FEATURED COLUMNIST
How Your Tax Dollars Will Be Spent By Bruce McPherson, Supervisor, Fifth District
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pproving the County’s budget each June may not seem like an exciting undertaking for most. But for me it is one of the best moments of the year, and this budget season did not disappoint. Reading and reviewing the budget, which means receiving presentations from several County departments about the great work they do and the challenges they face, is a critical job of the Board of Supervisors. The budget approved on June 28 represented the tenth one I’ve worked on since taking office in 2013, and I am as impressed as ever with the breadth of services we offer, the caliber of workers we employ, and the strategic initiatives we address through our spending. While a portion of our $1.03 billion budget is comprised of state and federal pass-through dollars to address health and human services, the County has a General Fund of more than $683 million that pays for public safety and other core functions, a few of which are new this year and deserve to be highlighted. This budget provides the first full year of funding for the new Public Defender’s Office, which will launch in July with a team of County employees headed up by our first
Public Defender Heather Rogers following through our Collective of Results and Evi- reserves after tapping them during the decades of great service by our contracted dence (CORE), spending more than $6 million pandemic. indigent defense firm, Biggam Christensen in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz. We are still hopeful the federal govThe competitive process was based ernment will increase our re-imbursement & Minsloff. We are also providing new staff resources for our Sheriff and District Attorney on a revised ranking system, but because for the $130 million in Covid-19 response while making progress on improvements to it resulted in some long-time awardees not funding incurred by the County. But as it receiving a grant, the Board agreed to make stands, we may not recoup as much as $19 Juvenile Hall. Additionally, we are continuing to room for a few additional recipients and use million. work on our South County Service one-time money to provide a ramp-down I’ll close on a positive financial note. The Center, which will provide vital for those who had received large grants in Veterans Village in Ben Lomond received $6.4 county resources in Watsonville, the previous cycle but were not funded this million in Project Homekey funding from the and improving our land-use time. state. The first to receive the homelessness We were fortunate this year to provide grant in our County, the project expects to services through the combining of our Public Works the extra funding, thanks to additional house up to 20 veterans and family members and Planning functions into Human Services revenue from the state. in the former Jaye’s Timberlane motel, which a new Community Devel- We were also able to keep better pace with will undergo renovations. opment and Infrastructure rising expenses thanks to a majority of voters I hope you can attend the wonderful Department that will feature agreeing on the June ballot to increase the Scotts Valley Independence Day celebration a Unified Permit Center. We are County’s lodging tax and placing a fee on on July 3, and I wish everyone in District 5 a also assigning about $5 million single-use cups. Happy Fourth of July and a great summer. n However, many economic indicators for our Measure D roadwork in ••• the coming year, which for Dis- predict a looming recession, which means As always, please contact my office at trict 5 will focus on the Felton likely belt-tightening in the future, which Fifth.District@santacruzcounty.us or 831-454area and Quail Hollow Road from makes me glad we also added back to our 2200 if we can be of assistance. Glen Arbor Road to East Zayante “CZU Fire Grand Jury” from page 8 critical infrastructure or access and egress long-term property management plans, Road. routes, which are essential to protect the were factors in getting the awards. We also We calculated that Santa Cruz The mixture of soil and plant community and provide safe movement. increased our material is noncombustible. The masThis survey is 12 years old. County received at least $9 million in support for ticator is seeing use outside of projects Santa Cruz County received at least CalFire grants in 2020–2021. community funded by grants. $9 million in CalFire grants last year. If the CalFire grants may only be programs RCD runs chipping programs to County received a similar amount each awarded for projects on private land if facilitate creation of defensible space year, it would take 14 years to complete there is an imminent threat to public high-priority vegetation reduction. around buildings. rights of way or public infrastructure. It is imperative the highest risk Expensive Wildfire does not respect landownhe Santa Cruz County WUI is 61 areas receive treatment first and not wait ership; a fire may start on private land and square miles, of which 59% has until the end of the 14 years. quickly spread to a nearby community Vegetation will be growing back; or critical infrastructure. The Santa Cruz residences. There are 640 acres in a square mile, hence, after 14 years, it will be time to start Mountain Stewardship Network is the so there are 61 x 0.59 x 640 = 23,000 acres over. The County’s success in obtaining major player advocating for vegetationgrant funding means it is able to make management work on private land. of occupied WUI. Last year, two grants totaling $7.7 some progress. It would certainly be prefContract Expires in 2023 million ($3 million + $4.7 million) funded erable to complete the work in less time. he Santa Cruz County Fire RCD has achieved real obtaining vegetation-reduction projects on 1,384 Department serves the unincorpoacres (454 + 930), which works out to grants for vegetation reduction. In 2020– rated County, including Bonny Doon, 2021, the RCD obtained a $1.3 million Davenport, Loma Prieta, Corralitos, Las $5,600 per acre. If these projects are representative of grant from the CalFire Early Action Cali- Cumbres, and South Skyline. This area the cost, then treating 23,000 acres would fornia Climate Investments Program for overlaps almost entirely with the State shaded fuel breaks along Summit Road. cost about $130 million. Responsibility Area. The willingness of the agencies This estimate includes vegetation “CZU Fire Grand Jury” page 23 reduction only on occupied WUI – not to partner with others, and to publish
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22 / July 2022 / Scotts Valley Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
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