On June 21, my office held a town hall on emergency communications and evacuations for Zayante and Lompico residents. The event included a panel of experts from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office; the Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience; the Zayante Fire Protection District; and CAL FIRE. I am thankful for the over 100 residents who took the time to join us for this important conversation.

This town hall was focused specifically on Zayante and Lompico because these canyons have been identified as particularly challenging areas to evacuate. However, it can be similarly difficult to get out of many San Lorenzo Valley neighborhoods, so if you have not already done so, please make sure that you are prepared for an emergency by doing the following as soon as possible:

• Sign up for CruzAware notifications. If you are already signed up, check to make sure your contact information is current, and the settings are properly configured to receive the notifications you want by text message, email, and/or phone calls.
  
  
• Know your zone. Check which zone you live in using Genasys Protect (previously called ZoneHaven) and write it on your evacuation plan so you don’t have to figure it out in the middle of an emergency.
  
  
• Download the Watch Duty or PulsePoint apps on your phone so you can receive real-time information on nearby fire and emergency events. This is the best way to receive updates when emergency service providers have their hands full dealing with an emerging situation.
  
  
• Be ready to evacuate:
  • Make a plan. Prepare a go-bag, your vehicle, and your home, knowing that you may not be able to immediately return for pets or things you leave behind.
  • Don’t wait to be told to leave. If there is a fire nearby that could take off and you have the ability to leave, beat the traffic and go. This will free up roads and emergency resources for others if the need to evacuate becomes urgent. 
  • Let the authorities know you’ve evacuated by putting a note on your door with information on how you can be reached.

For those of you who were unable to attend, I will be scheduling another town hall for Zayante and Lompico residents with the same programming. If you know someone who may be interested in attending, please encourage them to sign up for my newsletter or email my office so we can be sure to notify them of the upcoming date. Also, see here for a more detailed list of evacuation and fire prevention resources provided to attendees.

The County and local fire authorities are committed to doing everything within our power to keep our community safe and well, but we can’t do it without you. So, thank you again for taking the time to stay informed and do your part to prevent, and be prepared for, a disaster.

The Ben Lomond Village Alliance (BLVA) hosted a celebration at Mill Street Park to unveil a new mural by Yeshe Jackson. The mural is part of BLVA’s broader effort to revitalize Ben Lomond, specifically Mill Street and the surrounding areas. I was honored to participate in this event and join community members in celebrating the mural and other recent improvements to the park.

I want to extend a big thank you to BLVA for your hard work and ongoing commitment to develop, nurture, and create a thriving and welcoming environment for Ben Lomond residents and the broader SLV community. For more information on BLVA’s upcoming events, visit their website.

It was a pleasure to speak at the 2025 Youth in Action Summit, which is a collaboration between the County of Santa Cruz and the Friday Night Live Partnership. I was inspired by the passion and commitment of our community’s youth to participate in local government. Their lived experiences and perspectives as the next generation are vital in planning for our community’s future.

I appreciate all the hard work the youth in our community do. No age is too young to make a difference.

Santa Cruz METRO is recruiting members of the public to fill an open at-large Board Member seat. This is an incredible time to be part of the leadership for the transit agency. The appointment is made via the County Board of Supervisors. Priority will be given to a person with a disability and use of the metro regularly. If interested, please apply here by July 11.

The Board meets monthly on Fridays at 9 a.m. This is an unpaid position; however, Board members are typically eligible to receive a stipend for meetings attended.

If you would like to submit your input on priorities for Measure Q, please complete the online survey before the deadline this Thursday (July 3).

Measure Q initiative will fund a range of local projects to address critical environmental and community needs, including water conservation and quality, wildfire risk reduction, and the enhancement of parks, trails, and open spaces. The input collected will help identify priority geographies, activities, and equity goals for Measure Q-funded projects. The survey is available in English or Spanish.

The Santa Cruz Commission on the Environment is convening a series of public technical workshops to examine the role and risks of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in modernizing the energy grid. The workshops will feature presentations on climate change, context for energy storage, and the role of BESS in the regional power grid. Upcoming workshops will be held on July 30 and August 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Board of Chambers of the Santa Cruz County Government Center at 701 Ocean Street, Fifth Floor in Santa Cruz. Remote participation is available via Zoom. For more information, see the County’s press release.

On July 10, California State Parks will host a webinar from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the proposed plan to rebuild Big Basin Redwoods State Park, based on public input collected in 2024 on three design alternatives. This webinar will include an overview of community and stakeholder engagement, an update on the Big Basin planning process, and a presentation on the proposed plan to build new facilities to restore public access while also protecting the old growth redwood forest.

As of July 1, California Redemption Value (CRV) reimbursements are no longer available at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station due to statewide changes to California’s beverage container recycling program. The new regulations require retailers, such as grocery and convenience stores, to start offering CRV refunds directly to consumers or join a dealer cooperative that handles redemptions within the next couple of months. More information will be provided on the County’s website once local retailers have adopted and implemented the new CRV regulations.

The CRV refunds are 5 cents for containers less than 24 ounces, 10 cents for containers 24 ounces or larger, and 25 cents for certain adult beverage boxes, bladders, or pouches. CRV-eligible containers can still be recycled at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station, but no CRV reimbursement will be provided.

The District 5 Team

Supervisor Monica Martinez
Rae Spencer-Hill, Staff Analyst

J.M. Brown, Staff Analyst

Megan Renfrew, Staff Analyst

Contact us at

Fifth.District@santacruzcountyca.gov
Tel. (831)454-2200