Fifth District Update

By Bruce McPherson, County Supervisor 5th District

As we near the end of 2014, that quote from Oprah Winfrey seems especially relevant to me. As Supervisor of the Fifth District, so many of the places where I put my attention have ‘neither an end nor a beginning but a going on.’ They are in process and evolving. In that spirit, as we get ready to turn the last page in the calendar, I would like to share some of the “goings on” in the Fifth District, and thank the many wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and for in 2014.

My second year as Supervisor of the Fifth District was again a year of learning, working, and sharing. I am honored to represent the Fifth District and continue to grow in my appreciation of the talents, energy, and diversity of Fifth District residents.

In 2014, our community felt the passing of several incredible community leaders who made such a difference in our lives.

• Annette Marcum, founder of Valley Churches United Missions, died in January after battling lung disease for several years.
• Bill Burton, longtime advocate of the Felton Covered Bridge, and San Lorenzo Valley’s 2013 Man of the Year, passed away in April.
• Roger Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Hermon Christian Camps and Conference Center, went to his heavenly home in September.
• Bob Lee, Santa Cruz County District Attorney, died in October after a battle with cancer.

Historic Buildings Restored

The historic Brookdale Lodge was purchased by Pravin Patel, and is being restored to its glory days. And the historic Cremer House in Felton has opened as a popular restaurant-brewpub. The restaurant is a partnership between Emily Thomas, who owns Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, and Bob Locatelli, who owns the building and the adjacent New Leaf Community Market.

Economic Vitality

After numerous public workshops where hundreds of residents gave the County feedback, the Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive economic vitality study and plan. The strategy envisions how our community will sustain a thriving economy, while preserving the natural environment for current and future generations. There is an emphasis on extending affordable high speed internet, fixing our roads and infrastructure, focusing on public safety, and ensuring an adequate water supply, all essential elements of economic vitality. I am proud to have been a co-sponsor in proposing the need to develop this plan.

HERO—Property Assessed Clean Energy Program

Along with the Third District Supervisor, I proposed the California HERO Program (Home Retrofit Energy Opportunity), which was approved by the Board of Supervisors. This program allows property owners access to financing for renewable energy, energy and water efficiency improvements, and efficient wood stoves, among hundreds of other products. This financing is available for eligible improvements on both residential and non-residential properties and is paid back over time on property tax bills.

California Association of Counties

As the County’s representative on the statewide California Association of Counties (CSAC) Board, I advocated for two critical initiatives.

Proposition 1, the statewide water bond recently approved by the voters, authorizes $7.545 billion in general obligation bonds over 40 years for state water supply infrastructure projects. As a member of the central coast region’s advocacy group, I worked to increase the amount of financial support from the bond dedicated to the region.

For years, the State has burdened local governments with “unfunded mandates” forcing counties and cities to provide services or enforce state laws without the necessary funding. Two examples are providing health care for handicapped students and funds for our absentee ballot programs. CSAC has partnered with local governments as the main advocacy partner in asking the State to relieve the financial burden caused by these mandates by reimbursing local costs. In 2014, the State finally agreed to do a partial reimbursement, with the County of Santa Cruz receiving $662,000 and hoping to get additional funds, subject to additional state appropriations.

San Lorenzo Valley — Highway 9 and Downtown Area Improvements

During the many town hall and constituent meetings over the past two years facilitated by my office, the community has envisioned dozens of improvement projects. I am pleased that many of them became a reality this past year thanks to Caltrans and the County Public Works Department.

New large reflective street signs were installed by the County all along Highway 9.

In Boulder Creek, Caltrans restriped all of the crosswalks and painted a new crosswalk to the downtown Metro bus stop. Caltrans also replaced all of the pedestrian alert signs and installed “no parking” signs at key corners to increase visibility for both drivers and pedestrians. The County assisted in identifying 15 additional parking spaces for downtown businesses with directional signage and installed “no overnight parking” signs in one problem area to significantly improve public safety. Boulder Creek also got new garbage can lids in the downtown area, courtesy of the County.

The County funded the staff time to design the replacement streetlights for downtown Felton and Boulder Creek and negotiated the installations with PG&E. The new lights in Felton have been installed and Boulder Creek will receive new lights sometime in 2015.

In the coming year my office will work with the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC), County Public Works, and community members to identify potential Highway 9 transportation improvement projects to propose for State grant funding. The SCCRTC has already agreed to coordinate a grant proposal to fund the development of a Master Transportation Plan for the entire San Lorenzo Valley -Highway 9 corridor. Such a plan would make project proposals for State grant funding much more competitive and likely to receive support.

I want to thank all of you for your dedication to see these projects come to fruition.

Community Choice Aggregation

Monterey Bay Community Power, a project that I have championed for more than two years, has tremendous potential for bringing green jobs and sustainable energy into our community. Studying the feasibility and technical aspects of establishing a local agency to buy and generate our electricity is an important project that will inform our community regarding the benefits and the drawbacks. Each county and city in the Central Coast region–Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties, and all of the 18 cities within those counties have agreed to participate in a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) technical study.

This is the first multi-county CCA project in the State, and I am proud to say that my office has steered the effort to enroll these local government partners and raise more than $400,000 to fund the feasibility study. As the lead agency for the regional partnership, Santa Cruz County will be issuing a request for proposals in the near future. In 2015, we will have the study and the answers we need that could bring meaningful environmental and economic gains to the local region.

Sending you all warmest regards and best wishes for a Happy New Year!