Reducing Fire Fuel Loads and Supporting Sustainable Land Management

Supporting Sustainable Land Management with the Water, Wildfire, and Wildlife Protection Act

Dear District 5 Residents,

As we head into fire season, I am pleased to announce my appointment of Scotts Valley Fire Chief Mark Corriera to the Measure Q Citizens Oversight Advisory Board (COAB).

Chief Corriera has 35 years of experience in fire service, having worked his way up from a firefighter and paramedic to Emergency Manager and Fire Chief. He has a Masters of Public Administration (MPA), and a history of working with local government and community stakeholders to strategize and implement best practices.

Measure Q (also known as the Santa Cruz County Safe Drinking Water, Clean Beaches, Wildfire Risk Reduction, and Wildlife Protection Initiative) was approved by Santa Cruz County voters last November. Once it takes effect, it will generate approximately $7.3 million to protect water quality, clean beaches, wildlife habitats, and reduce wildfire risks.

The Citizens Oversight Advisory Board is the key body responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of Measure Q funds. Given the importance of forest management and fire resilience in our community, I wanted to ensure that the COAB included an expert on those matters. I could not be more pleased with the approval of Chief Corriera as my 5th District appointee.

While the implementation of Measure Q continues to march forward, there are also many other local land management and sustainability efforts taking place in our County. To learn more about these and about how you can get involved, be sure to check out the information below.

Sincerely,

[officialname]

Register for No-Cost Community Chipping Program by April 30

Registration for the Spring 2025 No-Cost Community Chipping Program of the Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Santa Cruz is now open. The program is available to Santa Cruz County residents who live in areas (defined as the Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI) that have the potential for wildfire to impact their properties. Chipping starts in May.

Why Chipping?

This program incentivizes the clean-up of flammable material and the creation of defensible space around homes in high wildfire risk areas by offering no-cost chipping for residents who trim vegetation within 100 feet of occupied structures or 10 feet on either side of a private road. Having defensible space does not mean you need a ring of bare dirt surrounding your property.

For more information on land-management and how this project works, visit the RCD No-Cost Chipping Program at rcdsantacruz.org/chipping-programs

Are You a Private Well Owner Interested in Our Water Sustainability?

The Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency is seeking a volunteer to fill one opening for the Well Owner Representative Alternate Director on the Agency Board. Additional information is provided in the application form available here. Apply by April 18, 2025.

The Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) is a joint powers authority established to ensure a safe and reliable water supply is available for everyone who relies on groundwater from the Basin, now and in the future.

The agency is comprised of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, Scotts Valley Water District and the County of Santa Cruz, to oversee groundwater management activities in the Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin (Basin) located in Santa Cruz County, California.

For more information on the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency Sustainability Plan, see this brief summary.

California State Parks Continues Pile Burning Throughout April

California State Parks will continue burning piles in various State Parks in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties throughout April.

Approximately 250 burn piles will be burned throughout the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (Fall Creek Unit), Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Castle Rock State Park, and Portola Redwoods State Park.

All burning is dependent on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal and to meet ecological goals. If conditions are not conducive for burning, burns will be rescheduled.

Smoke may be visible in the vicinity of the parks during the pile burning. Monitoring and patrol will occur throughout this period and extend into the evening and weekend as required.

These burns are respectively permitted, planned, and coordinated with the Monterey Bay Air Quality Management District and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in order to minimize smoke impacts to surrounding communities.

For more details, visit Santa Cruz District Prescribed Burns

Ongoing Highway 9 Vegetation Control

Caltrans continues with a vegetation control project over the entire length of Highway 9 in Santa Cruz County in support of California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk along state highways. The objective of this work is to disrupt fuel continuity by removing dead/dying brush and ladder fuels.

Travelers can expect one-way traffic control on Highway 9, on the following schedule:

Monday, April 7, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. near Waterman Gap.
Tuesday, April 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. near Waterman Gap.
Wednesday, April 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. near Ben Lomond from Sunnycroft Rd. to Lorenzo Ave.
Thursday, April 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. near Ben Lomond Woodland Hills Resort to Western Ave.
Friday, April 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from near Brookdale from Clear Creek Rd. to Lorenzo Ave. in Boulder Creek.

Travelers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes and are encouraged to be alert for flaggers and all highway workers within the project work zones.

Crews are removing on average between 8,000 and 10,000 lbs. of dense brush daily.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram/Threads at: @Caltrans_D5.

Please drive slowly and carefully in work zones. Crews deserve to get home safely too!

CHP Traffic Incident Information Page: http://cad.chp.ca.gov

Traveler information at: https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

Construction Commences to Replace the Newell Creek Pipeline

The City of Santa Cruz Water Department has started work to relocate 3.7 miles of the Newell Creek Pipeline out of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and under Graham Hill Road, avoiding the more environmentally sensitive areas and geologic hazards that have caused breaks in the past. The improved water infrastructure will result in the more efficient use of our natural resources and a reduced footprint in the State Park. The pipeline will transmit raw water and will not provide direct service connections.

Construction will impact traffic weekdays between 9 AM and 3 PM for the two years during which the project is underway.

For more information and updates, visit the City of Santa Cruz project website.

Upcoming In-District Office Hours

Because of the high demand, the first-come-first-serve model resulted in longer waiting periods than we anticipated. Given the feedback we received, we will now give priority to those who reserve a time-slot in advance. Drop-in visitors are still welcome, and will be seen in order of arrival as time allows between or after reservations.

April 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Scotts Valley Library Community Room, 251 Kings Village Road)
May 12, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (Felton Office, 6062 Graham Hill Road Suite A & B)
May 27, 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Boulder Creek Sheriff’s Substation, 13210 Central Avenue)
June 16, 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Scotts Valley Library Community Room, 251 Kings Village Road)
June 30, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (Felton Office, 6062 Graham Hill Road Suite A & B

The purpose of In-District Office Hours is to provide a convenient way for me to hear from you. However, if you have a problem that will require more than 15 minutes to discuss, or you cannot come during the times listed above, my office is happy to work with you to schedule another time meet. Contact my staff at fifth.district@santacruzcountyca.gov or by calling (831)454-2200.

Upcoming Board Meetings

Read meeting agendas here as they become available.

Upcoming meetings will take place at 9 a.m. until their conclusion on:

April 8

April 29

May 6