landWatch: KUSP News Week of September 2, 2002 to September 6, 2002

KUSP LandWatch News
Week of September 2, 2002 to September 6, 2002

LandWatch provides a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio. Tune in every weekday at 6:33 or 8:49 am. KUSP is at 88.9 FM in General Coverage, 105.9 FM in Big Sur Valley, 91.3 FM in Palo Colorado Canyon, and 91.7 FM in San Ardo. Archives of past transcripts are available here.

Week of September 2, 2002 to September 6, 2002

The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.

Monday, September 2nd – Monterey County General Plan Schedule
Put on your lifejackets, get ready, and hang on! Some “whitewater” planning is just about to begin.

As listeners know, a comprehensive revision of the Monterey County General Plan is underway. A “first draft” was subjected to scores of hearings, and reams of comments, and has now been sent off for revision. Well, sort of! A number of issues still need attention from the Board of Supervisors, before that revision can be done, specifically including issues about traffic circulation, where growth should go, and affordable housing. Not minor issues.

While these policy issues are being discussed, the Board is also hearing from 270 individual property owners, who want their properties designated for development. These are different, though related, processes, and they’re happening simultaneously. It’s like two giant rivers of controversy coming together, and there’s a good bit of turbulence.

If you’d like to dip your toes into the stream, and maybe even be swept away by the excitement, attend one of the upcoming hearings. The next hearing is tomorrow, Tuesday, at the County Courthouse in Salinas, starting at 1:40 p.m. This hearing will focus on North Monterey County, and your comments are welcome!

Find out more by checking the Land Use Report link at the bottom of the page at www.kusp.org.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
Check the LandWatch Website at: http://www.landwatch.org/
County General Plan Website: http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/

Tuesday, September 3rd – The Calpine Field Trip
The Calpine Energy Company wants to build what they call an “Energy Center” in Pajaro. Pajaro is just across the river from the City of Watsonville. It’s in Monterey County, and the Monterey County Planning Commission will make the initial decision.

The public hearing to consider the Calpine plant is set for Wednesday, September 11th. However, the Planning Commission is going to do a little investigation before that public hearing. Tomorrow, Wednesday September 4th, the Monterey County Planning Commission will take a field trip to an existing Calpine Plant in King City. You can join the tour, if you’d like to. Meet at the King City Calpine Plant, located at #1 Don Bates Way, in King City, at 10:00 o’clock tomorrow morning. Or, call Connie Mendoza for a bus reservation. Connie’s number is 831-883-7556. I’ll put more information, including maps, on the KUSP website. Go to the Land Use Report link at the bottom of the page at www.kusp.org.

After the trip to King City, the Planning Commission is going to visit the site in Pajaro, and you can participate in that visit, too. Show up at 140 Railroad Avenue in Pajaro, at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. Spanish translation will be available.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
Check the LandWatch Website at: http://www.landwatch.org/
Calpine King City Plant: http://www.calpine.com/energy_assets_4/calpine_4_2_3.asp?plant=9
County Planning Commission: http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/pbi/CCA/agendas02.htm#Planning%20Commission

Map to King City Calpine Plant (#1 Don Bates Way, King City):

Map To Proposed Site in Pajaro (140 Railroad Avenue, Pajaro):

Wednesday, September 4th –Salinas Housing Element Hearing
Right now, it’s fair to say that no land use policy issue is more important than housing, throughout the entire Central California coast. This afternoon, Wednesday, September 4th, the Salinas Planning Commission is going to tackle the issue head on. Their public hearing on the Housing Element of the Salinas General Plan will begin at 3:30 this afternoon, at the Salinas City Hall. Some limited testimony on the Salinas General Plan Update will also be permitted.

If you’d like more information on this hearing, and if you want information about any of the issues discussed in these daily Land Use Reports, I hope you’ll investigate the KUSP website, at www.kusp.org. Near the bottom of the main page, there is a link that takes you directly to information about the Land Use Report, and you can use that link to make a comment or suggestion. I hope you’ll do that.

The “unhidden” agenda of these daily reports is to promote and inspire increased public awareness of the importance of land use policy, and even more, to promote and inspire greater public participation in land use policy issues. It usually turns out to be true that the effectiveness of our system of self-government depends on how involved we get ourselves.

So, use these Land Use Reports as a resource, including the website, and let me hear your thoughts.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
Check the LandWatch Website at: http://www.landwatch.org/
City of Salinas Planning Commission: http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/BoardCom/plancomm/BCplan01.html

Thursday, September 5th –New State Legislation
Local government is where it’s at, with respect to land use policy. But State government also has a big impact on the land use decisions that shape our future. This session, without much fanfare, an important land use policy bill just cleared the State Legislature. The bill will be enacted into law, or not, depending on whether Governor Gray Davis signs it.

Assembly Bill 857, by Assembly Member Patricia Wiggins (with a strong assist from State Senator Byron Sher), would establish a set of state planning priorities. It would also direct the state actually to follow those priorities as the state spends its money. Since we’re talking billions of dollars that makes a difference. Here are the planning priorities contained in AB 857:

First, to promote infill development.
Second, to protect environmental and agricultural resources.
Third, to ensure that any infrastructure associated with development that is not infill is built adjacent to existing developed areas.

As the bill notes, these policies will minimize ongoing costs to taxpayers, and would actually mean an end to urban sprawl. You can get the whole text of AB 857 through the KUSP website. You can get contact information for Governor Davis there, too.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
Check the LandWatch Website at: http://www.landwatch.org/
Access to Legislation: http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgibin/pagequery?type=sen_bilinfo
&site=sen&title=Bill+Information
Governor Davis: http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_homepage.jsp

Friday, September 6th –The General Plan Housing Element
On Wednesday this week, the Salinas Planning Commission held a hearing on the proposed General Plan Update for Salinas, with a particular focus on housing issues, and the General Plan Housing Element.

The Housing Element is treated differently from other parts of a local General Plan. For the most part, state law authorizes each local government to make its own decisions about what General Plan policies are best. That is emphatically not true with respect to the Housing Element. The state has lots of very specific requirements for the Housing Element, including a requirement that each local government accept what the state determines is its “fair share” of future growth. Only in the case of the Housing Element does the state have “sign off” authority over General Plan policies. The local government must get official approval of the Housing Element, not something required with respect to any other part of the local General Plan.

Because they’re so technical, Housing Element issues are usually in the sphere of the consultants and the experts. However, something unusual is happening in Salinas. In that city, a “Community Plan” has been developed by local residents, proposing housing policies that will bring benefits to lower income families that are often left out, as new development proceeds. Some would say these “Community Plan” policies are rather “radical.” There’s no doubt they’re unusual. We’ll discuss the pros and the cons next time around.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:
Check the LandWatch Website at: http://www.landwatch.org/
Community Plan: http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/salinasgp/081602salinasplan.html

Archives of past transcripts are available here