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Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Overview



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The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County protects open space to ensure the culture, economy, environment, and unique beauty of the area.

California Local Pin Marker Local Land Use & Development Digest

Learning Through Burning: Moss Landing Fire Exposes Need for Changes in Battery Facilities

02/15/2025

AS HOST TO the largest battery storage facility in the world, on a site that just had its fourth fire in four years, the people of Monterey County have grown to realize that Moss Landing is a learning laboratory for California’s green energy transition.

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

02/14/2025

In the wake of the Los Angeles fires, State Farm asked for an “emergency” premium increase of 22% on average for California homeowners. Lara today denied the request pending more information.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

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Measure Q Gets Underway With Citizen Oversight, Funding Allocation

With the overwhelming approval of Measure Q, formally known as the “Santa Cruz County Safe Drinking Water, Clean Beaches, Wildfire Risk Reduction and Wildlife Protection Act,” County staff and partners are establishing the structure necessary to fulfill voters’ vision, including …

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Downtown Plan Expansion – Frank Barron and Rick Longinotti

Host, Mathilde Rand is in conversation with Frank Barron and Rick Longinotti about the Santa Cruz Downtown Expansion.
Frank Barron is a retired urban planner and a proponent for direct input by the community on building higher than the already …

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President’s Order Casts Uncertainty on Santa Cruz County Rail Trail Money

The rail corridor runs by Twin Lakes State Beach near El Dorado Avenue. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, a major grant to fund the Coastal Rail Trail …

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Are Santa Cruz County Governments Prepared for Sea-Level Rise?

Storm surf washes against Capitola restaurants after floods in January 2023. (Grace Stetson — Santa Cruz Local file)
Key takeaways

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Supervisors Demand Investigation Into Vistra Fire

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday joined several other local elected officials and residents demanding answers into the causes of the Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing.

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Ben Lomond Residents Unite to Improve Local Infrastructure and Community Spirit

In the year 2025, cities and towns across the country will be planning and executing some fairly audacious infrastructure projects. The State of New York plans to expand the Hudson Tunnel along the northeast corridor; Interstate 5 along the West …

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Esselen Tribe Gets Land Back on Little Sur River

Tom Little Bear is President and Chairman of the Esselen tribe of Monterey County. He discusses the land back movement to return stolen lands from native tribes, and a recent 327 -acre land acquisition on the Little Sur River in …

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New Group to Oversee $7 Million in Land Work Through Measure Q in Santa Cruz County

A board is forming to oversee $7 million in anticipated tax revenue from Measure Q in Santa Cruz County. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Applications are open to oversee about $7 million annually for environmental …

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Cabrillo College Trustees Reaffirm Troubled Property Manager for Student Housing Project

A rendering shows a proposed housing project on Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus. (Cabrillo College)
Community meeting on Cabrillo housing

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Study Shows ‘Heavy Concentrations’ of Heavy Metals in Soil After Moss Landing Fire

One day after a group of Santa Cruz County residents collected soil samples from the areas impacted by the Jan. 16 battery storage facility fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant to test for heavy metals, a San Jose State …

Featured

Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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