rskoenig / santa-cruz-county-1st-district Goto Github PK

As a homeless person, I want a pallet home, so that I can lock my stuff up and get my life together.

Reference:
https://www.palletshelter.com/sonoma-case-study

Submitter:
Carol Polhamus

As someone trying to organize business owners, I want a County Business License program, so that I can get in touch with them.

As a home owner, I want vacation rentals to be limited to 90 days per year, so that people are accountable to their neighbors and not operating businesses in residential neighborhoods.

Constituents:
Lisa Setzer, Brendan Finn

Ordinances:
San Francisco home resident must be resident 275 days, rent limit is 90days

Los Gatos: same as SF.

Manhattan Beach: banned.

Hermosa Beach : banned in residential area

Lawsuits filed/re: Coastal Commission

Something to read in spare time:
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3057&context=llr

As a cannabis grower or manufacturer, I want to be able to obtain a new license quickly and efficiently, so that I can conduct legal business in the county.

As a resident/school teacher/parent, I want intersection improvements at 17th and Merrill, so that there are less accidents.

As a member of Mid-County Soccer, I want 2-3 turf fields, so that there is a greater dependability for practicing and playing in bad weather.

As a Hook regular, I want warning signs on high surf days, so that people don't get hurt and stretch our emergency response system thin.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwKjnXZnvRKDztNwHJmSLtPKJnB

As a homeless veteran advocate, I want a to build tiny houses for veterans, so that they have a place to live.

Submitted by Robert Carrigan

As a renter, I want to be able to build or buy a tiny home, so that I can afford to be a home owner and build equity and living security.

As someone with an alcohol license, I don't want to have to pay my $2,000 annual alcohol nuisance abatement tax, because COVID-19 has already made my business tight.

Submitter - Felix

As a Santa Cruz County resident who loves the ocean, I want our community to use less plastic, so that we keep our oceans healthy.

Possible solutions:

• Cigarette Butt Ban
• Re-useable Containers Program
• Plastic Melting/Re-use Program

As an event space owner, I want to be able to get an event venue permit for my property, so that I can legally host events.

Background:
See Denise Addesso, The Wedding Connection, Rancho Soquel

As a residential home owner, I don't want mental health facilities placed in my neighborhood, because it diminishes the quality and value of my neighborhood.

Submitter: Tony Crane

As someone concerned about the environment, I want a meat tax, so that people buy less meat and we reduce our impact on the environment.

Resources:
https://www.peta.org/features/tax-meat/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/briankateman/2019/08/27/is-a-meat-tax-a-good-idea/#9e8461f2d3aa

See Housing Element Annual Report 2019, p11:
The Safe Structures Program launched in 2018 and is providing a
pathway for legalizing existing non-permitted structures
(including ADUs) so they can be rented legally after basic
safety and habitability is confirmed by a Building Inspector.

As a resident of Santa Cruz County, I want homes in the Coastal Zone to have ADUs without requiring additional parking, so that there is more housing and lower cost of housing in my community.

Submitted by: Cove Britton
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGDDtDqsVhXHdKqXQVhPhFCchN

As a library user, I want to be able to order books online and pick them up, so that I can continue to enjoy the library and employ people during this time of crises.

Submitted by Merrit Edmunds
[email protected]

As a resident of Soquel Gardens, I want speed bumps on Thurber Lane, so that neighborhood kids are safe while playing on the streets.

As someone suffering from mental illness, I want a nice place to be outside, so that I can deal with my mental illness in a wholistic way.

This is consistent with the Olmstead Act that requires that
people with psychiatric disabilities have the
opportunity to live in the least restrictive level of care
possible.

As a Live Oak and Twin Lakes resident, I want to be able to safely walk or bike to and from the harbor without taking my life into my hands, so that I can enjoy my community without a car.

As a renter, I want to be able to build a tiny house off grid with an incinerating toilet, so that I can be a homeowner.

As a landscape architect, I want the county to enforce permits, so that I don't have to compete against unlicensed "handymen."

Make all money in the Affordable Housing Impact Fund available to private citizens who develop affordable housing - currently available to ADUs.

From Housing Element Annual Progress Report 2019, p6:
In 2018, $540,000 in AHIF fee revenues was committed to two loan programs to provide financing for development of new ADUs.
Housing staff is currently implementing that loan program and one application is in process. The County received over $500,000 in AHIF revenues in FY 2018/19 and projects that nearly $400,000 in AHIF will be received by the end of FY 2019/20.

Steve Goodson | Steve Goodson | Sep 15, 2020, 9:03 PM (19 hours ago)

Hello Manu,

Thank you for this response. My colleague and I, Paulina Borsook, who are serving on the advisory committee had asked David to get your opinion on this issue. We were ultimately wondering if you would want our oversight committee to monitor the SDA going forward indefinitely? The CZU fire evacuees were supposedly transferred from the site by 9/13/20, and the County has told us that the homeless youth (TAY) will be transferred out by 12/31/20, at which time our committee would presumably be disbanded.

But we feel the SDA has been dishonest about their intentions in 2018, again in 2020, and we are concerned that SB 899 will enable them to once again be looking to profit from their ownership of this choice 100 acre parcel, that had been donated to them in the 1940’s, to reap a maximum gain by developing it as a low/moderate income high density residential housing project for the County. They made a similar attempt to reap a gain on the property when in 1992 they attempted to get an equestrian club high income residential development approved, but the First District Supervisor at the time squashed the attempt since it was totally contradictory to the use permit they had been granted within this rural/agrarian zoning area. As a non-profit religious entity, they had been afforded several leniency by the Planning Department.

As neighbors, we had been supportive of the SDA organization since the 1950’s when they began these summer camp meetings. However, during the last thirty years, this two week summer conference has mushroomed into a 10,000 person, 400 plus RV vehicle extravaganza that brings in over $1,000,000 revenue for the SDA annually and has been increasingly challenging for the neighborhood to tolerate in terms of traffic congestion and fire threat. Several fires have been started during these events and fortunately to date have been controlled. Consequently, we feel the SDA organization must be monitored closely and restrained from changing the character of our community for their profit.

My main responsibility on the oversight committee has been to spearhead the effort to hold the SDA accountable for operating their conference center for over twelve years without ever passing the State’s flow test requirements for their fire hydrants to protect their site, and more importantly the 10,000 people that attend their conferences each summer. They were required to pass this test every five years starting in 2008 (2008, 2013, and 2018) as the result of a law passed in 2002, but due to lax supervision by the Central Fire District, they have never passed the certification test. Finally on 7/21/20, I succeeded in getting support from within the Central Fire District to perform these tests, and the findings were that some of the key hydrants failed the test, and the implication was that major remedial work may be required to resolve the problem in order for the system to be retested and pass the certification test. Not passing this test disqualifies the SDA from obtaining a Permit to Operate for their conference center, and so technically, it is illegal for the SDA to charge rent for any RV’s on site, and in fact no RV’s are even legally allowed to be on site. However, they have been charging the County $600/month per trailer since they occupied the site on 6/10/20, and now there are 12 trailers on site ($7,200/month).

Central Fire has taken a collegial approach with the SDA (which appears to have been the case for decades), and there appears to be little sense of urgency to perform these repairs. Due to the annual moratorium on excavation from 10/15 through 4/15 due to the possibility of rain, these repairs which may require replacing the entire underground water main system to the hydrants, most likely will not occur until late next spring. My concern is that if our oversight committee is disbanded on 12/31/20 because the TAY are no longer at the SDA, the SDA will no longer be engaged in a public venture with the County, and as a private entity will be protected from oversight. I have learned from Central Fire that this is a real possibility.

I did not have time to explain the full background of my question to David when I asked him to contact you, but now David and you have the full background. If you do win the election, I hope you will keep this request high on your list of priorities.

Thank you for your response,

Steve Goodson

831-476-6141

As a community member, I want to know that new construction is sustainable, so that my children have a world to live in.

From the Housing Element Annual Progress Report 2019, p19:
"Program 6.4: Prioritize implementation of an
expedited permitting process that encourages and
enables solar/photovoltaic facilities for residential
and commercial properties."

"Provisions for expediting permitting of solar facilities were
incorporated in the building code in 2015."

As a renter, I need help from my supervisor to prevent an unfair rent increase, so that I can stay in my home.

As a resident, I want the TOT taxes generated in my neighborhood to be reinvested in my neighborhood, so that the revenues are enjoyed by the people paying the cost.

See:

• Lee Rossi - 25th Ave
• Monterey example

As a county resident (esp. rural), I want improved broadband access, so that I can productively access the internet from home.

As a mountain constituent, I want the jet noise to stop, so that I can have peace and quiet.

Feb 26th Roundtable mtg:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-3d2tN_N10

As a person who is about to loose their housing, I need a way to get housing in a week or less, so that I don't fall into homelessness.

From Gina Cavuoto:
"Are use the links you gave me before and left several voicemail messages there are only a few shelters first come first serve like I said I’ve had to help my client through this process many times there used to be hotel vouchers available for emergency situations those are gone and as you know there’s a 10 year waiting list for specialized housing. "

As a Live Oak Resident, I want permit parking that prevents my street from being inundated and generates revenue for the county, so that my neighborhood is nicer for everyone.

p121:
https://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/AuditorBudget/2019-2020/2019-2020_ADOPTED_BUDGET.pdf

As a coastal homeowner, I want to be able to improve my house without excessive County regulation, so that I can enjoy my property and increase its value.

As a member of the public, I want to be able to access the beach and surf without private dwellings interfering with the coast, so that I can be happy and healthy.

Resources:
https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CalCoastArmor-FULL-REPORT-6.17.15.pdf

As a resident and tourist to SCC, I want to see lots of public art, to inspire me about SCC.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/KtbxLxgGBWTbSLRpjlXvhVLNDTFcGhbwgq

As a full-time resident of Santa Cruz County, I want to pay less in permit fees than second homes, so that I can afford to live here.

"The biggest issue we have with Olive Springs Rd is the the ridiculous amount of all the big dump trucks going to and from the Olive Springs Quarry. The county needs to reduce the number and size of these trucks and widen the road to accommodate."

John Battendieri
[email protected]

Can they be valuable enough as building material to pay for their removal?

As a conservationist, I want AJC park open space to be protected from illegal trails, mountain biking, disk golf, etc., so that the community has a place to observe, enjoy and learn about wildlife.

As a coastal property owner, I want the vacation rental ordinance to be updated, so that there is more turnover in permits and a system for them to be revoked.

As a senior, I want affordable housing, so that I can age in the community I love.

As a member of law-enforcement, I want Prop 47 to be repealed or modified, because it leads people to steal up to $900 in goods without consequence.

Submitted by: Harriette, Carbonera

As a rural resident, I want the county to create early fire warning systems, so that we are safe in case of a fire.

Ideas:
Watch towers, sirens, monitoring system

As a grower or manufacturer in the cannabis industry, I want to be able to receive a county license quickly and easily, so that I can legally conduct business.

Notes:

• Look at Monterey County, which has made licensing much easier
• Taxes are too high and currently compound throughout the supply chain
• Large backlog of applicants
• Treat as an agricultural permit, not a development permit

As a resident of the Winkle Park neighborhood, I'm want less vehicles parked for long periods of time on the sidewalk, to deter a criminal and rundown element in my neighborhood.

As a home seeker, I want to be able to buy or rent an apartment that doesn't include a car, so that I can enjoy a car free, walkable lifestyle with good public transit.

Program 3.9 Complete the nexus study, currently
underway, to support implementation of a
Countywide transportation impact mitigation fee
program.

https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/police/report-a-crime/online-police-reporting-system

As a resident, I want to be able to report crimes online, so that my community law enforcement has better information and I don't have to sit on a call.

Rikard Kjelberg

Manu

ONE single thing that would help EVERYONE: Implement online reporting capability.
This would likely fall under your bullet #1 below. It is a very concrete solution to the issue of reporting in the first place.
Let's just fix it.

As it is today, living in Soquel, I have to call the sheriff's office or walk in to leave a paper report.
Santa Cruz police department has a good online reporting tool.

This alone would increase the visibility and allow our local police to triage these things.

Your other 2 suggestions make sense of course.
For the third though, you need to stop the judges from cancelling prior offenses, reducing sentencing and giving time off for "time served".
They are using time served even now, when there is no time served. Makes no sense.

Thanks for listening.

/Rikard

As a gardener, I want to be part of a thriving Grange, so that I can improve the resiliency of my garden and improve my gardening skills.

As a resident of Soquel Gardens, I want the landlord to take better care of the property, so that I have a safe and healthy place to live.

Resources:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/manufactured-mobile-home/index.shtml

As a rural resident of the 1st District, I want my roads to be passable, so that I can get dependably to and from the store and work without damaging my vehicle.

As a member of the public, I want to be able to request that an item be pulled from the consent agenda during public comment, so that I it can be considered more fully.

Submitted by Liz Levy.

1. For Business: Most business owners don’t realize that unlicensed drone pilots are ineligible for drone insurance. The realtor who hires an unlicensed operator is taking a risk that damage to someone’s property is not covered by the pilot, and that the realtor could be liable (their business insurance will not cover damage by drone). A local ordinance mandating that only licensed pilots can be hired actually protects businesses.

2. For the County: Like leash laws, a drone ordinance waives off liability for injury or worse to the perpetrator, not the county, when an incident occurs on county property. Currently, the county bans drones from county parks, which allows sheriffs to cite operators -- but if a drone falls onto a person on county property other than a park, the county could risk being sued without the cover of an ordinance.

3. For Unlicensed Pilots: Many unlicensed pilots skip taking the Part 107 test because it’s challenging, costs $100, and there are a lot of other unlicensed operators out there so who cares? What they may not realize is that when their drone accidentally crashes into other’s property, or snags a power line, or falls down on a person’s head, they will be personally liable for whatever damage or injury occurs.

4. For Licensed Pilots: For people who have obtained their Part 107 certificate and carry insurance, it puts them at the head of the line to compete for business, where they rightfully belong.

The Town of Calabasas gives local authorities the power to enforce FAA drone-related regulations by making violations of FAA regulations a misdemeanor.

https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-california/