| Measure G: We Rise Together |
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The County has worked hard since the Great Recession to strengthen the County's financial foundation. We have reduced our pension costs, increased our reserves, secured a stronger credit rating and saved millions by deploying new solar arrays on County facilities. In this year's budget process we heard from local residents and staff about programs and investments that address critical unmet community needs but where we lacked adequate funding. In response, we directed our County Administrative Officer to identify ways we could help meet those needs.
At our first meeting in August, the Board voted unanimously to place a half cent sales tax measure on the ballot in November. Funding from this measure will support a public safety and behavioral health outreach team to address the over 300 calls the Sheriff's Office receives requesting assistance for people suffering from mental illness. In addition, funding will be used to support new year-round homeless navigation centers/shelters in North and South County. Responding to one-time capital needs, the measure will also fund several parks throughout the county, including LEO's Haven at Chanticleer Park, the County's first all-inclusive playground for children of all abilities, the Farm Park and the Heart of Soquel Park.
Without these funds, our ability to rise together to meet these challenges will be limited. Improving public safety, social services and critical infrastructure aligns with the values and aspirations expressed by members of our community.
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| New Development Proposed in Soquel |
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In 2009, in response to a lawsuit against the County, the Board completed the rezoning process for six sites to provide high density housing. These were difficult decisions, forced by the lawsuit, but resulted in new affordable housing built outside Watsonville and in Aptos. Settling this lawsuit set the stage for the County to approve a certified Housing Element, which has allowed for the County to successfully compete for over $15 million in new housing funds, including first-time home buyer assistance. One of the properties rezoned as part of this effort was a five-acre parcel on Cunnison Lane in Soquel.
On
Thursday, August 23, City Ventures will be hosting an informational meeting about a project for 102 units they want to build on the site. During the County's rezoning process, we set design standards that need to be met. This is a chance for community members to find out more information about this proposed project. The meeting is at the County Library, Aptos Branch, 7695 Soquel Drive from 6 to 8 PM. Click
HERE to see mailer.
In addition to this site, the Inner Light Church congregation recently sold their property to a group that is looking to build an approximately 90-room memory care facility. They are in the early stages of this project and are holding an informational meeting on
Monday, September 10th, at 6
pm at the Inner Light Church, 5630 Soquel Drive. Click
HERE for more information.
Both these meetings provide an opportunity for our community to learn more and to let these developers hear your questions and concerns.
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| Cradle to Career in the Spotlight |
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Since 2013, I have been working on a collective impact initiative, Cradle to Career (C2C) with school officials, healthcare providers, parents and other community stakeholders to support families in Live Oak. Our C2C vision is that all Live Oak students and their families should be happy, healthy, and ready to thrive in school, college and a career.
Recently this grass roots initiative has recently been awarded a grant from The Center for Care Innovations (CCI), an organization that helps service providers and foundations to accelerate their approaches and solutions in building healthy communities. CCI's Innovation Lab grant is helping to foster the collaborative efforts that the Santa Cruz Community Health Centers and the Live Oak School District in improving the health and educational outcomes between families, their health care providers, and the schools. The grant is focused on the C2C's innovative Community Care Conferences, that bring together all the people in a children's care team, to break down the silos in order to solve some of our community's toughest challenges. Our hope is to develop a model that inspires and can be replicated to other schools and neighborhoods throughout the county in the not so distant future.
To lear
n more about C2C and the difference they are making in the Live Oak community, click
HERE
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Along the California coast the general public has historically used numerous coastal areas. Trails to the beach, informal parking areas, beaches, and bluff tops have provided recreational opportunities for hiking, picnicking, fishing, swimming, surfing, diving, viewing and nature study. California law provides that under certain conditions, long term public access across private property may result in the establishment of a permanent public easement. This is called a public prescriptive right of access.
The Coastal Public Access Program includes a prescriptive rights element whereby the Coastal Commission researches and inventories the historic public use of areas with the potential for significant public access benefits. Where research indicates that the public use is substantial enough to create potential prescriptive rights, the Attorney General's Office has the authority to proceed with the legal action necessary to protect those areas.
The California Coastal Commission is investigating historical public use of Geoffroy Drive and an informal bluff trail located at the western end of Geoffroy Drive to access Twin Lakes State Beach, in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz County. The investigation is to determine whether any public rights of access exist by reason of past public use.
To fill out the Coastal Commission survey about your historical use of this access click
HERE
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I continue to urge our Representatives and the FAA to move forward on the design of an OPD jet path as quickly as feasible. Our Representatives are advocating for the formation of a follow up committee to the 2016 Select Committee so that local jurisdictions can bring South Bay (Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County) jet noise issues to the attention of the FAA. However, each jurisdiction (City or County) must vote to join the group in order to have a seat at the table and an important voice with the FAA. I am hopeful that our Board will support this action. Your calls or emails in support of joining the South Bay Roundtable, directed to Board members, are helpful in this regard. Meanwhile, keep reporting your complaints of excessive jet noise
HERE.
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