TheDistrict’s current estimate of the overall cost of the project is $90 to $142 million, net of contingencies, and it has been actively pursuing grants and low-cost borrowing options. To date, the District has been secured over $2 million dollars in grants for planning efforts, a $50 million from a Prop. 1 grant from the State, a $36 million State Seawater Intrusion Control lowinterest loan from the State, and is negotiating a $78 million low-interest loan from the federal government’s WIFIA program. The District is still waiting to hear on whether it has been awarded a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Title XVI Program grant for which it applied in an amount of up to $20 million. 

1. The District admits the Project may not meet the stated goals of addressing seawater intrusion. (page 199)

   Water Supply Issues; Pure Water Soquel 

   The District is entirely dependent on local groundwater for its water supply. Beginning in the early 1980’s, the District assumed responsibility for groundwater management within its service area in addition to its role as a water purveyor and installed a series of coastal monitoring wells. The District’s monitoring well program was initiated and includes monthly data collection and hydrogeological analysis to aid in early warning and detection of conditions conducive to seawater intrusion, which is the biggest threat to its water supply. 

   In response to the issues with seawater intrusion and the requirements imposed by SGMA discussed above, the District has embarked on the Pure Water Soquel project. Pure Water Soquel is intended to help increase the sustainability of the District’s groundwater supply, reduce the degree of overdraft conditions in the Mid-County Groundwater Basin, protect against, and aid in preventing further, seawater intrusion into the basin, and promote beneficial reuse of water resources by reducing discharge of treated wastewater to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary by 25%. No assurance can be given the project will solve the problems the District is facing in its groundwater basin.

2. The District admits the Project cost may increase, and that the Project may not be completed by the 2022 deadline to satisfy terms of State $50 million grant. (page 199)

   The District’s current estimate of the overall cost of the Pure Water Soquel project is $90 to $142 million, net of contingencies, and it anticipates completion in 2022. To date, the District has been secured over $2 million dollars in grants for planning efforts, a $50 million from a Prop. 1 grant from the State, a $36 million State Seawater Intrusion Control low-interest loan from the State, and is negotiating a $78 million low-interest loan from the federal government’s WIFIA program. The District is still waiting to hear on whether it has been awarded a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Title XVI Program grant for which it applied in an amount of up to $20 million. No assurance can be given that the Pure Water Soquel project will be completed by the projected 2022 completion date or in accordance with the currently anticipated budget.

3. On June 16, 2020, the District Board approved nine separate Consultant contracts for work the PureWater Soquel Project.

   See Item 7.3 (page 86)

   Board Packet, 06-16-20

   This includes $133,00 for a lobbyist, Capital Edge, $36,000 for Tom Burns (Former Santa Cruz County Planning Director) and millions for others. These expensive hires do not even include the actual construction contractors, which are millions more.

4. The Project would remove obstacle to dense growth in the MidCounty.

   The Santa Cruz County Planning Dept. Staff Report to the Planning Commission on October 23, 2019, stated that (page 2):

   Potential Impacts from Population Growth

    The growth management system was instituted to address resource and public services impacts of growth in the County. The most significant concern regarding resources and infrastructure has been the potential and actual water supply shortfall.

   Agenda, 10-23-19

5. The District proposed a Service Connection Moratorium at the June 3, 2014 Board Meeting and Public Hearing.

   Meeting Minute, 06-03-14

   The official transcript is interesting to read, both in terms of the discussion of a moratorium and also the hydrologist statements (page 25) that the groundwater levels had actually improved in the last ten years. Those groundwater levels have by and large continued  recover, as has been shown in recent groundwater monitoring well reports.

6. The State Dept. of Water Resources determined in 1980 that the Soquel Basin (aka MidCounty Groundwater Basin) was in “Critical Overdraft” without real data to verify what appears to be a politically-motivated determination.

   SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT AND CENTRAL WATER DISTRICT GROUNDWATER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN 2007

   page 14 of Report:

   Bulletin 118 (DWR, 1975) defined a basin called the Santa Cruz Purisima Formation Highlands which included the area overlying the aquifers from north and east of Santa Cruz to a boundary with the Pajaro Valley as well as a separate basin named Soquel Valley. The 1980 update of Bulletin 118 (DWR, 1980) identified the Santa Cruz-Pajaro Basin, which included both the Sa itnta Cruz Purisima Formation Highlands and Soquel Valley, and was classified as subject to critical conditions of overdraft. This finding, according to Bulletin 118-80, was “at the request of the City of Santa Cruz and a Supervisor of Santa Cruz County”. 

   DWR revised Bulletin 118-80 again in 1992 and better defined the boundaries for Soquel Valley, Santa Cruz Purisima Formation Highlands and the Pajaro Valley Basins. It also cited that the Soquel-Aptos area was not subject to critical conditions of overdraft. This finding was primarily based on the Groundwater Management Program and Monitoring that was implemented by SqCWD in 1981. Bulletin 118 was most recently updated in 2003 and includes a written report and supplemental material consisting of individual hydrogeologic descriptions, maps, and GIS compatible data files of each delineated groundwater basin in California. Bulletin 118 (2003), however, still does not clearly and accurately describe the hydrogeologic conditions of the Soquel-Aptos area. 

*****

There is time to pause and re-think the water supply solution for the Midcounty. But the District is moving quickly for the sake of qualifying for a $50 million State grant that will now only be a drop in the bucket of what this Project would cost to build and operate.

I hope you will VOTE for Corrie Kates and Maria Marsilio for Soquel Creek Water District Board.  It’s time for fresh leadership that will be responsive to the people, transparent, and willing to consider a broader view of cooperative regional water solutions that won’t financially kill the ratepayers or destroy the environment.

visit KatesandMarsilio.com

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BUDGET UPDATE IS ABSOLUTELY CONFUSING BUT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD
The Board of Supervisors Special Meeting on Tuesday, September 29 includes two items regarding an adjusted Budget, and both are really confusing.  I think it’s a good smoke and mirrors tactic to keep the people from really knowing what is going on with the economic status of the County in general.

For example, read this and decide if you understand anything.  I don’t.  I would bet the County Supervisors don’t either, but will never ask questions from staff to make it clearer for themselves or the public.

In FY 2020-21, General Fund financing increased by $0.75 million, primarily due to a decrease of $3.3 million in General County Revenues budget and an increase of $4.1 million in available fund balance for prior year encumbrances. The General County Revenues budget was lower due to the transfer of the furlough savings and the realignment revenue losses allocated to departments in the FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget.

The $0.75 million net increase in General Fund expenditures reflects changes approved by the Board during budget hearings and transfers the furlough savings to the Departments within the Budget categories offset by decreases in realignment revenues and includes a rebudget of some unspent FY 2019-20 funds for incomplete essential capital improvements and technology projects.

Reserves – Below 10% Goal

In accordance with the Board’s concluding actions during budget hearings, a net total of $16.8 million including encumbrances was cancelled in reserves, leaving 7.2% of revenues which is below the 10% goal set by the Board of Supervisors but above the 7% minimum. The percentage of revenues is reduced in part due to the inclusion of the one-time increase of revenue anticipated from FEMA and CRF from the CARES act totaling $40.3 million; otherwise, the percentage would reflect 7.7% of the General Fund ongoing revenues. The total committed and assigned reserves are $44 million. Reserve details can be found in the FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget – Schedule 4.

Contingencies – 1% of Ongoing Expenditures

General Fund contingencies are the first line of defense to cover the loss of estimated revenues and unanticipated expenditures. In FY 2020-21, contingencies total $10.9 million, including a General Contingency of almost 1% of ongoing expenditures or $5.4 million and Restricted Contingencies of $5.5 million as follows:

• Mid Year Adjustments; $2,000,000
• Emergency Repairs; $1,000,000
• State Realignment Trigger; $1,500,000
• Mid-Year Focus Intervention Team Program; $500,000
• Emergency Response; $500,000

CZU Lightning Complex Fire Costs

The County is gathering the costs associated with the emergency response to the CZU Lighting Complex Fire. It is anticipated that FEMA will reimburse 75% of the emergency response costs and the County match will be 25%. At this time, the amount of the County’s match is unknown. It is also anticipated that loss of property will have an impact on local property taxes as calamity assessments are filed by property owners. In addition, the County had approximately $30 million in damaged infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and sanitation systems. More information will be provided once the financial impacts have been determined.

Looking Beyond FY 2020-21

As a result of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the County will continue to monitor costs and revenue estimates to actuals closely. It will be necessary to save wherever possible to address unanticipated costs that may exceed the County General Contingency. In preparation for FY 2021-22 budget instructions, the County Administrative Office will return December 8, 2020 with an updated forecast and estimates of future challenges.

***********

So, one really has to wonder: Did the CAO find money to re-instate the County’s Full-Time Emergency Operations Manager , who really understands the people and the needs of the County Emergency planning and activation?  Or will CAO Carlos Palacios insist on keeping control of that and re-creating the mess that occurred during the CZU Fires when his staff was in charge?

One must wonder  why County Counsel’s budget for meals increased (page 62), why child support defenders expect lodging will increase from being $6,000 but will now get $9,000 (page 64) and airfare allowances will increase by $5,200, for a new  total of $6,200?  Why does the DA have a significant increase in grounds leased, going from $55,000 to $175,000 and a leased space for a service center charge will increase from $85,000 to now being $104.570 (That’s probably the Aptos Village Service Center that is a lovely gift to Swenson Builders because there are so many empty stores.) (page 66)  There are further increases to the budget for service centers (page 68) noted only as “special misc. expense” but jumped from $31,000 to a bloated $60,000.  

I thought the County budget goal was to reduce expenses, not dramatically increase them.  I guess it all depends on the disposition of the CAO and his smoke and mirrors.

CZU LIGHTNING FIRES AND THE GREAT PARK
Back in 2015,  I was working with some good folks to help the public better understand what the County Planning Department was up to with proposed “Code Modernization”, we ran across something about a plan  called  The Great Park.

The plan, fostered by the Sempervirens Fund, called for acquiring substantial amounts of privately-owned land to create a large wilderness between the coast and Silicon Valley. At the time, we wondered how anything that involved getting hold of so much private land could ever happen?  Now I think I understand.

Take a look at the recent CZU Fire boundaries that chewed up over 86,0000 acres and burned over 1565 structures, 911 of them being residences:

CZU Lightning Complex grows to 63,000 acres overnight, destroys 97 structures

Now, take a look at the boundaries of The Great Park, what the Sempervirens Fund has in mind, and now is “rallying the community” to help make possible with land purchases.  Note that the “High Priority” areas are private lands that have just been destroyed by fire.

See the screen shot attached.  I have learned that websites can quickly disappear, so I take screen shots.

The Great Park encompasses 215 square miles of redwood forest and watersheds in the Santa Cruz Mountains (138,000 acres) stretching from Pescadero Creek to Wilder Ranch, from Skyline to the sea. That’s four San Franciscos or seven Big Basins, and larger than Lake Tahoe.

The Great Park will protect remaining old-growth redwoods, as well as second-growth redwoods that are only 50-150 years into their 2,000-year lifespan. Once protected and connected, the natural systems can reassert themselves, and the healthy forest can sustain itself – and us — for countless centuries to come. It will provide a safe home for wildlife — like mountain lions, marbled murrelet and salmon – and crucial refuge and recreation for us all.

About 2/3 of the Great Park area is already protected – hosting countless people and animals every day. But, 61 square miles (39,000 acres) of priority forest land are still vulnerable to subdivisions and development. This endangers all the animals and people who depend on the forest. A vast Sequoia sempervirens forest thrived here for at least 20 million years – and with our help may support people and wildlife for 20 million more.

By rallying people throughout the community, Sempervirens Fund can move quickly right now to buy more land and conservation easements – to protect old-growth redwoods and create the Great Park where we all can enjoy:

• 2,000-year-old redwoods – the tallest tree on Earth
• 20 million-year-old redwood forest, growing here and nowhere else
• Clean air, fresh water and stunning waterfalls
• Abundant wildlife – like coyotes, salmon and endangered marbled murrelets
• Extensive trails, campgrounds and picnic spots
• Quiet, awe-inspiring places to reconnect with the wild and re-energize ourselves

Videos

• About Sempervirens Fund
• Great Park Campaign

In 1900, Sempervirens Fund led the way to permanently protect six square miles of old-growth redwoods which are now the heart of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We’ve added to the Great Park landscape for more than 100 years with the support of our donors and partners.

Sempervirens Fund is pioneering a new model by weaving together public parks, private land and sustainably managed forests into a beautiful, healthy redwood world – while we open up more ways for people to enjoy it. We are defining the priorities that can unite more than 25 local agencies and organizations that manage parts of the local redwood forest. We are bringing in new partners, new supporters and new ideas to create the Great Park.

The Great Park Map
Our goal is to ensure that the region’s most critical natural features such as watersheds and redwood forests remain intact and are well cared for, regardless of who owns the land. The Priority Conservation Zones on The Great Park Map show the general areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains that contain resources essential to the long-term health of the redwood forest ecosystem yet do not currently have permanent conservation protections. We consider these areas to be conservation priorities due to factors such as biodiversity, proximity to other protected lands (important for wildlife corridors), forest size and condition (such as old growth redwoods – only 5% still exist), watershed integrity, and recreational opportunities (people protect what they connect with). Sempervirens Fund purchases or accepts donations of land for conservation by working cooperatively with willing landowners. Along with public parks and open space, private landowners who loyally steward their land are crucial to the region’s long-term health.

Join us
Sempervirens Fund knows how people like you can play a crucial, positive role in creating the Great Park – an extraordinary redwood forest where wildlife thrives and people find joy and renewal. Your passion and your investment provide a permanent legacy of giant redwood trees, clear-running streams and a healthy forest in your own backyard.

Let’s come together here and right now, and take action at this crucial moment in redwood history – so we all can enjoy the local redwood forest with our families and friends and countless generations to come. Donate Now

Read the above on the Sempervirens website here

Unless they erase it, as did the Santa Cruz Sentinel with Fred Keeley’s Op Ed article that came out on the heels of the CZU Fires, but was digitally erased, at his request (per Editor Melissa Murphy)

When has Fred Keeley ever asked to erase any opportunity to get public attention for his causes???

Luckily, my family subscribes to the Sentinel.  We saved the article, and scanned it.  You can read it in the attached file.

It just so happens, he is on the Board of the Sempervirens Fund, the group with “the dream ‘ of making the Great Park.

Long-Time Environmental Policy Leader Fred Keeley Elected Sempervirens Fund President to Protect the Local Redwood Forests and Create the Great Park

Jacqueline Wender Named Vice President

Howard Chao Joins Board of Directors

Los Altos, Calif. — Sempervirens Fund, California’s oldest land trust and the only organization dedicated to protecting the redwood forests between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Ocean, announced the election of its new Board President: Fred Keeley, former California State Assemblyman and currently Santa Cruz County’s elected Treasurer.

When serving in the California Assembly, Mr. Keeley authored two of the largest voter-approved park and environmental protection bonds in our nation’s history. Keeley currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in Washington D.C., the California Ocean Science Trust and Working Partnerships U.S.A. Keeley is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor and long-time resident of Santa Cruz.

Choosing to dedicate himself to protecting the local redwood forests, Keeley was elected to a two-year term of office as Sempervirens Fund’s President beginning July 1, 2014.

An now, the County Board of Supervisors is working with the Planning Dept. to make it very difficult for those who have been burned out from their homes and land to re-build.   The Supervisors and CalFire have warned that hundreds of homes will NOT be allowed to be rebuilt.

One friend whose home built in 2000 and was branded by CalFire as a model home for fire defensibility.  It burned to the ground. 

Now the County is insisting he build a new septic system, even though his existing system was not damaged, and he does not intend to build a larger home than before.

Planning Director Kathy Molloy stated that all who want to return to their land must first have PG&E hook-up installed, and CalFire must inspect and sign-off on the roads and driveways, which will now be required to meet current codes.

How does this apply to the ruggedly independent Last Chance Community property owners who were burned out?   They were completely off the grid, but now the County is setting a hook-up to PG&E as a pre-requisite for being able to re-build.

Supervisor Coonerty’s words are haunting…”there are just some areas that are not going to be allowed to rebuild.”  Do those areas include “High Priority” areas of  The Great Park???

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY MUST RE-INSTATE THE BUILDING AND FIRE CODE APPEALS BOARD
We all need to write the Board of Supervisors and letters to the Editor to insist that Santa Cruz County re-instate a professional Building and Fire Code Appeals Board to help the people who have lost their homes rebuild, despite tyrannical orders from the Planning Dept. that they cannot rebuild.

Many cities and counties in California have a Building and Fire Appeals Board to allow property owners the ability to contest problems regarding orders issued by Building Officials and Fire Officials.  The Appeals Board is composed of licensed and locally-experienced construction industry contractors and architects that help resolve disputes by helping property owners adopt alternative methods that will also be safe  and effective.

Until 2008, Santa Cruz County had a Building and Fire Appeals Board, but it did not meet often.  There were, however, contractors for electrical, construction, plumbing , etc.,  who had been appointed to serve.  However, in 2008, CAO Susan Mauriello abolished the Appeals Board, and shifted it to the County Board of Supervisors.

12.12.080 Appeals to Board of Supervisors.
Repealed by Ord. 5050. [Ord. 5024 § 16, 2008; Ord. 2281 § 1, 1976].

This was done illegally with Resolution 5050, but was approved June 9, 2009 by the Board of Supervisors on which current Supervisor John Leopold sat.

Not only do the Supervisors lack professional construction and fire code qualifications  that would allow them the ability to hear and fairly decide any appeals, they charge an appeal fee of $1800 to do so.

This needs to change, in the face of massive numbers of homes to be rebuilt and likely punitive decisions made by Planning and CalFire staff.

Look at how this is supposed to work, and does work, in the City of Santa Barbara

and also the City of Napa

and the City of Patterson

15.04.080 Board of appeals—Generally.
If delegated by the city council as adopted by Section 113 of this code, Chapter 1, Division II, Section 117 of the California Building Code, Title 24, Part 2, Volume 1, is added thereto, to

Section 117 Board of Appeals

117.1 General. In order to determine the suitability of alternate materials and methods of construction and to provide for reasonable interpretations of the provisions of this Code, the California Residential Code, the California Mechanical Code, the California Plumbing Code, the California Electrical Code, the California Energy Code, the California Existing Building Code, the California Green Building Standards Code, the California Historical Building Code, Dangerous Buildings Code, the Housing Code and the Flood Damage Prevention Regulations, to hear appeals provided for in said codes and regulations there shall be and is hereby created a Board of Appeals, hereinafter referred to as the Board, consisting of five (5) members who are qualified by experience and training to pass upon matters pertaining to building construction. The Building Official shall act as Secretary of the Board. The members of the Board shall be appointed by the City and hold office in accordance with the provisions of the City of Patterson.

Write the County Board of Supervisors now, and help those burned out get back in.

• Chairman Greg Caput greg.caput@santacruzcounty.us
• Ryan Coonertyryan.coonerty@santacruzcounty.us
• Zach Friendzach.friend@santacruzcounty.us
• John Leopoldjohn.leopold@santacruzcounty.us
• Bruce McPhersonbruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us
• Sentinel Editor Melissa Murphymmurphy@santacruzsentinel.com
• Press Banner Editor Libby Leydenlleyden@pressbanner.com
• Good Times Editor Steve Palopolisteve@goodtime.sc

TOWN HALL MEETING SEPTEMBER 30 FOR APTOS AND CENTRAL FIRE DISTRICT CONSOLIDATION

For many years, Aptos/La Selva and Central Fire officials have discussed the idea of consolidating the two Districts.  Now, that consolidation process is well underway, and there will be a town Hall meeting this week to discuss the matter with the public.   

Make sure to participate.  Insist on District Elections so that people and businesses in every area of the new consolidated agency service areas will have representation.   One only needs to look at the improved representation in Watsonville’s City Council that has come about with District Elections.

Town Hall Meeting – District Consolidation
Supervisors John Leopold and Zach Friend will be hosting a Town Hall meeting via Zoom on September 30th, 2020, at 6:00 PM, to discuss the proposed consolidation between Aptos/La Selva FPD and Central FPD of Santa Cruz County.

During this meeting, Supervisors Leopold and Friend will begin with a brief history discussing the process from the county supervisory level and LAFCO perspective. Discussion will progress with shared constituents and other members of the public regarding the advantages of consolidation, as well as the upcoming LAFCO Commission meeting on October 7th.

ZOOM information for the September 30th meeting is listed below. Attendance space may be limited, but the meeting will also stream live on Supervisor Leopold’s Facebook page as well (see page link below).

When: Sep 30, 2020 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Please click the link below to join the webinar by computer or mobile device: zoom.us/j/99826812823

Or Telephone: US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799

Webinar ID: 998 2681 2823

Supervisor John Leopold FB Page
Supervisor Zach Friend FB Page