(The following documents and news articles are presented in reverse chronological order, so that the newest are at the top of the page. If you would like to start at the beginning, then you might want to read, or swim, from the bottom to the top.)
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Teach the Forest - UCSC and Santa Cruz Communities Protect Open Space.
The LAFCO public hearings and the election in November are our best hope to fight a plan to bulldoze UCSC’s Upper Campus. The proposed Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) would develop 240 acres and construct 3,000,000 square feet of new buildings in what is now the campus natural reserve. We need you – the students of UCSC and Santa Cruz residents – to take a stand! There are FOUR KEY ACTIONS you can take.
- Join the Teach the Forest Campaign and help spread the word. You can also Join “Teach the Forest” on Facebook!
- Attend the LAFCO hearings. LAFCO has cancelled its December 5th meeting in the wake of the state Court of Appeals rejection of the Environmental Impact Report on water service for campus expansion. LAFCO will meet on January 9th to decide whether to schedule a public hearing about the UCSC application, or whether to put that off until some future time. Stay informed and be ready to go.
- Sign the petition and let your voice be heard!
- Register to vote in Santa Cruz and VOTE in the local elections.
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LAFCO Meetings
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Court ruling invalidates Santa Cruz’s EIR aimed at UCSC growth - Santa Cruz Sentinel article by J.M. Brown, published November 28th, 2012.
Letter from Gary Patton of the Community Water Coalition to LAFCO – “City and UCSC Applications Pending Before LAFCO – Where Are We Now?” - submitted to LAFCO on November 19th, 2012.
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Photos of the UCSC – Upper Campus Forest – Water Tank Mural
(The mural is still being created. Last photo update November 25th, 2012. Click on a photo to make it larger.)
ARTivists at Work: Water Tanks Have a Message to Take Action. Published on the “Project ReGeneration – Empowerment Through Art and Nonviolence” website, this article has more info and photos of the UCSC Upper Campus Water Tank Mural.
State Agency Wants Santa Cruz to Improve Stream Flows Immediately - Santa Cruz Sentinel article published October 25th, 2012.
Flyer from University Cafe event held on October 8th, 2012.
City Council Candidates Tackle Desalination - Forum examines Measure P and how to keep Santa Cruz from going thirsty. By Ardy Raghian – City On a Hill Press. Published October 5, 2012. (Mentions 2006 Measure J – see below) There is an error in paragraph two of the article. County-wide should be city-wide.
“If passed in the November elections, Measure P would prevent the city council from taking legislative action to approve the building of the plant without first putting it up for a county-wide city-wide vote.”
City Council Candidates’ Scorecard and Answers to Water Questions - Published by Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives on September 27th, 2012.
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What was Measure I in 2006?
Text of 2006 Measure I (UCSC Growth Ordinance) and Arguments
2006 Measure I Election Results
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What was Measure J in 2006?
Text of 2006 Measure J (Utility Service Area Expansion) and Arguments
2006 Measure J – Election Results
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News Articles related to 2006 Measures I and J
City Council Candidates Tackle Desalination - Forum examines Measure P and how to keep Santa Cruz from going thirsty. By Ardy Raghian – City On a Hill Press. Published October 5, 2012. (Mentions 2006 Measure J -see below)
City should wait on UCSC water decision – By Rick Longinotti. Published in Santa Cruz Sentinel on July 25th, 2010.
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Feds announce Central Coast Coho salmon recovery plan. LAFCO decision on UCSC expansion delayed until November 7th. Santa Cruz Sentinel article by Jason Hoppin. Published September 5th, 2012
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Click here to see the agenda for LAFCO’s September 5th meeting. Minutes not available at time of this posting.
Click here to see the minutes for LAFCO’s August 1st meeting.
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LAFCO’s last meeting before summer was held on Wednesday, June 6th in Santa Cruz. Click here to see the minutes for the June 6th meeting.
On June 6, 2012, the Commission conducted a public hearing on Applications No. 928
(Sphere of Influence Amendment) and No. 929 (Extraterritorial Water and Sewer
Services). The Commission continued its consideration of the applications to its
meeting on October 10, 2012. (Note: Now pushed out to November 7th, 2012.) The Chairperson appointed two committees: Water
Conservation and Conditions. The Commission’s intention was for each committee to
give status reports at the August and September LAFCO meetings. Neither committee
has produced a written status report. The status reports will be presented orally at the
meetings.
Strong Turnout to Protect UCSC Upper Campus Prompts LAFCO to Delay Decision - by Alex Darocy of Indybay online media, published June 21st, 2012. This is a great article with many nice photos, and perhaps most importantly a complete audio recording of the June 6th LAFCO meeting.
LAFCO vote on controversial UCSC expansion delayed four months – Santa Cruz Sentinel June 6th, 2012.
Standing Room Only at the LAFCO meeting on June 6th, 2012.
Standing Up and Speaking Out for the Upper Campus Forest. (LAFCO – June 6th, 2012)
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Protection of Natural Habitat Concerns Those at “Water, Desal and the UCSC Expansion” Talk - On May 16, the Student Environmental Center at UC Santa Cruz hosted a talk at College Eight titled, “Water, Desal, and the UCSC Expansion”. Rick Longinotti of Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives spoke, outlining the downsides of the proposed water desalination facility in Santa Cruz, and suggesting that one of the main forces behind the desal proposal has come from pressure exerted by UCSC. The university hopes to grow by developing 120-240 acres of the upper campus, which will require a dramatic increase in water supplied by the City of Santa Cruz. However, development in the upper campus will, according to Longinotti, depend on the outcome of an upcoming decision that, if confirmed by the Local Agency Formation Commission on June 6 (decision now expected in October), will limit UCSC’s access to water. Contains a one hour audio recording (at the bottom of the article, below the photos of the event) of the discussion between Rick Longinotti of Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives and Dean Fitch of UCSC, and an excellent Q&A with the students. By Alex Darocy of Indybay May 16th, 2012.
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Click here to see a slideshow of Photos of a Walk Through UCSC’s Endangered Forest – see the Upper Campus forest before it is possibly destroyed for UCSC expansion.
Maybe you will be lucky, and see a California Mountain Lion in its native environment, before it’s too late and they also become extirpated (locally extinct), like the salmon.
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Milestones in the Extirpation of San Lorenzo River Coho Salmon
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Click here to go to the “Endangered Native Animals of Santa Cruz and UCSC” page.
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“Forest Show” Helps Raise Awareness About Development of UC Santa Cruz Upper Campus - As the sun began to set on May 4, community members and students made their way to a “secret” location in the forest above UC Santa Cruz for a “Forest Show” that was organized to raise awareness about the university’s planned expansion. Presently, 240 acres of upper campus forest is threatened, as is the Porter Meadow, and also the location of the evening’s show. Musical acts Matador, Pale Robin, and The Gembrokers played acoustic sets around a campfire in the middle of an open portion of the mixed evergreen forest, surrounded by tall Redwoods and Douglas Fir trees. Indybay May 7th, 2012.
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On April 29, 2012 a panel consisting of four diverse people spoke about the connection between water issues in Santa Cruz, including desalination, and the expansion of UCSC in Santa Cruz, California.
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Minutes for the LAFCO meeting held on March 7th, 2012 - this was the meeting that resulted in a 4-3 vote in our favor and went against the wishes of the City of Santa Cruz and UCSC.
This is a long 43 page document with the comments from the public and many of the powerful people from the City of Santa Cruz (including Don Lane, Ryan Coonerty, and Mike Rotkin), UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal, and Bill Kocher and Toby Goddard of the Santa Cruz Water Department.
The following key paragraph is on page 32:
“Commissioner Leopold adds that there has been a lot of focus on the CSA (Comprehensive Settlement Agreement), which is a very important document. It represents a real change in the relationship between the City and the University. However, he does not think the CSA is more important than the Endangered Species Act or the impacts of climate change. He wants to make sure there are reasonable conditions in place and there can be a better assurance than there is now about whether there is an adequate, reliable, and sustainable water supply.”
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Letter from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to the Santa Cruz Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) - February 10th, 2012.
Letter from the Coalition for Limiting University Expansion (CLUE) to LAFCO - December 6th, 2011
Letter from the Community Water Coalition to LAFCO - December 6th, 2011
The 2008 “Comprehensive Settlement Agreement” entered into by and between the City of Santa Cruz, the County of Santa Cruz, the UC Regents, UC Santa Cruz, and the Coalition for Limiting University Expansion (CLUE)
UC Santa Cruz Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) - Learn about the campus LRDPs. UC Santa Cruz has prepared this web site in order to keep members of the campus community and public informed about UCSC’s Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP), Coastal Long-Range Development Plan (CLRDP), and its annual monitoring programs.
Land Use Plan and Upper Campus Map for the UC Santa Cruz LRDP - a nice color map of UCSC Upper Campus and the LRDP.
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Santa Cruz Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) - who are they and what do they do?
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Official website of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area (including Santa Cruz).
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Where is the UCSC Seep Zone and how do seep zones work?
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When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy ~
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Desal Cartoons
by Steven DeCinzo
Click here to see more Artwork and Cartoons
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Comment from Campus Planning Committee member Ansel Adams, early 1960s:
“There are few places on earth where such a phenomenon might occur– other than National Parks and remote wildernesses. To have this opportunity on a campus of a great University is a priceless event. Do not hesitate to undo any plans already made if they do not relate to this possibility of relationship to the natural scene! “
Excerpts from Ansel Adams Charter Address – University of California, Santa Cruz – March 30th, 1965
This tradition [of preservation and appreciation of nature] is being carried on here at Santa Cruz through the efforts of Chancellor McHenry and his staff and the planners and architects involved. It is warmly encouraged by The Regents and the University Administration and the leading citizens of our central coast area. I am not merely sentimental in saying that this new campus can be and– God be willing and man be patient– will be one of the most beautiful and effective campuses anywhere in the world. We are not striving for the medieval solemnity of Oxford and Cambridge, the urban intensities of the Universities of London and Paris, or the deeply colonial and traditional aspects of Harvard, Yale and Princeton. We do have, however, the opportunity to establish a new and vital tradition, a demonstration of the appropriate relationship of man to his environment. In this time of common desecration of the earth and its bounty through disordered patterns of development and exploration, this new campus will provide for students (who must shoulder the burdens of the difficult times ahead) a memorable experience of living and learning in an environment of rare beauty and wonder. It is unthinkable that this extraordinary prospect will not be fully realized. Its realization, however, depends upon the efforts of everyone concerned with the University, with the students, with the City of Santa Cruz, and with the progress of the entire State of California. What will happen here will provide a kind of Reformation, a gentle discarding of the old methodology and an adventure in the building of a new society– “proportionate to nature.”
* The quotes of Ansel Adams above were found in a 1990 senior thesis by David Wolf “Gentle Be the Hand that Lays Upon the Land: The Story of UC Santa Cruz and its Campus”.
