KUSP LandWatch News
Week of April 6, 2009 to April 10, 2009

Land use policy actions by local government have impacts that are not just "environmental. They also have an important impact on both social equity and the local economy. In the City of Marina, there's a good example of the kind of thing I'm talking about. Marina has a lot of mobilehome parks, and many mobilehome park residents have average or below average incomes. Their ability to continue to live in Marina may well depend on the rents they have to pay for the mobilehome park spaces they occupy.

In places like Santa Cruz County, where there are also lots of mobilehome parks, located in the unincorporated areas outside city limits, mobilehome park rental adjustment procedures have been put in place, and represent a way for the County government to use its regulatory powers to provide some social equity assistance and promote affordable housing. I've placed a link to the relevant County regulations in the transcript of today's Land Use Report.

Former city administrations in Marina have resisted calls to explore a similar system for that city. Now, however, with a new City Council and a new Mayor taking care of business, the City of Marina is responding to concerns about mobilehome park rents. The City has commissioned a study of this issue, and is asking for comments. The deadline for comments is noon on this Wednesday, April 8th. There is more information below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Santa Cruz County Code
http://ordlink.com/codes/santacruzco/index.htm
Mobilehome Rental Adjustment Procedures are found in County Code Chapter 13.32

City of Marina Website
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/ (Materials on Mobilehomes Available Here)

One way to be involved with land use issues is to pay attention to various development proposals, as they come along, and to participate as such projects are evaluated for approval or disapproval. I definitely encourage your participation at what can be called the "project level. There is, though, an even more effective way to make your participation count. That's by getting involved at the "planning level.

All development "projects must be consistent with the local land use "plan. Being consistent with the relevant land use plan doesn't mean that the project must be approved; however, if a proposed project is not consistent with the local land use plan, then the project is not legally approvable. A good "plan, that truly reflects what the community wants, can prevent a lot of bad "projects, and can save everyone's time.

Both the County of Santa Cruz and the City of Watsonville are looking at the future of the Atkinson Lane area, and are considering a "Specific Plan to guide future growth. The decisions made at this "planning level will then be implemented as various "project level proposals come through the pipeline. The County Farm Bureau has real problems with certain aspects of the plan as currently proposed. If you care about the future growth and development of this area, particularly as it relates to the protection of agricultural land, don't wait for the proposed "projects. Now is the time to get involved. There's more information below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Santa Cruz Sentinel News Article
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_11937937?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com

City of Watsonville Website
http://www.ci.watsonville.ca.us/

Materials relating to Atkinson Lane Specific Plan
http://www.ci.watsonville.ca.us/departments/cdd/tac_atkinson_lane.html

Land Use and the General Plan explains how the "project versus "planning kind of participation works. This publication is available on the LandWatch Website
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/publications.htm

Water, water, water! There' not enough to drink. And there's not enough for agriculture, either. That's the "state of the State, this year, and Santa Cruz County is in both a better and a worse position than the remainder of California. Because Santa Cruz County is independent of imported water, and is self-reliant in terms of the water resources it uses, we are actually "better off than much of the rest of the State, at least this year. If you live south of the Delta, and rely on water flowing through the State Water Project, or through the federal Central Valley Project, you are in a world of hurt this year. Santa Cruz County doesn't have that problem.

Where Santa Cruz County might be worse off than other areas of California, however, is in terms of long-term groundwater overdraft. Groundwater overdraft is starting to be a significant problem in Central Santa Cruz County, but the groundwater aquifers of the Pajaro Valley, in the southern part of Santa Cruz County, have been overdrafted for years, and "knowingly overdrafted, too. In the long run, you can't take more out of the bowl than is coming into it, without exhausting the water resources you depend on.

An editorial by Mary Bannister, the General Manager of the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, appeared recently in the local press. The Agency is holding a public meeting on April 13th, next Monday evening, and you're invited. There is more information below.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

The Mary Banister Editorial, and the notice of the upcoming public meeting on April 13, 2009, is found on the PVWMA Website
http://www.pvwma.dst.ca.us/

Bruce Bratton is a community observer and commentator in Santa Cruz County. He not only publishes an informative "Bratton Online column, he hosts a weekly radio show, too. Today, at four o'clock, on Bruce's "University Grapevine program, he and I will talk about what's happening with respect to water and future growth in the City of Santa Cruz Water Service Area.

The City of Santa Cruz water system not only serves the City, but also the entirety of Live Oak, part of Pasatiempo, and even part of the City of Capitola; not to mention North Coast farms. The water supply relied upon by the all residents, and businesses, and farms within the City of Santa Cruz Water Service Area basically comes from surface water sources. A small part comes from several North Coast streams, and most of it comes from the San Lorenzo River. There is a little bit of groundwater as part of the mix, but not much.

I've put a link in today's transcript to an important report called, "Adequacy of Municipal Water Supplies to Support Future Development. That report begins with a confession that "Santa Cruz is... faced with the problem of periodic water shortages, and has not historically coordinated land use decisions... with information about adequacy of water supply. If you'd like to learn more about what this fact might mean to you, tune in to the University Grapevine program this afternoon!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Bratton On Line Website
http://www.brattononline.com

KZSC Website
http://kzsc.org/

March 2004 Report on "Adequacy of Municipal Water Supplies to Support Future Development
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/wt/publications/Publications.html

Bruce's "University Grapevine show is heard each Thursday afternoon from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. on KZSC Radio, 88.1 FM. Bruce's show features interviews with community and campus personalities talking about politics, art, and the environment.

Today, I'm providing advance notice of a workshop to be held on Monday morning, April 20th. The workshop is titled "A Greater Vision: Sustainable Resources – Water and Energy. It's free, and will be held at Hartnell College in Salinas. This is one in a series of public forums. There's a continental breakfast at 8:30, and the program begins at 9:30. You can get more information on the KUSP website.

Cosponsoring the April 20th event are the Grower-Shipper Foundation, the Agricultural Business and Technology Institute of Hartnell College, the Central California Ag Task Force, the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Simon Salinas, currently a member of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, will give the keynote speech. A panel discussion will focus on agricultural resources, and water resource issues will be right at the top of the list.

The Grower Shipper Foundation advertises a "triple bottom line of "People, Planet, and Profit – the "Three P's. In fact, good land use and resource policies really should achieve multiple objectives simultaneously. Sometimes, they're called the "Three E's: Environment, Economy, and Equity. "P or "E, it's encouraging to see that agricultural business interests are starting to understand that "profit isn't the only objective!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Grower-Shipper Association Website
http://www.growershipper.com/

Grower-Shipper Foundation Website
http://growershipper.com/index.php?/main/foundation

Get more information on "A Greater Vision Workshop
http://growershipper.com/index.php?/calendar/show/126