Fire Master Plan, Vacation Rentals, Final Budget, and More!

September 23rd, 2024

Agenda Highlights on Tomorrow's Board of Supervisors Meeting

Image: map of Santa Cruz County Fire Department responsibility area

Item 8: Consider approving the County Fire Master Plan

The Board is set to review the County Fire Master Plan, which was developed after an independent assessment. The Santa Cruz County Fire Department operates in the rural parts of the county (shown in green on the above map) outside of the reach of city fire departments and other fire agencies like Central Fire District. County Fire has a contract with CalFire to provide staffing and operational management. The State covers the cost of these services during peak fire season (May-October). Whereas funding for the equipment and off-season staffing is covered by County Service Areas 48 and 4.

Some of the key findings of the assessment center on the challenges faced in staffing County Fire. The department does a lot of training for volunteer firefighters, however many of those trainees go on to become paid firefighters shortly afterwards. As a result, the average annual turnover rate for volunteer firefighters at the department ranges between 7% and 35%. Furthermore, approximately one-third of the Santa Cruz County Fire Department volunteers do not respond to emergency calls. Moreover, CalFire provides staffing of all of the career firefighters, but they also have to respond to state-wide emergencies. As a result, during peak fire season, the Santa Cruz County Fire Department has fewer on-duty personnel dedicated to Santa Cruz County compared to non-peak fire season.

One key suggestion in the County Fire Master Plan is to increase staffing at three fire stations to be 24/7/365. This would ensure adequate staffing even during peak fire season. The cost of this additional staffing ranges from an additional $4.1 million to $5.8 million dollars per year, depending on reliance on volunteers. Current projected revenues for fiscal year 24/25 are $10.7 million, so the expanded staffing would cost roughly 50% more than today's budget.

Another major recommendation is to consider transitioning the County Fire Department into an independent fire district with its own board of directors. This would increase the opportunities for partnering with the other fire agencies in the county that face fiscal challenges.

Photo: a vacation rental near Twin Lakes State Beach. Photo courtesy of Santa Cruz Local.

Item 9: Consider establishing a temporary ad-hoc subcommittee to prepare revisions to the Hosted Rental and Vacation Rental ordinances.

Supervisor Cummings and I are suggesting that we evaluate changes to the County's Vacation Rental ordinance. We are interested in exploring ways to cut-off Illegal listings and to support homeownership.

Today there are approximately 70 un-permitted vacation rentals in the County. Although the County can and is pursuing enforcement actions against each of these individually, our ordinance should also be strengthened to hold the hosting platforms (e.g. AirBnB and VRBO) responsible for listing un-permitted rentals.

Furthermore, our ordinance today strongly favors un-hosted rentals (where the owner lives off-site) over hosted rentals (where the owner lives on-site). Outside of specified zones un-hosted rentals are unlimited whereas hosted rentals are capped at 250. We would like to evaluate flipping this bias in favor of hosted rentals and homeownership, rather than un-hosted rentals and investment properties.

Supervisor Cummings is a valuable partner in this work because he sits on the California Coastal Commission, which must ultimately approve any change in Santa Cruz County's Ordinance for the Coastal Zone.

Image: County seal over hundred dollar bills. The Board will review the final 2024-25 budget tomorrow.

Item 13: Consider supplemental report to the Adopted Budget actions for Fiscal Year 2024-25

The Board is being asked to approve the final 2024-25 budget in Item 19. and this item reviews the most relevant changes since we looked the proposed budget on June 4th. Thankfully it includes some good news. Due to the County’s extraordinary efforts in the past year and the partnership and support from our federal representatives, the County received payments and obligations totaling $24.6 million from COVID-19 FEMA reimbursements in July 2024, several years earlier than projected. Additionally, the lawsuit regarding Measure K funds has been resolved. Measure K is the half-cent sales tax that voters approved in March. This resolution means that the $7.5 million that the sales tax will generate this year can now be budgeted for use in the unincorporated area.

I'm happy to say that the majority of Measure K funds, $4.5 million, are now recommended to be set aside for emergency response this winter (including emergency road projects). If we have a calm winter the funds can be spent proactively improving our roads and other infrastructure next year. This is inline with the spending plan that I had called for during our May/June budget hearings and would be a step in the right direction.

Full agenda here: 2024/09/24 09:00 AM Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - Web Outline - Santa Cruz County, CA (iqm2.com)

Ocean Candidates Forum 2024

Photo: Underwater view of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The Ocean Candidates Forum 2024 is a nonpartisan panel discussion that will provide an opportunity for interested public stakeholders to see how candidates will represent them in Washington and Sacramento, by answering a set of questions about marine science and policy. The coast of Central California has always played a critical role in both the science and policy of ocean management across the state and the nation.

The panelists will consist of CA Congressional and State Senate nominees running for offices in the 2024 election. Current Assemblymembers Gail Pellerin (28th District) and Dawn Addis (30th District), who represent parts of Santa Cruz County, are participating on the panel.

The event is sponsored by California State University Monterey Bay's (CSUMB) James W. Rote Distinguished Professorship in Marine Science and Policy.

When: Thursday, October 3, 2024, 5 – 8pm

Where: CSUMB Student Union - Ballroom A - 101A, Student Union - Ballroom B - 101B

Admission in free.

RSVP & SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE

Join the Wheelie Good Time

at Felt Street Park

Photo: Wheelie Good Time poster.

Come on out to Felt St Park for the inaugural “Wheelie Good Time” on Saturday, October 19 from 11:00am - 3:00pm!

Ecology Action and Bike Santa Cruz County with support from Community Bike Collective will be leading group bicycle rides to Felt St Park from Jade St Park and Frederick St Park. At Felt St Park, the Harbor High Bike Tech team will be available to help with repairs. Sign up for the bike rides here.
The Santa Cruz Boardroom is hosting the “Random Acts of Shredness” skateboard jam for all abilities. Try skateboarding for the first time or rip the fun park
Check out the cars from the Impalas Car Club has some sweet classic cars at the Center for Spiritual Living parking lot.
A performance by the Young Outdoor Leaders of the County Park Friends, DJ Jahi will be supplying the tunes, and Areparia831 will have yummy food available to purchase.
· Take a quick stroll over to Del Mar Elementary for their Trunk or Treat.

Go the website for more information on the event.

Biketober

Photo: Biketober poster.

Biketober, the most wonderful time of the year!

Ecology Action is hosting bike rides and workshops for their annual event. Join the festivities this October and enjoy bike themed events and activities all over Santa Cruz County. Plus, log your rides for chance to win $1,000 with the return of the Love to Ride Challenge.

SIGN UP FOR BIKETOBER

Floral Park Public Art Project

Photo: Rendering of Floral Park playground.

An artist will be selected to create a site-specific public art component for Floral County Park, located at 656 38th Ave. in Pleasure Point. Many elements of the 1990s-era play structure are no longer functional, and its sand surface makes it inaccessible to park visitors with mobility issues.

Playground upgrades will include a new structure and rubberized surfacing, which will increase accessibility for people who use wheelchairs. The proximity of the park to the iconic Pleasure Point tide pools inspired the playground's design concept, which was selected by the community during the outreach process.

Artists may propose a free-standing piece, a work that enhances or enlivens one or more of the already existing park elements, or educational art panels to complement the tide pool design of the playground surfacing. It is recommended that artists visit the park to get a better sense of the location and public art opportunities. The budget for the project is $6,750.

A “Call to Artists,” which includes detailed information about the RFP process, and a sample contract, are available on the County Parks website.

The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 18, 2024.

Road Work

Photo: road work.

COUNTY

Modular Units Transported - Oversize Load

Now through Tuesday, September 24, 2024, large trucks transporting modular homes to the Park Haven Project site located at 2838 Park Avenue in Soquel, will travel from Brommer Street & 7th Avenue in Santa Cruz. Transportation will take place between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM on weekdays, causing intermittent delays of up to 10 minutes or more as each truck arrives.

Road Closure: Arana Trunkline Replacement - Phase 1

Starting Monday, September 23, for the next two weeks, there will be a total road closure of Brookwood Drive (between Prospect Heights and Plateau Drive).

Road closure required to install new sewer line and connect to an existing manhole in the middle of Brookwood Drive. Road closure construction starting September 23 is to be performed between the hours of 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (weekdays only).

Questions? Contact: Randy Enger, Resident Engineer, 408-769-8428 or email.

Lane Closures: Sanitation Sewer Improvement Project

From Monday, September 23, 2024, through Friday, October 4, 2024 (weather permitting), between the hours of 9 AM to 3 PM, East Cliff Drive (from Prospect Street to 17th Avenue), Portola Drive (from 17th Avenue to 30th Avenue), 13th Avenue (from Prospect Street to East Cliff Drive), Corcoran Avenue (from Portola Drive to Fell Street), will be subject to traffic delays with lane closures.

Commuters may experience flashing red traffic signals, moving lane closures and flag personnel during this time. The lane closures are necessary to accommodate manhole rehabilitation work pertaining to a sanitary sewer improvement project.

Questions? Contact: Matthew Buck, Resident Engineer, County of Santa Cruz by phone (831) 477-3957 or email and Sebastian Franco, Project Manager, H&R Underground by phone (510) 222-5556.

SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT'S PURE WATER SOQUEL MICRORESURFACING PROJECT

Date: Sunday, 9/22 - Monday 9/23 (night work) and Wednesday 9/25, Thursday 9/26, Friday 9/27 (daytime work)

Locations:

Night 1

Soquel Ave - Off Ramp / On Ramp Full Closure
Park Ave - Off Ramp / On Ramp Closed

Night 2

Porter St - Off Ramp Closed / Porter St Closed
S Main St - EB and WB Lane
Park Ave - Off Ramp / On Ramp Closed

Day 1

Soquel Ave - WB Lane
Gross Rd/ Auto Plaza Dr - EB Lane
Soquel Wharf Rd - All
Wharf RD - NB Lane
E Walnut - EB Lane
Rosedale Ave - NB Lane
Kennedy Dr - WB Lane

Day 2

Soquel Ave - EB Lane
Gross Rd/ Auto Plaza Dr - WB Lane
Wharf Rd - SB Lane
E Walnut St - WB Lane
Cabrillo College Dr - WB Lane
Willowbrook Lane - SB Lane

Day 3

Gross Rd - Inside Lane
Rosedale Ave - SB Lane
Kennedy Dr - EB Lane
Cabrillo College Dr - EB Lane
Willowbrook Lane - NB Lane
Kennedy Dr - Parking Lot

Time: (Night work) 10 PM - 6 AM and (Day work) 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM for non-commute routes and 9 AM - 3 PM for commute routes (i.e. Cabrillo College Drive, Park Avenue, Soquel Drive/Ave)

Questions? Contact: Skyler Murphy, Water Resources Planner, via email

Caltrans

Bay Ave./Porter St. Onramp to Southbound Highway 1 In Aptos To Close Sept. 29 For Two Months

A project to construct north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Hwy. 1 between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive interchanges continues next week with a closure of the Bay/Porter onramp to southbound Highway 1.

Starting Sunday Sept. 29, travelers will encounter a two-month closure of the Bay Ave./Porter St. onramp to southbound Highway 1 in Aptos. This ramp closure will allow crews to reconstruct the pavement elevation to accommodate the permanent bus-on-shoulder feature. The Bay Ave./Porter St. onramp to southbound Highway 1 is expected to reopen Nov. 29.

A detour is available. Message and directional signs are in place to alert travelers in advance of the ramp closure and to guide travelers through the detour.

Travelers on Porter St. will be directed to Bay Ave. and to Park Ave. where they will be able to take the southbound Hwy. 1 onramp at Park Ave. Travelers on Bay Ave. will continue on Bay Ave./Porter St. to Soquel Dr. until they reach Park Ave. and rejoin southbound Hwy. 1 at the Park Avenue onramp.

This ramp closure will allow crews to partially excavate the existing onramp, correct the slope to accommodate the bus-on-shoulder feature, widen the mainline shoulder, as well as install drainage inlets, and complete electrical work and striping.

Single Lane Overnight Closures of Southbound Hwy. 1 Between 41st Ave. and Soquel Dr. Set to Begin Sunday Sept. 22 for 5 Nights

Starting Sunday Sept. 22, travelers will encounter five consecutive overnight closures of the #1 (left) lane of Highway 1, between 41st Ave. and Soquel Dr, from 9 pm to 6 am.

During these five nights there may also be intermittent closures of the (#1) left lane of northbound Hwy. 1, which if needed, will take place between 9 pm and 5 am.

During overnight lane closures, travelers will be directed to travel in the #2 (right) lane and can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

The last overnight lane closures for the week begin Thursday Sept. 26 and when crews open both lanes of travel the morning of Friday Sept. 27, there will be no lane restrictions for the remainder of the weekend.

Upcoming Meetings & Office Hours

Photo: Board of Supervisors meeting in Board Chambers.

Tuesday, September 24th - Board of Supervisors Meeting starting at 9:00 AM. The agenda is here. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the Board Chambers at 701 Ocean Street, Rm 525.

Wednesday, September 25th - Planning Commission's Meeting on the County of Santa Cruz Rezoning Program. Board of Supervisors Chamber, 701 Ocean Street, Room 525 at 9:30 AM. The Commission will be reviewing the 2023 Housing Element, which includes 75 parcels across unincorporated urban areas that have been identified for rezoning, aiming to increase capacity for lower-income housing.

Wednesday, October 2nd - Office Hours from 1 PM to 3 PM. Come visit me at the 1st District Office in Live Oak at the Sheriff's Center, 5200 Soquel Ave, ground floor. Bring your questions and we will meet one-on-one. First come, first served.

Tuesday, October 8th - Board of Supervisors Meeting starting at 9:00 AM. The agenda is pending. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the Board Chambers at 701 Ocean Street, Rm 525.