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KUSP LandWatch
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ogo.gif" width="108" height="109" border="0"> "Listen Live" |
KUSP provided a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio from January 2003 to May 2016. Archives of past transcripts are available here.
Week of September 27, 2004 to October 1, 2004
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 27, 2004 – LAFCO Meeting Today |
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Most city councils don’t want to limit the ability of their cities to expand onto adjoining farmlands and open spaces. Good planning does require such limits, but elected city officials usually want to preserve their own options, and absent some kind of a mandatory limit, one of those options is always more growth on the lands just beyond whatever the current city limit might be. Sometimes, the residents of a city take things into their own hands, as in the City of Marina, and the people vote to impose an Urban Growth Boundary on the city, using the initiative process. While this technique has been used frequently in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marina is the only local example. There is another way to impose an appropriate limit on city sprawl, a way that doesn’t require a voter initiative. In fact, state law requires each Local Agency Formation Commission to establish what is called a “Sphere of Influence” for each of the cities in the county. This should be, and could be, something as strong as an Urban Growth Boundary, but often isn’t. The Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, will be meeting today at 3:00 p.m. at the Salinas County Courthouse. This is the issue they’ll be discussing. You can make your views known by attending the meeting, and you can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, September 28, 2004 – Santa Cruz County Growth Goal |
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Santa Cruz County has a unique system to manage its future growth. The system was established by the voters in 1978, when they adopted Measure J, a referendum measure placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors. One of the most important features of Measure J is the fact that it was approved directly by the voters. Under state law, once a measure is adopted by the voters, it can’t be changed without voter approval. This puts the voters in the driver’s seat, rather than their elected officials. Without this kind of safeguard, changing politics at the elected level would quite likely have resulted in major changes to the strong standards established by Measure J. Among other things, Measure J prevents the conversion of economically productive agricultural land to other uses, and it prevents the County from allowing major new subdivisions in rural areas. It also imposes a mandatory requirement for affordable housing. These rules have helped limit the kind of sprawl that other areas have experienced. Another feature of Measure J is its requirement that the Board of Supervisors vote, each year, on the amount of growth that the community wants to accommodate in the year to come. Growth is made subject to a community decision, so the community is in charge of growth, not vice versa. That’s happening today, when the Board meets at 9:00 o’clock at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, September 29, 2004 – Lots of Meetings |
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I’m always trying to make the point that self-government won’t work unless we get involved ourselves. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to vote for elected officials to represent us, but if that’s all we do, we’re likely to be disappointed with the kind of governmental decisions that result. The democratic system works best when voters and members of the public not only participate vigorously in the electoral process, but then follow that up with continued involvement in the governmental process in between elections. Without continued participation by the public, elected officials all too often drift away from what the people really want (and maybe even what the officials promised when they ran for election). As a practical matter, real self-government means we have to go to lots of meetings. Here are just a few meetings taking place today:
Lots of good reasons to get involved! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, September 30, 2004 – Butterfly Village |
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A project that would implement the single biggest development ever proposed in Monterey County, the so-called “Rancho San Juan” development, is slated for possible approval today at 2:00 p.m., before the Monterey County Subdivision Committee. You can get more information at www.kusp.org. The Subdivision Committee is being asked by County staff to approve a luxury home and golf course development that the landowners are calling “Butterfly Village.” The “Butterfly Village” development is supposed to be only a part of a larger development scheme, known as Rancho San Juan. This overall scheme has not yet been approved by Monterey County. In fact, environmental review has not even been completed. Since the overall concept for Rancho San Juan has not yet been approved, how could the County staff be recommending approval for an implementing project that would carry out the overall plan? Come to the meeting this afternoon and you can ask that question. You can also ask, “what about water?” You can also ask, “What about the mammoth traffic impacts on Highway 101 and other County roadways?” You can ask why this project is even being considered, since CALTRANS called the traffic analysis in the EIR “inadequate?” The City of Salinas has been officially opposing the Rancho San Juan development. So has a group of community activists. You can get information on how to become involved at the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, October 1, 2004 – Massive Development in Monterey County |
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Monterey County is “ground zero” for a number of development proposals. Here is just a partial list:
It’s not a bad time to get involved in these land use issues. Failure to do so may be hazardous to your health—and to the future of Monterey County! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
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