Item 9. Consider presentation on the 6th Cycle Housing Element ...

The County is required to update the Housing Element of our General Plan every eight years. The State has determined that we need to plan for an additional 4,634 housing units in the new cycle. This amount is 3.5 times larger (353%) than the last cycle. In other words, we have our work cut out for us, in determining where to put the new housing. During this item, the Board of Supervisors will review the schedule for public outreach, including a public process that is both representative and deliberative to encourage the participation of all county residents. The Housing Element update will occur throughout the year and will be due to the State by Dec. 15, 2023.

Item 38. Authorize the Community Development and Infrastructure Department to return [...] with a proposed amendment of the current contract with 4Leaf, Inc. ...

4Leaf is the contractor the County hired to operate our Recovery Permit Center after the CZU Fires. Supervisor Friend and I are requesting that we extend their services to include anyone who needs to rebuild after damage from the recent atmospheric river storms. The goal is to make it as fast and easy as possible for people to repair their homes.

Item 51. Defer to March 28th, 2023, a new Access to Medical Care agreement with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan ...

For those of you following the proposed Kaiser facility in Live Oak, this delay in reviewing an Access to Care Agreement means we also expect delays in reviewing the building's permit application. A developer-hosted community meeting isn't expected until later in February or March. A review by the Planning Commission would take place after that.

The Access To Medical Care agreements are maintained by our County Health Services Agency with all of the largest health care providers in Santa Cruz. This ensures that specialty care, in-patient care, and emergency department services are available to Medi-Cal beneficiaries and people without insurance.

To view the full January 31st Board of Supervisors agenda, click here.

METRO is launching its first-ever Youth Ride Free pilot program on March 1, 2023. The Youth Ride Free pilot program eliminates fares for underage youth to increase access and encourage ridership amongst K-12-aged youth. The program will enable youth to ride on all METRO routes (excluding Highway 17) anywhere, anytime.

According to a survey conducted by METRO in 2019, just 9.7% of METRO riders are 18 years of age or younger, despite making up 19% of Santa Cruz County. A key goal for the Youth Ride Free program is to help develop lifelong transit riders while meeting METRO’s overall goal of doubling transit ridership in the coming years.

How will it work? Riders in Grades 9-12 will be asked to show a student ID to the driver. Riders in 8th Grade and under may be asked by the driver to identify their grade level or the school they attend. Riders without a student ID can get a special pass from their school or at the Pacific Station Customer Service Window in Downtown Santa Cruz.

In addition, METRO is rolling out its One Ride at a Time campaign to showcase the environmental benefits of transit and protect Santa Cruz County’s extraordinary natural resources. 

METRO buses will be wrapped with powerful nature imagery (like the mountain lion pictured above) by local photographer Frans Lanting. Every time you ride METRO during this campaign, you have the opportunity to earn points that can become monetary donations to the Bay of Life Fund and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

METRO has set the ambitious goal to "never buy another tailpipe." The agency has 21 zero-emission buses on order, including a combination of electric and hydrogen buses. It is pursuing the purchase of another 12 zero-emissions buses and a hydrogen fueling station through an upcoming grant application.

There's never been a better time to become a METRO rider!

Regional Transportation Commission Wins

$30 Million in Federal Grants for Multimodal Corridor Program

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) was awarded $30 million in Mega Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the RTC’s Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program: Highway 1 Bus on Shoulders and Auxiliary Lanes from Freedom Boulevard to State Park Drive and Segment 12 of the Coastal Rail Trail Project. Pictured above is a rendering of the bus on shoulder project on Highway 1 at Freedom Blvd.

The grant will partially fund the design, right-of-way, and construction components ($25.2 million) of auxiliary lane and bus-on-shoulder facilities on Highway 1 from Freedom Boulevard to State Park Drive and a critical 1.25-mile segment of the 32-mile Coastal Rail Trail with much-needed pedestrian and bicycle overcrossings over the highway and parallel arterial Soquel Drive. It will also fund four new zero emission buses for METRO ($4.8 million).

“This grant award is proof that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is working for Santa Cruz County by providing necessary funding for our project,” said RTC Executive Director Guy Preston. “Obtaining federal funding provides affirmation that our Corridor is of national significance, which is expected to facilitate securing future State and Federal grants. This multimodal project aligns with our shared goals of climate action, healthy communities, safety, and equity.”

The National Infrastructure Project Assistance program, known as the Mega grant program, supports large, complex projects that are likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. The Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program is one of only nine projects nationwide and the only project in California awarded Mega Grant funding.

This funding is for Phase 3 of the Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane/Bus on Shoulder project. Phase 1 and Phase 2 are already fully funded. Phase 1 pre-construction work has begun, see below.

Have you noticed all of the trees being cut down along Highway 1 between 41st Ave and Soquel Dr? This is part of pre-construction work for Phase 1 of Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane/ Bus on Shoulder project as well as the Chanticleer bike and pedestrian bridge.

Work on the additional lane itself is expected to break ground in April. To offset the trees being removed here, the Regional Transportation Commission is working with County Parks to plant new trees in Anna Jean Cummings Park in Soquel.

This work will result in intermittent overnight lane and ramp closures between Soquel Dr. and 41^st Ave. Northbound travelers will encounter intermittent overnight closures of the onramp from westbound 41^st Ave. to northbound Highway 1, as well as intermittent closure of the northbound Highway 1 offramp at Soquel Dr. Southbound travelers will encounter intermittent overnight closures of the Soquel Dr. onramp to southbound Highway 1, as well as the southbound Highway 1 offramp at 41^st Ave.

The window for these lane and ramp closures will be from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM. There will be no closures in effect on Friday or Saturday overnight. Travelers can expect delays of up to 10 minutes. Please allow extra time for your commute through this area.

Weather permitting, this work is scheduled to conclude by Friday Feb. 3.

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay has opened the application for its final 3 bed, 2 bath, ADA compliant home in Live Oak. This home is reserved specifically for someone with a disability. You may qualify if you need an ADA-compliant home, are a first-time homebuyer, your gross annual income is within 50-80% of the Santa Cruz County Area Median Income, and your credit score is 620 or higher. The application is open till Monday, February 17th.