In this issue:

• County leaders to discuss homelessness plan Tuesday
• Santa Cruz council to weigh downtown housing proposal, wharf development future
• Watsonville council to consider uses for federal grant money
• Latest local election results: Santa Cruz Local's Elections Guide  

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
9 a.m. Tuesday Nov. 10
701 Ocean St., room 500, Santa Cruz and online

• The proposed law would allow county officials to send workers onto private property within 100 feet of the top of the bank of stream channels to clear sediment, debris, or other material within stream channels.
• “There is no other way to immediately and reasonably address the public nuisance of sediment, debris, and other obstructions within stream channels as many of the areas at issue are expected to be under evacuation orders or in disaster recovery at the time urgent action is required to protect the public,” staff wrote in the report. 📰 Read Stephen Baxter’s recent story on risk of mud slides in the San Lorenzo Valley, North Coast. 

• Halve the number of households experiencing unsheltered homelessness
• Decrease the number of households experiencing homelessness by 30%.

• Enhance target outreach, engagement and temporary shelter resources
• Expand permanent housing resources
• Target homelessness prevention
• Create new homelessness-related governance, planning, evaluation, communication and collaboration structures

• 160 year-round, low-barrier emergency shelter beds
• 350 rapid rehousing slots for homeless adults
• 100 permanent supportive housing slots for homeless adults

Santa Cruz City Council
10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 10
Online

• Twenty units would be affordable — offered at lower prices for people with very low and low incomes. 
• The local developer, Owen Lawlor, applied for a density bonus. That allows the project to build more stories and units than the zoning allows. In return, the developer must offer 15 of the 20 required affordable units to people with very low incomes.
• The city’s planning commission in September voted 4-2-1 to advise the city council to apply that density bonus in a different way, that would essentially require more units to be affordable. The city’s staff, attorney and an independent attorney hired by the city disagreed with the commission’s interpretation of state law.
• 🎧 Listen to an August 2019 Santa Cruz Local podcast episode that describes the project and other proposals downtown. Read the staff report. View the project description and renderings. 

• The wharf has more than 25 businesses, most locally-owned and tourist-oriented, with about 400 employees. The businesses’ rent covers more than half of the wharf’s annual operating budget. Taxpayers — through the city’s general fund — subsidize about $750,000 of the wharf’s annual operating budget, according to the staff report.
• An estimated $11.6 million of repairs are needed, according to an engineering report. “Without significant reinvestment soon, parts of the Wharf may reach a tipping point and begin to fail,” staff wrote. Approval of the Wharf Master Plan allows city leaders to seek grant funding, according to staff.
• The plan calls for an expansion of the wharf by about 2.5 acres, including:
  • A new promenade on the east side of the wharf
  • Three new public buildings, totaling 15,000 square feet
  • Two new boat landings
  • Structural improvements to the pilings
  • Relocation of the wharf entrance and more parking

Watsonville City Council
5:30 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 10
Online or by phone

• The Watsonville City Council will continue its efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown area by considering a pilot program that would help downtown restaurants temporarily replace parking spaces with outdoor eating areas. 
• City leaders also will look to update plans for how the city would use potential federal block grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The proposed plan for 2020-2021 estimates about $860,000 in related revenue, according to the staff report. Proposed uses include:
  • Loan repayment for the Civic Plaza parking garage: $153,683
  • Youth center staffing (the maximum allowed): $133,859
  • Senior Center kitchen: $150,000
  • Code enforcement: $100,000
• The council also will consider the reduction of one parking space at a proposed townhouse development near the Watsonville Airport. 

Follow the latest results in Santa Cruz Local’s Elections Guide 

• John Leopold concedes in Santa Cruz County supervisor race
• Santa Cruz City Council
• Watsonville City Council
• Scotts Valley City Council
• Capitola City Council

And a note from our staff