Image: AI in Santa Cruz County Government, as depicted by AI.
Next week, the Board will receive an update on how Santa Cruz County is using artificial intelligence and consider a workplan to guide its future use. Over 1,800 County employees are already using AI tools for research, drafting, and operations, reflecting a workforce actively seeking to improve service delivery. The proposed workplan shifts this use from informal adoption to a more coordinated, County-supported approach with standardized tools, stronger data security, and consistent training.
This effort is not about replacing employees, but about supporting them by reducing routine tasks and freeing up time for higher-value work. Human judgment will remain central to all decisions. The County is also exploring public-facing tools like chatbots and translation services to improve access to information, with a continued focus on privacy, transparency, and accountability.
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Image: People looking at plans. Image from https://cdi.santacruzcountyca.gov/
The Board will also receive a progress report on the Streamline Santa Cruz County initiative, which aims to improve the permitting process for residents, homeowners, and businesses. Over the past nine months, staff have made meaningful progress implementing projects that reduce complexity, improve communication, and create more predictable outcomes for applicants.
Key improvements include better front-end information through pre-application tools, helping applicants submit more complete proposals and avoid delays. The County is also standardizing internal procedures and using customer feedback to continuously refine the process. While more work remains, these efforts are moving us toward a more transparent, efficient, and user-friendly system.
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In line with the effort to streamline and simplify building in Santa Cruz County, next week's public hearing will consider whether certain local amendments to the State’s Building Standards Code should be removed. These local amendments have accumulated and have been carried forward over decades. This review is part of an effort to eliminate ones that are no longer needed given updates at the state level.
Staff recommend removing some amendments where state standards are now sufficient, while keeping others that address local conditions or provide added protections. The goal is to simplify regulations and make the permitting process easier to navigate, without compromising health, safety, or accessibility standards.
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Image: Inspecting road damage on Morrill Cutoff Rd
Earlier this week, my staff and I joined County CEO Nicole Coburn and Assistant Director of Public Works Steve Weisner for a First District road tour, visiting several of the storm damage sites highlighted in next week’s Board report. The tour provided a firsthand look at both the progress that has been made and the areas where work and funding are still needed to fully restore access, particularly in some of the more remote parts of our district.
The upcoming report focuses on recovery efforts from the 2016–17 winter storms and the 2023 atmospheric river event, which together damaged 414 sites at an estimated cost of $266.4 million. To date, about 76% of these sites have been repaired, improving safety and restoring critical connections across the county. The County has moved aggressively to advance these projects, in many cases fronting costs to accelerate repairs ahead of federal reimbursement.
At the same time, real challenges remain. FEMA reimbursements have been delayed, reduced, or denied, while inflation, evolving federal requirements, and complex approval processes continue to drive up costs and slow timelines. These pressures not only affect current recovery efforts but also limit our ability to respond to future disasters. My priority is to keep projects moving, secure the funding we are owed, and advocate for additional investment in roads and culverts so we can rebuild stronger and better prepare for what comes next.
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Consent Agenda items are voted on with one motion at the beginning of the meeting. Supervisors may still comment on, ask questions about, or propose alternative actions for Consent Agenda items, and any item may be pulled to the Regular Agenda at the request of a Supervisor to allow full public comment and greater discussion.
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Supervisor Kim DeSerpa and I submitted this item to oppose Assembly Bill 2494, a proposal that would make significant changes to how California’s Demonstration State Forests are managed. While the goals of the bill around climate resilience and ecological protection are important and widely shared, the approach outlined in AB 2494 raises concerns about how those goals would be achieved in practice.
The proposal would restrict timber harvesting to limited purposes and shift the overall management model, which could reduce the use of proven tools that help maintain forest health and reduce wildfire risk. It also proposes changes to how these forests are funded, moving away from the current self-supporting model and creating uncertainty around long-term financial stability.
You may view the entire agenda for the April 28, 2026, Board of Supervisors meeting here.
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Image: Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Headquarters and location of First District Office Hours
Tuesday, April 28 - Board of Supervisors Meeting, 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the County Government Center Community Room, located either in the basement at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 OR in our new Board Chambers on the 5th Floor – stay tuned for updates!
Tuesday, May 5 - Board of Supervisors Meeting, 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the County Government Center Community Room, located in the basement at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Wednesday, May 6 - First District Office Hours, 1:00 - 3:00 PM. First come, first served. 5200 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, 95062.
Thursday, May 7 - Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Meeting, 9:00 AM. The agenda is posted here. 275 Main Street, Watsonville 95076, CA 95060
The County Board Chambers are currently undergoing renovation through early May 2026. Board meetings will be held at various locations throughout the County of Santa Cruz during this time. The early 2026 meeting schedule with updated locations can be found here.
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