By Jon Chown
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors reviewed a proposed long-range strategic plan May 19 that calls for building more than 2,500 housing units, cutting traffic deaths, expanding mental health care, reducing homelessness and using artificial intelligence to improve county services by 2032.
The proposed “County Strategic Plan 2026–2032” is meant to guide county decisions, priorities and spending over the next six years while reflecting what residents said they want for the future of Santa Cruz County.
“The purpose of the strategic plan is to set forth a vision grounded in the hopes of the people that we serve,” County CEO Nicole D. Coburn wrote in a message included with the report.
The plan lays out a vision for a county that is “healthy, safe, and affordable,” while also being “culturally diverse, economically inclusive, and environmentally vibrant.”
County leaders said the document is designed to act as a roadmap for government decisions, programs and investments through 2032. It includes goals, measurements and strategies in six major focus areas: housing and infrastructure; health, wellbeing and connection; safety and justice; environment, climate and resilience; access to basic needs and support; and economy and job growth.
Among the county’s top goals are permitting more than 2,541 housing units by 2032, cutting transportation deaths and serious injuries by 25%, increasing mental health treatment beds by 50%, and reducing recidivism by 10% over six years.
The plan also calls for reducing homelessness by helping more than half of unhoused households find permanent housing, expanding community gathering spaces, growing family-wage jobs and using artificial intelligence to improve county services.
What’s in the Plan
County officials said the plan is built around three main values: collaboration, accessibility and integrity.
The proposal also includes what county leaders call “implementation lenses,” which are meant to guide decision-making. Those lenses focus on health impacts, equity and financial responsibility.
Housing is one of the biggest parts of the plan. County leaders said the county’s housing shortage affects workers, families and renters across all income levels.
The county hopes to permit more than 2,541 housing units by 2032 by streamlining permits, coordinating infrastructure improvements and supporting affordable housing projects.
Transportation safety is another major focus. The county wants to reduce deadly and serious crashes in unincorporated areas by 25% through safer roads, bike and pedestrian improvements and expanded public transportation options. The plan also mentions continued support for projects like the rail trail.
Mental health care was identified as one of the county’s most urgent unmet needs. The plan calls for a 50% increase in step-down treatment beds and better coordination between health, housing and justice systems.
Second District Supervisor Kim DeSerpa said she was grateful the plan addressed mental health care needs, including more room to care for patients, instead of paying other counties for the care. “It’d be much cheaper to house people in hour own community, so thank you for putting that in there,” she said.
The strategy on safety and justice focuses on reducing recidivism by 10% over six years.
County leaders said residents want safer communities, stronger support for crime victims and more prevention and reentry programs for people leaving the justice system.
One of the plan’s largest sections focuses on homelessness and access to basic needs.
County officials said homelessness in Santa Cruz County is driven by high housing costs, a lack of affordable housing and gaps in services for people with health or behavioral health needs.
The county wants to maintain a rate where more than half of unhoused households move into permanent housing. The strategy calls for better coordination between housing, health care and social service agencies, while expanding supportive housing and improving access to services.
The report notes that African Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ+ residents and men are disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness. County leaders also said adults with disabilities are becoming a larger part of the unhoused population.
Third District Supervisor Justin Cummings said he’d still like to see the plan address housing more substantively. “How do we build affordable units? Because we can build housing and we can meet all the numbers, but if the number of units that we’re building aren’t ones that people can afford, then were building housing without actually addressing the problem,” he said, also noting that the community and local economy is more stable when community members like teachers could afford homes. “A lot of middle class people are mostly renting because they can’t afford home ownership, right? And we have a hard time recruiting and retaining people in a variety of different sectors.”
The plan also includes a future federal policy response strategy that is expected to return in fall 2026. County officials said changes in federal funding, immigration enforcement and health and housing policies could have major impacts on local residents and county programs.
Economic development is another major priority in the proposed plan.
County officials said industries such as biotechnology, health care, aviation and emerging drone technology could help create more family-wage jobs in the county. Tourism, agriculture and hospitality were also described as key parts of the local economy.
The county’s goal is to increase the share of family-wage jobs to 46% by strengthening workforce partnerships, expanding career training and supporting higher-paying industries.
The report points to partnerships with groups such as Cabrillo College, University of California, Santa Cruz and El Pajaro Community Development Corporation as important parts of workforce development efforts.
The plan also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in county government.
County officials said AI tools could help reduce paperwork and administrative tasks, allowing employees to spend more time directly serving residents. The county said it hopes to create custom AI systems based on local data while avoiding privacy risks, surveillance concerns and bias.
The proposal includes goals for improving service response times, increasing transparency and making services easier to access across different languages and communities.
How the Plan Was Made
Officials said one of the most important parts of the process was hearing directly from residents.
According to the county, the plan was shaped through more than 4,500 points of community engagement between 2024 and 2026. That outreach included town halls, surveys, focus groups and meetings across all five supervisorial districts.
Supervisor Monica Martinez, District 5, said having the plan in regular language that people can understand has resonated with the public.
“It has just been so refreshing to go through a process that continues to emerge based on real feedback and I think that is reflected throughout this entire document.,” she said.
The county said it made special efforts to reach groups that are often left out of government planning, including farmworkers, immigrants, seniors, youth, people experiencing homelessness, small business owners and rural residents.
County officials said five major themes came up again and again during the outreach process.
Housing was described as the county’s top issue across nearly every community. Residents also said mental health services remain one of the biggest unmet needs.
People repeatedly pointed to the high cost of living as a major barrier, saying wages have not kept up with housing and other expenses.
Residents also stressed the importance of trust in government, especially through bilingual services, trusted community partners and clear communication.
Another common concern was the difficulty of navigating county systems and services.
The county said the strategic plan is meant to stay flexible as conditions change. Two major strategies — a federal policy response strategy and a climate action strategy — are still being developed and are expected to return in 2026 and 2027.
“I’d like to see this continue to be refined down,” said First District Supervisor Manu Koenig. He referred to the Rule of Three, noting how easy it is to remember and repeat three simple ideas. “What I see here are six things, seven things. Let’s just keep simplifying.”
Supervisors are expected to continue gathering feedback from residents, county staff and community organizations before the final version comes back for approval later this summer.