FEATURED COLUMNIST
Redistricting, Tiny Homes, and Fire Prevention By Manu Koenig, Supervisor, First District
Redistricting: New Boundary Lines n Nov. 16, the Board of Supervisors voted to adapt new supervisorial boundaries to reflect the latest census count. The 1st District gained some residents and lost some residents when we finalized the maps for supervisorial redistricting. In Live Oak, 613 residents in the East Harbor area switched from the 3rd District to the 1st District. This change unites the Harbor-Twin Lakes Beach community. It was clear after the discussions on the Live Oak Parking program this past spring that we are one community of interest. I’m excited to welcome the East Harbor Neighborhood to the 1st District! In Scotts Valley, 2,322 East Scotts Valley residents left the 1st District to join the 5th District, uniting the City of Scotts Valley. I supported reunifying Scotts Valley because it’s what my Scotts Valley constituents asked me to do. Moreover, putting cities in one district when practicable is required under the State’s FAIR MAPs act. While the 1st District will now have the least voters in total population, we still
O
have the most unincorporated residents. In fact, 34% of the county’s unincorporated residents live in the 1st District. This is why I will work to get more resources for District 1, to provide the quality full-service government you deserve. ••• Tiny Homes Talk Beginning Soon! ousing remains a top priority for our office and we continue to work on identifying additional ways to provide housing within our community. One way to create more housing options in our community is by allowing “Tiny Homes” to be legal dwelling units (current County Code requires homes to be a minimum of 150 square feet, and to sit on a permanent foundation). Our office first requested the Planning Department to present options for Tiny Homes (including Movable Tiny Homes/ Tiny Homes on Wheels) as legal dwelling units back in January 2021, and Tiny Homes were initially included in the ADU amendment process which was already underway. The Planning Commission, however, voted in March to separate discussion of Tiny Homes from the ADU process. Now that the Board of Supervisors has approved the changes to our county Accessory Dwelling Units regulations, planning staff will turn their attention to the Tiny Home project. First steps include virtual community meetings in early December, including a meeting focused on the urban/coastal area at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. To view the meeting dates
H
SPECIALTY SCREEN & GLASS SHOP Contact us for a free on-site consultation.
831-476-2023 Skylightplace.com
30 / December 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
Local Local Local
or to access instructions for joining the meetings, visit https://www.sccoplanning. com/ADU.aspx. To submit comments about Tiny Homes, or to sign up to receive email updates, email Planner Daisy Allen, Daisy.Allen@santacruzcounty.us. ••• More FireSafe Funding! he County of Santa Cruz Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience has been awarded a $175,000 California FireSafe Council grant to increase community preparedness in the face of increased wildfire threats. The grant will fund a new position to coordinate and align neighborhood-level and landscape-scale fire protection activities throughout the County in order to improve and expand local wildfire resilience, including hazardous fuel reduction efforts and sharing wildfire preparedness information and services across all socioeconomic groups, including underserved communities. The County’s award was one of a handful across the state of California. The success of getting this grant was a collaboration between the OR3, the Resource Conservation District, and the Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County. Funding for the grant is provided by Cal Fire. The grants prioritize counties with a high percentage of very high fire hazard severity zones, a history of damaging fires, and a higher proportion of disadvantaged and/or low-income communities. Santa Cruz County is currently home to ten fire protection agencies, four
T
News ... Sports ... Politics ...
The inside of a tiny home
FireSafe Councils and 16 FireWise Communities, along with agencies such as the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, which helps manage fire prevention activities throughout the County. ••• Want to get in touch with us? eginning in 2022, we will host monthly in-person meetings at rotating locations throughout the First District. Check out our website, http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/ Government/BoardofSupervisors/District1.aspx, for upcoming meeting details. As always, we welcome you to reach out to us any time at (831) 454-2200 or email at first.district@santacruzcounty.us. Hope to see you soon! n
B
