proposal is not on the agenda tonight. An item that is on the agenda, and that might be interesting to lots of people, is a status report on the issues and options presented by the Zoning Code Update. How Capitola rezones the City, to conform its detailed zoning to the relatively recently adopted Capitola General Plan, will have impacts throughout mid-county.

There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Council Agenda Packet – August 13, 2015 Meeting
• City of Capitola Website
• Santa Cruz County Statistics

Water supply issues confront communities on both sides of the Monterey Bay. Earlier this week, I talked about the water supply planning efforts underway in the City of Santa Cruz. To remind you, there is a meeting of the City’s Water Supply Advisory Committee this afternoon, at 2:00 p.m., for those who’d like to find out in detail what sort of recommendations may be forthcoming.

This morning, though, I’d like to highlight two upcoming meetings in Monterey County. My personal judgment is that the water supply challenges facing Monterey County communities, particularly on the Peninsula, make the difficult challenges across the Bay seem less daunting.

On Tuesday, August 18th, California American Water and the Public Policy Institute of California are hosting a forum from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The forum will be held at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, in the Irvine Auditorium, located at 499 Pierce Street in Monterey.

On Wednesday, August 19th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., California American Water is inviting the public to meet the Cal-Am Board of Directors at a public comment session. All sorts of feedback is being solicited. The meeting will take place in Chautauqua Hall, 162 16th Street in Pacific Grove.

I definitely encourage your attendance. Get more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• City Press Release On WSAC Meetings
• Details on August 18th Forum
• Cal-Am Press Release For August 19th Meeting
• PPIC Events Page
• Cal-Am Website