KUSP LandWatch News
Week of August 16, 2004 to August 20, 2004

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors is meeting tomorrow, and Item Number 45 on the Board’s “Consent Agenda” reads as follows:

Approve Interim Agreement No. 1 Between the Monterey County Water Resources Agency and California-American Water Company to Form a Public-Private Partnership for the Purpose of Defining Financing Alternatives for the Coastal Water Project, and to Authorize the General Manager to Execute the Agreement.

Usually, the Consent Agenda is a place where routine items, or items not requiring any significant discussion, are placed for Board approval. It’s my impression that establishing a “public-private partnership” with one of the largest private water companies in the world is not such a routine matter. The objective would be to build a large desalination plant at Moss Landing. The proposal is probably worth some discussion. This is particularly true because the idea seems to be to find a way to provide public financing for a project being proposed by a private, multi-national corporation.

Water and land use are related, and this project has lots of possible impacts. If any Monterey County listeners think that the use of their tax dollars for this proposed desalination project is worthy of discussion, then they need to be at the Salinas County Courthouse at 9:30 tomorrow morning, to ask the Board to remove this item from the “Consent Agenda,” and to give it a full public review.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

August 17, 2004 Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htm

Tonight, the Marina City Council will be considering a proposal to speed up development processing within the City. Item 8(f) 1 on the Consent Agenda would direct City officials to issue a “Request For Proposals” for what the City is calling “Development Review Services.” The City would hire a private firm to help gain prompt approval for six major development projects.

Yesterday, I reported on a proposed agreement between Monterey County and the Cal-Am Water Company, scheduled to be handled through the Board’s “Consent Agenda” procedure this morning. The Marina item is suggested for similar treatment. The Consent Agenda is generally adopted with one motion, and with no individual discussion of the items listed. Approving the Minutes of former meetings, and receiving and filing reports, are typical Consent Agenda items.

The Marina proposal suggests that six major development projects should all be given specialized treatment, to help get them from the “proposal” stage to the “approval” stage, and then to carry them right through to actual construction. What happens with these projects will define the future of Marina, and yet nowhere in the documents is there any specific mention of public participation. If members of the public would like to comment, they’ll need to be at the Marina City Council Chambers at 6:30 this evening, to ask that this Consent Agenda item be fully discussed before adoption.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

City of Marina Website
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/

 

This seems to be the week that I highlight “Consent Agenda” items, appearing on the agendas of various public bodies throughout the Central Coast. The “Consent Agenda” procedure is an important way for local governments to get their business done in an expeditious manner. Members of the public who want fully to understand what their local governments are doing, however, might sometimes find that the Consent Agenda procedure is just a little “too expedited.” In essence, items listed on the Consent Agenda will be “non-controversial” by definition, because they are not going to be discussed. At least, they’re not going to be discussed as long as they remain on the Consent Agenda. If a member of the public thinks that an item on the Consent Agenda ought to be discussed, he or she needs simply to make that request; but you need to be there at the start of the meeting to do that, and then you need to stay until the item comes up.

Tonight, on their Consent Agenda, the Scotts Valley City Council will probably direct the filing of an amicus brief on the City’s behalf, in a Marin County lawsuit involving the placement of radiotelephone towers in city neighborhoods. A Court of Appeal has ruled that a so-called “Joint Powers Authority” doesn’t have to get city approval for these facilities, even though a private company would have to get city approval. If the Scotts Valley City Council adopts Agenda Item F this evening, the Council will side with the neighborhoods, and ask the Supreme Court to reverse that decision.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Scotts Valley Website
http://www.scottsvalley.org/

August 18, 2004 City Council Agenda
http://www.scottsvalley.org/cca.PDF

 

Our local communities have inherent power to set standards for their own growth and development. Legally, these are called “police powers.” It’s an odd term, since the word “police” tends to make us think of the cop on the beat, or something like that. In fact, the “police powers” of a local community should probably be thought of as their “policy powers.” Local communities, acting through their elected representatives, or acting directly through the initiative process, have broad authority to establish the “policies” that will govern their future growth and development. That means, in colloquial language, that the “ball’s in our court.” If the public is concerned about something that relates to land use, or growth, or development, the public probably has the power to do something about it.

In the City of Santa Cruz, there’s a recent example of how the “policy powers” of the public might be used to advance environmental goals. Two weeks ago, the Planning Commission considered a “Green Building Construction Program” for both residential and non-residential projects within the City. If ultimately adopted by the City Council, this program would set new standards for development projects, and would make future buildings more environmentally sensitive and energy efficient. Think of it as a tangible way to help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

To get the details, click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

City of Santa Cruz Website
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/

For materials relating to the “Green Building Working Group,” just type “green building” into the “Search for” space and hit your “enter” key.

 

Monterey County residents wanting to flex their “police” powers are invited to a meeting tomorrow at the Prunedale Grange. This will be the first in a series of “Community General Plan Update Forums,” sponsored by a host of local community groups, including the League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula, Save Our Shores, LandWatch Monterey County, and many others.

Yesterday, I talked about a community’s “police powers,” which are the inherent powers that all communities have to set standards for their own growth and development. If the public is concerned about something that relates to land use, the public probably has the power to do something about it. That power is called the “police power,” which really means the “policy power” of the local community. Acting through their elected representatives, or directly, through the initiative process, local communities can chart their own future where land use is concerned.

So tomorrow, a group of Monterey County residents will be “flexing their police powers” as they consider what sort of General Plan policies should govern the future growth and development of Monterey County. Should growth be allowed to sprawl onto agricultural lands? Should traffic and public service infrastructure be in place before development? Should builders be required to provide more affordable housing? You can get full information on the Community GPU Forums at www.kusp.org.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

The schedule for the Forums can be found on the LandWatch Website
http://www.landwatch.org

Website for the Coalition to Protect Housing, Farmlands, Air & Water
http://www.8of10monterey.com/

Monterey County GPU Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/