Last Wednesday, February 25, our Conservation Committee Chair Gillian Greensite spoke at the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission meeting on behalf of the Sierra Club to voice concerns with proposed amendments to the County General Plan and Local Coastal Program. Similar concerns, including possible violations of legal procedure and legal objections to the piece-mealing of changes to the General Plan were expressed in a letter delivered to the Planning Commission by the legal firm, Wittwer and Parkin who requested that the issue be continued. The Sierra Club made the same request. The California Coastal Commission sent a letter stating that the changes are a violation of the Coastal Act. There appears to be a trend of piece-mealing changes to the County's General Plan which is a serious violation of proper procedure including public notification and chance for review. Years of hard won environmental protections can be undone by this process.

The Planning Commission, however, voted unanimously to approve the proposed changes and forward the document to the Board of Supervisors with the recommendation that the term "structure" be defined more clearly. This item will be on the Board of Supervisors agenda in the very near future. We will keep you informed once we know that date.

Read the letter from William P. Parkin of the Witter Parkin law firm here.

If you wish to get involved with this issue and help us ensure that environmental regulations and protections are being followed, please email our Conservation Chair Gillian Greensite at gumtree[at]pacbell[dot]net.