Events and Opportunities in District 5

Upcoming In-District Office Hours

Dear District 5 Residents,

Thank you to the thirty people who came by my Boulder Creek drop-in hours on March 17th! Your perspectives are invaluable.

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.

Future In-District Office Hours:

April 14 – 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Scotts Valley)
May 12 – 4:30 to 6 p.m. (Felton)
May 27 – 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Scotts Valley)
June 16 – 4:30 to 6 p.m. (Felton)
June 30 – 3:30 to 5 p.m. (Boulder Creek)

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.

Sincerely,

[officialname]

Save the Date:

Sheriff Town Hall

No-Cost Community Chipping Program

The Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Santa Cruz County will soon be opening registration for its Spring 2025 No-Cost Community Chipping Program. The program is available to Santa Cruz County residents who live in areas (defined as the Wildland Urban Interface) that have the potential for wildfire to impact their properties.

Pre-registration opens on April 1st at 6:00 AM and goes through April 30th.
Residents who live in recognized FireWise neighborhoods get early bird registration starting March 25th. FireWise Communities will receive a special password from their FireWise leaders.
Chipping starts in May.

This program is paid for in part through grants awarded to the RCD from the California Coastal Conservancy; Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3); CalFire; and private donors.

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. The idea is to clear the potentially flammable material near our roads and around our houses and create space between the ground and lower tree branches called ladder fuels without over-clearing or leaving bare ground, which can lead to overly dry soils in the summer and serious soil erosion in the winter. Woodchips are left onsite and can be placed as a ground cover at least five feet from any structures. Having defensible space does not mean you need a ring of bare dirt surrounding your property; with proper planning, you can have a fire-safe home and a beautiful landscape.

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

State Funds Available to Retrofit Your Home:

Apply for Earthquake Bolt and Brace Grants by March 26

In California, it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when' the next big earthquake will hit. Is your home prepared? Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) is now open through March 26, 2025. Register for up to a $3,000 seismic retrofit grant at EarthquakeBraceBolt.com.

The California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) is offering two earthquake retrofit grants to qualified California homeowners in high-risk areas (such as ours) with vulnerable types of houses. The two programs offer grants to homeowners to complete a residential seismic retrofit. They are:

1. Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) Among other criteria, EBB is specifically for those homeowners whose house was built before 1980 and has a raised foundation or a crawl space beneath the first floor. A grant of up to $3,000 is available through the EBB program. Eligible homeowners with an annual household income of $89,040 or less may be eligible for a Supplement Grant which may cover up to 100% of the cost of an EBB retrofit.

2. Earthquake Soft-Story (ESS) ESS is specifically for those homeowners whose house was built prior to 2000, and has a one-story living space over the garage, also known as "soft story." A grant of up to $13,000 is available through the ESS program.

For more information visit EarthquakeBraceBolt.com and see this EBB Homeowners Retrofit Guide.

Access Your Benefits & Health Services Remotely

Community members in need of support can access County benefits & health services remotely. You can call or go online to apply for, renew or get assistance with Medi-Cal, CalFresh or CalWORKs benefits. Help is available by phone Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Online benefits assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, visit: www.BenefitsCal.com.

Can’t get to an in-office medical appointment at one of our County clinics? Change it to a phone or video call instead. At no extra cost, telehealth services are convenient, secure and confidential. Call our Santa Cruz County Health Center to set up an appointment: (831) 454-4100

Click here to learn more. Find local community resources near you: http://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/sanctuary.

Celebrate National Social Worker Month!

Join me in celebrating our hard-working County social workers and everything they do!

Upcoming Board Meetings

Upcoming Board Meeting Dates:
March 25

April 8

April 29

Read meeting agendas here as they become available.

Upcoming County Closures:

March 31 – Cesar Chavez Day