By Bruce McPherson, Supervisor, Fifth District
Severe storms that have pelted Santa Cruz County for the last three months have caused a great deal of damage to public and private property, resulting in prolonged power outages and difficulty traveling throughout the San Lorenzo Valley.
I invite you to a joint SLV Town Hall with Congressman Jimmy Panetta from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Highlands Park Senior & Community Center, 8500 Highway 9, Ben Lomond, primarily to discuss storm response and recovery.
We have invited representatives from PG&E, Caltrans, California Office of Emergency Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, and several County departments.
A fallen tree brought wires down on Bean Creek Road, Scotts Valley. • Courtesy Scotts Valley Fire District
Two days prior to that, SLV residents in the Big Basin Water Co. service area are encouraged to attend a hearing hosted by the California Public Utilities Commission regarding a proposed rate increase for the utility. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, April 3, at Boulder Creek Fire, 13230 Central Avenue (Highway 9.)
There are likely to be many questions about the State Water Resources Control Board’s recent pursuit of receivership for the drinking water portion of the company. Although the April 3 meeting is about the rate increase proposal, I am working with the State to address the broader issue of receivership.
Sticking with Boulder Creek, the Board of Supervisors participated in a study session March 28 regarding the County’s proposed Boulder Creek Water Quality and Recovery Project that would expand the County Service Area 7 sanitation system to include properties further down Highway 236, downtown, and parts of Bear Creek Road.
My office has worked for several years to update this proposal first studied several decades ago. Now with more widespread support from environmental and business leaders, we are hoping to expand the existing sewer system serving the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club community for the purposes of addressing watershed health, aiding fire recovery and relieving downtown businesses of expensive septic haul-away. After receiving an initial $2 million federal earmark, we are now looking at additional state and federal funding. The Board of Supervisors will receive another update in October 2023.
Meanwhile, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County will open registration for its Spring 2023 No-Cost Community Chipping Program on Saturday, April 1. The program is available to County residents who live in areas, defined as the Wildland Urban Interface, that have the potential for wildfire to impact their properties. Registration will continue through April 30, with chipping scheduled to start May 9. Visit rcdsantacruz.org for more information and to register.
On the topic of public safety, I would like to congratulate Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Matson in his new role as the Sheriff’s community policing sergeant for the San Lorenzo Valley, a role previously held by Sgt. Jason Dunn. During his 14 years with the Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Matson has served as a Patrol Deputy, Field Training Officer, Detective, Patrol Sergeant, and Community Policing Sergeant in Aptos. He can be reached at [email protected] or 831-454-7409. We welcome Sgt. Matson and thank Sgt. Dunn for his years of great service to SLV.
Lastly, I am proud to announce that on March 20, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to join Central Coast Community Energy. Now with 35 member jurisdictions, 3CE will serve the entire Central Coast, including the Counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, and all of the cities except two within those counties.
I am proud Santa Cruz County led the formation process from 2013 to 2017, creating Monterey Bay Community Power, which evolved into 3CE and is now geographically the largest community choice energy agency in California.
•••
You can contact my office at [email protected] or 831-454-2200.
Top Photo: Mudslide closes Highway 9 in Ben Lomond. • Photo posted by Casa Nostra restaurant