Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The year is accelerating into fall and there's a flurry of activity. The Board of Supervisors will consider tightening County Health Clinics' budget by outsourcing lab and x-ray services. Supervisor DeSerpa has brought a proposal to ban the sale of nitrous oxide or "Whippets."
An enormous $72M hole has emerged in the Rail Trail budget - more than remaining funds can cover. The Regional Transportation Commission will have to consider a redesign.
A new transitional housing facility will open soon in Live Oak at the old Santa Cruz Inn. This will help people out of homelessness and is being designed with a number of policies that will prevent negative impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
On September 24th the Planning Commission will review Anton Solana, a housing project at Thurber & Soquel Dr. If constructed it would include the tallest building in unincorporated Santa Cruz County at 69 feet.
There's a ballot in your mailbox on increased funding for mosquito, vector, and disease control. The division has seen opportunistic pests taking advantage of a changing climate.
Finally the Museum of Art & History (MAH) has opened a new exhibit Surf Live Oak at the Simpkins Swim Center. It's an adjunct to their Princes of Surf exhibit downtown. Go check it out!
Best, |
Manu Koenig 1st District Supervisor, Santa Cruz County
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Highlights on Tomorrow's Board of Supervisors Meeting
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Image: A patient gets her blood drawn. Santa Cruz County is considering outsourcing it's lab and radiology services (including blood samples) because in most cases the County cannot bill Medi-Cal for these services, whereas third party providers can. Photo credit Speedy Sticks.
Santa Cruz County’s Health Services Agency (HSA) is preparing to close its in-house radiology and laboratory services at Health Centers on September 30, 2025, following direction from the Board during FY 25-26 budget hearings earlier this year. Over the past three years, Health Centers have run budget deficits averaging $5 million annually. Even with cost reductions, the program was still $3.5 million over budget in FY 2024–25 and faces additional projected losses of $5 million this year and $10 million next year.
During budget hearings, the Board approved $380,816 to extend laboratory services through September and up to $129,000 to continue radiology for three additional months. The funding allowed time for the transition of patients to community providers and for placement of affected employees. Continuing the services beyond September would require about $1.45 million in additional county funds this fiscal year, compared with expected revenues of only $80,000.
HSA leaders concluded that closing in-house lab and radiology services is the least disruptive option to stabilize finances while maintaining access to essential primary and behavioral health care. Patients will be referred to outside providers, with support services such as onsite space for Quest Diagnostics, transportation vouchers, and care coordination to help ease the transition. County Human Resources has worked with impacted staff, and as of August 20, six staff members have been reassigned within the county, two have retired, one resigned, two declined placement due to pay differences, and one is still seeking a position.
The Santa Cruz County Women’s Commission will come to the Board tomorrow with priorities to advance gender equity under the County’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) designation.
The recommendations stem from a February 2024 Board of Supervisors resolution reaffirming Santa Cruz County’s CEDAW status and directing the Commission to identify key areas for action. Despite working with limited capacity, the Commission relied on data, community input, and professional expertise to shape its proposals. Among the 11 priorities are: - Commissioning a gender analysis of County workforce compensation
- Addressing OB/GYN provider shortages in South County
- Protecting access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care
- Expanding affordable childcare and housing for women-led households
- Supporting incarcerated and justice-involved women with gender-responsive services
- Collecting gender-disaggregated data across County departments
- Establishing a CEDAW ordinance to formalize the County’s long-term commitment
The Commission has emphasized that many of these initiatives will require significant investment but could have lasting impacts on equity and opportunity for women and families across Santa Cruz County.
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Image: Nitrous oxide canisters or "whippets" provide a quick and cheap high that can be particularly harmful to children. The Board of Supervisors will consider banning them at tomorrow's meeting. Photo credit Bright Future Recovery.
This proposed ordinance would prohibit the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes in unincorporated areas of the county. A second reading and final adoption are scheduled for September 30, 2025.
While state law bans possession or use of nitrous oxide with intent to get intoxicated, it does not restrict retail sales unless intent can be proven. This gap has allowed stores to sell the gas over the counter with little enforcement capability, raising public health and safety concerns.
Nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas,” or “whippets,” is commonly used in medical, dental, industrial, and culinary settings, but its recreational misuse has grown. Short-term effects include dizziness, disorientation, and impaired motor control; chronic use can lead to serious neurological damage, vitamin B12 depletion, and mental health issues. Local law enforcement has also tied misuse to safety risks. In August, the Sheriff’s Office seized nearly 100 nitrous units from a Felton store, which records showed could supply hundreds of thousands of doses annually. Days later, an impaired driver was arrested with large nitrous canisters in their car. If adopted, Santa Cruz County would join other California counties, including Orange, Humboldt, and San Mateo, that have already enacted bans to reduce access and limit harm, particularly among youth and young adults. |
The Train is Dead the Trail is at Risk
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Image: A recently opened section of the Santa Cruz Coastal Rail Trail. There is not enough money to build the remainder of the trail adjacent to the tracks because the cost of structures (like the pictured retaining wall) keep going up. Photo credit Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission.
Just one month after the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission learned that the price tag for passenger rail is an impossibly high $4.3 billion - $6.4 billion, a huge funding gap has opened up in the agency's flagship trail project. At the September 4th RTC meeting, staff discussed the $72 million shortfall that faces Coastal Rail Trail Segments 8-11, the span from the Boardwalk to State Park Dr in Aptos. The problem is that this gap is emerging after winning state and federal funding. It is now late in the game and, as Executive Director Sarah Christensen put it, "there are very few options at this point to go find additional money.” The funding gap would almost certainly have to be filled with local money.
Unfortunately that's impossible, because there's not enough local money left. The Measure D Active Transportation Category only has $55 million of capacity over the remaining life of the measure. To add additional perspective, only $24.5 million of local Measure D money has been committed to Segments 8-11 so far. An additional $72 million would be 300% more than the original, local allocation.
These huge cost overruns are the result of trying to fit the bike and pedestrian trail in next to the railroad tracks rather than on top of them. This means entirely new bridges, huge retaining walls, miles of fences and other expensive structures. If you want an analogy, just imagine someone told you to move your bed 12 feet to the north. Sounds simple enough, but at a minimum you'd need to remodel your house. More likely you'd need to build an entirely new house. That's effectively what's happening with Santa Cruz's Rail Trail. If you want to build a trail 12ft off of centerline from the tracks, you effectively need to build a new corridor. As it turns out, we can't afford that.
This means that if we want a trail in the rail corridor, the only viable option is to railbank and build it where the tracks are. At the meeting, County planner Rob Tidmore said that it’s “relatively safe to say” there would be enough money to build the interim trail instead. (The "interim trail" is a trail in place of the tracks).
There's been a lot of fear mongering in our community about railbanking, but the reality is that it's been done thousands of times across the country. In fact rail trails (where the rail line is converted to a trail) are conservatively 6 times more common than rails with trails (where a bike and pedestrian trail runs along active rail). As of 2021, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation said there are approximately 399 rails-with-trails spanning 1,025 miles. Compare that to 2,404 rail trails (according to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in 2018) spanning 25,723 miles, plus an additional 867 rail-trail projects planned for an additional 9,147 miles. The fact that there are at least 25x more miles of (railbanked) rail trails than rails with trails tells you that they are a heck of a lot easier to build.
That's why the Regional Transportation Commission asked for a report on railbanking at it's December meeting.
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Live Oak Landing: Transitional Housing with Community Protections
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Image: Community members and local homeless services staff at the Live Oak Landing Community Meeting on August 27th.
Live Oak Landing is a transitional housing facility for formerly homeless individuals that will be located at the site of the former Santa Cruz Inn, with an expected opening in early October.
Transitional housing, which is up to a 6 month stay, is a proven and essential tool in addressing the homelessness crisis. Facilities like Live Oak Landing provide stability, safety, and supportive services that help people take the next steps toward independence. Without resources like this, individuals often cycle between the streets, emergency rooms, and jails. By offering a stable environment and professional support, transitional housing gives residents the opportunity to rebuild their lives and ultimately move into permanent housing.
This project is being carefully designed to both meet urgent housing needs and respect the surrounding community. To ensure neighborhood safety and minimize impacts the following program elements are being included: No Drop-In Services. Only residents who are housed at the facility will have reason to be there. Walk-up or drop-in services will not be available, preventing loitering or unrelated activity at the site. Controlled Entry. The property will be fenced, and entry will be limited to residents. No one who is not housed at the facility will be allowed access. Oversight and Accountability. Operations will be subject to a County Minor Use Permit with conditions to prevent loitering and abate noise. In addition, a Citizen Advisory Group will be established, giving neighbors a direct voice in monitoring operations and ensuring the facility remains a good neighbor.
Residents will undergo background checks and will be placed through referrals managed by local nonprofit Housing Matters. Each resident will receive comprehensive case management, housing navigation support, and three daily meals, along with access to other Housing Matters programs.
Funding for the project includes $500,000 from Measure K, approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in June 2025, and $4 million in state funding awarded in April 2024 to support the development of 20–25 transitional housing units. Together, these resources made it possible to purchase and renovate the former inn into a safe and supportive facility. The inn has been struggling and looking for a buyer for some time.
County Housing for Health is partnering with neighbors to establish the Live Oak Landing Citizens’ Advisory Group. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to our office by phone or email, or contact housingforhealth@santacruzcountyca.gov.
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Anton Thurber Develpment at the Planning Commission on September 24
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Image: A rendering of the proposed development at the corner of Thurber & Soquel Dr. The affordable housing development known as Anton Thurber, on Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz, is expected to go before the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission on September 24. The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. in the basement of 701 Ocean Street, and meeting materials as well as a Zoom link can be found on the Planning Commission website here.
The plans for the 6.26 acre parcel, submitted in August 2024, call for 181 apartments across five buildings, and includes 257 parking spaces. All units would be deed-restricted affordable apartments, and income limits have been established and are posted on the Anton Solana website listed below. The housing is intended for the local workforce.
The development would consist of five buildings ranging from three to five stories, with the tallest buildings reaching 69 feet. Details about the project can be found online here: https://antonsolana.com/.
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Image: Keep a lookout for your ballot on the Mosquito, Vector and Disease Control Assessment.
Santa Cruz County’s Mosquito & Vector Control Division works year-round to keep our community safe from mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, and other pests that can spread disease. Services include free in-home inspections and advice, tick identification, mosquito testing, free mosquito-eating fish for ponds, and community education — all designed to reduce the spread of vector-borne illness.
But new challenges are emerging. The invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can transmit diseases like Dengue, was detected in Watsonville in 2022. Warmer weather means pests are active longer, while rising costs for fuel, supplies, and staffing are straining operations.
To keep pace, the Division is considering a small increase to the annual assessment that funds these services. Current rates for single-family homes range from just $18.69 to $24.26 per year and haven’t changed in more than 20 years. The proposed adjustment would add about $1–2 per month for most homeowners and would: Strengthen monitoring and response to invasive mosquitoes Sustain environmentally responsible control methods Expand disease testing and rodent prevention Maintain quick responses to resident service requests
Every dollar raised is legally restricted to mosquito and vector control in Santa Cruz County — it cannot be used for anything else.
Ballots could arrive in the coming months. To learn more about services or request help, visit mvc.santacruzcountyca.gov.
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Surf Exhibit at the Live Oak Library Annex
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Image: Tom Hickenbottom at the Pleasure Point Surf Shop, 1966. Photo credit Bob Richardson.
Live Oak history will be on full display this week during the Surf Live Oak exhibit opening Thursday, September 4, 3:30-5.p.m. at the Simpkins Family Swim Center & Live Oak Library Annex. Surf Live Oak is a pop-up exhibit of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) and the local surf community. The exhibit will run from Sept. 4 to January 4, 2026. Go check it out!
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METRO – MAC Commission Appointment
Beginning September 1, 2025, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Santa Cruz METRO) will accept applications to fill three vacancies on its METRO Advisory Committee (MAC). Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2025, to be considered.
MAC operates in an advisory role to the Santa Cruz METRO Board of Directors on policy issues related to customer service, bus operations, strategic planning, and community needs, among other topics. MAC meets quarterly and appointees serve a four-year term. Click here for more information.
For questions, contact Santa Cruz METRO at (831) 426-6080 or email mac@scmtd.com. |
SCCRTC – Elderly and Disabled Technical Advisory Committee
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is seeking a First District representative and alternate member for the Elderly and Disabled Technical Advisory Committee. Click here to find out more about position requirements and meeting schedule details.
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Photo: Board Chambers at 701 Ocean Street
County Board Chambers will be undergoing renovations for the remainder of the calendar year. All Board meetings from 9/30 on will be held at various alternate locations throughout the County. The Fall 2025 meeting schedule with locations can be found here.
Tuesday, September 9 - Board of Supervisors Meeting starting at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the Board Chambers at 701 Ocean Street, Rm 525.
Wednesday, September 10 - Office Hours from 1 PM to 3 PM. Come visit me at the Sheriff's Center, 5200 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz CA 95062. Bring your questions and meet with me one-on-one. As always, first come first served.
Thursday, September 11 – Seacliff/New Brighton Resiliency Presentation from 6-7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at the Samper Recital Hall, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Find more information here.
Wednesday, September 17 - Hope Forward- Esperanza Adelante Youth Crisis Center Ribbon Cutting from 10 AM to 11 AM. Join for a tour and ribbon cutting of the new youth crisis center, located at 5300 Soquel Avenue. Sign up for tickets here.
Saturday, September 20 – Care Fair from 11a.m. – 2p.m. is an annual community event focused on mental wellness, connection and healing, in honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It will be held at 701 Ocean Street. Find more information here.
Tuesday, September 30 - Board of Supervisors Meeting starting at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held via Zoom and in person at Watsonville City Council Chambers at 275 Main Street in Watsonville (Top Floor).
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