Santa Cruz City Council
March 12, 2024

• Safe Parking sites will not be sited in mapped "high impact parking areas" within the Coastal Zone.
• There will be no cost to participants in the Safe Parking Program. • Additional operational criteria may be applied by the City Manager, pursuant to Section

10.40.120(m) of the SCMC.
• An Operations and Management Plan for the Safe Parking Program shall be developed by staff and shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

Procedures for informing law enforcement personnel of nightly availability of Safe Parking Program parking spaces. This procedure shall be in place prior to enforcement of the Section 10.40.120(a).

Procedures for the filing and resolving of complaints from participants and nearby residents and businesses.

Code of conduct and participation agreement.

3. Notwithstanding the exceptions noted in Section 10.40.120(g) of the Vehicles and Traffic Section of the Municipal Code and, in particular, the exception noted in Section

10.40.120(g)(7), the parking restrictions contained in Section 10.40.120(a) shall not be implemented until and unless at least one safe parking location is in operation.

4. At the end of the first year of operation, City staff will prepare a report that outlines the program operations in the Coastal Zone, its usage, the number of parking stalls affected, and complaints received regarding the program. If it is determined that any of the standards applicable in the Coastal Zone and identified in conditions above have not been met or if it is determined that a use has impacted availability of public parking spaces such that public parking is not otherwise available in the location where the safe parking program is being operated, then the City shall propose modifications to operations so as to remedy those situations. A copy of the report shall be submitted to the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission for review and approval. If the Executive Director determines that the safe parking program is negatively impacting public access, then the program shall be modified to eliminate such impacts, or mitigate them to the maximum extent feasible as directed by the Executive Director, including but not limited to elimination of the safe parking program location(s) in the Coastal Zone.

20.39 PLANNING COMMISSION

AGENDA REPORT
DATE: January 26, 2024
AGENDA OF: February 1, 2024
ITEM NO.: CP23-0176 Coastal Zone throughout the City
RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission acknowledge the environmental determination and approve the Coastal Development Permit based upon the findings listed below and Conditions of Approval listed in Exhibit “A”.

PROJECT DATA
Property Owner: City of Santa Cruz
Representative: Lisa Murphy, Deputy City Manager
Application Type: Coastal Development Permit, as required by Conditions of Approval of Coastal Development Permit (CDP) A-3-STC-22-0018 approved by the California Coastal Commission, authorizing the City to, in perpetuity, continue implementation of Ordinance No. 2021-20, as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08 and codified in Municipal Code sections 10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106, 10.04.165,

10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070, including, but not limited to, restrictions on overnight parking of oversized vehicles (“OVs”), prohibiting parking of unattached trailers, and providing for continued operation of the City’s Safe Parking Program; and to accommodate potential future minor modifications to the City’s Safe Parking Program and OV Regulations, including potential modifications to its OV residential parking permit program.

Zoning Designation: Citywide within the public right-of-way (ROW) and Safe Parking, primarily on City-owned or -operated property (City parking facilities) General Plan: Various
Project Consistency: Consistent with conditions of approval of Coastal Development Permit A-3-STC22-0018 as granted by the California Coastal Commission Land Use: - Existing: Public streets and public parking - Proposed: Public streets and public parking

20.40 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

- In area: Various land use types surrounding both the public ROW and Cityowned and -operated parking facilities in the Coastal Zone, including commercial buildings, residential buildings, and public facilities Parking: No change to existing on-street daytime parking capacity; increased on-street parking capacity (12 AM to 5 AM); and no substantial change to daytime capacity of City-owned/-operated parking facilities
Coastal Review: Coastal Development Permit required
Environmental Review: Statutory exemption: CEQA Guidelines Section 15282(j) (14 CCR section 15282(j)).)
Categorical exemption: CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301(c) and (g), 15307, 15308, and 15061(b) (14 CCR sections 15301(c) and (g), 15307, 15308, and 15061(b).)
Mandatory Action Date: 60 days after acknowledgement of Environmental Exemption Planning Staff: Timothy Maier, Senior Planner

BACKGROUND
For over a decade, the City of Santa Cruz has pursued efforts aimed at attempting to alleviate the sometimes adverse impacts of long-term parking of oversized vehicles. As a result of extensive collaboration with various stakeholder groups and in response to feedback received from the community, the City has taken a number of affirmative steps aimed at balancing 1) community concerns regarding the effects of long-term, static parking of oversized vehicles in neighborhoods and in the City at large, with 2) the protection of potentially vulnerable individuals, including occupants of oversized vehicles who may have limited access to housing. Current actions seek to reduce the impacts of parking of oversized vehicles (defined as motor vehicles exceeding 20 feet in length, or eight feet in width and seven feet in height) along with unattached trailers, on City streets. Attached documents provide detailed background information demonstrating the expansive efforts taken by the City to address the topic in question.

Staff request that the Planning Commission consider approval of a Coastal Permit, following up to the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC’s) one-year approval of the City’s application for a Coastal Development Permit (file number A-3-STC-22-0018) to allow, in perpetuity, implementation of Ordinance No. 2021-20, as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08 and codified in Municipal Code sections 10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106,

10.04.165, 10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070, which, among other elements, prohibits parking Citywide of oversized vehicles between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM; and to accommodate potential future minor modifications to the City’s Safe Parking Program and OV Regulations, including potential modifications to its OV residential parking permit program. The proposed actions necessitate approval of a new Coastal Development Permit, as Required by the Coastal Commission via Coastal Development Permit (CDP) A-3-STC-22-0018.

20.41 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Current Regulations
The City Council has adopted a body of regulations and policies related to the parking of oversized vehicles (“Ovs”), which may encompass “recreational vehicles” (“RVs”), and the like, including the “Oversized Vehicle Ordinance,” or “OVO”, intended to maintain City streets as a means of conveyance of vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic; uphold health and safety; discourage long-term OV entrenchment; and safeguard the welfare of those without ready access to housing who may seek to utilize the public right-of-way for purposes of habitation within oversized vehicles. The Oversized Vehicle Ordinance is codified within Santa Cruz Municipal Code sections 10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106, 10.04.165, 10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070. Section

10.40.120 of the City’s Municipal Code, which serves as a focus of this report, contains several provisions related to the parking of oversized vehicles, including, but not limited to a prohibition against OV on-street parking from midnight (12 AM) to 5 AM (SCMC 10.40.120(a)) and a prohibition against parking of unattached trailers on City rights-of-way (SCMC 10.40.120(e)).

Past Actions
Attached documents include detailed information regarding efforts taken to address concerns associated with the parking of oversized vehicles on public streets within City limits. The following provides a summary of recent actions taken to date.

Following two prior Council meetings on the topic, on November 9, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2021-20, authorizing revisions to Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) Title 10; and Chapter 16.19, “Storm Water and Urban Runoff Pollution Control”, pertaining to the parking of oversized vehicles in public rights-ofway. The term “oversized vehicle” is defined in Section 10.04.106 of the Municipal Code, which provides, in relevant part:
“‘Oversized vehicle’ shall mean any motorized vehicle (as defined in Section 670 of the Vehicle Code) or combination of motorized vehicles and/or nonmotorized vehicles or trailers that: (1) meets or exceeds twenty feet in length at any time, or (2) [meets] both of the two following criteria, exclusive of fixtures, accessories, or property: eight feet in height and seven feet in width.” At the November 9, 2021 public hearing, the City Council approved a motion directing staff to implement Cityoperated and sponsored Safe Parking Programs for unhoused residents of oversized vehicles licensed and registered in the City of Santa Cruz. As envisioned by the City Council, Safe Parking Programs would encompass a three-tiered approach offering successively more comprehensive services, from emergency parking (Tier 1) to 30-day overnight parking (Tier 2), through a broad suite of intensive support (“wraparound”) services including, among other amenities, access to 24-hour parking hygiene stations, and job placement assistance (Tier 3).

Following ordinance adoption, the City engaged in dialogue with, and outreach to, the California Coastal Commission (“Coastal Commission”, or “CCC”), with the intent of securing a Coastal Development Permit (“CDP”) authorizing the City to effect Ordinance No. 2021-20 within the Coastal Zone.

On January 12, 2022, the Zoning Administrator approved a Design Permit, authorizing actions included within the purview of that permit as a public project in the Coastal Zone per SCMC Section 24.08.210 and SCMC Sections 24.08.410-430, and granting entitlement of a Coastal Permit pursuant to SCMC Section 24.08.210 of the

20.42 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Zoning Ordinance, which requires approval of such permit for development within the Coastal Zone that is not specifically exempted. Two appeals of the Zoning Administrator’s approval of the Design Permit and Coastal Permit were filed, and, on March 3, 2022, the Planning Commission denied both appeals and upheld the Zoning Administrator’s approval of the Coastal and Design permits, but with revised conditions of approval. The decision of the Planning Commission was subsequently appealed to the City Council, which likewise, on April 12, 2022, denied the appeal and upheld the decision of the Planning Commission, with further revised conditions of approval. Thereafter, two separate parties filed an appeal of the City Council’s decision to the Coastal Commission. The Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, and City Council staff reports are attached for reference.

On July 14, 2022, the Coastal Commission found substantial issue with the City’s Coastal Development Permit application, which mandated that a de novo hearing be held on the City’s application request. The CCC staff’s recommendation was initially that the Commission find no substantial issue. However, the Commission later came to understand that a portion of the City’s ordinance (at the time) prohibited oversized vehicle parking within 100 feet of intersections, including during the daytime. That provision resulted in the Commission staff’s providing an addendum to the Coastal Commission through which they changed their recommendation to a substantial issue finding. Following the Commission’s finding of substantial issue, the City subsequently withdrew that specific provision – the prohibition of oversized vehicle parking within 100 feet of intersections – from the City’s application. In advance of the CCC’s substantial issue hearing on July 14, 2022, the City prepared two letters and associated exhibits, both of which are attached for reference, as are the CCC staff’s June 2022 report and addendum.

On May 11, 2023, the California Coastal Commission authorized Coastal Development Permit A-3-STC-22-0018 for a period of one year, while imposing a number of conditions of approval. As a component of entitlement of the Coastal Development Permit, the Coastal Commission authorized the City to issue a new CDP on its behalf, stipulating that the City’s OVO and Safe Parking Programs could be implemented in the Coastal Zone, as amended by the terms and conditions of the CDP (classified as “development” by the Coastal Commission), for a period of one year. Condition of Approval No. 2 of CDP A-3-STC-22-0018 required that “any such development authorized by such new CDP shall substantially conform [to] the development authorized under this CDP [CDP A-3-STC-22-0018], including this CDP’s terms and conditions, and shall address any issues/problems encountered in implementation through May 11, 2024.”
Thereafter, on June 13, 2023, the City Council approved Ordinance 2023-08, amending select portions of Chapter

10.40 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code, in order to: (1) eliminate the prohibition on parking of oversized vehicles within 100 feet of intersections, consistent with the City’s withdrawal of that provision from the Coastal Development Permit request, (2) adjust provisions related to when the ordinance applies during a declared state of emergency, and (3) clarify provisions related to how the OVO interacts with the City’s existing residential parking permit program. The ordinance was then signed by Mayor Fred Keeley on June 27, 2023 and became effective 30 days later.

City Approval Authority
The City’s Zoning Administrator holds the authority to approve Coastal Permits on behalf of the California Coastal Commission per Municipal Code Section 24.04.130 but may elect to refer such Coastal Permit applications to the Planning Commission for decision pursuant to SCMC 24.04.130(2). Due to the broad policy

20.43 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

implications and considerable geographic scope (the whole of the Coastal Zone) of the subject Coastal Permit application, along with the likelihood that the Zoning Administrator’s decision would be appealed, as it was in 2022, the Zoning Administrator has elevated to the Planning Commission review of the subject Coastal Development Permit. The decision of the Planning Commission remains final unless appealed to the City Council and/or directly to the Coastal Commission.

At this evening’s public hearing, staff request that the Planning Commission approve CP23-0176, subject to the attached Conditions of Approval.

ANALYSIS
The following narrative encompasses a discussion and evaluation of the City’s actions taken to address homelessness through the activities pursuant to this subject permit application, including 1) compliance with conditions of approval of CDP A-3-STC-22-0018; 2) efforts made to address illicit disposal of refuse and blackwater; 3) response to public feedback; 4) management of the Safe Parking and associated programs; 5) potential future revision to the existing parking program to accommodate modifications for residential parking permits; 6) maintenance of consistency with the City’s Local Coastal Program; and 7) conformance with the City’s Health in All Policies standards.

City Actions Taken to Address Homelessness
The following outlines the significant achievements made, and milestones reached, by the City to date in efforts to address homelessness and long-term parking on-street of oversized vehicles. More detailed information appears in attached documents, including “Homeless Response Action Plan”, “Homelessness Response Accomplishments 2023”, and “Homelessness Response Shelter and Safe Parking Overview”.  Community engagement. Increased response capacity through integration of citywide services and addition of a full-time team of City employees dedicated to homelessness response, and formation of the Community Advisory Coalition on Homeless (CACH), a task force of community and business partners working collectively to craft homelessness response solutions. The volunteer members of the CACH identified the most pressing homelessness-related issues confronting the City and subsequently presented a Final Report to the City Council, which, on Aug. 11, 2020, accepted the committee’s final report and recommendations.
 Development of new housing, including affordable housing. The City’s Sixth Cycle Housing Element was certified on time by the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City has exceeded the minimum targets of housing production at all levels of affordability as specified in its Fifth Cycle Housing Element Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) mandated by the State, an accomplishment only approximately six percent of jurisdictions in the State were on track to achieve. The City also earned HCD’s “Pro Housing” designation, garnering recognition as one of only thirty jurisdictions statewide to receive such official status.  Development of temporary shelter. The City has coordinated with partner agencies and organizations to develop temporary shelter intended to satisfy the demand for such services, including the 1220 River Street Transitional Community Camp, as well as City Overlook at the National Guard Armory (see

20.44 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

attached for more information). Additionally, the Coral Street Campus, a collaborative effort between the City and Housing Matters, incorporates the Paul Lee Loft Shelter, providing emergency shelter for 57 people; the Hygiene Bay, offering use of accessible bathrooms and showers for approximately 100 people per day; the Rebele Family Shelter, affording 28 units of emergency shelter for families; and Casa Azul, supplying 7 permanent supportive apartments. The City has additionally acquired property at 125 Coral Street, for potential development as a new navigation center (shelter) offering access to comprehensive services, including mental/behavioral health, physical health, and housing, to program participants.

Further, a Building Permit for development of 119 Coral Street has proceeded through City review and, once issued, will authorize construction of a 120-unit permanent supportive housing project with groundfloor recuperative care beds and medical clinic space, with groundbreaking of that project expected to begin in mid-2024.
 Formation of the City-operated Safe Parking Program. Organization and implementation of the threetiered Safe Parking Program as described further below.  Continued collaboration with the Association of Faith Communities (AFC), which operates the SafeSpaces program. According to the AFC website: “The SafeSpaces program allows folks who are living out of their vehicles a safe place to park with access to sanitary facilities and other amenities. We also offer program staff to help plan their next steps to better housing. Currently, we have around 40 people working to improve their lives while safely living on faith community sites.” (See https://www.afcsantacruz.org/ .)
Compliance with CDP Conditions of Approval
As a component of entitlement of Coastal Development Permit A-3-STC-22-0018, the Coastal Commission stipulated that the City’s CDP would remain effective for a period of one year, with the City’s renewal of the CDP thereafter required for the City to continue to implement its OV programs and regulations within the Coastal Zone.

The following lists the specific (“special”) conditions of approval of CDP A-3-STC-22-0018 imposed by the Coastal Commission and the City’s actions taken in response.

Condition of Approval #1: “Approved Project. CDP A-3-STC-22-0018 authorized a program including a prohibition on parking of oversized vehicles on public streets and other public rights-of-way and in parking lots within the City of Santa Cruz coastal zone; an alternative Safe Parking Program in three tiers (corresponding to levels of comprehensiveness) and multiple locations with services and amenities, all free to the user; and related implementation components (e.g., signage,striping, outreach, etc.), with adjustments as deemed reasonable and necessary and which do not adversely impact coastal resources.” City actions: Based on data collected via a Point in Time (PIT) count gathered from 2022 to 2023 and published in 2023 consistent with State and Federal requirements, approximately 1,804 citizens experienced homelessness throughout the County of Santa Cruz, with approximately 1,028 of those residing within City limits. In 2022, the City of Santa Cruz launched a three-year Homelessness Response Action Plan (attached) including, among other

20.45 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

elements, an overnight Safe Parking Program comprising three tiers of successively more comprehensive service offerings, as described below.

Note that the City’s Safe Parking program was originally referred to as comprising three separate tiers, with Tier 1 being Emergency Parking, Tier 2 being Overnight-Only Parking, and Tier 3 being 24/7, long-term Parking with wrap-around services. This proved to be confusing for some City outreach workers and for some OV dwellers.

As a result, staff abandoned references to program “tiers” and instead now refers only to the program type – Emergency, Overnight-Only, and 24/7.

Emergency, One-Night Parking
Overview: The Emergency Safe Parking Program offers access to an emergency, one-night-only, overnight parking space for any occupant of an oversized vehicle seeking an immediate, sanctioned parking stall. Lot 26 (see attached Map of Safe Parking Facilities) currently hosts Emergency, One-Night Parking, with trash and hygiene services provided to program participants. If maximum capacity at designated lot(s) has been reached, the operator of an oversized vehicle desiring access to emergency overnight parking would receive a pass to park on the public street adjacent to the designated parking facility.

Public Demand: Staff report that Emergency, One-Night Parking lots have operated below capacity since inception of the Safe Parking Program.

Overnight-Only Parking
Overview: The Overnight-Only Safe Parking Program offers access to nighttime parking for up to 30 days in City-owned lots, with extensions granted as capacity allows. An enrolled participant receives a permit providing access to a designated parking stall and access to both trash receptacles and hygiene facilities. The OvernightOnly program currently operates with a total capacity of 38 parking stalls at City Lots 2, 3, 4, 8, and 25.

Additional locations may be made available across the city as demand dictates. Once enrolled, a participant is assigned a designated parking space and provided a permit for such parking space for 30 days from enrollment.

With sufficient available parking supply, a new permit for an additional 30 days may be issued upon participant request.

Public Demand: As of January 11, 2024, program participants occupy 32 of 38 Overnight-Only stalls. Of those currently enrolled, eight had been enrolled in November 2023, prior to implementation of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance but following initiation of City outreach efforts related to the OVO. Further, 24 new participants enrolled in the Overnight-Only Parking Program following enforcement of restriction on overnight parking of Ovs, commencing on December 4, 2023. Available data reveal that approximately 59 individual oversized vehicles have utilized Night-Only Parking since inception of the Safe Parking Program, including the 32 currently enrolled. Of the 27 former participants, 10 enrolled in 2022; 16 enrolled during the first eight months of 2023 (January through August); and one enrolled following implementation of the OVO of December 4, 2023 but thereafter voluntarily exited the program.

20.46 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

24/7 Parking
Overview: The 24/7 Safe Parking program provides participants with designated parking spaces available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, along with “wraparound” (comprehensive) support services, including case management and housing navigation. The 24/7 program participants receive access to hygiene facilities, electrical charging, community gathering space, and transportation to and from the program site. Capacity varies from approximately 15 to 20 vehicles, depending on the size of the vehicles participating in the program at any given time. The Free Guide, a third-party vendor contracted by the City, operates the 24/7 program, with its facility located at the National Guard Armory building in upper DeLaveaga Park.

Public Demand: Staff report that the subject lots have operated at maximum capacity since inception of the Safe Parking Program, with a waitlist established. As of January 11, the 24/7 Safe Parking program enrollment is comprised of 24 participants; 44 total individuals have enrolled since the beginning of the program. To date, seven former participants of the Overnight-Only Parking Program have transferred to the 24/7 Safe Parking Program.

Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Enforcement
A violation of Municipal Code provisions prohibiting parking of an oversized vehicle between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM results in issuance of a $50 parking ticket to the offending party, pursuant to SCMC 10.40.120(o).

Along with receipt of a parking citation (ticket) related to violation of the OVO, enforcing staff provide to the ticket recipient a flyer (see attached) detailing information regarding the City’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and dismissal of the first issued ticket, description of the administrative review process, and instructions regarding access to the City’s Safe Parking Program. As stated in the flyer, the City has committed to dismissing the first ticket for a violation of SCMC section 10.40.120(a). Each subsequent violation results in issuance of a new $50 parking ticket. Per provisions of the California Vehicle Code, and, as a result of recent case law, towing of an offending vehicle when five or more unpaid tickets have been issued may occur only after a warrant has been granted by an authorized court. Should the circumstance arise in which the City receives a warrant to tow a vehicle having incurred five unpaid tickets, all deriving from violations of SCMC § 10.40.120(a), the City will comport itself with the Court’s notice requirements. Additionally, should such a circumstance arise, the City has committed to, at a minimum, posting to the vehicle a 72-hour written Notice of Intent to Tow prior to towing the vehicle.

Note that no such circumstances have actually arisen; the City has not recently towed any vehicle based on repeated parking citations, under the OVO or otherwise.

Enforcement of the prohibition against on-street parking of an oversized vehicle between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM, and the prohibition against on-street parking of unattached trailers, commenced on December 4, 2023.

As of January 11,, 2024, 212 citations have been issued related to violations of the OVO’s provisions. Of the 212 total citations, only nine were issued between January 1 and January 10, 2024 (seven for unattached trailers and two for parking of oversized vehicles on public streets). The decline in the number of tickets written since initiation of enforcement to the time shortly before the present implies, at least for that time frame, increasing public awareness of consequences for violation of overnight parking restrictions and underscores the efficacy of enforcement efforts.

20.47 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

As of January 10, 2024, six citations remain under appeal for review; three have resulted in denial of first appeal; and three citations have been dismissed based on appeal. The City’s Parking Manager states that 98 of the 212 total citations have been dismissed by the City each serving as an initial ticket that constitutes a warning not requiring payment.

Outcomes of Enforcement Thus Far
Statistics regarding the number of tickets issued thus far appear above, and, primarily through anecdotal observations, information available to City staff reveals that the OVO and associated Safe Parking Program implementation have resulted in positive environmental outcomes and public access benefits. City staff have received feedback from members of the public, including OVO advocate participants of the Stakeholder Outreach Group, that overall, OV entrenchment has diminished, and impacts associated with long-term OV stays in areas such as Delaware Avenue, where OV entrenchment was previously common and where environmentally sensitive habitat is abundant, have significantly diminished. Councilmembers of the OVO Subcommittee have received similar reports from their constituents. A reduction in long-term stays by oversized vehicles, coupled with improved access by OV dwellers to proper hygiene and trash-disposal facilities via the City’s Safe Parking Program, has corresponded with observations of decreased trash accumulation and diminished prevalence of outdoor disposal of untreated human waste, including in areas near sensitive habitat, such as Antonelli Pond, where OV entrenchment and incidents of outdoor restroom use were common prior to the OVO implementation. Such observations represent reasonably anticipated outcomes of implementation of the City’s Safe Parking Program and enforcement of a prohibition on overnight parking of oversized vehicles in public rights-of-way. Informal accounts by Homelessness Response Field Crews, who regularly patrol areas frequented by the unhoused, including dwellers of oversized vehicles, have additionally corroborated anecdotal reports of the success of enforcement efforts.

Condition of Approval #2: “CDP Duration. This CDP shall expire on May 11, 2024. If the City intends to continue to implement the parking restrictions, Safe Parking Program, and related elements authorized by this CDP past that date, then a new CDP must be obtained from the City. Any such development authorized by such new CDP shall substantially conform the development authorized under this CDP, including this CDP’s terms and conditions, and shall address any issues/problems encountered in implementation through May 11, 2024.” City actions: Staff have recommended to the Planning Commission approval of a Coastal Permit far in advance of the expiration date of the one-year approval granted by the Coastal Commission on May 11, 2023.

Recommendations for program improvement to address the concerns raised in implementation follow in this report.

Should an appeal of the subject Coastal Development Permit (if granted) be filed, adequate time is provided for the permit application to be considered by the City Council and/or the Coastal Commission. Approval of the subject Coastal Permit application satisfies the terms of the Coastal Development Permit authorized by the Coastal Commission, will facilitate ongoing implementation of the City’s Safe Parking Program, and will allow for consideration of minor modifications in the future (such as revisions to the City’s OV residential parking

20.48 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

permit program). The actions included in the scope of the present permit application substantially conform to the development authorized by Coastal Development Permit A-3-STC-22-0018, including its terms and conditions, and as expounded herein, address issues/problems encountered in implementation of the City’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and Safe Parking Programs to date. A discussion of issues encountered, including disposal of refuse and blackwater, program management, and potential accommodation of some residents’ larger vehicles, along with contemplated and implemented solutions, appear, in part, on pages 15 to 17 of this report.

The public and members of the unhoused community have voiced concern about a lack of services available to participants of the Overnight-Only Safe Parking program. The Overnight-Only Safe Parking Program generally operates from 8 PM to 8 AM, outside the normal operating hours of available service providers (such as County Social Services and private outreach organizations). As a result, when people seek to enroll in the OvernightOnly Safe Parking Program, the City asks whether they are interested in connecting with services. For those who express interest, members of the City’s Homelessness Response Outreach Team have contacted participants of the Overnight-Only program to help connect enrollees with programs offering assistance.

Mechanical breakdown of OVsis an issue sometimes faced by OV dwellers, hampering their potential participation in City Safe Parking programs and their ability to comply with the 12 AM to 5 AM OV parking restriction due to a lack of mobility. In the one documented instance in which mechanical equipment failure has reportedly precluded relocation of an oversized vehicle, the City’s Police Department has provided leniency, avoiding issuance of citation through assurances that repair of the malfunctioning vehicle had been scheduled and would take place in short order.

Heavy fuel consumption by oversized vehicles can present financial challenges to their owners and operators, and a lack of financial means to pay for fuel represents a frequently-voiced obstacle to participation in City-sanctioned Safe Parking programs, as both the Emergency and Overnight-Only offerings require relocation from daytime to nighttime hours. Many public streets offer free daytime parking within just one mile of the Safe Parking facilities, including public streets in the Coastal Zone and adjacent to or perpendicular to the coast, which allows for dispersed daytime vehicle parking, avoiding overconcentration of oversized vehicles within particular neighborhoods. The attached Map of Safe Parking Facilities illustrates the locations of City-sanctioned lots and the various land uses nearby, including both public rights-of-way and private property potentially available to dwellers of oversized vehicles for daytime parking. Further, to address this matter, members of the Westside Neighbors advocacy group have offered funds available to qualifying applicants for purchase of fuel cards to assist in offsetting the costs associated with oversized vehicle operation and frequent relocation.

Condition of Approval #3: “Outreach Plan. WITHIN ONE-MONTH OF CDP APPROVAL (i.e., by June 11, 2023), the Permittee shall submit two copies of an Outreach Plan to the Executive Director for review and written approval. The Plan shall identify the ways in which information regarding the approved project and its various components (e.g., overnight parking restrictions, Safe Parking options and services, enrollment protocols, appeal processes for parking tickets received, etc.) is to be disseminated to the general public and to oversized vehicle owners, both initially and over time and by whom (e.g., City Social Services staff, Public Works staff, Police Department staff, etc.), including as it relates to issues around blackwater holding tanks (e.g., how addressed when discovered, including eligibility for Safe Parking Programs), with a goal of ensuring that all affected parties are aware of the oversized vehicle parking restrictions and Safe Parking Programs, and how to participate. The Plan shall identify any media (e.g., brochures, websites, etc.) that will be used to provide this information, all of which shall be made available in Spanish and other appropriate non-English languages, and

20.49 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

all of which shall be written in plain language designed to prevent educational and cultural barriers that might hamper access to the programs.”
City actions: The City has prepared the attached final OVO Communications and Outreach Plan dated June 9, 2023 and submitted said Communications and Outreach Plan to CCC staff within the required timeframe as required by the above Condition of Approval. The Plan addresses each of the requirements listed in the above Condition of Approval, and CCC staff have approved the plan.

The OVO Communications and Outreach Plan establishes a framework for public engagement, promoting enhanced community awareness and understanding of the City’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, including information related to overnight parking restrictions, Safe Parking options and services, enrollment protocols, appeal processes for parking tickets received, management of blackwater/graywater (i.e., sewage/wastewater) holding tanks, and similar aspects of program facilitation.

The City followed the Communications and Outreach Plan in advance of enforcing the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, employing a wide range of methods to communicate with housed residents and OV dwellers. Such efforts, among others, includes public engagement conducted since the first week in November, encompassing distribution of information related to services available and implementation of the OVO on social media; and promulgation of relevant information through press releases, email, and interviews with local newspapers, as well as dissemination of flyers to residents of oversized vehicles. Street-level outreach by The Free Guide (the City’s contracted operator for the 24/7 Safe Parking Program), City Homelessness Response team outreach workers, and the City's Parking Abatement team have served to raise awareness of the City’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and associated parking programs. This work occurred prior to enforcement of the OVO.

Beyond the efforts outlined in the Communications and Outreach Plan approved by the CCC staff, City personnel also provided flyers to those residing in OVs to inform them of the Planning Commission hearing that is the subject of this report.

Condition of Approval #4: “Signage Plan. WITHIN ONE-MONTH OF CDP APPROVAL (i.e., by June 11, 2023), the Permittee shallsubmit two copies of a Signage Plan to the Executive Director for review and written approval. The Plan shall also identify the location and design of all signs and related media that will be used to implement the approved project (e.g., on-street signs, stencils, striping, etc.). Such signage shall be sited and designed so as to provide clear information about parking parameters in a manner that does not substantially impair significant public views or result in visual clutter. The Plan shall also include parameters for removal of all signage and media upon expiration of the CDP, unless the City has obtained an extension or has obtained a new CDP with similar signage protocols.”
City actions: Following the City’ssubmittal of initial plans to Coastal Commission staff on June 9, 2023, the CCC provided comments and requested revisions. City staff subsequently forwarded the final, updated Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Sign Plan, including all specified parameters, dated August 2, 2023, along with applicable exhibits, to Coastal Commission staff. CCC staff confirmed approval of the revised plan shortly thereafter, following discussions.

Design of all signage included in the signage plan aligns to the standards of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

20.50 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Installation of signage began in November 2023 and was completed prior to the City’s first day of enforcement of December 4, 2023. Signs have been posted at main arteries serving as gateways to City limits and on certain street segments throughout the City which have, in the past, experienced high levels of oversized vehicle parking.

Gateway signs have been installed at the following locations as depicted in the attached Signage Plan Exhibit A:
 Soquel Avenue between Carl Avenue and La Fonda Avenue  Capitola Avenue south of Soquel Avenue
 Murray Street west of the Murray Street Bridge
 Morrissey Boulevard at Chilverton Street
 Ocean Street between Ocean Street Extension and Pryce Street  High Street at Tosca Terrace
.

Entry-point signs measure approximately 48” wide by 42” tall, providing for clear visibility as illustrated below and as attached:

Additional signage was installed on local street segments, with all such signs spaced approximately 250 feet apart, at the following locations, as depicted in the attached Signage Plan Exhibit A:
 Delaware Avenue between Shaffer Road and Swift Street  Shaffer Road between railroad tracks and Mission Street Extension  Shaffer Road between Delaware Avenue and railroad tracks  Mission Street Extension between Natural Bridges Drive and Western Drive  Western Drive between Mission Street Extension and Highway 1  Swift Street between Jeter Street and Delaware Avenue  River Street South between River Street and Soquel Avenue  N. Branciforte Avenue between Sunnyside Avenue and Water Street  Benito Avenue between Benito Avenue and Water Street
 Benito Avenue between Soquel Avenue and Benito Avenue  Soquel Avenue between Pine Street and Pennsylvania Avenue  David Way between West Cliff Drive and Oxford Way
Local-street-segment signs measure approximately 18” wide by 42” tall, as shown below:

20.51 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

A photograph of posted signage appears as follows:

With the above actions, the City has fulfilled Condition of Approval #4 of the Coastal Development Permit.

20.52 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Condition of Approval #5: “Operations and Management Plan. WITHIN ONE MONTH OF CDP APPROVAL (i.e., by June 11, 2023), the Permittee shall submit two copies of an Operations and Management Plan to the Executive Director for review and written approval. The Plan shall be substantially in conformance with the Permittee’s “City of Santa Cruz Safe Parking Program Summary” (Exhibit 1) but shall be further fleshed out to identify additional operations and management details necessary to implement the Approved Project consistent with the terms and conditions of this CDP. Among other things, the Plan shall clearly detail the manner in which (a) parking restriction enforcement will be accomplished (including in terms of ticketing and towing protocols, where at a minimum vehicle owners shall be given at least 72 hour notice before being towed); (b) the Safe Parking Program will be operated and managed (including in terms of directing participants to Tier 3 level services when available); (c) illegal wastewater disposal and littering associated with oversized vehicles is to be timely and appropriately addressed; and (d) those with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation regarding the Safe Parking Program.”
City actions: The City has prepared an OVO Operations and Management Plan dated June 9, 2023 and provided it to the Coastal Commission within the timeframe as required by the above Condition of Approval. CCC staff issued comments on the initial version of the plan, and on July 21, 2023, the City submitted a final Operations and Management Plan, which was acknowledged and approved by Coastal Commission staff.

The Operations and Management Plan encompasses three primary components: a Permit Program, Safe Parking Program, and Enforcement (the latter two of which are expounded above). The Permit Program provides a variety of permit types related to parking of oversized vehicles, including the following:
 Residents. Residents may obtain limited-duration oversized vehicle (OV) parking permits, as permitted by Santa Cruz Municipal Code (“SCMC”) sections 10.40.120(g)(1), (h, (i)).  Visitors of Residents. Visitors of residents may obtain limited-duration OV parking permits per SCMC sections 10.40.120(g)(1), (h), (i).
 Hotels. Short-term stay establishments (i.e., hotels and motels, as defined in SCMC 24.22.450 and 24.22.550, respectively) may obtain OV parking permits, which may be used exclusively by the hotel’s registered guests per SCMC 10.40.120 Section (g)(2).  Contractors. Contractors may obtain OV parking permits for commercial vehicles that are used for purposes of conducting business in the City of Santa Cruz per SCMC sections (g)(8), (n).  Insufficient Safe Parking Capacity. The Santa Cruz Municipal Code contains a mechanism which affords issuance of permits to individuals regarding vehicles registered in the City’s Safe Parking Program, but that are unable to participate in the program due to lack of capacity (SCMC

10.40.120(g)(7)). At this time, the demand has not exceeded program capacity, and, therefore, issuance of such permits has not proven necessary. Should such permits become necessary due to lack of capacity, the City is prepared to issue such permits.

Details related to program enforcement, including notification prior to vehicle towing, appear in a prior section (beginning on page 8) of this report. As noted above, no vehicles have been towed due to violations related to the 12 AM to 5AM OV parking restrictions.

20.53 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Blackwater Disposal
Hygiene facilities available for use by operators of oversized vehicles are located at all Safe Parking sites, and additionally sited at various parks and other public facilities for access throughout the day. For those residing in vehicles with leaking or broken blackwater storage tanks, the hygiene facilities provide alternative restrooms that help prevent the leakage of untreated sewage into the public right-of-way and onto private property, thereby averting the associated adverse environmental and public health impacts of exposure to untreated wastewater.

Monitoring of incidents of illicit dumping of blackwater occurs via observation by City staff and through response to public concerns lodged through the Community Response to Service Portal (CRSP) accessed through the City’s website. Enforcement is conducted the City’s Police Department (PD), Public Works Environmental Compliance (PWEC), and/or Code Compliance Division, which collectively investigate and evaluate reported or observed instances of illicit disposal.

Residents of oversized vehicles may dispose of blackwater/greywater at the Unocal (Union 76) gasoline station located at 1500 Soquel Drive, situated at the corner of Soquel Drive and Highway 1, which offers a sanctioned dumping station, available for use through payment of a nominal fee. For expanded capacity and for envisioning a viable solution to past concerns related to unsanctioned refuse disposal, City staff have undertaken a feasibility analysis of potential locations for siting of a blackwater dumping station administered by the City.

Management
Emergency Parking: When SCPD officers are conducting enforcement activities and encounter OV dwellers who desire immediate access to sanctioned emergency overnight parking, officers direct affected parties to Emergency Parking locations. Emergency Parking has been continuously operational since the inception of the Safe Parking program circa March 2022. The spaces are currently located at Lot 25, adjacent to Depot Park. The City’s parking enforcement team enrolls people in the Overnight-Only Parking program after they utilize the Emergency Parking.

Overnight-Only Parking: The City’s Homelessness Response Team operates in concert with Parking Division staff to oversee the Overnight-Only Safe Parking program. Overnight-Only parking lots are currently located in the City’s greater downtown area, making it easier for Police to observe the locations during their nightly shifts, since the Police Station is located in relatively close proximity. The Parking team and Homelessness Response team review the capacity and demand levels to assess if additional lots need to be opened to meet fluctuating demand. 24/7 Parking: The City has awarded a contract to The Free Guide to operate the 24/7 parking program. The Free Guide personnel, through regular meetings and close communication with City staff, manage activities of the 24/7 program, providing participants with case management and housing navigation, ensuring participants adhere to program standards and expectations, conducting outreach, and managing the enrollment waitlist.

Reasonable Accommodation: Individuals wishing to participate in the City’s Oversized Vehicle Safe Parking program, but who are unable to do so due to disability, may request reasonable accommodation via the City’s website.

20.54 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Consideration for Revision to Parking Permit Program
City staff, Councilmembers, and Planning Commissioners have received feedback from a limited number of community members regarding challenges related to parking of vehicles owned/operated by housed residents in the City that are used by the residents as their respective daily driver vehicles but which still fall within the vehicular sizing criteria of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Such vehicles include extended-bed pickup trucks, light commercial vehicles (e.g. “Sprinter” vans), and the like. Many such vehicles exceed 20 feet in length, but nearly all measure below 23 feet in length. Some residents have conveyed reservations about enforcement of the OVO against such vehicles, given the sometimes-limited options for off-street OV parking, particularly for properties without driveways or on substandard-sized lots lacking adequate space available for off-street parking. To address this issue, some residents might desire a daily permit that would allow any such residents who lacks access to off-street parking the option to park their smaller Ovs from midnight to 5:00 AM near their individual home addresses.

This specific issue was raised as part of the Coastal Commission hearing in May of 2023, with the CCC providing direction to have this issue explored and considered as part of the stakeholder group. The matter was discussed with the Stakeholder Group at its third meeting. Detailed notes from that December 20, 2023 discussion are attached.

While some stakeholders had questions about what type of vehicles should be allowed (e.g., one stakeholder indicated that boat trailers may warrant a permit, while others disagreed with that sentiment or did not comment), none of the stakeholders expressed objection to the creation of some kind of permit that would allow certain types of Ovs to park on-street, near a resident’s home address, during the hours of midnight (12 AM) to 5 AM. Potential parameters discussed included, but were not limited to, the length of the vehicle in question, the frequency of its use (e.g., daily driver or not), the existing contractor’s permit allowance (whether authorized under the current OVO), the ability/inability to park off-street, vehicle registration status, and proof of residency.

The ad-hoc City Council Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Subcommittee has met since the implementation of the OVO to discuss, among other items, the potential for establishment of a mechanism for granting a residential parking permit allowing for parking of Ovs owned/leased by City residents. The members of the Subcommittee were generally receptive to some of the concerns raised by the citizens. An ordinance amendment would be needed to accommodate an alternative resident permit such as this, but no direction has been provided with respect to specific ordinance provisions at this time, other than an acknowledgement that the parameters being considered during the Stakeholder Group discussions would be suitable for consideration and evaluation as a part of any such future update.

For purposes of comparison, staff have conducted research of regulations administered by jurisdictions throughout the State of California, including coastal communities with high parking demand, which reveals that some municipalities have adopted standardsrelated to preferential parking of residents’ oversized vehicles (e.g., Santa Cruz County, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Oceanside, Pacific Grove, Santa Monica). Additionally, California Vehicle Code sections 22507 and 22507.5 expressly contemplate preferential parking privileges for residents.

Providing another residential permit option would have little to no impact on coastal access, and an argument could be made that the permit would increase coastal access, not limit it; so, from that test, such a permit would not frustrate the coastal access goals of the Coastal Act or the Local Coastal Program. Due to the limited number of complaints and requests received thus far, staff do not believe that use of such a program would be widespread. However, it would meet the needs of a very small segment of the community affected by the OVO. Part of the intent of the OVO was to 1) prevent access constraints associated with long-term parking of Ovs and 2) minimize the associated environmental effects of trash accumulation and lack of sanitary facilities associated with long-term habitation of

20.55 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

vehicles on City streets. Staff does anticipate that as envisioned, particularly with its limited applicability, inducing any detrimental coastal access or environmental impacts.

Staff requests that, as an element of the subject Coastal Permit application, the City be afforded the authority to implement minor changes, including potentially instituting a program offering issuance of parking permits. A Condition of Approval has been crafted to address this.

Condition of Approval #6: “Stakeholder Group. The Permittee shall create a stakeholder group to inform and provide input regarding the implementation of the Approved Project, where such group shall be made up of key stakeholders (including City staff/officials, unhoused advocates, Safe Parking Program participants, and other affected individuals), where the committee makeup and its operational parameters shall be subject to Executive Director approval, and where the intent is to have relatively equal representation between unhoused advocates and oversized vehicle parking control advocates. The stakeholder group shall meet at least four times during the year.

The group will discuss Approved Project implementation, including with respect to any issues/challenges and ways to improve. Among other things, the stakeholder group exempting residents/renters and visitors to residents/renters within the City of Santa Cruz from the overnight oversized vehicle parking restrictions.” City actions: In response to the above Condition of Approval, the City prepared a plan for the stakeholder group that was presented to, and approved by, the CCC staff. The City subsequently formed a ten-member stakeholder group of the following composition:
• 1 dweller of an oversized vehicle parked within City limits and not participating in the City’s Safe Parking Program
• 1 participant of the Safe Parking Program
• 3 advocates for the unhoused, including one representative of each of the following:
o 1 representative of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) o 1 representative of Santa Cruz Cares
o 1 representative from Disability Rights Advocates
• 2 housed residents representing neighborhoods situated in geographic areas of the city which have experienced significant effects related to the long-term parking of oversized vehicles, including the following:
o 1 representative of Westside Santa Cruz
o 1 representative of Eastside Santa Cruz
• 3 advocates of the City’s Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, including one member of each of the following organizations:
o 1 representative of Westside Neighbors
o 1 citywide neighborhood advocate
o 1 businessowner of an enterprise situated in an area which has been impacted by long-term parking of oversized vehicles
With the above-referenced makeup, members of the Stakeholder Group demonstrate approximately equal representation between unhoused advocates and oversized vehicle parking control advocates.

20.56 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

The stakeholder group has convened on four separate occasions, including meetings of October 17, 2023, November 15, 2023, December 20, 2023, and January 31, 2023. See attached agendas and notes of the proceedings of the first three meetings; the fourth and (potentially) final meeting is taking place following the release of this report, and the notes of the most recent stakeholder group meeting will be posted to the agenda packet materials and provided to the Planning Commission on February 1, 2024. The stakeholder group has offered various feedback to City staff regarding the appropriateness and efficacy of the oversized vehicle parking program, including suggestions for improvement, as noted in the attached proceedings. In addition, the organization Santa Cruz Cares has submitted written correspondence detailing concerns about the City’s Stakeholder Outreach process and implementation of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance in general. Attached documents include that correspondence and City responses to the statements made.

In addition to the meeting agendas and notes, also attached is a matrix that was developed in conjunction with the Stakeholder Group. The Stakeholder Group Issue and Response Matrix was initially populated from an exercise at the first Stakeholder Group meeting. Staff then prepared brief responses to the issues, and those responses were a key topic of discussion at the second Stakeholder Group meeting. Issues were broken down into five categories, as follows: outreach, environmental impact, permits, Safe Parking, and enforcement.

Staff responded to many of the comments within the purview of staff’s authority and that were able to be implemented in an efficient manner given various constraints. Some examples of the issues that staff addressed, some of which are included in the matrix, and some of which were raised before or after, follow:

A. Following concerns about how Overnight-Only participants would connect with services, staff included in the intake and sign-up forms questions about whether they would like to be connected to any services.

Contact information for the individuals is then provided to the City’s Homelessness Response Outreach Team, who then seeks to connect them with the requested service providers.

B. Following an evening Stakeholder Group meeting where concerns were raised that OV dwellers think the Safe Parking spaces have no vacancy, staff communicated with City outreach team members the very next day to ensure that they were conveying to OV dwellers that Overnight-Only parking spaces are and will be available.

C. Following concerns about needing to call to inquire about Safe Parking, staff added an email option ([email protected]) for Safe Parking inquiries instead of just the telephone number that had been used.

D. Following concerns from Overnight-Only parking participants about activities surrounding one of the parking lots, staff closed that Overnight-Only parking lot and relocated those individuals and their vehicles to another nearby Overnight-Only lot.

E. Following concerns expressed about outdated information on various external, non-City websites, the City notified various websites and apps of the new OVO regulations.

F. Throughout the process, the City has continued to communicate with the County regarding the need for them to operate a similar Safe Parking program for OVs.

Some of the other issues staff either chose not, or were not able, to address at this time, given procedural, staffing, monetary, timing, or other constraints, include the following:

20.57 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

A. Requests for additional residential parking permits to accommodate residents who own OVs would require ordinance changes. This is contemplated as a potential option, as discussed above in this report, but could only be implemented in the future, should the program be able to continue.

B. Requests for additional OVO signage were not accommodated, as signage is expensive to purchase and install. Should the program be authorized to continue, additional signage locations will be considered, with the City first seeking to utilize existing signposts for any new signage.

C. Requests to expand the 24/7 parking are well taken. However, most of the City-owned parking lots are used for parking by other uses during the day, so few options exist for 24/7 parking. Even if additional spots were available 24/7, the City would need to identify additional funding sources for expansion of the services currently offered in the program.

D. Requests for real-time vacancy data for occupancy of Safe Parking spaces were not provided, because of the logistics and technology constraints associated with the request. An OV is currently assigned an individual space, and the City has opened new Overnight-Only lots based on the overall number of registered participants, not based on real-time usage.

Planning Commissioners are encouraged to review the Stakeholder Group materials, including the issues matrix, to assess whether those materials raise additional questions, comments, or ideas about the program or how it can be improved.

Condition of Approval #7: “Report. Within the month prior to the expiration of this CDP (i.e., between April 11, 2024 to May 11, 2024), the Permittee shall submit a report that describes Approved Project implementation to date to the Executive Director, where such report shall at a minimum clearly describe all program outreach, enforcement and participation, including recommendations made by the stakeholder group, as well as opportunities for program improvements.”
City actions: This report and the associated attachments are expected to fulfill the above Condition of Approval.

However, should the Coastal Commission require additional information or submittal of a separate document, a separate report will be prepared and presented to the California Coastal Commission within the prescribed timeframe. The report will include all requisite elements as noted in the above Condition of Approval.

Conditions #8 and #9 constitute “Assumption of Risk” and “Liability for Costs and Attorneys’ Fees” terms that require no further action on the part of the City.

As a result of the City’s actions taken in response to the Conditions of Approval placed on Coastal Development Permit A-3-STC-22-0018, the City has met or exceeded its obligations in demonstrating consistency with Coastal Commission feedback and direction by crafting a Safe Parking program and associated policies balancing 1) the needs of the community in preservation of the safety and integrity of its rights-of-way with 2) the needs of unhoused individuals residing in oversized vehicles. As a result, staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve Coastal Permit CP23-0176 to effectuate ongoing implementation of Ordinance 2021-20, as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08 and codified in Municipal Code sections 10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106,

10.04.165, 10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070; and allowing for potential future minor modifications as

20.58 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

described herein and as determined appropriate for ongoing implementation of an effective Safe Parking program upholding and advancing the health, safety, and welfare of all members of the Santa Cruz community, including both the housed and unhoused.

Public Feedback
A diversity of public feedback has been provided related to the proposed action, ranging from stark opposition to robust support. See attached written correspondence received as of the time of preparation of this report.

Among other input and requests, members of the public have offered a number of suggestions, including: requests to allow on-street parking for unattached trailers; requests that neighborhoods be able to opt-out of OV prohibitions; and requests to expand the 24/7 Safe Parking Program. The first two suggestions would necessitate official action by the City Council for implementation; while the third suggestion acknowledges the nature of demand for expansion of comprehensive homelessness services but which involves practical difficulties associated with siting of additional suitable 24/7 Safe Parking, along with acquisition of funding to defray the costs associated with an expansion of the City’s existing 24/7 Safe Parking Program.

As noted above, meeting agendas, meeting summaries, and an issue and response matrix are included that highlight much of the work of the Stakeholder Group that was formed to provide feedback on the OVO’s implementation. The organization Santa Cruz Cares, which provided a member to the Stakeholder Group, has submitted written correspondence detailing concerns about the City’s Stakeholder Group process, implementation of the Safe Parking Program as a whole, and Oversized Vehicle Ordinance in general. Attached documents include that correspondence and City responses to the statements made.

Consistency with the Local Coastal Program (LCP)
The Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and Safe Parking Program, with potential future minor modifications as described herein, uphold and advance Policies and Programs of the Local Coastal Program, as listed below:
 Parks and Recreational Lands Policy 1.7: Develop plansto repair, maintain and maximize public access and enjoyment of recreational areas along the coastline consistent with sound resource conservation principle, safety, and rights of private property owners.  Water Quality Policy 2.1: Meet or exceed State Water Resources Control Board standards for discharge of sewage and storm waters to the Monterey Bay.
 Community Design Policy 2.1 The dramatic views from West Cliff Drive shall remain unimpaired and unobstructed by vegetation, structures or accumulated refuse.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Policy 2.2: Preserve important public views and viewsheds by ensuring that the scale, bulk and setback of new development does not impede or disrupt them.  Water Quality Policy 2.3: Ensure that new development or land uses near surface water and groundwater recharge areas do not degrade water quality.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.5: Protect coastal recreation areas, maintain all existing coastal access points open to the public, and enhance public access, open space quality and recreational enjoyment in a manner that is consistent with the California Coastal Act.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.7: Recognize and protect the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay as a valuable

20.59 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

open space, natural resource, and National Marine Sanctuary.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Program 2.1.3: Protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the shoreline and views to and along the ocean, recognizing their value as natural and recreational resources.
 Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Lands Program 2.6.5: Protect neighborhood quality through improvement of blighted areas, traffic management, design guidelines, adequate buffers and other development techniques.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.4: Wherever feasible and appropriate, distribute public facilities (including parking areas) throughout the coastal recreation area to mitigate the impacts of overcrowding or over-use by the public of any single area.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.5: Develop and implement plans to maximize public access and enjoyment of recreations areas along the coastline.
 Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.1.5: Protect the quality of water discharged into the Bay and allow no dumping of materials into the Monterey Bay.
 Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.2.5: Protect and minimize the impact of development on bird, fish and wildlife habitat in and adjacent to waterways.

Health in all Policies (HiAP)
Heath in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. HiAP rests on three pillars: equity, public health, and sustainability. HiAP serves to ensure that all decision-makers remain informed about the health, equity, and sustainability impacts of various policy options during the policy development process.

The subject Coastal Development Permit application supports the pillar of equity in that an appointed Council adhoc committee has coordinated with City staff and community partners to further develop and ensure implementation of the above-described Safe Parking framework, including proposed modifications, in a manner widely accessible, and will report to the City Council with additional recommended actions. The City’s Safe Parking Program will continue to offer low-barrier parking services, free of charge, to program participants. The project encourages a sustainable and healthy lifestyle by avoiding the impacts to public health associated with longterm on-street OV entrenchment, including the associated disposal of trash, debris, and sewage onto City streets, sidewalks, and into local waterways. The proposed actions continue the provision of sanctioned parking facilities equipped with restrooms and trash services to offset detrimental impacts associated with long-term onstreet OV parking, including reduced coastal access, degraded community character, unhygienic disposal of sewage, and illicit dumping of trash and debris. Environmental sustainability represents a fundamental value of the City of Santa Cruz, guiding all City operations, and the subject application upholds such ideal through continued restriction on overnight use of the public right-of-way for oversized vehicle parking within the Coastal Zone, coupled with ongoing implementation of a program providing options for Safe Parking of oversized vehicles, offering facilities that provide trash and bathroom services reducing the likelihood for environmental contamination associated with illicit dumping of trash and blackwater, along with reduction of spillage of hazardous materials onto City streets from maintenance and long-term storage of vehicles in the public right-ofway, while introducing further benefits through the amelioration of aesthetic impacts and visual blight derived from lengthy stays of oversized vehicles on City streets. The project, therefore, ensures consistency with the three pillars of the HiAP and demonstrates an efficient and judicious use of City land.

20.60 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City’s continued implementation of its Oversized Vehicle programs does not constitute a new “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). However, even if the approval of a new Coastal Development Permit, as proposed, were considered a “project” pursuant to CEQA, the following exemptions would continue to apply.

The proposed actions remain statutorily exempt from environmental review under Article 19 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15282(j), related to restriping of City streets, and categorically exempt under Section 15301(c) and (g), 15307, 15308 and 15061(b), related to alteration of City streets not involving addition of lanes.

Statutory exemption 15282(j) applies to projects including restriping of streets to relieve traffic congestion, while Section 15301(c) accommodates alterations to existing streets, sidewalks, gutters and similar facilities not adding new automobile lanes. Past observations have revealed that overnight parking of oversized vehicles tends to occur in locales in which groups of oversized vehicles congregate and then become entrenched, inducing congestion and degradation of the environment. Continued implementation of existing OV regulations and the City’s existing Safe Parking Program, including potential future minor modifications as envisioned in this permit, will reduce deleterious effects through continued provision of Safe Parking in a controlled environment.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) establishes several “categorical exemptions” applicable to classes of projects and varieties of activities which generally avoid inducing risk of significant impacts to the environment. Section 15307 of the CEQA Guidelines
“consists of actions taken by regulatory agencies... to assure the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment.”
Section 15308 of the CEQA Guidelines
“consists of actions taken by regulatory agencies… to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for the protection of the environment.”
Continuation of the City’s existing Safe Parking Program, with minor modifications, will not likely result in any new construction, or need for building of additional facilities for public services such as Police, Parks, or Fire.

Through provision of sanitation facilities in locations at or near designated safe-parking locations, and through continued restriction of oversized vehicle parking between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM Citywide, ongoing implementation of the City’s OV Regulations and Safe Parking Program, along with potential future minor modifications as discussed herein, will continue to ameliorate the detrimental effects, including environmental consequences and public health and safety effects, related to long-term OV entrenchment. As the majority of environmental impacts resulting from continued implementation of the City’s OV Regulations and Safe Parking Program constitute beneficial, rather than detrimental outcomes, and with other potential environmental effects remaining de minimis, in addition to qualifying under the CEQA clearances listed above, the project also qualifies for an exemption pursuant to California Code of Regulations Section 15061(b), the “general rule” or “common

20.61 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

sense” exemption, asit can be seen with certainty that no significant effect on the environment will occur resulting from the Coastal Permit application.

The proposed project complies with all of the foregoing criteria and demonstrates eligibility for implementation of both statutory and categorical exemptions as afforded by CEQA.

SUMMARY
The City of Santa Cruz seeks to balance community health and safety concerns regarding the effects of long term, on-street OV entrenchment with the protection of potentially vulnerable communities, including occupants of oversized vehicles whose access to housing options may remain limited. As such, staff requests that the Planning Commission approve the subject Coastal Permit application, as required by the Conditions of Approval of Coastal Development Permit (CDP) A-3-STC-22-0018 approved by the California Coastal Commission. Staff requests that the Planning Commission authorize the City to, in perpetuity, implement and enforce Ordinance No. 2021- 20 as amended by Ordinance Nol 2023-08 and as codified in codified in Municipal Code sections 10.04.065,

10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106, 10.04.165, 10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070, which, among other elements, restricts parking Citywide of oversized vehicles between the hours of 12 AM and 5 AM, prohibits on-street parking of unattached trailers, and facilitates continued operation of the City’s Safe Parking Program; and to accommodate potential future minor modifications to the City’s Safe Parking Program and/or to the Municipal Code, such as potential revisions to the City’s OV residential parking permit program and similar modifications.

Approval of the requested actions will allow for ongoing efforts facilitating continued access to the coast, bolstering community character and quality of life, and likewise upholding protection of the natural and built environment.

FINDINGS
Coastal Permit, Section 24.08.250

1. Maintain views between the sea and the first public roadway parallel to the sea.

The proposed Coastal Development Permit will not induce adverse impact to coastal views, but, rather, enhance scenic vistas by regulating overnight parking of oversized vehicles in areas adjacent to the shore.

2. Protect vegetation, natural habitats and natural resources consistent with the Local Coastal Land Use Plan.

The Coastal Permit allows for ongoing implementation of the City’s Safe Parking program, which provides trash receptacles and hygiene stations, facilitating proper sanitation and thereby minimizing detrimental environmental consequences which contribute to elevated coastal bacterial loads, unsightly accumulation of litter, and exposure to hazardous materials. Through ongoing facilitation of programs which address actions related to unsanctioned disposal of trash and wastewater onto City streets and into storm drains, the City minimizes the risk of violation of the terms of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit and resulting actions related to enforcement against such potential violation by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

20.62 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

The proposed actions provide for consistency with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City’s environmental review and protection procedures. No disturbance of any vegetation, natural habitats, or natural resources will accompany the actions included in the subject Coastal Permit.

3. Be consistent with any applicable design plans and/or area plans incorporated into the Local Coastal Land Use Plan, in that it implements policies therein.

The proposed Coastal Permit provides for consistency with the General Plan, all Area Plans, and Local Coastal Program in that the proposal advances, and serves to implement, the goals and policies of such plans related to promotion of public health and safety and protection of the natural environment.

The proposed actions address policies and programs of the Local Coastal Program, including but not limited to the following:
 Parks and Recreational Lands Policy 1.7: Develop plans to repair, maintain and maximize public access and enjoyment of recreational areas along the coastline consistent with sound resource conservation principle, safety, and rights of private property owners.  Water Quality Policy 2.1: Meet or exceed State Water Resources Control Board standards for discharge of sewage and storm waters to the Monterey Bay.
 Community Design Policy 2.1 The dramatic views from West Cliff Drive shall remain unimpaired and unobstructed by vegetation, structures or accumulated refuse.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Policy 2.2: Preserve important public views and viewsheds by ensuring that the scale, bulk and setback of new development does not impede or disrupt them.  Water Quality Policy 2.3: Ensure that new development or land uses near surface water and groundwater recharge areas do not degrade water quality.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.5: Protect coastal recreation areas, maintain all existing coastal access points open to the public, and enhance public access, open space quality and recreational enjoyment in a manner that is consistent with the California Coastal Act.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.7: Recognize and protect the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay as a valuable open space, natural resource, and National Marine Sanctuary.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Program 2.1.3: Protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the shoreline and views to and along the ocean, recognizing their value as natural and recreational resources.
 Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Lands Program 2.6.5: Protect neighborhood quality through improvement of blighted areas, traffic management, design guidelines, adequate buffers and other development techniques.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.4: Wherever feasible and appropriate, distribute public facilities (including parking areas) throughout the coastal recreation area to mitigate the impacts of overcrowding or over-use by the public of any single area.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.5: Develop and implement plans to maximize public access and enjoyment of recreations areas along the coastline.
 Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.2.5: Protect and minimize the impact of development on bird, fish and wildlife habitat in and adjacent to waterways.  Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.1.5: Protect the quality of water discharged into the Bay and allow no dumping of materials into the Monterey Bay.

20.63 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

The subject Coastal Permit application provides for ongoing implementation of the City’s Oversized Vehicle regulations and Safe Parking Program which seek to minimize detrimental environmental impacts associated with dumping of debris, illicit discharge or blackwater and graywater, and exposure to hazardous materials associated with long-term occupancy of oversized vehicles within the public rightof way. No disturbance of vegetation, natural habitats or natural resources will derive from implementation of the ordinance. Locations of Safe Parking facilities will remain outside of mapped “high impact”, environmentally-sensitive locales and enhance coastal access through increasing the availability of parking formerly occupied by long-term OVs and unattached trailers. An evaluation of the project’s potential for generation of environmental impacts in accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City’s Environmental Review Guidelines and procedures has resulted in the conclusion that all actions included qualify for established categorical and/or statutory exemptions and determination that the subject application holds no potential for generation of significant environmental impact. The proposed actions will further advance the quality of the aesthetic environment through avoidance of blight and obstruction of coastal views derived from long-term OV entrenchment adjacent to, and surrounding, the shore.

4. Maintain public access to the coast along any coastline as set forth in the Local Coastal Land Use Plan.

Continuation of existing OV and unattached trailer limitations related to coastside parking will increase access to the ocean and adjacent shore resulting from prohibition on the practice of extendedduration, long-term, on-street OV, and trailer parking. The subject application will likewise enhance cleanliness and safety by facilitating proper disposal of litter and wastewater, with associated benefits to preservation of community character and aesthetics. Numerous locations within City limits and in surrounding areas will continue to supply proper facilities as destinations for oversized vehicle camping and will continue to provide such amenities for visitors seeking to access the coast for overnight stays. Existing oversized vehicle parking restrictions will remain effective from 12 AM to 5 AM, and permit processes will continue to provide additional options for parking oversized vehicles on-street overnight, including for visitors to the coast.

The City Manager’s Office and the City’s Homelessness Response Team have identified and made available Safe Parking spaces on City-owned or -operated properties, totaling up to approximately 38 spaces for overnight only OV parking, along with 15-20 spaces available for long-term 24/7 OV parking. The City operates, and partners with, third-party homelessness response services to provide Safe Parking and transitional sheltering options. The Safe Parking facilities located within the Coastal Zone retain locational, hourly, and other operational criteria to retain public access. Staff have prepared analyses, provided to the Coastal Commission, detailing the results of implementation of the City’s Safe Parking Program, and have collaborated with staff of CCC to address any concerns related to public access that may arise from such operations. The subject Coastal Permit will not generate negative consequences to bona fide recreational access to the coast.

5. Be consistent with the Local Coastal Land Use Plan goal of providing visitor-serving needs as appropriate.

A number of existing facilities within and surrounding the City supply overnight facilities for recreational vehicle (RV) camping. Overnight stays for occupants of RVs remain available at the

20.64 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

Upper Harbor, as well as Forest of Nisene Marks, Manresa, New Brighton, San Andres KOA, and Seacliff and Sunset State Beaches, all designed to accommodate large vehicles and afford visits to the coast. No impact to recreational beach access would result from the proposed actions.

Parking permits available to residents, guests of residents, contractors, and guests of local hotels offer available parking to those seeking to shorter-term, overnight OV parking.

6. Be consistent with the Local Coastal Land Use Plan goal of encouraging coastal development uses as appropriate.

The Coastal Permit and its implementation will enhance coastal access by providing a cleaner and safer environment for the general public, in part by minimizing litter and blackwater dumping through provision of free trash and restroom facilities for residents of oversized vehicles. No adverse impact to recreational beach access would stem from continued implementation of the City’s Safe Parking Program and ongoing implementation of the City’s OV Regulations. Permit processes will provide additional options for parking oversized vehicles on-street overnight, including for visitors to the coast.

All Safe Parking sites will remain located outside of the mapped high-parking impact areas within the Coastal Zone.

Shoreline Protection Overlay District, Section 24.10.2430

7. The project protects trees and vegetation and sensitive wildlife habitat.

The proposed Coastal Permit and ongoing implementation of the City’s OV Regulations and Safe Parking program, with potential future minor modifications, will not negatively affect trees, vegetation, or sensitive wildlife habitat. By reducing litter and improper human waste disposal, the continued operations will continue to have a positive impact on trees, vegetation, and sensitive habitat.

8. The project is consistent with the following criteria for bluff or cliff development:
a. The development is sited and designed to assure stability and structural integrity of its expected economic life span and minimize alterations to natural landforms. b. The development will not create or contribute significantly to problems of erosion or geologic instability on the site or on surrounding geologically hazardous areas. c. The development minimizes alteration of cliffs, bluff tops, faces or bases, and will not interfere with sand movement.
d. The development which proposes use of retaining walls shall be allowed only to stabilize slopes. Sea walls at the toe of sea cliffs to check marine erosion shall be allowed only where there is no less environmentally damaging alternative.

20.65 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

e. The development within one hundred feet of any cliff or bluff line shall follow the recommendations of an approved geologic report by a registered geologist. The area where such a report is required may be increased where the issue of slope stability requires a greater distance from any cliff or bluff line.

The proposed actions will not induce impacts to any cliff or bluff, and the above finding remains inapplicable.

9. The project provides maximum erosion protection, using accepted engineering practices and other methods and specifications set forth in this title.

The proposed actions will not affect any cliff or bluff, and the above finding remains inapplicable.

10. The project maintains public view corridors between the sea and the first public roadway parallel to the sea and maintain natural views of the coastline.

The proposed actions will not result in impact to any cliff or bluff, and the above finding remains inapplicable. Installation of signage associated with parking limitations has occurred on existing signposts to the extent possible, without physical effects to any cliff or bluff. Future installation of signage as proposed in the Signage Plan will remain located within public rights-of-way, without any potential for alteration to a cliff or bluff.

11. The project protects paleontological resources as prescribed in the Land Use Plan.

The proposed actions do not encompass any appreciable subsurface excavation and therefore will not impact paleontological resources as prescribed in the Land Use Plan. The above finding remains inapplicable.

12. The project protects and enhances free public access to or along the beach, and sign such access when necessary.

The proposed actions will not reduce the capacity of, or access to, free public parking or bona fide recreational use of the shore.

13. The project includes mitigation measures prescribed in any applicable environmental document.

No mitigation measures apply, and the above finding remains inapplicable.

14. The project is compatible with the established physical scale of the area.

The proposed actions will not impact the established physical scale of the area, and the above finding remains inapplicable. Installation of signage associated with parking limitations has occurred on existing signposts to the extent possible, without physical effects to any cliff, bluff, or mapped sensitive habitat.

Future installation of signage as proposed in the Signage Plan will remain located within public rightsof-way, without any potential for alteration the physical scale of any affected area.

20.66 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

15. The project is consistent with the design review guidelines of this title and the policies of any applicable area plan.

All signage will remain consistent with relevant criteria of the Public Works and Police departments.

16. The project is consistent with the policies of the Local Coastal Program, the General Plan, and the California Coastal Act.

The proposed actions demonstrate consistency with the policies of the Local Coastal Program, the General Plan, and the California Coastal Act in that ongoing implementation of provisions of the City’s Municipal Code related to parking of oversized vehicles, along with continued operation of the City’s Safe Parking program, will result in continued benefits to the community along spans of the coast previously and currently detrimentally affected by dumping of raw sewage, accumulation of trash and debris, and occurrence of other impacts to health and safety associated with the generation of noise and resulting from entrenchment of oversized vehciles and congregations of individuals engaging in sometimes unlawful activities. The proposed actions will addressthe policies of the LCP as listed below:
 Parks and Recreational Lands Policy 1.7: Develop plans to repair, maintain and maximize public access and enjoyment of recreational areas along the coastline consistent with sound resource conservation principle, safety, and rights of private property owners.  Water Quality Policy 2.1: Meet or exceed State Water Resources Control Board standards for discharge of sewage and storm waters to the Monterey Bay.
 Community Design Policy 2.1 The dramatic views from West Cliff Drive shall remain unimpaired and unobstructed by vegetation, structures or accumulated refuse.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Policy 2.2: Preserve important public views and viewsheds by ensuring that the scale, bulk and setback of new development does not impede or disrupt them.  Water Quality Policy 2.3: Ensure that new development or land uses near surface water and groundwater recharge areas do not degrade water quality.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.5: Protect coastal recreation areas, maintain all existing coastal access points open to the public, and enhance public access, open space quality and recreational enjoyment in a manner that is consistent with the California Coastal Act.  Open Space Lands Policy 3.7: Recognize and protect the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay as a valuable open space, natural resource, and National Marine Sanctuary.  Natural Setting and Scenic Resources Program 2.1.3: Protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the shoreline and views to and along the ocean, recognizing their value as natural and recreational resources.
 Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Lands Program 2.6.5: Protect neighborhood quality through improvement of blighted areas, traffic management, design guidelines, adequate buffers and other development techniques.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.4: Wherever feasible and appropriate, distribute public facilities (including parking areas) throughout the coastal recreation area to mitigate the impacts of overcrowding or over-use by the public of any single area.
 Open Space Lands Program 3.5.5: Develop and implement plans to maximize public access and enjoyment of recreations areas along the coastline.
 Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.2.5: Protect and minimize the impact of development on bird, fish and wildlife habitat in and adjacent to waterways.

20.67 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

 Biotic Diversity and Stability Program 4.1.5: Protect the quality of water discharged into the Bay and allow no dumping of materials into the Monterey Bay.5
Recreational access to the beach will remain unaffected, and the proposed actions will avoid negative impact to availability of free public parking and access to the shore. All Safe Parking Program locations will remain outside of mapped high-impact, environmentally sensitive sites within the Coastal Zone.

Submitted by:

Timothy Maier
Senior Planner
Approved by:

Lee Butler
Director of Planning and Community
Development
Attachments:

1. Conditions of Approval

2. Map of Safe Parking Program Facilities

3. Ordinance 2021-20

4. Ordinance 2023-08

5. Zoning Administrator Public Hearing Agenda Report, CP16-0090

6. Zoning Administrator Public Hearing Agenda Report, CP21-0174

7. Planning Commission Public Hearing Agenda Report, CP21-0174

8. City Council Public Hearing Agenda Report, CP21-0174

9. City Letter to Coastal Commission and Exhibits, June 23, 2022

10. City Letter to Coastal Commission and Exhibits, July 8, 2022

11. City Council Public Hearing Agenda Report of October 26, 2021

12. City Council Public Hearing Agenda Report of June 13, 2023

13. California Coastal Commission Substantial Issue Determination Staff Report Th14a-7-2022

14. California Coastal Commission Staff Report Addendum Th14a-7-2022

15. California Coastal Commission Agenda Report Th12b-5-2023

16. California Coastal Commission Revised Findings W18.1-6-2023

17. OVO Operations and Management Plan dated July 21, 2023

18. Final OVO Communications and Outreach Plan dated June 9, 2023

19. OVO Informational Flyer dated December 1, 2023

20. OVO Stakeholder Group Engagement Plan dated July 21, 2023

21. Updated Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Sign Plan dated August 2, 2023 a. Signage Plan Exhibit A
b. Signage Plan Exhibit B

22. Homelessness Response Team Impact Report (Homelessness Response Accomplishments 2023)

23. Homelessness Response Team Shelter Impact Report (Homelessness Response Shelter and Safe Parking Overview)

24. Homelessness Response Action Plan

20.68 AGENDA REPORT
Planning Commission Meeting of February 1, 2024
SUBJECT: CP23-0176 – Citywide (Coastal Permit, Continued Implementation of Safe Parking Program)

25. Agenda of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of October 17, 2023

26. Agenda of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of November 15, 2023

27. Agenda of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of December 20, 2023

28. Agenda of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of January 31, 2024

29. Notes of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of October 17, 2023 (Stakeholder participant names redacted)

30. Notes of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of November 15, 2023 (Stakeholder participant names redacted)

31. Notes of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of December 20, 2023 (Stakeholder participant names redacted)

32. Notes of Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of January 31, 2024

33. Stakeholder Issue and Response Matrix

34. Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Informational Flier (English and Spanish)

35. Sample Oversized Vehicle Permit

36. Public correspondence

37. Correspondence of Santa Cruz Cares

38. City Responses to the Statements Included in the Correspondence of Santa Cruz Cares

20.69 PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
809 Center Street • Room 107 • Santa Cruz, CA 95060 • www.cityofsantacruz.com

LEE BUTLER, AICP, LEED AP
June 23, 2022
Sent via hand delivery and email to [email protected] California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
Central District Office
725 Front Street #300
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
RE: Coastal Commission Appeal No. A-3-STC-22-0018
City of Santa Cruz Response Letter
Dear Chair Brownsey and Commissioners,
I. Introduction
The Coastal Commission should deny Appellants Santa Cruz Cares’ and the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) appeals, allowing the City to proceed with (a) the development associated with implementing certain amendments to the Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) pertaining to the parking of oversized/recreational vehicles (OVs) (the “OV Amendments”), and (b) the City’s Safe Parking Program for unhoused City residents living in OVs. The City’s OV Amendments and Safe Parking Programs comply with the City’s General Plan and Local Coastal Plan. They do not reduce, but rather improve coastal access. They do not violate constitutional requirements, criminalize homelessness, or overbroadly regulate. These provisions are narrowly tailored to address longstanding accessibility, community, and environmental concerns within the City, and the approval of the Coastal Permit will facilitate the provision of a range of new and expanded services for OV dwellers. The Coastal Commission should deny these appeals.

II. The City’s Ongoing Challenges Related to Oversized Vehicles The City Council revised the City’s OV ordinance due to the widespread impacts that OVs have had on the community, public health and safety, and the local environment. OVs are a regular source of service calls received by the City, including for the following issues: dumping of trash, debris and human waste onto City streets, sidewalks, and waterways; fires associated with OVs; and lack of access to neighborhood and coastal parking. See Exhibit 4 (1-5-2022 Zoning Administrator Meeting Agenda Report, Attachment 4, Snapshot of volunteer vehicle abatement data and public comment).

Recent public comment provided by community members provides a snapshot of the problem. For example, community members wrote:

20.70 California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
June 23, 2022

• “I am an avid bike rider and go through the Delaware and Santa Cruz Westside area over 5 times a week. During the early am and often in to the late evenings. I have seen so much ! . . . the situation is out of hand. RV waste, camping, trash, drug dealing, etc. Many vehicles staying long periods of time. . . . I have seen an RV leave the side of the road dragging a bathroom waste house as it pour [sic]out in to the street in front of me.” See Exhibit 4, p. 267.
• “Every day I see the garbage from the night of partying left in the street. Whatever food was eaten, scraps and trash are left knee high in places and I’m sure a gift to the rats and other hungry prey. I watch people smoke and flick their ashes in the dry brush. I see other vehicles drive over to visit both the RV’s and those camping on the Caltrans side of the fence. They stay for a few minutes, sometimes longer to exchange “something”. . . . I have been screamed at and cursed at by a woman living on the street. Others have seen her throw rocks, excrement and food. I only witnessed the yelling but your police reports will tell more. Just today, a client from the 6am class had her car window smashed and her wallet and phone stolen! Now that school is back, I watch the children from Pacific Collegiate School on their lunch break walking to 7/11. They walk in the middle of the street because the sidewalks aren’t passable (trash and human waste).” See Exhibit 4, p. 260-261. • “In the past 9 years that I have walked to Antonellis pond . . . I have witnessed people who are living in their vehicles defecate on the grounds that surround the UCSC building at 2300 Delaware and all around Antonell's pond in the bushes. I have found needles on the paths and a drug den set up beneath the railroad bridge that spans Antonell's Pond. . . .The first thing that happens when the houseless pull up in RV's, Campers or cars along Delaware or Natural Bridges Drive or Shaffer Road is to pull out their trash. The trash is left for the city of Santa Cruz to pick up daily if they manage to get to it and if not it is not scattered into the environment. . . . The RV's that are parked along Antonellis Pond dump their waste water in the storm drain that goes to the Ocean and they have also dumped their sewage water in the pond. Their generators are a noise nuisance. The RV's are rolling environmental health hazards. . . . Antonellis Pond is a wildlife sanctuary that supports wild birds, deer, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, foxes, . . . Protect them, they can’t speak for themselves.” See Exhibit 4, p. 255. • “I frequently walk my dog at Natural Bridges SP and Antonelli Pond, and am dismayed at the mess that has resulted from the many RVs and other inhabited vehicles parked along the streets in that area. It often feels like a health hazard walking on the streets where these vehicles are parked because of the trash and sewage.” See Exhibit 4, p. 627.

20.71 California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
June 23, 2022

• “I am a resident of the West Side and work in the Harvey West area. Both neighborhoods are heavily impacted by RVs residing on city streets for long periods of time. I have experienced sewage tank discharges, garbage left behind, and unleashed aggressive dogs loose around the vehicles, along with having the bike lane blocked. It's important to note that many of the RVs are from out of state.” See Exhibit 4, p. 638.
• “The Westside is in dire need for this ordinance to pass. . . . I live adjacent to the streets where these oversized vehicles are parked and I avoid these areas as much as possible now after encountering human feces and urine, garbage and dogs off leash and I don't feel safe.” See Exhibit 4, p. 665.
• “Since we moved in, the presence of dilapidated RVs has gotten worse and worse, often lining the entire length of Delaware Ave out to Shaffer St. We have been witness to dangerous fights and arguments, drug busts, and even fires within yards of our home. We can't use the sidewalk because of garbage and toxic junk overflowing and blocking passage, not to mention off-leash dogs belonging to RV owners. The green spaces, including Natural Bridges State Park, reek of urine from people using them as a bathroom. Despite the city's efforts, asking the RVs to move on is a game of whack-a-mole -- they come right back within hours.” See Exhibit 4, p. 667.
• “I am the proud owner of RV Service Center of Santa Cruz, . . . If a RV resident has a Propane leak it can be ignited by a stove piolet or lighting a lighter. This RV will blow up and cause a fire as well as potentially harming anyone in the surrounding area. Almost all of the vehicles have non operating Propane detectors. So if one is to be incapacitated while being under the influence or sleeping they are POTIENYTIAL [sic] bomb ready to go off.. . . numerous RV’s are here for days – weeks – months before being removed. A couple RV owners have portable propane tanks outside for use when their onboard Propane runs out.

The tanks are placed on the roadside of the RV’s. If a car hits one of these BBQ tanks the block can blow up. Huge hazard. There has been raw sewage dumped on the ground and trash piled everywhere. As a result many customers are reluctant to leave their RV’s and Trailers for repair. In the past 2 months the RV’s and Trailers have had propane tanks and batteries and whatever is not bolted down stolen. It has cost me aprox. $3000 to replace stolen property. In addition, we now have to remove all propane tanks and batteries upon checking in for service.

Loosing [sic] 30 to 45 minutes per unit to keep them safe. We have a fence around the property and night security checks the lot periodically. Despite this, they cut holes in the fence and get in to steel [sic] property.”” See Exhibit 4, p. 686.

In the first eight months of 2021, the City received at least 15 emergency calls for service related to OVs.. From January 2020 through August 2021, the City’s Fire Department reported 38

20.72 California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
June 23, 2022

vehicle-related fire incidents, including at least three specifically involving OVs. Also, in the first eight months of 2021, the City received 12 OV-related service calls and 14 public right of way calls to the Wastewater Collection Division. See Exhibit 5 (3-3-22 Planning Commission Agenda Report), p. 18.

In the first nine months of 2021, the City Manager’s Office spent approximately $21,000 for dumpster refuse services solely in the far West Side neighborhood of the City to mitigate illegal dumping from OV/car dwellers. This $21,000 figure does not include staff time necessary to coordinate those services. The City still provides this service, but despite these efforts, the City continues to experience adverse impacts (such as indiscriminate dumping of trash from OVs) related to OV parking in the areas where the services are provided. See Exhibit 5 (3-3-2022 Planning Commission Staff Report, (Attachment 6, Oversize vehicle dumpster cost for west side location, p. 777).

City staff also regularly observe evidence of OVs having discharged raw sewage onto City streets and into storm drains. See Exhibit 5 (3-3-2022 Planning Commission Staff Report). Any verified discharge of human waste into the storm sewer system causes the City to risk violating its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Regional Permit, which could result in a Regional Water Quality Control Board enforcement action.

In addition to challenges related to trash, debris, human waste, and calls for service, the City also faces challenges of decreased visibility for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians (especially at intersections) and reduced parking caused by the sheer mass of OVs parked on City streets.

Photographs of some of the challenges the City faces in addressing these issues are contained in Exhibit 10 and also in the public record, such as in the report to the Planning Commission on this topic.1 See Exhibit 5 - 3/3/2022 Planning Commission Staff Report and Attachments.

III. Public Input Concerning OVs
Since the Coastal Commission’s 2016 finding that there was a “substantial issue” with the City’s prior OV ordinance, there has been significant community comment regarding OV parking.

In February 2019, after a prior city council member's proposal to permit overnight oversized vehicle camping on Delaware Avenue on the lower Westside, over 400 letters in opposition were 1 A recent Google aerial map (dated September 2021) found approximately 110 OVs parked on City streets. The count did not include trucks over 20 feet in length without a camper shell (Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) Section 10.40.120(g)(8) exempts commercial vehicles from the 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. parking prohibition if a permit is properly displayed, and with the neighborhoods focused on people living in vehicles, trucks without a camper shell are unlikely to include a vehicle dweller). Of the 110 oversized vehicles identified, many are clearly not used as dwellings. For example, City residents might park their OVs or vans, such as Sprinter vans, on public streets. As such, the number of people dwelling in OVs is likely substantially less than 110. A total of 52 of the OVs shown were located within the Coastal Zone, with the vast majority of those parked in the lower West Side neighborhood, raising public access and environmental issues in that area. See Exhibit 9, City’s OV Count Methodology. See also Exhibits 9A-9G (Google Earth Images).

20.73 California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
June 23, 2022

sent to the city council. Community concerns cited included environmental impacts, neighborhood safety, increased crime, garbage, human excrement, fire danger, drug dealing, and other illegal and nuisance behaviors. A petition with over 1,000 signatures, urging city staff and council to address the public health and safety impacts of oversized vehicle parking was created on Change.org and sent to city staff and council.

City staff researched similar ordinances in other cities and counties throughout California, including coastal areas, in order to explore existing practices and options the City may have in addressing ongoing OV parking challenges. Commonalities in impacts of OVs in other communities were reviewed. The City’s OV Amendments are similar to ordinances passed in at least 26 other coastal communities, such as Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. See Exhibit 8 (Summary of OV Laws in California Coastal Communities).

IV. City’s Consideration of a Revised OV Ordinance
On September 21, 2021, three Councilmembers introduced a draft ordinance to begin discussions, within Council and the community at-large, to address OVs on City streets. Hundreds of people provided comments on the draft ordinance. At that meeting, Council voted to form an ad hoc Council committee to discuss a safe parking program. Two subsequent Council meetings, held on October 26 and November 9, 2021, considered additional public comment.

Then-Mayor Meyers appointed then-Vice Mayor Brunner, Councilmember Golder, and Councilmember Kalantari-Johnson to the ad hoc committee to work with City Staff and the community to develop recommendations for OV and safe parking. The ad-hoc committee received direct feedback from community members, public health/homeless service providers, members of the Association of Faith Communities (AFC), County staff, and members of the County Board of Supervisors and engaged in thought partnership to explore various options. Community engagement included emails, phone calls, one-on-one meetings, and group meetings. The ad hoc committee also walked areas of the City where individuals often reside in OVs and spoke with vehicle dwellers in those areas. The ad hoc committee also researched overnight parking enforcement and safe parking programs in similar communities. City staff also researched and met with County staff to promote community-wide alignment and explore collaboration and partnerships.

City Staff has also extensively researched and engaged community members on the issue of homelessness. In 2016, the City Council created a Homelessness Coordinating Committee that researched and prepared Council recommendations related to homelessness. In June 2019, the City Council established a Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness (CACH) to discuss with the community and consider various policy options related to homelessness. CACH members included people with a wide range of experience and knowledge, including individuals who either were or had been unhoused. Over twelve months, CACH held approximately 16 public meetings2 2 See https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-council-subcommittees/community-advisorycommittee-on-homelessness-cach

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and made many successful policy recommendations to City Council, including but not limited to expanding safe parking capacity at faith-based properties’ parking lots.

The City’s efforts herein have also been informed by materials created by the County of Santa Cruz, including the 2015 “All-In Toward a Home for Every County Resident: The Santa Cruz County Community Strategic Plan to Prevent, Reduce, and Eventually End Homelessness,” the 2021 “Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz: A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness in Santa Cruz County” (which the City Council endorsed in 2021), and the regular Point In Time homelessness census data.

V. Recent Council Action Related to OVs
A. Ordinance Amendments
On November 9, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2021-20 amending SCMC Title 10 revising “Vehicles and Traffic” at Chapter 10.04 “Definitions;” Chapter 10.40 “Stopping, Standing and Parking;” Chapter 10.41 “City-Wide Parking Permit” pertaining to the parking of OVs; and Chapter 16.19.070 “Storm Water and Urban Runoff Pollution Control” (collectively, the “OV Amendments”). See Exhibit 1 (Strike-out Version of OV Amendments and Exhibit 2 (Clean Copy of OV Amendments).

Some of the key amendments are summarized below:
• SCMC 10.40.120(a) contains a City-wide prohibition against parking OVs from midnight until 5:00, unless an exemption in SCMC 10.40.120(g) applies. • SCMC 10.40.120(g) contains multiple exceptions to the prohibition contained in subsection (a), including an exception for out of town visitors (SCMC 10.40.120(g)(1)), an exception for contractors (SCMC 10.40.120(g)(8), and an exception for persons experiencing homelessness, which exempts, “A person and oversized vehicle that are, collectively, registered and participating in a safe parking program or other safe sleeping or transitional shelter program operated or sanctioned by the city, but do not have access to a safe parking space or other shelter options under such programs due to a lack of capacity.” (SCMC 10.40.120(g)(7).
• SCMC 10.40.120(m) states: “In addition to the private property allowances authorized through Section 6.36.030, the city may operate, sponsor, or authorize safe parking programs for vehicles on any city-owned or city-leased properties in the city, or any citysanctioned private parking lots. The city manager shall develop a policy that establishes operational criteria for safe parking programs.”
• SCMC 10.40.120 (o) provides that the consequence for violating this code parking issues is simply a parking ticket: “Violations of any of the provisions of this chapter related to parking or standing vehicles shall be subject to a fifty dollar civil penalty (parking ticket)[.]”

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• SCMC 10.40.120(f) states that “Oversized vehicles shall not be parked at any place within one hundred feet of a crosswalk, intersection, boulevard, stop sign, official electric flashing device or approach to any traffic signal.”
B. Safe Parking Program
On October 26, 2021, and as part of the first reading of the OV Amendments, the City Council approved a motion directing City Staff to implement City-operated and sponsored safe parking programs for unhoused City residents living in OVs (the “Safe Parking Program”). The Safe Parking Program includes a three-tiered approach, including:
a) Emergency overnight safe parking on City-owned parcels for a minimum of three vehicles, to be implemented immediately.
b) Safe overnight parking on City-owned parcels or other non-residential approved spaces for a minimum of thirty vehicles throughout the City, to be implemented within four months of passing the OV Amendments.
c) A robust safe parking program in partnership with service providers, health providers, and County partners, prioritizing: families with children; seniors; transition-age youth; veterans; and those with a valid disabled placard or license plate issued pursuant to the California Vehicle Code.

See October 26, 2021 City Council Agenda Report, Exhibit 3.

1. The City’s Safe Parking Program Framework
In consultation with Coastal Commission staff, the City developed a Safe Parking Framework to limit any adverse impacts to coastal access and limit environmental impacts. City Safe Parking Program sites will include hygiene facilities, trash receptacles, and information and options for black water dumping. General parameters for the City’s safe parking sites include:
• Off-street locations (i.e. public/private parking lots). New signage shall be small-scale and designed to be incorporated into existing parking facility signage. Existing signposts shall be used when possible.
• Hours generally shall be from 8:00 PM – 8:00 AM. While hours of operation in the Coastal Zone will generally be within this time frame, exceptions apply when necessary to facilitate services to program participants, so long as the additional hours are of a frequency, duration, and/or location such that they do not adversely interfere with coastal access. For example, depending on the site services, one hour immediately before or immediately after the typical 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM operations, a mobile dump service could operate one day per week at the site or parking could remain in place so that a service provider (such as Cal Fresh, Homeless Persons Health Project, etc.) could offer services one to two days per week. As

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noted above, any such services during hours outside of 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM will be scheduled with specific consideration given to minimizing interference with coastal access. Outside the Coastal Zone, facilities (for example, Tier 3 facilities where enhanced services are provided) may be operated with extended hours, including on a 24/7 basis, so long as plans adequately address required parking for other uses.
• Sanitation will be provided at all locations (i.e., porta-potties, hand washing stations, and garbage cans). Black water dumping facilities may be provided at some locations. All facilities shall, whenever possible, be located where no impacts to public parking occur.

When that is not possible, all facilities shall be located or operated in a manner so as to minimize parking impacts to the greatest extent feasible. Locations of porta-potties, hand washing stations, and trash receptacles, as well as the locations of overnight parking on the site, will also consider adjacent uses, visibility, maintenance of views, and accessibility. • Safe Parking sites will not be sited in mapped “high impact parking areas” within the Coastal Zone.
• There will be no cost to participants in the Safe Parking Program.

See Exhibit 7 – 4-12-2022 Council Resolution Approving Coastal Permits Related to OV Amendments.

2. Additional Analysis and Reporting
Staff continues to analyze the approaches for facilitating black water dumping at approved locations/facilities. Currently, the closest public black water dump site in the City is located at the northeast corner of Soquel Avenue and Highway 1. Staff are actively investigating mobile dumping services (both those operated by the City and those operated by a private company), as well as additional dump station locations, with one central City location being carefully analyzed for infrastructure and vehicular circulation implications.

At the end of the first year of operating the Safe Parking Program, City Staff will prepare a report outlining program operations in the Coastal Zone, its usage, the number of parking stalls affected, and complaints received regarding the Program. If it is determined that any of the standards applicable in the Coastal Zone and identified in the conditions above have not been met, or if it is determined that a use has impacted public parking space availability such that public parking is not otherwise available, then the City will propose operation modifications. A copy of the report shall be submitted to the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission for review and approval. If the Executive Director determines that the Safe Parking Program negatively impacts public access, then the Program shall be modified to eliminate or mitigate such impacts, to the maximum extent feasible as directed by the Executive Director. See Exhibit 7 – Resolution, Condition of Approval No. 4.

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VI. Current Safe Parking Facilities in Santa Cruz
As of March 1, 2022, the City began operating three Safe Parking Program locations on public parking lots that allow for nine OVs as part of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 parking programs. So far, the demand has been minimal, most likely because OVs can legally park in other locations, without needing to move daily. One of these locations has additional off-street expansion capacity.

The City also provides the Association of Faith Communities (AFC) one parking space at a public lot. The City established these locations as pilots in advance of expanding the Program to accommodate more OVs, and the City is prepared to expand the number of safe parking locations to accommodate a minimum of 30 OVs, consistent with Council direction to have a minimum of 30 Tier 2 OV spaces available.

On June 14, 2022, the City Council approved a one-year, approximately $400,000 contract for a Tier 3 Safe Parking Program which will serve approximately 22 OVs, with the operator providing wrap-around services to provide case management and support people in moving from their vehicles into housing. The City is investing in infrastructure improvements and working with operators (AFC and The Free Guide) towards an expected start in July 2022.

Within City limits, AFC manages approximately 21 safe parking spaces, including approximately 20 on religious assembly sites and one on City-owned property. AFC also manages up to an additional 21 spaces within the County of Santa Cruz, but outside City limits.

Additionally, the City recently significantly liberalized regulations regarding vehicular dwellers on private property. Religious assembly uses can now host six (up from three, pre-2021) OVs on each property with no permits or authorizations required. (SCMC 6.36.030(a)(2).) The City also allows businesses to host up to three safe parking spaces (up from two, pre-2021). (SCMC

6.36.030(a)(3).) The City allows people to dwell in an OV indefinitely (previously only three days per month, pre-2021) on residential properties when certain conditions are met. (SCMC

6.36.030(a)(4).) These are each significant increases in overnight safe parking availability compared to what was previously available in the City. Since no permits or permissions are required to allow such parking, it is not known with certainty the total number of safe parking spaces currently being offered at businesses, religious assembly uses/churches, and residences in the City, but such uses are in existence (beyond those noted above with AFC), as City Staff is alerted through periodic complaints and anecdotal information.

VII. Other Programs for Persons Experiencing Homelessness (“PEH”) in the City of Santa Cruz
On March 8, 2022, the City Council adopted a Homelessness Response Action Plan (HRAP). The HRAP is a dynamic, action-oriented plan to help guide the City’s homelessness response for the next three years. Embedded in the HRAP are steps necessary to help ensure: 1.

Growth of City organizational capacity to execute the Plan; 2. Necessary coordination with the County and regional partners; 3. Identification of funding sources to support ongoing programming; 4. Appropriate data collection and reporting for tracking success; 5. Adequate alternative shelter options throughout the region; and 6. Effective land stewardship by the City.

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With respect to Item 5 above, the City provides funding to the Salvation Army to operate a 24/7, 75-bed safe-sleeping program at the National Guard Armory (located adjacent to the City’s DeLveaga Park, inside City-limits but outside the Coastal Zone). This facility opened to participants on May 16, 2022. Currently, the County of Santa Cruz operates a separate shelter program at the Armory. However, because the County intends to close this program on June 30, 2022, the City Council is considering amending its contract with The Salvation Army to expand the City’s program by another 60 beds. That nearly $3.9 million contract will run through June 2023 and includes dedicated transportation for shelter and Safe Parking Program participants to and from the site. The City’s lease costs for the site increase City expenses to nearly $4 million for the next fiscal year.

In addition, earlier this year, the City established a transitional community camp with approximately 30 participants at 1220 River Street.

The City is also coordinating with the County and Housing Matters, a local homeless service provider and non-profit organization, to add shelter capacity at both City-owned and privately-owned properties on Coral Street over the next several months. In May 2022, the City purchased 125 Coral Street, adjacent to the existing Housing Matters facility. Following that acquisition, the City released a Request for Proposals for a design charrette and master planning effort to evaluate and guide development, service, and other investment decisions along Coral Street properties, with a priority project anticipated as a new navigation center (24/7 shelter with wrap-around services) at 125 Coral Street.

The City also coordinates with the County to assist it with its shelter offerings in the City, including but not limited to supporting establishing master lease agreements with local motels/hotels to expand the number of available shelter beds.

The City recently hired two permanent, three-quarter time and one temporary, part-time homeless outreach staff members and is currently recruiting an additional, permanent half-time homeless outreach staff member.

Staff is also implementing additional components of the HRAP. Since adopting the HRAP, City Staff has developed detailed implementation plans, new job descriptions, and is in the process of hiring other new dedicated homeless response positions. The latest City Capital Improvement Plan3 adopted on June 14, 2022 includes $155,000 towards the following OV infrastructure:

Safe Parking: Establish a publicly accessible dump station within the City to support safe and sanitary discharge of blackwater and greywater tanks from recreational vehicles to support the OV Amendments and Safe Parking Programs.
3 CIP, see excerpt at
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/89236/637908981744970000)

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VIII. Permitting / Appeal History
On January 5, 2022, the City’s Zoning Administrator began its hearing on the subject Coastal and Design Permits. The hearing was later continued to a special January 12, 2022 meeting. At the January 5th hearing, two people spoke to the item – one in favor and one opposed.

Staff received nine written comments with two in favor of the ordinance and the rest opposed. On January 12, 2022, the Zoning Administrator heard and approved Coastal and Design Permits authorizing the development associated with the OV Amendments (e.g., parking signage and time of use restrictions) and implementing City-wide safe parking programs for unhoused City residents living in OVs. The January 12th hearing included eight speakers and 23 written comments in opposition. See Exhibit 4 (1-5-2022 Zoning Administrator Meeting Agenda Report with Attachments).

On January 14th, Reggie Meisler filed an appeal on behalf of Santa Cruz Cares. The appeal was then scheduled for the February 17th Planning Commission meeting. On January 25th, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also appealed. Because the ACLU appeal required further analysis, City Staff requested and the Planning Commission continued the appeal to the March 3, 2022 Planning Commission meeting. Planning staff and the City Attorney’s office comprehensively addressed the various issues raised in both appeals. See Exhibit 5 (March 3, 2022 Planning Commission Report).

On March 3, 2022, the Planning Commission heard this item at a noticed public hearing.

Seventeen members of the public spoke to the item with a majority of speakers opposed. The Commission voted 4-3 to approve the Permits, with several additional conditions of approval, including that the City stand up “zero barrier” (no preconditions for participation) safe parking sites. See Exhibit 5 (March 3, 2022 Planning Commission Report).

On March 14, 2022, Councilmember Golder called the item up for review due to the infeasibility of implementing the revised conditions of approval and their potential impact on the effectiveness of the OV Amendments and potential fiscal impacts. At its April 12, 2022 regular meeting, the City Council reviewed all previous testimony and materials from the Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission hearings, and public comments from the City Council hearing. It then approved the Coastal and Design Permits authorizing the development associated with the OV Amendments and to implement the Safe Parking Programs for unhoused City residents living in OVs in the City of Santa Cruz. See Exhibit 6 ( 4-12-2022 City Council Agenda Report Regarding Appeal of the Planning Commission Coastal Permit Approval) and Exhibit 7 (4-12-2022 Council Resolution Approving Coastal Permits Related to OV Amendments).

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IX. City’s Responses to Specific Arguments Raised by Appellants A. The City Has Not Criminalized Homelessness. Instead, the City’s Framework Provides Adequate Alternatives for Unsheltered Individuals Residing in OVs.

Appellants repeatedly allege that the City’s parking restrictions “criminalize homelessness.” This is false for at least two reasons.

First, the parking restrictions at issue are not “crimes.” Instead, if someone violates the parking restrictions in SCMC 10.40.120, they will receive a $50 (administrative) parking ticket.

See SCMC 10.40.120(o).

Second, the City has thoughtfully designed its OV program in a way that provides unsheltered individuals ample opportunity to avoid that $50 parking ticket. Specifically, unsheltered individuals can avoid a parking ticket by: (a) taking advantage of the shelter opportunities described in Section VII above; (b) taking advantage of the Safe Parking opportunities described in Section V and VI above; (c) if those shelter / safe parking opportunities lack capacity, registering for these programs in order to take advantage of the exception contained in SCMC 10.40.120(g)(7)4; or (d) taking advantage of the private property allowances contained in SCMC 6.36.030.

B. The City’s OV Amendments Do Not Unreasonably Limit Coastal Access, Nor Has the City Violated Environmental Justice Principles.

The City’s OV Amendments controlling OV parking between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. do not unreasonably limit or reduce access to the coast. Other areas of the City’s coastline also limit use between these hours, including Main Beach and Cowell Beach. This limitation was approved by the Coastal Commission in 2020, in order to address negative public health, safety, and welfare impacts associated with 24/7 camping on Main and Cowell beaches. Before the beach hours were implemented, 24/7 camping in the area was associated with excessive litter, urinating/defecating on the beach and in the ocean, negative interactions with other beach-goers, and out-of-state individuals literally moving to Main Beach to camp semi-permanently. Indeed, there are many parallels between that 2020 decision and the issues before the Commission now.

In 2008, the Coastal Commission approved parking restrictions on West Cliff Drive between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
4 Enforcement of OV overnight parking limitation not enforceable against “A person and oversized vehicle that are, collectively, registered and participating in a safe parking program or other safe sleeping or transitional shelter program operated or sanctioned by the city, but do not have access to a safe parking space or other shelter options under such programs due to a lack of capacity.”

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It is also worth emphasizing that the State closes and locks its own parking areas – both free and paid lots – during these hours.
5 The OV Amendments were intended to increase access to the coast for all. OVs are, by definition, oversized, taking up a large share of coastal parking. Based on the recent Google map analysis cited in Footnote 1, above, 52 out of the 110 total OVs in the City were located in the Coastal Zone, with the majority on the lower West Side of Santa Cruz. These vehicles commonly remain in coastal areas for long periods of time, thereby reducing the amount of coastal parking available for visitors to the coast. The City’s OV Amendments facilitate the daily movement of OVs.

When it comes to environmental justice principles, the City is not aware of any precedent suggesting that the coastal rights-of-way must remain available for both indigent and non-indigent people to reside upon 24/7, in a way that degrades the local environment. To the contrary, as discussed above, in 2020, the Commission approved of beach hours on Main and Cowell beaches to address the same issues before the Commission in this appeal. Similar to 24/7 tent camping on the beach, 24/7 vehicular camping in the Coastal Zone greatly reduces accessibility for people of all income levels who wish to visit the beach, because visitors are discouraged from visiting due to the trash and pollution generated by OVs parked along the coast.

C. The City has Complied with its General Plan and Local Coastal Plan General Plan Consistency
The project is consistent with the General Plan, the Beach South of Laurel Plan, and the Seabright Area Plan in that the ordinance amendment and its implementation will benefit the community along stretches of the coast that are currently impacted by black water dumping, littering, and other nuisance issues. Thus, the proposal will support a variety of environmental goals and policies of the General Plan, such as protection of riparian and natural habitats (General Plan Goals NRC 1 & 2).6
The safe parking facilities will promote protection of open spaces that provide scenic, recreational, educational, and environmental benefits by encouraging proper disposal of trash and waste, thereby supporting General Plan Policies LU3.11, LU3.11.1, LU3.11.2, and LU3.11.3.7 Safe parking facilities will be distributed throughout the City and organized so as to provide locations where unhoused vehicle dwellers in the City can legally park overnight while at the same 5 The hours posted on the California Parks and Recreation website for Lighthouse State Beach are 7:00 a.m. to sunset and for Natural Bridges State Park are 8:00 a.m. to sunset. See https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=550 and https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541. Both areas have gates that are locked during closed hours.
6 See Santa Cruz General Plan,
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/71130/637453677885300000, p. 122. 7 Santa Cruz General Plan,
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/71130/637453677885300000, p. 46.

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time minimizing parking and aesthetic impacts. Recreational access to the beach will not be impacted, and it will not adversely affect free public parking or beach access. All safe parking sites to be developed will be located outside of the mapped high impact parking areas within the coastal zone.

Additionally, the OV Ordinance and its implementing permits support the following policies:

CC2.1 Provide community services and facilities in keeping with the needs of a growing and diverse population.

CC4.1 Provide an adequate and environmentally sound wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system.

CC9.2 Provide adequate seasonal and permanent shelters and services.8 The ACLU and Santa Cruz Cares have argued that the OV Amendments are contrary to the City’s 2015-2023 Housing Element, which encourages the City to preserve mobile homes parks as part of its low-income housing stock. The specific language from the Housing Element states: “The City’s housing preservation policies also extended to its three mobile home parks - El Rio, Clearview Court, and De Anza.” See
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/53264/636038354721300000, p. 6-109. Clearly, this policy was intended to preserve specific mobile home parks on private property. This policy was not intended to encourage 24/7 vehicular dwelling on City rights-ofway. The City’s Zoning Ordinance further supports this distinction by expressly excluding recreational vehicles from the definition of mobile homes. (SCMC 24.22.542.) Local Coastal Plan (LCP) Consistency
The OV Amendments and Safe Parking Programs provide OV coastal access while addressing many of the LCP policies listed below.
- 2.1 Meet or exceed State Water Resources Control Board standards for discharge of sewage and storm waters to the Monterey Bay.
- 2.3 Ensure that new development or land uses near surface water and groundwater recharge areas do not degrade water quality.
- 4.1.5 Protect the quality of water discharged into the Bay and prohibit dumping materials into the Monterey Bay.
- 2.1.3 Protect the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the shoreline, as well as views to and along the ocean, recognizing their value as natural and recreational resources.
- 2.2 Preserve important public views and viewsheds by ensuring that the scale, bulk and setback of new development does not impede or disrupt them. 8 See City of Santa Cruz General Plan,
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/71130/637453677885300000, p. 76, 79,

82. 20.83
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- 2.6.5 Protect neighborhood quality through improvement of blighted areas, traffic management, design guidelines, adequate buffers and other development techniques. - 3.5 Protect coastal recreation areas, maintain all existing coastal access points open to the public, and enhance public access, open space quality and recreational enjoyment in a manner that is consistent with the California Coastal Act. - 3.5.4 Wherever feasible and appropriate, distribute public facilities (including parking areas) throughout the coastal recreation area to mitigate the impacts of overcrowding or over-use by the public of any single area.
- 3.5.5 Develop and implement plans to maximize public access and enjoyment of recreation areas along the coastline.
- 1.7 Recognize and protect the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay as a valuable open space, natural resources, and a National Marine Sanctuary.
- 1.7 Develop plans to repair, maintain and maximize public access and enjoyment of recreational areas along the coastline consistent with sound resource conservation principles, safety, and rights of private property owners. - 2.1 The dramatic views from West Cliff Drive shall remain unimpaired and unobstructed by vegetation, structures or accumulated refuse.

See City of Santa Cruz Local Coastal Program,
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/51167/636924963727070000.

D. Oversized Vehicle Restrictions are Common in Coastal Areas.

The ACLU appeal letter expresses fear of OV prohibitions spreading to other coastal areas if the Commission were to approve Santa Cruz’s OV Amendments and related programming, as if such prohibitions did not already exist. In fact, prior to these recent local Municipal Code changes, the City of Santa Cruz was one of the few Coastal areas without OV prohibitions in its Municipal Code.

As noted in Exhibit 8, the City of Santa Cruz is aware of similar OV restrictions in the following coastal areas: San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Ventura, Newport Beach, Coronado, Laguna Beach, Ft. Bragg, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Juan Capistrano, Eureka, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Goleta, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Hermosa Beach, San Diego, Long Beach, Pacific Grove, Pacifica, Huntington Beach, Santa Monica, Half Moon Bay, Oceanside, Santa Cruz County, and Malibu.

Unlike the coastal communities listed above, the City of Santa Cruz’s Municipal Code specifically contemplates Safe Parking and contains an exception if there is a lack of shelter or Safe Parking capacity. (SCMC 10.40.120(g)(7)).

If the Commission were to find substantial issue here, it would call into question the ordinances of dozens of coastal areas, potentially creating disastrous unintended consequences related to how coastal communities manage OVs within their jurisdictions.

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E. The City’s Action is Not Unconstitutional.

The ACLU and others have argued that the City’s Municipal Code is unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment and the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (ACLU Letter, p. 10.) The City has three responses to this argument.

First, this appeal contention can be dismissed, because it does not relate to conformance with the City's Local Coastal Program or the Coastal Act. , Second, on the merits, there is simply no legal precedent to suggest that the City’s OV Amendments violate the Eighth Amendment or the Fourteenth Amendment. The most similar district court case to assess this issue is Potter v. City of Lacey, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45173, in which the court considered a regulation prohibiting RVs from parking for more than 4 hours Citywide. The court opined:

Neither a parking fine . . . nor potential impoundment violate the Excessive Fines Clause. "The Excessive Fines Clause limits the government's power to extract payments, whether in cash or in kind, 'as punishment for some offense.'" Austin v.

United States, 509 U.S. 602, 609, 113 S. Ct. 2801, 125 L. Ed. 2d 488 (1993). It prohibits punitive, as opposed to remedial, fines, id., that are "grossly disproportional to the underlying offense." Pimentel v. City of Los Angeles, 974 F.3d 917, 921 (9th Cir. 2020) (citing United States v. Bajakajian, 524 U.S. 321, 336-37, 118 S. Ct. 2028, 141 L. Ed. 2d 314 (1998). . . .

A $35 fine for violation of a parking ordinance, however, is not "excessive." Id. (finding a $63 parking fine not to be grossly disproportionate). Though a parking violation is a "minor" offense, it is "not de minimis." Id. at 921. Cities have an interest in regulating parking and, a $35 fine "bears 'some relationship' to the gravity of the offense. Id. at 924. "While a parking violation is not a serious offense, the fine is not so large, either, and likely deters violations." Id.

Nor can the possibility of impoundment be necessarily considered an excessive fine in this case. Costs associated with impoundment are not necessarily punitive; they can reflect the costs associated with towing and storage. Plaintiff does not provide facts from which it is possible to conclude that the fees associated with impoundment for this parking ordinance would be grossly disproportionate in all instances. . . . [T]he Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause applies almost exclusively to convicted prisoners, see Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651, 669-70, 97 S. Ct. 1401, 51 L. Ed. 2d 711 (1977), though in "rare" cases it places "substantive limits on what the government may criminalize." Martin v. City of Boise, 920 F.3d 584, 615 (9th Cir. 2019). Criminal punishment is not at issue here, so the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause does not apply.

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Therefore, neither a $35 fine, nor possible impoundment for violation of LMC

10.14.020 violates the Eighth Amendment.

Potter v. City of Lacey, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45173, *2-4 Third, the City has procedural concerns with the Coastal Commission attempting to make a determination as to the constitutionality of the City’s Municipal Code. If parties wish to challenge the City’s Municipal Code on Eighth Amendment or Fourteenth amendment grounds, this is not the proper forum, as the Coastal Commission has neither the processes (i.e., ample legal briefing of specific legal issues on a factual record governed by the rules of evidence), the legal expertise, nor the legislative mandate to make these sorts of legal determinations that are better assessed with the courts.

F. The OV Amendments Do Not Violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Nothing in the OV Amendments or the implementing permits are discriminatory. Parking lots, including those where safe parking facilities will be operated, will meet accessibility requirements and will include accessible restrooms.

Moreover, no legal precedent is cited to support an argument that a City-wide, generally applicable parking restriction violates the ADA because of concerns that disabled people will not be able to live in their vehicles 24/7 along City rights-of-way. In order to succeed on an ADA claim, Appellants would need to show that they were denied the ordinary benefits of the City’s rights-ofway or were otherwise discriminated against by the City and that such denial of benefits or discrimination was by reason of their disabilities. Weinreich v. L.A. Cnty. Metro. Transp. Auth., 114 F.3d 976, 978 (9th Cir. 1997); see also 42 U.S.C. § 12132. Public right-of-way ADA claims are fact intensive claims with specific requirements and evidentiary burdens. See, e.g., Kirola v.

City & County of San Francisco, 860 F.3d 1164, 1183 (9th Cir. 2017) (discussing evidentiary burden of demonstrating sidewalk “inaccessibility at a programmatic level”). Appellants cannot make the required showing to succeed on an ADA claim because the City’s rights-of-way were neither built for nor intended to be places of habitation. There is no legal precedent suggesting that the ADA prohibits the City encouraging its rights-of-way to be used for their intended purpose, while at the same time providing safer, more appropriate options for indigent persons living in OVs.

It is also worth noting here that the City has ADA concerns related to not implementing the OV Amendments. As described in the public comment cited above, OVs, parked at the same locations 24/7, have been the source of trash, debris, and human waste, blocking adjacent sidewalks and making them less accessible for all pedestrians, including persons with disabilities.

Further, the City has procedural concerns with the Coastal Commission attempting to make a legal determination as to whether the City has violated the ADA. Much like the constitutional issues raised above, this appeal contention does not relate to conformance with the City's Local Coastal Program or the Coastal Act. And, again, if parties wish to challenge the City’s Municipal Code on ADA grounds, this is not the proper forum. The Coastal Commission has neither the

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processes (i.e., ample legal briefing of specific legal issues on a factual record governed by the rules of evidence), the legal expertise, nor the legislative mandate to make this sort of legal determination, which is better assessed by the courts.

G. With Respect to the Housed Community, there is No Generally Applicable Legal Right to Park an OV on a City Right-of-Way 24/7.

The appeal contained a complaint from a homeowner who purchased an OV but leases their onsite driveway to a tenant.9 In instances where individuals lack on-site OV parking, they would need to find private overnight off-street parking accommodations. While their frustration may be understandable, no coastal access or legal argument is presented, as there is no conflict with the Coastal Act or the City’s LCP. While some individuals may be upset that their vehicles are too big to park overnight on City streets under the City’s OV Amendments, the Council identified a major problem and attempted to alleviate that problem through an open, democratic process.

Difficult line-drawing decisions were made, and the community is free to lobby their elected representatives if they wish to see a change in the law.

H. The Council Reasonably Determined that Providing Services Alone is Not Sufficient to Address the Serious Challenges Posed by OVs Parked 24/7 on City Streets The appeals contain arguments suggesting that the City should just provide services: both Safe Parking Programming and trash / sewage services to people residing on City rights-of-way. The Council made a reasonable determination that this would be insufficient to address the City’s serious problems with OVs, for the following reasons:
• The City has heard from people either living in vehicles or previously living in vehicles, including in public comment, that many OV dwellers will not use the safe parking sites so long as they are allowed to park on the street. The City believes that its current Safe Parking Programs are not at-capacity for this very reason. • The City’s provision of trash service to people living in OVs on the City right-of-way has not been successful. Despite the City providing a dumpster free of charge, indiscriminate dumping of trash from OVs still commonly occurs, negatively impacting neighborhood quality.
• The City lacks the capacity to monitor OVs 24/7, and so dumping trash and blackwater will continue to occur if OVs are allowed to park 24/7 on City streets. • Services do nothing to address the serious road visibility issues caused by the sheer size of OVs.

A democratically elected Council identified a major problem in the City and used their local knowledge and expertise to attempt to alleviate that problem through an open, democratic process, selecting a balanced approach that includes the provision of a range of services for affected OV dwellers.
9 Note that the referenced address (205 Gault St.) does have a driveway. See https://goo.gl/maps/QFbmbsNyzgqw3cLP6

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I. SCMC 10.40.120(f) is Narrowly Tailored and Intended to Address Intersection Visibility Issues
The ACLU has complained about SCMC 10.40.120(f), which states: “Oversized vehicles shall not be parked at any place within one hundred feet of a crosswalk, intersection, boulevard, stop sign, official electric flashing device or approach to any traffic signal.” Clearly, this provision was intended to address the serious intersection visibility issues caused by OVs. OVs at intersections and crosswalks block visibility and create a safety hazard for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and this provision is narrowly tailored to address those hazards.

The ACLU alleges that this section appears to potentially prohibit OV parking on all “boulevards.” As noted in the Planning Commission Staff Report (Exhibit 5, p. 14), there is a typographical punctuation error in this section. The ordinance was intended to read “boulevard stop sign” – without the comma inadvertently included between those two words. The language was intended to match other portions of the City’s Municipal Code, such as SCMC 10.40.040(j) (“Within twenty feet of the approach to any traffic signal, boulevard stop sign, or official electric flashing device”). Again, the intent is to not have oversized vehicles park near an intersection with a stop sign for visibility reasons. This typographical error will be corrected.

Even considering the 100-foot from intersection restriction contained in SCMC

10.40.120(f), ample daytime OV parking options remain available throughout the City, including the City’s Coastal Zone. The City’s Geographic Information Systems specialist has performed an analysis of this issue, and of the City’s approximately 140 of miles of public roadways (not including alleys), approximately 70 miles would remain available for daytime oversized vehicle parking after the 100-foot buffers specified in Section 10.40.120(f) are applied. In the Coastal Zone, approximately 52 miles of public roadways (not including alleys) exist, and approximately 24 miles of those Coastal Zone roadways would remain available for daytime oversized vehicle parking after the 100-foot buffers are applied. So, roughly 50 percent of the City’s public street areas would remain outside of the buffer areas specified in Section 10.40.120(f). Of note, the estimations above do not include any roadway calculations for the University of California, Santa Cruz campus areas.

J. SCMC 10.40.120(a) is Narrowly Tailored and Intended to Promote Coastal Access and Prevent Environmental Degradation.

The proposed midnight to 5:00 a.m. parking restriction is narrowly tailored to only address the late night/early morning hours. Additionally, many of the exceptions to the 12:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. rule further limit its applicability. See Section 10.40.120(g). By having OVs access safe parking facilities during these hours and by offering services and restroom facilities at said locations, the OV Amendments and Coastal and Design Permits directly address two of the most problematic issues with OVs – discarded trash and human waste.

The OV Amendments and Coastal and Design Permits provide more options for those living in vehicles than are currently available, providing a safe place to park overnight with trash

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and sanitation services – all free of charge. This, coupled with the fact that parking restrictions cannot be enforced if a person and vehicle are participating in a Safe Parking Program but insufficient capacity exists (Section 10.40.120(g)(7)), provides OVs with more options for legal parking. As part of the Safe Parking Program, the City will provide temporary permits allowing individual vehicles, who are registered for Safe Parking or shelter programs, to temporarily park on City streets, if there is lack of Safe Parking or shelter capacity.

K. SCMC 10.40.120 (b) - (d) Are Generally Applicable Portions of Municipal Code, Intended to Address Criminal Conduct, and Are Outside of the Coastal Commission’s Jurisdiction.

The Council also passed provisions that directly address criminal conduct and the life/safety/environmental preservation issues regularly observed by staff:

SCMC 10.40.120 (b): “No person shall permit, cause, or allow any electrical, water, gas, telephone, or other utility connection (such as electrical cords, extension cords, hoses, cables, or other items) to encroach into any public rightof-way including across or above any street or sidewalk from a residential or commercial property to an oversized vehicle or trailer parked on a public highway, street, or city parking lot.”
SCMC 10.40.120 (c): “No person shall establish or maintain an open fire on any public highway, street, alley or city parking lot (such as camp fires, bonfires, BBQs, recreational fires, burning of garbage, or portable outdoor fireplaces) without a permit from the city. In addition, it shall be unlawful to intentionally or negligently set fire to or cause the burning of combustible material on any public highway, street, alley or city parking lot in such a manner as to endanger the safety of persons or property.”
SCMC 10.40.120 (d): “No person, who owns or maintains an oversized vehicle, shall permit the area surrounding the oversized vehicle to be maintained in an unsafe, untidy, and/or unsanitary/unhygienic fashion. Surrounding areas must be kept free from litter, debris, waste, discarded food products, discarded hypodermic needles, discarded property, improperly disposed gray or black water, unleashed animals, and garbage.”
Enforcement of these rules will improve the coastal environment for locals and visitors alike.

These portions of the Municipal Code are not “developments” and require no Coastal Development Permit. These are generally applicable portions of the Municipal Code, intended to improve the local environment by directly addressing life-safety and nuisance conditions routinely observed by staff and members of the public. The ACLU may disagree with the policies stated in these sections, or feel that the punishment is too harsh, but no Coastal Act issue is implicated.

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X. Conclusion
The City’s actions here do not reduce coastal access, nor do they criminalize homelessness, violate environmental justice principles, or create accessibility barriers. The Coastal Commission should deny Appellants’ appeal, permitting the City’s OV Amendments and approved Coastal and Design Permits to go into effect. Denying the appeal will allow the City to serve unhoused City residents living in OVs by providing safe overnight parking places where no such City-sponsored places previously existed, all while improving coastal parking access, roadway safety, community quality of life, and environmental resources.

While no single or simple solution exists that can fully address the needs of or impacts associated with OVs in the City, the OV Amendments and implementation permits are the City Council’s reasonable attempt to balance the needs of RV dwellers, parking access, roadway safety, community quality of life, and environmental resources. *****
Thank you for your attention to this letter, submitted on behalf of the City of Santa Cruz. We look forward to discussing this matter with the Commission.

Sincerely,
Lee Butler, Director of Planning & Community Development Cassie Bronson, Deputy City Attorney
Attachments:
• Exhibit 1 – Strike Out Version of OV Amendments
• Exhibit 2 – Clean Copy of OV Amendments
• Exhibit 3 – 10-26-2021 City Council Agenda Report
• Exhibit 4 – 1-5-2022 Zoning Administrator Meeting Agenda Report with Attachments • Exhibit 5 – 3-3-2022 Planning Commission Staff Report with Attachments • Exhibit 6 – 4-12-2022 City Council Agenda Report Regarding Appeal of the Planning Commission Coastal Permit Approval
• Exhibit 7 – 4-12-2022 Council Resolution Approving Coastal Permits Related to OV Amendments
• Exhibit 8 – Summary of OV Laws in California Coastal Communities • Exhibit 9 - City’s OV Count Methodology
o Exhibits 9A – 9G Google Earth Images Used to Determine OV Estimate • Exhibit 10 – Photographs of OV Conditions
CC: Ryan Moroney ([email protected] )
Rainey Graeven ([email protected])
Dan Carl ([email protected])

20.90 PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
809 Center Street • Room 107 • Santa Cruz, CA 95060 • www.cityofsantacruz.com

LEE BUTLER, AICP, LEED AP
July 8, 2022
Sent via email to [email protected]
California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
Central District Office
725 Front Street #300
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
RE: Appeal No. A-3-STC-22-0018, Staff Report re: Substantial Issue Determination Dear Chair Brownsey and Commissioners,
The City of Santa Cruz (“City”) has reviewed the Commission’s staff report for the abovereferenced matter. The City appreciates and agrees with the Commission’s staff’s recommendation of “no substantial issue” and wanted to take the opportunity to provide some additional information and clarifications to supplement the report and the materials previously provided by the City. In particular, as detailed below, the City would like to emphasize the following points: 1) the City’s Oversized Vehicle (OV) Amendments and Safe Parking programs aim to protect sensitive species and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHA), along with alleviating coastal parking demands; (2) the City’s OV Amendments and Safe Parking programs, together, aim to encourage people living in OVs to utilize Safe Parking facilities, in order to promote additional public access to the coast and to address environmental impacts related to entrenched OVs, many of which are located in the Coastal Zone; and (3) people living in OVs will not be unjustly impacted by the City’s OV Amendments, particularly given the broad range of options available to people living in OVs. This final section includes additional details about the City’s Safe Parking program that were not previously provided.

I. The City’s OV Amendments and Safe Parking Programs Aim to Protect Sensitive Species and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHA), Along with Alleviating Coastal Parking Demands.

The Commission’s staff report cited concerns regarding the City’s evidentiary linkage between the impacts that the City is aiming to address and the City’s overnight OV parking prohibition. City staff previously provided photos, primarily of refuse in and around OVs but also of blackwater dumping, public access being occupied by OVs and associated belongings, and leaking fluids from OVs. (See Exhibit 10 to the City’s June 23, 2022 letter to the Commission.) However, more emphasis could have been provided that these conditions are prevalent in areas with sensitive species, ESHA, and significant coastal access parking demands.

As noted in the City’s letter to the Commission dated June 23, 2022, the majority of OVs in the Coastal Zone are located on the Lower Westside of Santa Cruz. Specifically, the OVs are often parked

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along Delaware Avenue, Natural Bridges Drive, and Schaffer Road. See City’s Exhibit 11 (submitted with this letter, identifying areas of concentrated OV parking).

Natural Resources. Many areas in the City with severe impacts related to overnight OV parking are in close proximity to and often immediately adjacent to three creeks (Moore Creek, Natural Bridges Creek, and Arroyo Seco Creek) identified in the City’s Creeks and Wetlands Management Plan from 20081, which is part of the City’s Local Coastal Program (LCP). These areas are ESHA for a wide range of sensitive species.

The sensitive species listed below, identified by the City’s Creeks and Wetlands Management Plan, are likely to be adversely impacted by improper sewage disposal, inadequate sanitation resources, and trash because their habitat is immediately adjacent to or in very close proximity to areas with a high concentration of overnight OV parking. See City’s Exhibit 11 (submitted with this letter, identifying areas of concentrated OV parking and adjacent ESHA).
- California red-legged frog (federally listed as threatened and California species of special concern): known to occur in Antonelli Pond and marsh at Natural Bridges; - Monarch butterfly (locally unique species in Santa Cruz’s General Plan and LCP): roosts at Natural Bridges;
- Tidewater goby (federally listed as endangered and California species of special concern):
potentially present at mouth of Moore Creek at Natural Bridges State Beach; - Southwestern pond turtle (federal and California species of special concern): known to occur in Moore Creek, Antonelli Pond, and marsh at Natural Bridges; - White-tailed kite (California-designated Fully Protected Species): known to nest at Natural Bridges and potential habitat along portions of Moore Creek; - Coopers hawk (California species of special concern): known to nest along Moore Creek; - Yellow warbler (California species of special concern): formerly bred at and potential nesting habitat at Antonelli Pond;
- Yellow-breasted chat (California species of special concern): potential nesting habitat at Antonelli Pond;
- Tricolored blackbird (California species of special concern): historically nested at and potential nesting habitat at Antonelli Pond; and
- Yuma myotis, Townsend’s western big-eared bat, and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat (each federal and California species of special concern): each has potential habitat along Moore Creek.

Coastal Commission Senior Ecologist Dr. Lauren Garske-Garcia confirms concerns for some of these species in a letter dated July 17, 2019, where she called for a wildlife corridor for the California red-legged frog leading between Schaffer Road and Antonelli Pond. She also cited the potential for the Western pond turtle and tri-colored blackbirds near Antonelli Pond and cited the need to evaluate the presence of wetlands on the site at the northeast corner of Delaware Avenue and Schaffer Road, all locations immediately adjacent to a high concentration of regular OV parking. Dr. Garske-Garcia also says of the vacant site adjacent to many entrenched OVs that “even highly invaded grasslands may be 1 See https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/planning-and-communitydevelopment/long-range-policy-planning/area-plans-and-city-zoning-code/city-wide-creeks-andwetlands-management-plan.

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considered ESHA.” See Exhibit 15 for excerpts from Coastal Commission Senior Ecologist Dr. Lauren Garske-Garcia's July 17, 2019 letter to the City.

The City of Santa Cruz and its residents are highly environmentally conscious. The potential impacts to ESHA and sensitive species are of significant concern to both the Council and the citizenry, as is certainly the case for the Commission as well. Exhibit 11 to this letter provides a map showing locations of creeks, wetlands, and habitat, along with a key showing where additional photos in Exhibit 12 were taken. The photos in Exhibit 12 show recent situations related to long-term OV entrenchment and the resulting environmental impacts, such as OVs leaking fluids, riparian areas used as restrooms, and trash associated with OVs, which is often immediately adjacent to ESHA. Contaminants related to long-term OV entrenchment can create environmental damage and be detrimental to both ESHA and the many special status species in the immediate vicinity. Notably, many of the pictures in Exhibit 12 are very recent, having been taken in just the past week or two, as was the case with many of the photos provided in Exhibit 10 to the City’s June 23, 2022 letter to the Commission. The purpose of providing these photographs is to show that, even with resources in place (for example, dumpster services nearby and safe parking facilities available), OV entrenchment results in significant pollution in close proximity to ESHA and sensitive species. While the City recognizes that not all OV dwellers cause environmental damage, the pictures show that OV entrenchment in the City is a serious, current, and ongoing problem.

The City also takes its public access requirements seriously. In addition to the environmental concerns noted above, the photographs in Exhibit 12 also show how the OVs occupy many parking spaces along Delaware Avenue and Natural Bridges Drive. These locations are directly adjacent to Natural Bridges State Park. The State Park charges for parking, and thus, the adjacent, free on-street parking is very popular with beachgoers in the spring and summer and with eco-tourists watching the Monarch butterflies in the fall. Because current parking rules allow vehicles to stay in one place for 72 continuous hours, and vehicles tend to only move a short distance after those 72-hours have expired, OVs often remain stagnant in popular on-street parking areas for extended periods of time, occupying parking spaces (with both vehicles and belongings) that would otherwise provide free parking for coastal visitors. See Exhibit 11.

II. The City’s OV Ordinance Amendments and Safe Parking Programs, Together, Aim to Encourage People Living in OVs to Utilize Safe Parking Facilities, In Order to Promote Additional Public Access to the Coast and Address Environmental Impact Related to Entrenched OVs, Many of Which are Located in the Coastal Zone.

Parking restrictions are proposed in local jurisdictions for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes it is a matter of a desire to generate a funding stream, other times it is to facilitate desired use patterns (e.g., where a time limit is added to ensure turnover so potential visitor use is not thwarted by vehicles that never move), and yet other times it is to address an identified problem that the parking itself is generating. The parking restrictions proposed here have been framed by the City in terms of the latter, and the City has cited to public safety and public health problems, public nuisance issues, camping in areas not called out for camping (and thus not equipped to handle that type

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and intensity of use), and coastal resource impacts associated with such overnight parking.

The City’s position is that the OV Ordinance Amendments and Safe Parking Programs are aimed at: (1) facilitating desired use patterns (disrupting OV entrenchment and improving vehicle turnover for the benefit of the community, including potential visitors, thereby reducing the likelihood of environmental impacts and public access impacts); (2) encouraging those living in OVs to utilize Safe Parking lots, thereby addressing public health and safety issues that are associated with OVs that have become entrenched on City streets; and (3) addressing visibility issues related to OVs parked too close to intersections.

The City currently has a problem with entrenched OVs parked on City rights-of-way, and the OV Amendments and Safe Parking Programs are intended to disrupt entrenchment by directing OV dwellers to safe and hygienic OV parking alternatives. The City's experience is that OVs parked in the City tend to stay in one area.2 The Vehicle Code requires all cars to move every 72-hours. See Vehicle Code 22651(k). With that said, the City’s experience is that OVs tend to park in one spot for 72-hours, then move to a nearby location and stay there for another 72-hours, and then move back to the initial location, or somewhere else nearby. See Exhibit 16. The record includes ample evidence, showing the impacts of OV entrenchment on City streets. See, for example, Exhibit 16, Exhibit 10 and Exhibit 12.

One of the Council’s goals in passing the OV Amendments is to break the cycle of entrenchment and encourage OV dwellers to, at minimum, spend the night at a Safe Parking location, where they will be able to access restrooms and trash facilities, reducing the amount that OV dwellers urinate/defecate/litter on City streets, sidewalks, and nearby areas, such as ESHA. If OVs are required to move every night, the City’s hope and reasonable expectation is that: (1) OVs will not accumulate the same level of trash, debris, furniture, etc. that currently impact City streets and sidewalks (including streets and sidewalks in the Coastal Zone), and (2) OVs will move daily, helping with on-street parking turnover for the benefit of the community, including potential visitors to the coast.

It is also worth emphasizing that the City’s current Safe Parking Programs are not close to full. As of the time of this writing, eight out of the nine City-operated Safe Parking spots are available. City staff has provided significant outreach to OV dwellers in the City, but the program, so far, is underutilized.

The demand for these programs has been low, most likely because OV dwellers, under the current regulations, are only required to move, at most, once every 72 hours, and, when movement does occur, it is often a very short distance. Current and former OV dwellers have made comments to City staff along the lines of “Why would I use Safe Parking when I currently don’t have to move?”
2 See, for example, Exhibit 16. Note that Exhibit 16 is select public comment taken from Exhibit 5 to the City’s 6-23-2022 letter. It is unclear if Commission staff provided the Commission with the City’s bulkier exhibits, so these select public comments are being provided again, in case they were not previously received by the Commission.

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The daily movement associated with the Tier 2 Safe Parking program represents a trade-off between an ability for OV dwellers to remain in place for extended periods of time and an attempt to better manage both environmental damage and public access. As described in Section III below, the Safe Parking locations are generally centrally located in the City, so OV dwellers will not need to travel far to reach them. Upon departure from Safe Parking facilities, it is unlikely that the same, large number of OVs will all go to where they are currently concentrated on and around Delaware Avenue and Natural Bridges State Park, where ESHA and sensitive species are concentrated and where coastal public access demand is very high. That location is approximately three miles from the downtown safe parking places, which is relatively far in Santa Cruz’s compact boundaries. Instead, many of the OV dwellers will choose to park in other free parking spaces, closer to their designated Safe Parking location, many of which will likely be either outside of the Coastal Zone or in areas of the Coastal Zone where parking is not in such high demand.

III. People Living in OVs Will Not Be Unjustly Impacted by the City’s OV Amendments, Particularly Given the Broad Range of Options Available to People Living in OVs.

The City would like to emphasize three points related to the limited potential for parking tickets resulting from the City’s OV Ordinance amendments for people living in OVs who make a good-faith effort to comply with the City’s Municipal Code.

First, Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) 10.40.120(g)(7) assures that people living in OVs who are actively seeking safe, legal overnight parking or shelter opportunities will not receive a parking ticket. This section exempts the following individuals from the City’s midnight to 5:00 a.m. OV parking restriction:

A person and oversized vehicle that are, collectively, registered and participating in a safe parking program or other safe sleeping or transitional shelter program operated or sanctioned by the city, but do not have access to a safe parking space or other shelter options under such programs due to a lack of capacity.

SCMC 10.40.120(g)(7). This exception will not be difficult or complex to implement. If there is a shortage of available Safe Parking capacity, the City plans to issue overnight parking permits to people living in OVs who register for sanctioned City, County, or non-profit Safe Parking or shelter programs.

Second, the City currently has readily available Safe Parking capacity, and that capacity is vastly expanding. It is worth emphasizing again that, so far, demand for City-sponsored safe parking has been minimal, most likely because, as described above, OVs can legally park in other locations, without needing to relocate daily. To summarize, the following resources are currently available, or will be available, in the very near term:
• Within City limits, the Association of Faith Communities (AFC) manages approximately 21 safe parking spaces, including approximately 20 on religious assembly sites and one on City-owned property. AFC also manages up to an additional 21 spaces within the County of Santa Cruz, but outside City limits.

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• As of March 1, 2022, the City began operating three Safe Parking Program locations on public parking lots that allow for nine OVs as part of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 parking programs. Currently, nine spaces are available in two Tier 1 and Tier 2 lots (Police Department Lot and Lot 4, respectively, with six of eight spaces in Lot 4 currently offered). See Exhibit 14 for a map of the existing and planned Safe Parking facilities. • On June 14, 2022, the City Council approved a one-year, approximately $400,000 contract for a Tier 3 Safe Parking Program which will serve approximately 22 OVs, with the operator providing wrap-around services with case management to support people in moving from their vehicles into housing. This is a 24/7 parking program, and participants are provided with free transportation to/from the Armory location and various points in the City. The City is investing in infrastructure improvements at the Armory and working with operators (AFC and The Free Guide) towards an expected start in July 2022.
• The City has direction from the Council to operate at least 30 Tier 2 Safe Parking spaces.

While only six Tier 2 spaces are currently in operation (the other three mentioned above are in Tier 1), the City has locations identified for 40 additional Tier 2 spaces in the City, for a total of at least 46 Tier 2 spaces in the City, with most of those centrally located in and around the Downtown. See Exhibit 14. The current expectation is that 13 of the potential 49 Tier 1 and 2 Safe Parking spaces will be in the Coastal Zone. Another 18 spots are in Safe Parking locations within 650 feet of the Coastal Zone, and another 12 spots are in Safe Parking locations within approximately one quarter mile of the Coastal Zone. In fact, only six Tier 1 or 2 spaces are planned at any appreciable distance from the Coastal Zone, and even those are only an approximately one-and-a-half mile driving distance to the Coastal Zone. A number of the planned locations have additional capacity that would allow for future expansion beyond the 49 existing/planned spaces, should demand for additional Tier 2 Safe Parking spaces arise. At this time, the City’s approach is to operate each location with a relatively small number of OVs and expand locations and capacity at sites when demand increases, while maintaining capacity for a minimum of 30 Tier 2 spaces.
• The City recently significantly liberalized regulations regarding vehicular dwellers on private property. Religious assembly uses can now host six (up from three, pre-2021) OVs on each property with no permits or authorizations required. (SCMC

6.36.030(a)(2).) The City also allows businesses to host up to three safe parking spaces (up from two, pre-2021). (SCMC 6.36.030(a)(3).) The City allows people to dwell in an OV indefinitely (previously only three days per month, pre-2021) on residential properties when certain conditions are met. (SCMC 6.36.030(a)(4).) • The Santa Cruz Harbor, located in the City of Santa Cruz Coastal Zone and Coastal Appeal Zone, designates 15 parking spaces for recreational vehicles to park. Outside the City but in nearby areas, at least 429 additional recreational vehicle camp sites are available in at least five other locations within the Coastal Zone, for a total of at least 444 recreational vehicle spaces in Coastal Zone areas in and near the City. Exhibit 13 identifies the locations and number of recreational vehicles that can be accommodated at

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831-420-5110 • FAX 831-420-5101
each location. Many additional recreational vehicle camp sites are available in the County but outside the Coastal Zone.

Third, the City would like to provide some clarity with respect to the number of people residing in OVs that could be impacted by the City’s OV Amendments. A recent Google aerial map (dated September 2021) found approximately 110 OVs parked on City streets. The count did not include trucks over 20 feet in length without a camper shell (SCMC Section 10.40.120(g)(8) exempts commercial vehicles from the 12:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. parking prohibition if a permit is properly displayed, and with the potential environmental impacts more likely to stem from people living in vehicles, trucks without a camper shell are unlikely to include a vehicle dweller). Of the 110 oversized vehicles identified, many are clearly not used as dwellings. For example, City residents might park their OVs or vans, such as Sprinter vans, on public streets. As such, the number of OVs used as shelter for people residing in them is likely substantially less than 110. A total of 52 of the OVs shown were located within the Coastal Zone, with the vast majority of those parked in the lower West Side neighborhood, raising public access and environmental issues in that area. See Exhibit 9 (submitted with 6-23-2022 letter), City’s OV Count Methodology. See also Exhibits 9A-9G (Google Earth Images, submitted with 6-23- 2022 letter). With 71 Safe Parking spots identified, the capacity to expand at many of those locations, and the Municipal Code providing for the issuance of parking permits to people living in OVs who register for Safe Parking or other sanctioned programs but cannot park due to lack of capacity, the City’s OV Amendments will not result in parking tickets for those who seek to comply with the Municipal Code by utilizing Safe Parking spaces or registering for a Safe Parking program. *****
No single or simple solution exists that can fully address the environmental and public access impacts associated with OV entrenchment in the City. The City’s strategy of prohibiting overnight OV parking on City rights-of-way, while at the same time providing Safe Parking locations, was the City Council’s reasonable attempt to balance the needs of RV dwellers, parking access, roadway safety, community quality of life, and environmental resources. This approach is similar to the approach taken by dozens of other coastal communities (see Exhibit 8, submitted with the City’s June 23, 2022 letter) and was supported by a wide range of the local community, including one Marine Scientist who provided a public comment that is quite relevant to the Commission’s decision today:
“I support your efforts to ban overnight parking in our coastal community. As a marine scientist, it is painful to observe the abuse and neglect of our coastal treasures in this community. Santa Cruz is blessed with incredible coastal and marine biodiversity which is being actively degraded by stormwater pollution, human waste, plastic pollution and hazardous materials disposal from RV and large vehicles who live on our streets.

We should protect our coastal watersheds as they are critical to climate change resilience and adaptation in the near term. . . . Protecting our coastal community while finding solutions to our surging homeless issue is not mutually exclusive, but it does mean identifying critical areas and habitats, such as our rivers, low lying areas, and coastal zone which demand immediate attention and protection. Please I urge you to put neighborhood, community and environmental well being at the top of your list when deciding among solutions.”

20.97 California Coastal Commission c/o Kiana Ford
July 8, 2022

ZONING / PERMIT PROCESSING
831-420-5100 • FAX 831-420-5434

INSPECTION SERVICES
831-420-5120 • FAX 831-420-5434

COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING
831-420-5180 • FAX 831-420-5101

PLANNING ADMINISTRATION
831-420-5110 • FAX 831-420-5101
See Exhibit 16, p. 746 (comment from Rikki Eriksen, Ph.D.

California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Marine Ecologist, Director of Marine Programs).

This comment reflects the environmental stewardship that is at the heart of many City efforts, and while that environmental consciousness serves as guidepost for various efforts, the City’s actions related to the OV Amendments also heed the local community’s strong social consciousness by providing three tiers of robust Safe Parking options for people living in vehicles who would be affected by the midnight to 5:00 a.m. OV parking restrictions.

Thank you for your attention to this letter, submitted on behalf of the City of Santa Cruz. We look forward to discussing this matter with the Commission and hope that the Commission concurs with its staff in finding no substantial issue.

Sincerely,
Lee Butler, Director of Planning & Community Development Cassie Bronson, Deputy City Attorney
Exhibits:

Exhibit 11 - Map of ESHA and Key Showing Locations of Photographs Exhibit 12 - Photographs of OVs Taken Near ESHA
Exhibit 13 - Recreational Vehicle Facilities in the Coastal Zone in the Santa Cruz Area Exhibit 14 - Map of Existing and Planned Safe Parking Facilities in the City Exhibit 15 - Excerpts from Coastal Commission Senior Ecologist Dr. Lauren GarskeGarcia's July 17, 2019 letter to the City Exhibit 16 - Public Comment Discussing OV Entrenchment
(Note, Exhibits 1-10 were provided with the City’s June 23, 2022 letter.) CC: Ryan Moroney ([email protected] )
Rainey Graeven ([email protected])
Dan Carl ([email protected])

20.98 CITY OF SANTA CRUZ
City Hall
809 Center Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060

PLANNING COMMISSION

MINUTES
Regular Meeting
February 1, 2024
7:00 P.M. GENERAL BUSINESS AND MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST, COUNCIL CHAMBERS Call to Order-The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

Roll Call-Commissioners Conway, Dann, Gordon, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Kennedy were present.

Statements of Disqualification-None.

Oral Communications-None.

Approval of Minutes

1. Approve the minutes of January 18, 2024.

MOTION: Motion made by Commissioner Polhamus, seconded by Commissioner Kennedy, to approve the minutes of January 18, 2024.

ACTION: Motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Conway, Dann, Gordon, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Kennedy NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Public Hearings

2. Coastal Development Permit, as required by Conditions of Approval of Coastal Development Permit (CDP) A-3-STC-22-0018 approved by the California Coastal Commission, authorizing the City to, in perpetuity, continue implementation of Ordinance No. 2021-20, as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08 and codified in Municipal Code sections 10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106, 10.04.165,

10.40.120, 10.41.060, and 16.19.070, including, but not limited to, restrictions on overnight parking of oversized vehicles (“OVs”), prohibiting parking of unattached trailers, and providing for continued operation of the City’s Safe Parking Program; and to accommodate potential future minor modifications to the City’s Safe Parking

20.99 Program and OV Regulations, including potential modifications to its OV residential parking permit program.

Senior Planner Timothy Maier presented the item to the Commission.

Planning Director Lee Butler, Homelessness Response Manager Larry Imwalle, Lieutenant Carter Jones and City Counsel Cassie Bronson addressed the Commission.

The public hearing was opened.

The following members of the public addressed the Commission: Reggie Meisler, Joy Schendledecker, Jasmeen Miah.

The public hearing was closed.

MOTION: Motion made by Commissioner Polhamus, seconded by Commissioner Conway, that the Planning Commission acknowledge the environmental determination and approve the Coastal Development Permit based upon the findings listed below and Conditions of Approval listed in Exhibit “A” in the staff report dated January 26, 2024, with the following modifications and additions to the Conditions of Approval:
• COA #5 (revised) Minor Modifications. The City shall be authorized to make minor modifications in the future to the City’s Oversized Vehicle Regulations and/or Safe Parking Program. Such modifications may include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, revision to the City’s OV residential parking permit program to accommodate parking of residents’ oversized vehicles within specified proximity of a residents’ address. This CDP authorizes minor modifications without a CDP amendment and/or a new CDP if, in the opinion of the Coastal Commission Executive Director and the City Planning Director, such modifications: (1) are deemed reasonable and necessary; and (2) do not significantly adversely impact coastal resources. • COA #6 (revised): Compliance with Coastal Development Permit and Past Permitting Actions. Compliance with the City’s prior CDP conditions (CP21-0174, as approved by Council Resolution No. 29-964), the provisions of Ordinance Nos. 2021-20 and 2023-08, the OVO Communications and Outreach Plan, the OVO Operations and Management Plan, and the OVO Signage Plan, must be maintained at all times, unless modified by this permit. Future minor modifications to these requirements are permitted, consistent with COA #5.
• COA (new): Provision of Mechanism for Ongoing Feedback. A) The City shall maintain a platform for ongoing collection of feedback related to implementation of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and Safe Parking Program, which may include a form posted to the City’s website. Feedback will be reviewed regularly by City staff and will be considered in the City’s efforts to achieve on-going program improvement.

Feedback collected will be provided to the Coastal Commission and/or members of Coastal Commission staff upon request. B) Additionally, the City shall continue to coordinate with the Stakeholder Group at the following intervals: a minimum of three meetings with the Stakeholder Group during the first year following the effective date of this permit and a minimum of two meetings with the Stakeholder Group in subsequent years, unless modified in coordination with and subject to the approval of the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission.

20.100
• COA (new): CDP Duration. This CDP shall expire on February 1, 2029, where such expiration date (and subsequent such expiration dates) may be extended in yearly increments (of up to 5 years at a time maximum) if the City Planning Director and the Coastal Commission Executive Director determine, in writing, that the approved project is continuing to operate in a manner that is consistent with the CDP’s terms and conditions (including that it is not leading to any unforeseen and/or unaddressed significant adverse coastal resource impacts) and that such an extension is thus warranted for the term identified. Such extensions shall only be allowed if they are based on an assessment that describes project implementation to date to the Executive Director (where such assessment shall at a minimum clearly describe program outreach, enforcement, and participation, as well as opportunities for program improvements) and that covers all years of program operation since at least the last assessment (and based on prior assessments as warranted).

Additional COAs in response to comments received from the Stakeholder Group held on January 31, 2024:
• COA (new): Point-in-Time Count. The City shall commit to conducting a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which estimates the number of Oversized Vehicles parked on City streets, on an annual basis. City shall provide resulting data to the Coastal Commission upon request and as part of the five-year reviews.
• COA (new): Feedback from and Assistance to Safe Parking Participants. As a component of enrollment in the City’s Safe Parking Program, staff shall provide an opportunity for the safe parking participants A) to submit information to the City on how to give feedback on how the safe parking program can be improved and B) to identify services that would assist them. Staff shall consider recommendations from program participants and shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that applicants have appropriate information to allow for connection to available services. • COA (new): City staff shall collect qualitative and, to the extent reasonably feasible, quantitative data which assists in assessment of the effectiveness of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and Safe Parking Program in alleviating adverse environmental and public health/safety impacts generated by entrenchment of oversized vehicles. Such data may include information regarding the amount of debris collected from City rights-of-way and observations of illicit disposal of blackwater; this data shall be made available to the Coastal Commission upon request.

ACTION: The motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Conway, Dann, Gordon, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Kennedy NOES: None
ABSENT: None
General Business

3. Nomination and election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.

MOTION: Motion made by Commissioner Polhamus, seconded by Commissioner Kennedy to nominate and elect Commissioner Conway to serve as chairperson.

20.101
ACTION: The motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Conway, Dann, Gordon, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Kennedy NOES: None

Absent: None
MOTION: Motion made by Commissioner Conway, seconded by Commissioner Gordon, to elect Commissioner Polhamus to serve as Vice Chairperson.

ACTION: The motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Conway, Dann, Gordon, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Kennedy NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Information Items-Planning and Community Development Director Lee Butler apprised the Commission of City Council actions and upcoming matters to be heard before the Council and the Commission.

Subcommittee/Advisory Body Oral Reports-None.

Adjournment-The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

20.102
2/28/24
Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Public Outreach Meeting – 2/28/24 OVO Stakeholder Outreach Meeting of 2/28/24

1. Stakeholder attendees – Dylan Verner-Crist (ACLU), Jameelah Najieb (Disability Advocates), Reggie Meisler (Santa Cruz Cares), Carol Polhamus (Westside Neighbors), Deborah Elston (Santa Cruz Neighbors)

2. Staff attendees – Lisa Murphy (CMO), Lee Butler (PCD), Carter Jones (PD), Larry Imwalle (CMO), Gaven Hussey (Parking), Tim Maier (PCD)

4. Lisa Murphy - introduced agenda for meeting
a. Introduced Conditions of Approval reviewed by Planning Commission at public hearing b. Dylan Verner-Crist - asked question about makeup of Stakeholder Group meeting, and stated that he would want more representation from the unhoused i. Stated that would happily cede place on Stakeholder Outreach Meeting group to unhoused person
c. Dylan - asked about OV count and the approach/methodology for the count (“What would that look like?”)
i. Lee Butler – replied stated that would include a count of oversized vehicles, distinguishing between vehicles lived in and those not (e.g., indicated by fogging of windows during morning count)
d. Dylan Verner-Crist- asked about intent for outreach re: service available to unhoused i. Lee - stated three avenues for provision of feedback - online form, email address for contact with City staff, phone number directed to staff ii. Dylan - relayed that, if want feedback, have to go out and proactively talk to people- often, repeatedly
iii. Lee - agreed that experience described similar to that experienced by City staff e. Dylan - stated hard to measure impacts through quantitative data - suggested that more qualitative data to be used
i. Larry - clarified that Condition of Approval states that City staff will collect quantitative data to extent possible
ii. Lee - underscored that OV count, trash pickup - can be quantified iii. Lee - stated that staff receptive to recommendations f. Dylan - asked how measure access to Coast
i. Participant stated that not sure - can ask Coastal Commission how measures access to coast
ii. Deb Elston - suggested that calls to Police Department possibly a useful metric related to enforcement of OVO

1. Carter Jones - stated that tried to capture data through dispatch a. Carter - stated that phone number for police department nonemergency number advertised and is the phone number to which City staff direct complaints related to OVO

20.103

2. Participant - asked if can differentiate call for service by number of vehicles, license plate, etc.
a. Carter - explained details of how tally, quantify number of vehicles involved
. Reggie - asked about how can distinguish number of vehicles cited, etc. i. Reggie - stated that has submitted several PRA requests and has not noticed any dismissals
a. Carol Polhamus - asked how can differentiate number of calls for service related to Ovs to determine whether situation has improved
i. Participant clarified - number of calls for service does not exactly equate to number of tickets
b. Reggie - stated that many tickets given out on Westside, not many given on Eastside - indicated selective enforcement
i. Carter - relayed that number of tickets given has dramatically declined

1. Carter - stated that significantly fewer RVs in concentrations of multiple vehicles in daytime along Delaware Avenue

2. Lisa - stated that lower number of RVs on streets likely attributable to greater participation in safe parking programs
c. Carter - stated that has seen RVs from Safe Parking program parked on street i. Reggie - clarified that ticket issued to vehicle, not to person

1. Gaven - confirmed

2. Carter - indicated that common for RVs to be sold, donated - owned by one party with release of liability to another party
d. Larry - stated that large number of Tier 2 participants enrolled right before program became active
. When asked, Larry stated that participant enrollment had dropped off e. Lisa asked deadline for suggestions for COAs to be received . Lee stated sooner, better - have to get to clerk

0. Lee - stated that at PC hearing, conditions of approval modified i. Lisa - stated that, in order to get feedback into packet for Clerk, Clerk will need suggestions for modified conditions of approval by Monday

0. Dylan - stated that will provide written suggestions by 3/7, and, likely, by 3/6
ii. Carol Polhamus - stated that calls for services underreported - often, people don’t want to call police -

0. Carol asked about street sweeping - Gaven provided basic feedback iii. Lisa - directed meeting back to focus on OV

0. Lisa - stated that appreciate content of suggestions

1. Lisa - stated that wants to focus on positives, negatives of enforcement a. Dylan - stated that not much time has passed - need data on impacts of Safe Parking programs on Ovs
b. Lisa - relayed that County has more resources in connecting OV residents to services
c. Discussion continued
d. Reggie - stated that has heard the cost of gas 400 to 500 dollars per month
e. Reggie - asked about street sweeping

20.104
iv. Staff participant- asked if stakeholder participant have list of concerns beyond what discussed

1. Dylan - stated that concerns re: cost of gas, decline in number of RVs, number of RV dwellers with disabilities, accommodation of person with disabilities
a. Asked about nature of reasonable accommodation for RV

2. Jameelah - stated that would be helpful for phone number, access to ADA coordinator
. Stated that can take form of rides to safe parking locations, tow to parking locations, exemption from program, etc.
a. Stated that federal law requires that accommodation be provided - accommodation must be directly related to disability i. Lee - stated that have added language to website site related to request for reasonable accommodation
ii. Lee - stated that want to be sure that potential
participants can find link for reasonable
accommodation
iii. Lee describes how person can fill in form to make
request
iv. Lee - stated that can include info on Safe Parking form

3. Reggie-asked about hours of operation for Safe Parking . Lee, Lisa - related that staff do not work on weekend a. Larry relayed that have guided participants in filling out form on weekends

4. Dylan - stated that complaint has heard relates to access to parking in lots
. Dylan - asked about next steps
. Lisa - replied that will wait for suggestions from him i. Dylan - stated that would send document to Lisa again that had previously sent

3. Meeting conclusion

20.105
From: Dylan Verner-Crist
To: Lisa Murphy
Cc: Gaven Hussey; Megan Bunch; Larry Imwalle; Susan (Siouxsie) Oki; Timothy Maier; [email protected]; Jameelah Najieb; Joy Schendledecker; Reggie Meisler
Subject: Santa Cruz OVO Appeal, Stakeholder Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 8:53:53 PM
Hi Lisa,
We hope you’re doing well. We’re writing about our appeal of the OVO permit renewal.

As you have probably seen, we have appealed the Planning Commission’s renewal of the Coastal Development Permit for the OVO. If the City Council decides against us, we will appeal to the Coastal Commission as well. We want to ensure that this pilot program is subjected to needed scrutiny prior to any renewal, particularly given the harms wrought on unhoused people by the Ordinance.

Because we’ve worked collaboratively on the Stakeholder group, we want to be transparent about why we are appealing now.

Our first concern is about timing. The Oversized Vehicle Ordinance has been in effect for not-yet three months. There are another three months left in the pilot period. We don’t yet have enough data or evidence of how the pilot is affecting unhoused people. From our reading of the permit conditions, the City is required to “address any issues/problems encountered in implementation through May 11, 2024” and to submit a report that “clearly describe[s] all program outreach, enforcement and participation, including the manner in which the advisory committee’s guidance was utilized, as well as opportunities for program improvements” to the executive director. That report is supposed to come “within the month” prior to the expiration of the CDP – not three months early. It’s too soon to tell, fully, how the OVO has impacted unhoused people in Santa Cruz.

Our second concern is that the City has not yet even tried to meaningfully review the impacts of the OVO on unhoused people, as the permit requires. See Special Permit Conditions at 7 (requiring a report that “clearly describe[s] all program outreach, enforcement and participation” with regard to the OVO implementation). The City does not know how many vehicularly-housed people have left the City following the implementation of the OVO, how Tier 2 participants are faring in their daily schlep across the City, how access to the Coast by low-income people has changed, or even how ticketed vehicle residents are responding to the fresh burden of tickets. This information is readily obtainable – the City could do a PIT count of oversized vehicles, analyze its traffic tickets, and survey Tier 2 and 3 participants – but the City has not analyzed it. At stakeholder meetings, City staff have provided only anecdotal information about the impacts of the OVO. As we have previously offered, we are happy to assist the City in doing this analysis.

Our final concern is about the harms of the OVO. In the absence of a systemic review by the City, we have begun our own efforts to understand how the OVO has impacted unhoused people City-wide.

The information that we have gathered so far has been concerning. From ticketing records through January 23, 2024, we’ve learned that at least nine vehicles have amassed at least five tickets. One vehicle amassed thirteen tickets! From our review of records, these tickets were disproportionately done by officers on patrol who, judging from the records, drove to Delaware Avenue and other nearby streets in early December and ticketed every vehicle they saw. Yesterday, I spent time in the

20.106
City talking to vehicularly-housed people parked on the street and in the Tier 2 lots. What I found was concerning:
· Numerous individuals still did not know about the Tier 2 lots. · The cost of participation in the Tier 2 program is steep. One participant at Depot Park, Scott Johnson, currently pays approximately $250 a month to park in the lot during the day because he has found it is cheaper and less stressful than searching for parking on the street, where he often gets ticketed for meter and parking space violations. Mr. Johnson makes approximately $1,200 a month working as an Uber Eats delivery driver, so he is currently spending over 20% of his income just on parking fees. Other participants said that they regularly spend $200-$500 a month on gas, relocating every day to avoid tickets. One participant said that “every extra dollar goes to gas.” · Tier 2 participants generally said that they need services, from housing navigation to water or electricity support.
· In 8 hours in the City, I saw only 15 RVs – far less than pre-OVO. Many previous areas where OSVs parked were all but empty, even during the day.

We would prefer to work with the City to address these issues on an ongoing basis rather than appeal, but we will continue to appeal as long as unhoused people continue to get the short end of the stick in discussions of the OVO and its continuation.

We will see you tomorrow at the Stakeholder meeting. Please do share the agenda and materials when they are available.

Best,
Dylan Verner-Crist
Investigator (Lead)
ACLU of Northern California
39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
Office: 916-252-7930 | Cell: 401-744-6973
[email protected]
He/Him

20.107
Santa Cruz Cares, ACLU of Northern California, and Disability Rights Advocates’ Proposed Permit Conditions

1. OVO outreach documentation, including the City’s website regarding the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance1, shall make clear that those who request a spot in the Tier 2 overnight parking program will be either guaranteed access or given a parking placard protecting them from ticketing.

2. The voicemail message of the Tier 2 registration phone number shall inform the caller of where they can park on an emergency basis such that vehicularly-housed people who call this number during non-business hours will not be ticketed.

3. The City shall not engage in striping of existing parking areas in the coastal zone such that parking areas which are capable of accommodating oversized vehicles are made too small to accommodate them as a result of the striping.

4. Active participants in the Tier 2 overnight safe parking program whose vehicles breakdown in the process of participating in the program will be given a grace period of six months wherein their vehicle will not be ticketed or towed under any circumstances.

5. Trailers attached to a motorized vehicle shall be eligible for participation in the Tier 2 safe parking program.

6. There will be no time limit for participants in the Tier 2 overnight parking program. Participants shall be able to use the overnight parking program indefinitely.

7. The City shall conduct proactive outreach to vehicularly-housed people at least monthly. This outreach will, at minimum, include (1) information regarding the City’s safe parking programs and how to register, (2) information regarding how to submit a disability accommodation request to the City, and (3) information on how to register for a payment plan for any Oversized Vehicle Ordinance tickets accrued. All written outreach materials, such as flyers, should be, to the best of the City’s ability in clear and plain language. City’s outreach materials should be use with accessible messaging, meaning that all documents should be provided in accessible formats and integrate the needs of persons with disabilities. On at least an annual basis, the City shall conduct a survey of vehicularly-housed people residing Oversized Vehicles in Santa Cruz regarding the efficacy of the City’s safe parking programs. This survey shall be designed in conjunction with the stakeholder group and approved by a 2/3 majority vote of the stakeholder group. 1 https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/public-works/parkingservices/oversized-vehicle-ordinance-ovo

20.108
The City shall provide the annual results of this survey to the stakeholder group and to the Executive Director.

8. The City shall provide a mobile dumping station or site for use by vehicularlyhoused people at least twice-monthly at no expense.

9. The City shall provide no-expense, 24/7 safe parking spaces in the Tier 2 lots for any oversized vehicle resident with Disabled Person (DP) placard or DP License Plates placard.

10.The City shall identify and designate specific areas within reasonable proximity to coastal zone where individuals with disabilities can park their RVs, upon approval for an accommodation to do so. These designated areas will be intended to cater to individuals who require accommodations to access the coast due to their disability.

Upon successful approval of their accommodation requests, individuals with disabilities will be granted permission to park their RVs in these designated areas near the coastal zone for a specified time period. This initiative seeks to facilitate inclusivity and ensure that individuals facing mobility challenges are not excluded from coastal access due to their disability.

11.The City shall provide $200 monthly gas expense cards to Tier 2 participants to defray the costs of moving twice-daily around the City of Santa Cruz.

12.The city shall not engage in street sweeping or any other regular practice of placing "tow away" notices in the coastal zone. Editorial Note: This (#12) was not a part of the document that was forwarded but was added as another suggested condition in an email from a Santa Cruz Cares Stakeholder Group member.

20.109
From: Addison Jacobs
To: City Council
Subject: March 11 City Council Agenda Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 8:06:39 AM
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing to ask that you reject the appeal of the Planning Commission’s Approval of a Coastal Permit for Continued Implementation of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance in the Coastal Zone. I am a homeowner near Mitchell’s Cove on the westside and, as a daily walker, have witnessed the impact of the current ordinance on areas near West Cliff Drive and Delaware Avenue. I no longer see piles of debris harmful to the environment on our local roadways and public right of ways. I also do not have to work my way around large vehicles surrounded by personal belongings and often, with loud occupants and animals. I believe that the ordinance is part of the solution to managing public and living spaces in our community and enhances the protection of our environment and safety.

Thank you for your consideration.

Addison Jacobs

20.110
From: Michael Piramoon
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:26:05 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Michael

20.111
From: angelique schuppek
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:27:56 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Angelique Schuppek
Sent from my iPhone

20.112
From: Gene Manako
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:32:23 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Gene Manako

20.113
From: Sue B
To: City Council
Subject: Item 20- Deny the appeal- Do NOT allow Oversized Vehicle overnight parking Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:33:13 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am reaching out to respectfully urge you to reject the appeal regarding the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO).

Since the implementation of the OVO last December, there has been a noticeable enhancement in addressing the longstanding problems associated with unregulated overnight vehicle camping on Swanton Blvd. This positive change signifies a step towards improving our community's safety and livability.

I extend my gratitude to the council for their decision to enact the OVO, to the diligent city staff for establishing designated parking spaces, and to the SCPD for encouraging vehicles to move-on.

In the interest of maintaining the progress achieved thus far, I urge you to deny the appeal and allow the OVO to remain in effect.

Sincerely,
Sue B

20.114
From: Marina Ramon
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:33:29 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. Especially the amount of illegal dumping of trash and human waste.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. We no longer have large vehicles parking in front or across from our house which often resulted in a lot of trash etc left in the street or sidewalk after they departed. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Marina Ramon

20.115
From: Jeffrey Werner
To: City Council
Cc: Jeffrey Werner
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:33:40 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Regards,
Jeffrey
Jeffrey Werner
[email protected]
831-247-0247
Got Bass?

20.116
From: Tessy Paikeday
To: City Council
Subject: Thank you for your support of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:39:06 PM
Dear City Council members:

Thank you for your work in support of the oversized vehicle ordinance. Our neighborhoods have been positively impacted, and we appreciate being able to walk and bike safely on clean streets and sidewalks.

Tessy

20.117
From: Maggie Ramirez
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:39:12 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Maggie

20.118
From: Tamera Smith
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:43:01 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I can really notice a difference! I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Tamera Smith
Sent from my iPhone

20.119
From: Dennis
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:43:38 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

Please, please deny the OVO appeal!! It has made a HUGE change in the safety of the lower Westside! I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Now if you could stop strange folks from sleeping overnight in vehicles in front of my home, that would be great! Sincerely,
Dennis Hagen
322 Pelton Ave

20.120
From: Ellen Sevy
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:51:24 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,

20.121
From: John Bilanko
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:51:58 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

As a business owner on the Westside for the past 14 years I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since enforcement of the OVO started last December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

While enforcement of the OVO has not been perfect, I believe the actions of the City Council and the SCPD have made the neighborhood cleaner and safer while providing a workable solution to the overnight camping problem.

Sincerely,
John N. Bilanko
Iveta Gourmet Inc.
2125 Delaware Ave.

Santa Cruz, CA 95060
[email protected]
iveta.com

20.122
From: Joe Gershen
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:53:50 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Joe Gershen

20.123
From: Tom Gordon
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:54:13 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Tom Gordon
Sent from my iPad...excuse typos.

20.124
From: RVSC of Santa Cruz
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 1:57:09 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Rena Mills
Director of Operations
RVSC of Santa Cruz
Phone: (831) 427-0881
Fax: (831) 427-0889
Statement of Confidentiality
The contents of this e-mail message and any attachments are confidential and are intended solely for addressee. The information may also be legally privileged. This transmission is sent in trust, for the sole purpose of delivery to the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, any use, reproduction or dissemination of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please immediately notify the sender by reply e-mail or phone and delete this message and its attachments, if any.

20.125
From: elizabeth plageman
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:03:12 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,Elizabeth Plageman

20.126
From: Arik Florimonte
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:06:52 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Arik
•sent from my pocket computer•

20.127
From: Robin McDuff
To: City Council
Subject: I support the appeal of the OVO
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:08:46 PM
I think we need a permit program to allow RVs to park in appropriate city streets for anyone who is from our County or has been here for over a decade.

If they don't follow the rules of the permit - then they can be forced out of town and/or the vehicle impounded.

The full-on ban is just adding to our housing crisis when this could be part of the solution.

Robin McDuff
210 Miramar Drive
Santa Cruz, CA

20.128
From: Diane Sipkin
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:11:22 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Diane Sipkin
322 Pelton Ave

20.129
From: Kathleen O"Connell
To: City Council
Subject: Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO)
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:12:05 PM
Hello,
I would like to thank the City Council members for passing the OVO.

The tenants in our building no longer have to hear loud outbursts, profanity and fighting nor do we see as much trash on the curb and road.

I would see people across the street dressing and naked, urinating.

I also feel safer because I don't see strangers loitering around the parking lot especially at night.

I used to worry that the people camping across the street would break into the office.

I appreciate all your help in keeping our community safe and free from as much physical, psychological and material harm,
and keeping the area clean and sanitary.

Best,
Kathleen O'Connell
Office Manager

20.130
From: Lori Stoll
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:13:01 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Lori Stoll
Owner
Property Manager
Homeowner

20.131
From: Carolyn Livingston
To: City Council
Subject: Support OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:15:18 PM
Dear City Council,
Please support the OVO renewal permit that the Planning Commission unanimously approved.

It's important to note that 24 other California Coastal Communities passed OVOs that are successful.

Santa Cruz City residences want everyone to have a better future, live in a safer place, provide better stable living conditions and mitigate the environmental harm and discarded waste on our public streets.

Thank you, Carolyn Livingston
--
Carolyn Livingston
"Success isn't about how much money you make, it's
about the difference you make in people's lives."
-Michelle Obama

20.132
From: Sandi Dutra
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Appeal
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:33:16 PM
As a resident at 2395 Delaware Ave, I’m pleased to say that the OVO ordinance has been very successful. The street is clear of the OVs. This has made it so I, a 75 yo woman, feel safe walking down the street. The trash has disappeared and the refuse is no longer disposed of in the park or on the street.

I encourage the City Council to extend the ordinance as it was previously approved.

Sandi Dutra
#52
408-363-4164
Sent from my iPhone

20.133
From: RVSC of Santa Cruz
To: City Council
Subject: OSV on Westside
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:33:43 PM
I want to thank all of you who have made this happen. It is so REFRESING to drive to my business on Mission Street Ext. and not have all the OSV lining both sides of the road. I have been concerned for the PCS High School students who walk along this road to and from school. The reason for concern is, it is feasible that one of these resident mobile dwellers could be housing a pedophile. It would be very very easy to grab one of the kids and pull them into the RV or trailer.

Second issue is my business has suffered because customers do not want to leave their RV or Trailer is this area overnight. They cancel their appointment and drive over the hill or to Scotts Valley for service.

Third, I have had a decrease in midnight sightings of people wandering my lot, since the road has been cleared. Earlier this year, I had more damage and had numerous vehicles broken into than any other year. It has cost me up wards of $10,000 and irreparable loss of customer confidence.

Please continue to work on solutions to keep OSV solutions available vs. letting them park randomly all over the city.

Appreciate all of your hard work and support.

Rena Mills
Owner
RVSC of Santa Cruz
Phone: (831) 427-0881
Fax: (831) 427-0889
Statement of Confidentiality
The contents of this e-mail message and any attachments are confidential and are intended solely for addressee. The information may also be legally privileged. This transmission is sent in trust, for the sole purpose of delivery to the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, any use, reproduction or dissemination of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please immediately notify the sender by reply e-mail or phone and delete this message and its attachments, if any.

20.134
From: shawn
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:37:32 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

Please deny this
appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Shawn

20.135
From: Anne Friscia
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:45:18 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

Please deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. We have seen a significant improvement in our neighborhood with the reduction of camping on our residential streets.

There has been less garbage, less dumping of raw sewage, fewer fires, and less police calls.

I so appreciate your work to protect our natural environment and allow us and visitors to enjoy our neighborhoods and parks safely. We need access to parking spaces. We don't want to turn our streets into campgrounds. Thank you so much for all that you do! Sincerely,
Anne Friscia
Swift Street

20.136
From: melissa gerlach
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:45:34 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am a homeowner on the lower westside with children at Gateway School and PCS. Before the OVO was passed, so many of the places our family goes required us to pass DOZENS of people living in their oversized vehicles. Our family would be biking, walking or driving to school or to the Seymour Center or to the bike trail to wilder ranch.

As we would head down Delaware Ave between Swift Street and Natural Bridges Drive, or heading to the bike path along Schaeffer towards highway 1 - there was vehicle after vehicle after vehicle, always voluminous amounts of garbage, broken glass in the street and personal property, furniture, etc along the road or in the road and bike path.

Also there were constant bad smells from people smoking cigarettes, weed, and from going to the bathroom on the side of the street or emptying their RV holding tanks into the street, and multiple unrestrained dogs barking at us and chasing us. People would play loud music, and have loud arguments, and walk around half dressed. It was more than an eyesore - seeing this was a testament that Santa Cruz didnt care about our neighborhood. And people were allowed to come from anywhere and trash our streets and our neighborhoods without respect or kindness. My kids learned the needs of these people living in their vehicles and burdening our community matter more than my needs as a homeowner and my childrens’ needs to grow up in the safe beautiful place I chose to raise them.

The OVO gave us our neighborhood back. We cannot go back. We need to keep ordinances like this in place to protect our community and our natural beauty and open space along this corridor.

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Melissa Gerlach, MD
Homeowner, mom on Plateau Ave

20.137
From: Lee Taiz
To: City Council
Subject: Please support the OVO ordinance
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:51:14 PM
Dear City Council,
The OVO ordinance has made a tremendous difference to the peace and cleanliness of our neighborhood. The feeling of safety and security has improved enormously. Tourists and local residents have been able to park on our streets and access the coast on an on-going basis because hey don’t have to wait three days, and more, before they can park near the coast and enjoy a walk. Our neighborhood has been returned to the people who live here and to people who have come to visit. Our kids can walk to school in security.

Our streets should never again be turned into sanitation-less residences and unsupervised campgrounds as they were before the OVO ordinance.

Thank you so much for passing the OVO. Please keep it in place.

Lee Taiz
328 Oxford Way
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

20.138
From: Jean-Claude Le Duc
To: City Council
Subject: Thank you for your support of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:51:20 PM
Dear City Council members:

Thank you for your work in support of the oversized vehicle ordinance. Our neighborhoods have been positively impacted, and we appreciate being able to walk and bike safely on clean streets and sidewalks.

Jean-Claude

20.139
From: Jon Bowman
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:59:05 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Jon Bowman
Sent from my iPad

20.140
From: thomas demeo
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:19:34 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,Tom De Meo
Long time city resident
Sent from my iPhone

20.141
From: Mark Sanchez
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:41:28 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Mark Sanchez

20.142
From: [email protected]
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:44:33 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. One can actually walk on Delaware without having to evade garbage and other materials along the way. The aroma of eucalyptus is in the air, rather than the aromas generated by defiling the environment. This is a special and unique natural environment and should be kept as such.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Liz Alpert
[email protected]
831-239-0931

20.143
From: Andrew Crocker
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:46:46 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Andrew Crocker and family
121 John St.

Santa Cruz CA 95060

20.144
From: Manuel Prado
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:47:41 PM
Hello, I am in strong support of keeping the OVO in place.

Thank you

20.145
From: Peter Cook
To: City Council
Subject: Please keep the OVO
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:50:02 PM
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
This program has been working very well, thank you. I would encourage you to continue it indefinitely. My only complaint is that SCPD is not enforcing it enough to get all vehicle residents properly redirected to our safe sleeping areas. For instance (see the attached photo) the resident of this vehicle has been observed defecating on neighboring properties and also been overserved stealing from Pacific Wave on Swift Street. He has been living in his vehicle on Delaware for several years now; basically, ever since he stopped living in his vehicle downtown by city hall. People like this should be directed to our safe sleeping spaces with proper sanitary services please.

Having this program in place has significantly cut down on the negative externalities of having people living in vehicles in the lower westside are. There is less litter and trash, less of people using Natural Bridges and Antonelli’s Pond area as a bathroom, and I haven’t seen any evidence of sewage dumping since this program started (sadly, this used to be regular occurrence).

It will certainly be a much more pleasant experience for residents and tourists visiting Natural Bridges, Antonelli’s Pond and our Marine Sciences Campus now that this ordinance is in place.

Thank you for all the hard work you do.

Sincerely,

20.146

20.147
From: Carol Berberich
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 3:58:46 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

I live on Delaware Avenue on the west side and have seen significant improvement on this street due to this ordinance. I don't think it is too much to ask to have a structured program in place for those who are living in their RVs and Trailers. Everyone else has rules to abide by with our housing and they should too. It keeps the streets cleaner and safer for everyone.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. It's the right thing to do and on the correct path to a better environment for the entire community.

Sincerely,
Carol Berberich

20.148
From: LoriAnn Tarter
To: City Council
Subject: PLEASE Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:00:02 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, we have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. For example, the amount of trash and debris that was continually present on Delaware avenue near Swanton has decreased significantly and we have felt more comfortable walking from our Natural Bridges neighborhood down Delaware to support businesses such as Venus, Iveta, and the businesses in and around Swift Street Courtyard.

With spring and summer around the corner, we must continue to be vigilant with enforcement in order to keep our neighborhoods safe and free from oversized vehicles, overnight campers, and those who have camped for weeks at a time on the property that lines Delaware Avenue.

We are grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Lori-Ann and Jeff Tarter
Home Owners in the Natural Bridges Neighborhood

20.149
From: TOM VLASSIS
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:01:57 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
We know SCPD is extremely busy and parking violations take a low priority in their normal routines but we can only respectfully ask that SCPD step up it's current lack of enforcement of this Ordinance as those of us on the lower west side of Santa Cruz continue to see flagrant violations parked on our roadways without any citations issued. Especially on Delaware, Swift, Fair Avenues and their connecting residential streets.

It would be great if Chief Escalante would reschedule his CSOs and sworn officers to time lines that fall within the existing Ordinance parking restriction hours and then do more enforcements.Staggering the increased days and times of the enforcements would limit the effects of rescheduling their work hours.

Thank you and thank the SCPD for all your hard work.

20.150
From: Jeff Kimes
To: City Council
Cc: Mattos, Jennifer; Margaret Gannon; [email protected] Subject: Oversized Vehicle Ordinance successes
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:10:11 PM
Dear City Council:

Thank you so much for making our city streets safer with the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance!
On Delaware Avenue we have noticed a significant reduction in the number of large camping vehicles living on the street, discharging their sewage into the storm drain and spreading trash in the right of way.

Unfortunately there are still smaller camping vans and cars serving as living quarters, with “residents” sometimes defecating in the right of way and openly using drugs.

However, the improvement is definitely noticeable. We appreciate your efforts on behalf of City residents, and we encourage your continued efforts.

Please do not consider backtracking or repealing the ordinance.

Sincerely,
Jeff Kimes
Management
De Anza Santa Cruz, 2395 Delaware Ave

20.151
From: Lincoln Taiz
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:14:52 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Lincoln Taiz

20.152
From: Lincoln Taiz
To: City Council
Subject: KEEP THE OVO!
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:22:59 PM
The OVO has been a godsend to the west side community, one of the best things the City Council has done for us in the last 50 years! Our quality of life has improved markedly since its implementation. Please do not allow those who wish you to rescind it to prevail. Protect the OVO and our west side neighborhoods! LincolnTaiz

20.153
From: Marc Schwartz
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:27:01 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Marc Schwartz
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

20.154
From: Colleen Bowman
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:40:13 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Colleen Bowman
Sent from my iPad

20.155
From: James Schwartz
To: City Council
Subject: PLEASE retain the OVO
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:43:55 PM
Dear Friends,
I’m writing to ask that you retain the OVO, and not to accept an effort to destroy it.

The ordinance has had a very beneficial impact on our community.

After being nearly overwhelmed by an onslaught of casual campers, who are an environmental disaster, we are beginning to see a way forward.

Our neighborhoods are beginning to recover from the glut of Oversized vehicles that had decided to ‘camp out’ on our streets.

Please, I’m urging you to protect our community from being overwhelmed by campers, etc.

Sincerely,
James L. Schwartz

20.156
From: James Schwartz
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 4:44:29 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
James L. Schwartz

20.157
1 Rosemary Balsley
From: Bart Clanton <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2024 5:22 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely
Bart CLANTON

20.158
From: shawn medved
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Hooray!
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 6:50:27 PM
The OVO has been great for the neighborhood, PLEASE keep up the good work that has been started.

It is great that the RV dwellers have safe well lit places to stay at night and receptacles and bathrooms they can use.

In our neighborhood we have seen
Less litter
Less filthy dumping
Less need for police intervention
It is a BIG success
The next step is to make it illegal to sleep in your vehicle in the neighborhoods. People with Rvs are now going to live in smaller vans wherever they want. It is not fair to the neighborhood citizens.

Lets expand the program to make safe sleep sites for smaller vehicles. No one should be allowed to move in to a neighborhood in any type of vehicle and live there.

THANK YOU
--
Shawn Medved
112 Eucalptus Ave.

Santa Cruz
408-829-9065 cell
408-356-7727 fax
NMLS# 341773
[email protected]

20.159
From: David Allenbaugh
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Extention
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 7:34:17 PM
I was one of the ten people that participated in the Stakeholders committee with Lisa Murphy.

At that meeting we all highly recommended that the OVO be extended. The difference the OVO has made on Delward is nothing short of amazing. I live in the Deanza Mobile Home park on Delaware and the street are much cleaner and basically the residents feel much safer.

The street is again clean without RV's leaving all their trash when they leave. I also believe the people that live in the RV's feel safer and cleaner having a place to park overnight.

PLEASE extend the OVO ordinance for the residents of Santa Cruz and for the safety and cleanliness of those people that are unfortunately suffering from homelessness.

Thank you,
Dave Allenbaugh

20.160
From: Garrett
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 9:45:54 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

There are fewer homeless vehicle campers on the streets since OVO and I like it that way. Keep it up.

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Garrett Philipp

20.161
From: Dennis Stewart
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 10:47:31 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. Living in the effected area, we have witnessed drug trafficing, and increased trash and human waste along the roadway. My family does not feel safe walking alone in these areas of encampment.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Dennis Stewart

20.162
From: Martha Stewart
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 11:32:28 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Martha Stewart

20.163
From: Suzie Golden-Riley
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 6:57:17 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Suzie Golden-Riley
Sent from my iPhone

20.164
From: Francine Tyler
To: City Council
Subject: Please don"t repeal the OVO
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:20:44 AM
We need to keep people from living on our streets in their vehicles. When I was a mom with two young children in a house on Santa Cruz St., I was often bothered and worried by men who would sleep just outside our front gate in vehicles with darkened windows. They would come out of their vans and walk around smoking, or with their shirts off. I had no way of knowing who they were or when the vans were empty or had people inside. They weren't friendly; they were frightening.They left trash and feces and cigarette butts.

Let's stop doing this to our neighborhoods.

Please continue to enforce the OVO. No one should have to live with those fears and pressures in their neighborhood.

Thanks - Francine (and Mike) Tyler

20.165
From: Julie DuClos
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:33:07 AM
Please support permanent oversized vehicle ban!
DeAnza resident

20.166
From: Dogan Timucin
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:35:33 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. Although enforcement needs to be kept up in order to have it “stick”: already seeing a bit of a back-slide.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Dogan

20.167
From: Melodee Kistner
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:39:39 AM
Dear City Council,
I am a resident of DeAnza Mobile Home Park on Delaware Avenue. The enforcement of the OVO regulation in recent months has made a HUGE difference in the look and feel of my neighborhood. Of course it looks so much more inviting without the trash-filled encampments along Delaware Avenue and it feels so much safer to walk and drive along my street. There have been no more emergency road closures due to police activity. There is not human waste in the area. There are not folks darting across the street at night when I drive home. No electrical cords strung across Delaware Avenue. These are a few of the problems that have occurred in the past year but have stopped with the enforcement of the OVO regulation.

The folks who have nowhere to live other than an RV deserve our compassion and need a place to safely park their vehicles but doing so on city streets is not the answer. This causes safety hazards for them and those around them.

Please continue to enforce the OVO regulations. Please use your creativity and resources to find another solution to the OVO parking issue in Santa Cruz.

Thank you for your consideration of this issue,
Melodee Kistner
2395 Delaware Ave.

20.168
From: Lorraine Smith
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:40:40 AM
Dear Council Members, thank you for your support with passing the OVO so we on Delaware can now feel safer not having unknown people living on the street. There has been a feeling of security expressed by others in the park, when they walk on Delaware. There are no longer piles of trash, needles, human waste and other types of unspecified fluids. It has been great not worrying about what is going into the ocean when people living in the RV's would empty their waste into the sewer system.

Let's please keep the OVO in effect so we can continue to live our lives in a comfortable safe environment.

Lorraine & Gary Smith
DeAnza Residents

20.169
From: GUY BROWN
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 8:58:46 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Out house is just off Swanton across from Natural Bridges SP and on a court near Delaware where we previously experienced serious unregulated OVO activities.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Guy Brown
117 Quintana Court
Santa Cruz 95060

20.170
From: Bonnie Bush
To: City Council
Subject: Fwd: Comments on Extension of RV parking ordinance Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 9:23:33 AM
Bonnie Bush
City Clerk
City of Santa Cruz
809 Center St., Room 8, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831-420-5035
Email:[email protected] Web: www.cityofsantacruz.com Begin forwarded message:

From: Ann Niland <[email protected]>
Date: March 9, 2024 at 8:40:14 AM PST
To: Bonnie Bush <[email protected]>
Subject: Comments on Extension of RV parking ordinance
I enthusiastically support the cities proposal to extend the RV parking ordinance for 5 years! The ordinance has been very effective in keeping our community clean and safe.

I am a lower westside resident and frequently walk through Natural Bridges Park, down Delaware to the Seymour Center. Since the ordinance was implemented, the streets are much cleaner, and I once again feel safe walking in my neighborhood. The sanctioned RV lots are a good alternative to those who live in RVs.

Prior to implementation of the parking ordinance, there was trash, sewage, bike chop shops and dilapidated RVs near or on parkland and open space. We would be shirking our duties to protect the land, park visitors, and the vast majority of Santa Cruz residents if we allow the ordinance to be challenged.

Ann Niland

20.171
From: Patty Fishburn
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 11:08:56 AM
Dear Council,
Please continue to enforce the OVO ordinance. I truly appreciate feeling a lot safer walking along Delaware Avenue to the beach. I hope that the city and the coastal commission will be in unison in foresee the OVO policy.

Thank you Patricia Fishburn, number 129 DeAnza Santa cruz mobile home park.

Sent from my iPhone

20.172
From: martha johnston
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 11:19:27 AM
A wonderful difference on our neighborhood streets since the OVO went effect. The sanitation and hazardous environmental threat has decreased. Thank you!!
Sent from my iPad

20.173
From: Elizabeth McDannold
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 11:20:18 AM
Please deny the OVO appeal! We live adjacent to Delaware Avenue, and the changes since OVO have been wonderful! No more “permanent” RV neighbors, no more all-night generators, loud music, yelling, and best of all, no more reeking garbage left behind for someone else to clean up.

Thank you,
Liz McDannold
2395 Delaware Ave #147
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
[email protected]
541-678-1809
Sent from my iPad

20.174
From: Selkie
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 12:02:26 PM
Please help keep senior citizens safe and healthy.

It has been wonderful to be able to walk again.

Thank you Thank you

20.175
From: Teresa Ghilarducci
To: City Council
Cc: Rick McGahey
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 1:13:41 PM
Dear City Council
Thank you so much for making Delaware Avenue safer and more welcoming to people who want access to the beach and trails. We live at DeAnza senior park and found the trash and outside sleeping made walking in the NB Park and on Delaware unsafe and difficult.

I also noticed many people could not park along Delaware because the overnight large vehicles took up space with not only their RVs, but with other cars and living areas. At least one RV housed a child and created BBQ and outdoor space.

Many people also congregated overnight and slept in cars. It was becoming an encampment of people without homes and they suffered living without hygienic facilities. The people there needed help not being ignored.

Please do not go back to those days of inhumane sprawl and misery.

Teresa Ghilarducci
2395 Delaware Avenue 90

20.176
From: Mike Mellon, Quantar Techn
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 1:40:34 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to ask that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, there has been an improvement in the situation. Not resolved, but improved.

I appreciate the council passing the OVO, the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
--
Michael Mellon
Quantar Technology Inc.
45 Ortalon Ave (note new street address)
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-713-7566 (mobile)
Website: www.quantar.com
email: [email protected]

20.177
From: Gerald Zanzinger
To: City Council
Subject: OVO ordinance
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 2:14:53 PM
I would like to add my comment to the council re the OVO ordinance. We have seen a substantial change on Delaware Street. Only one of a plethora of vehicles remain because of the signage. It much safer and cleaner.

Please deny the appeal.

Jerry Zanzinger
2395 Delaware Ave., SPC 70
Sent from my iPad

20.178
From: Mark Kesterson
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 2:20:41 PM
The current situation with the OVO is working on Delaware Ave fairly well.

Now is not the time to go backwards to the crime and environmental degradation we had before.

I had an unhoused gentleman tell me that the drug scene on Delaware, before the OVO, was so bad that he could not even stay there in his car.

Thank you for your good work on this problem, and please keep us safe.

20.179
From: Bob Lamonica
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 2:33:07 PM
Thank you.

Bob Lamonica

20.180
From: Richard McGahey
To: City Council
Subject: Another OVO Appeal— please reject
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 2:57:46 PM
Dear City Council:

I am told that there is going to be another appeal against the oversized vehicle ordinance. Please reject it. I am a homeowner in the DeAnza mobile home park and it is my perception that the ordinance is working very well. The council has put an inordinate amount of time into this, being careful to balance competing interests, and I think you have done a great job.

There is nothing about the ordinance that prohibits people from parking on Delaware Avenue most of the time and using the beach, whether or not they are unhoused. They just can’t park there 24 hours, just like nobody else can. And the city, under your leadership and care, is making substantial efforts with substantial resources to help unhoused people. Thank you for that.

Honestly, this perpetual fighting and refusal by some in our community to accept a democratic, careful process and decision, and instead just perpetually refusing to compromise and accept something less than their absolute desires is very frustrating.

We should not allow a passionate, but very vocal minority to block the careful and thoughtful work on this policy that you have done after hearing so many times from so many diverse voices in the community.

Thank you for all your hard work.
________________________________
Rick McGahey (he/him/his)

20.181
From: Carol Schira
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 3:15:44 PM
Thank you for all of your assistance on our behalf to reinstate Delaware Avenue as a safe, walkable part of the city.

Carol Schira
--
"It is through the heart that we experience existence qualitatively.....All value and meaning is experienced through the heart." Kabir Helminski

20.182
From: Barb Acosta
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 4:40:24 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

As Parents and now Grand Parents, the OVO is important for to us for so many reasons. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Barbara Myers Acosta
Resident of 240 Swanton Blvd since 1984.

Sent from my iPhone

20.183
From: Francis Nimmo
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 5:51:25 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

As a member of the Westside community, I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Francis Nimmo
913 Seaside St
Santa Cruz
CA 95060

20.184
From: Sean Livingston
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 6:23:25 PM
Dear City Council,
Please support the OVO renewal permit that the Planning Commission unanimously approved.

It's important to note that 24 other California Coastal Communities passed OVOs that are successful.

Santa Cruz City residences want everyone to have a better future, live in a safer place, provide better stable living conditions and mitigate the environmental harm and discarded waste on our public streets.

Thank you, Sean Livingston

20.185
From: Kathy Craft
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 9:01:41 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Kathy Craft
(831)588-4098

20.186
From: Chimae
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Saturday, March 09, 2024 10:41:06 PM
Dear City Council Members,
The OVO is helping keep our neighborhood at De Anza feel safer. Thank you! Please deny the OVO appeal.

Best Regards,
Chimae Abreu
Sent from my iPhone

20.187
From: Nancy Knudegard
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 7:37:43 AM
The OVO is working!!!! Please continue to support this type of practical, responsible solution to houseless issues in our town. Deny the Appeal.

Thank You,
Nancy Knudegard
2395 Delaware Ave
Santa Cruz, CA
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

20.188
From: [email protected]
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 8:59:31 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Carol Spragens, Westside Neighbor

20.189
From: James Reichmuth
To: City Council
Subject: Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) Appeal - please deny current appeal Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 11:32:21 AM
Dear Council Members,
Since the OVO has been put in place, which you were wise enough to pass (Thank You) has been a blessing to my neighborhood (lower west side) based on the greatly reduced number of oversized vehicles parking along our streets. Anecdotally, from first hand observation, the OVO enforcement seems to have eliminated the 'critical mass' which has resulted in an even greater reduction in the amount of waste, and consumer stuff that would ordinarily accompany and larger grouping of OVOs.

Simply put, the OVO is working!
Please deny the current appeal and keep this net (highly) beneficial ordinance stand intact.

Thank you for your consideration, and that good work you're doing to bring Santa Cruz back to the people that live in and pay taxes here.

Sincerely & Regards,
Jim Reichmuth
Westside Resident & Homeowner
408.234.1321
[email protected]

20.190
From: Linda Timucin
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20 THANK YOU!! Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 11:36:37 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Linda Timucin
280 Swanton Blvd
Santa Cruz,CA

20.191
From: Ryan Reber
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 11:46:18 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Ryan Reber

20.192
From: tom mcdannold
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny OVO Appeal
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 12:01:01 PM
For the first time in six years, Delaware Avenue is free of vandalism, graffiti, noise, trash, urine, and feces--all thanks to the ban on OVO.

Please keep the five year ban on OVO and deny the OVO appeal.

Thanks.

Tom McDannodl
2395 Delaware Avenue #147
Santa Cruz

20.193
From: Bonnie Bush
To: City Council
Subject: Fwd: Keep the RV oversize vehicle ordinance in place Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 12:17:20 PM
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:

From: Patrick Mcdonald <[email protected]>
Date: March 10, 2024 at 12:08:59 PM PDT
To: Bonnie Bush <[email protected]>
Subject: Keep the RV oversize vehicle ordinance in place Folks,
Please vote against repeal of the RV oversize vehicle. You have provided safe parking and provide more if possible. Folks that can abide by rules of society deserve help. The addicts who trash the environment and want to live their lawless lifestyle by the beach can move on. Start representing the greater community and quit pandering to the homeless advocates who fail to see that we don’t have a homeless problem, we have a drug problem. Other cities are demanding change and it’s time we step up.

Patrick McDonald
Sent from my iPhone

20.194
From: No One
To: City Council
Subject: March 12, 2024 City Council Agenda Item Number 20 - Coastal Permit for Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 2:35:10 PM
Mr. Mayor and Members of the City Council
Over the years, the lower westside has been significantly impacted by the consequences of unsanctioned vehicle camping throughout our neighborhoods. While the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance has only been enforced for about four months now, there has been a noticeable reduction in the disruptive, unsanitary and anti-social behaviors that often accompany the large vehicles parking on the streets at night.

I thank you for approving the original Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and ask that you deny the current appeal to extend the ordinance. Please continue implementation of this ordinance.

Thank you!
Nancy Steward

20.195
From: Kathy Pyle
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 4:12:23 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely,

20.196
From: Val Leoffler
To: City Council
Cc: Val Leoffler
Subject: Westside support of OVO
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 5:17:33 PM
City Council Members,
Thank you for your work. I am a long time Westside resident of Santa Cruz simply voicing my continued support of the implementation of the OVO. The implementation of this Ordinance has helped restore some safety and quiet to our neighborhood, that prior to the Ordinance was plagued with an alarming amount of unhealthy illegal overnight camping, remnants of drug usage and aggressive and uncivilized behavior. The summer months are yet to come and those are the most challenging, but fingers crossed! And thank you and let’s please support this continued implementation!
Val
Val Leoffler
330 Oxford Way
Santa Cruz CA 95060

20.197
From: Daniel Crews
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 6:41:54 PM
Hello
I know there is an upcoming council session regarding the oversize vehicle ordinance but I will not be able to attend. I would like to add, though, as a homeowner and resident in Harvey West area the OVO has greatly improved visibility and navigability of the area. I appreciate the utility of these mobile homes but they cause far too much issue when kept within the confines of our very small city. There are places to put every type of vehicle ... the side of an SC city road is not a place to put an Oversized Vehicle.

Thanks for your time
-Daniel

20.198
From: Guillermo Fabián Díaz Lankenau
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 8:36:15 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

It is important the OVO continue so we can preserve the delicate natural environment of the Santa Cruz coast. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Guillermo

20.199
From: Jaya Narain
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 8:36:20 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. It is critical that this continues, to protect the environment as well as to protect the health and safety of visitors and residents from the pollution and human waste associated with many overnight oversized vehicles.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Thank you for your efforts in this matter.

Sincerely,
Jaya

20.200
From: David Daggett
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 9:04:10 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
David Daggett
Santa Cruz, CA

20.201
From: Rodney Maddocks
To: City Council
Subject: OVO review
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 10:58:39 PM
I would like to express my support for the OVO ordinance.

I live on Oxford Way just around the corner from David Way. Before the OVO ordinance was passed we would get numerous RVs camping on David Way. For the last year there have been very few RVs camping along David Way.

RVs and ‘Oversized Vehicles’ still park and have access to the coast during the day. There is less trash, less human and dog waste, a lot less noise, and less oil/liquid spills along David Way.

I would like the City and the Coastal Commission to support and enforce OVO ordinance.

Rodney

20.202
From: Christopher Wellise
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 3:14:05 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

While we are still experiencing some issues related to oversized vehicles (garbage, sewage, suspicious activity including drug dealing) since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. This has been an important step toward restoring our neighborhoods.

Sincerely,
Christopher Wellise

20.203
From: Bob Wiederhold
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:23:07 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,

20.204
From: arrowdrp
To: City Council
Subject: Oversized Vehicle Ordinance
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:27:37 AM
As a retired Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Senior Manager and current resident of DeAnza Mobile Home Park, I was offended by the RV’s parking and living on Delaware. I continually observed drug sales, using adjoining woods as a bathroom, being harassed as I had my daily walks and increased thefts in the neighborhood.

Please do not allow this parking in the future. Douglas Pearson Sent from my iPhone

20.205
From: Westside Neighbors
To: City Council; Renee Golder; Fred Keeley; Sonja Brunner; Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Scott Newsome Subject: Deny the OVO appeal, Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:28:19 AM
Westside Neighbors requests that the City Council deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Our neighborhood organization has written multiple times to the Planning Commission and City Council on this issue to express our concerns about the impacts of oversized vehicle overnight parking on city streets, as well as to support the establishment of the City's Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (the "OVO").

Please refer to the public correspondence from the Planning Commission's February 1, 2024 meeting for 25 additional emails in favor of keeping the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance in place, many from the impacted residents of the DeAnza Mobile Home Community.

Since the implementation of the OVO began in December of 2023, Westside Neighbors has documented a significant reduction in the number of oversized vehicles parking overnight and a significant reduction in the issues related to oversized vehicle parking in our neighborhoods. Before the OVO, Westside Neighbors' data indicated an average of 65-68 OVOs parked nightly on just five streets on the Lower Westside (Delaware, Shaffer, Mission Extension, Natural Bridges, Swanton). Since implementation that number has dropped dramatically to an average of 12-15, with a concomitant decrease in related issues of illegal dumping, trash accumulation, blackwater discharge, etc.

One remaining area of concern is the parking adjacent to Natural Bridges State Park on Swanton, where every night there are camper vans in every space. See photos below. As a representative from Westside Neighbors spoke to at the OVO Stakeholder Group meetings, we recommend that the city continue to regularly communicate with the apps (such as SEKR, IOverlander, Boondockers, VanLife, etc.) that advertise this area as free, unenforced overnight camping to eliminate this area from their listings in an effort to reduce this problem.

Westside Neighbors supports and appreciates the City's efforts to assist persons living in their vehicles, including the Tier 2 and Tier 3 parking areas, and providing sanitation services and outreach to connect people with county services. In summary, in the very short period of time that the OVO has been implemented, there have been noticeable positive changes for the Lower Westside. Westside Neighbors requests that the appeal be denied, and that the OVO be allowed to continue to address this longstanding issue in our neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Westside [email protected]

20.206

20.207

20.208
From: Scott Berlin
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:37:03 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. We live in De Anza Santa Cruz and there has been a very noticeable difference in litter, theft,human feces and vandalism that appears to be directly connected to this ordinance.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Scott Berlin

20.209
From: John McCormick
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:42:38 AM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

I have a home at the end of Delaware Street and since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
John McCormick

20.210
From: Candy Berlin
To: City Council
Subject: O o
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:44:49 AM
Thank you for enacting this, as a Delaware Ave resident I have seen a big difference in the safety and cleanliness of our street.

Please… stand strong against any appeals.

Much thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

20.211
From: Mary Brody
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:45:27 AM
Please keep this program going. It has made a tremendous positive difference in our neighborhood.

20.212
From: KIM STONER
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Parking Ban Appeal...

Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:50:08 AM
Dear Elected Council Members,
I strongly recommend that you reject the latest OVO
parking ban appeal on your Agenda for Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

As a Santa Cruz City Council past appointed member of the "Public Safety Task Force" by Mayor Bryant 10+ years ago...

Our group listened to the citizens of the City of Santa Cruz over the period of a year in twice monthly meetings. These citizens were concerned about illegal street camping, noise, trash, gray and black water dumping, drug dealing, prostitution, sales of stolen bikes/property, etc. etc...

Since the OVO Ordinance implementation back in early December 2023, I have noticed an approximate 80% reduction of overnight camping parking on our city streets which has really helped. It is not 100%, but it is moving forward.

The City has already provided some safe parking areas.

My recommendation is to have the County of Santa Cruz also provide some safe parking areas. 2 simple (common sense) reasons...

The County has many more land site locations available for use because of it's larger size, and the County needs to step forward and become a part of the Solution, not just the City of Santa Cruz.

Respectfully,
Kim Stoner
324 Oregon St.

Santa Cruz, CA. 95060
[email protected]

20.213
From: Linda Tanner
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 12:07:29 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely,

20.214
From: Bob Lamonica
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 12:33:23 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Bob Lamonica

20.215
From: Deborah A. Loveland
To: City Council
Subject: Please Deny the Request to Repeal the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 12:39:49 PM
Dear City Council,
As an owner and resident of the DeAnza Mobile Home Park located at 2395 Delaware Avenue in Santa Cruz, California, this is to personally thank you for passing the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance (OVO) which took effect in December, 2023. The impact of this ordinance has been substantial. There is more parking for those who want to visit Natural Bridges during the day, to walk, bike and drive on Delaware is more pleasant in addition to feeling safer and, more than likely, has improved property values. Additionally, as a result of the enforcement of this ordinance, the amount of debris, human waste and noise from these oversized vehicles parked on Delaware has decreased substantially. That said, please know there are still a few oversized vehicles which continue to park overnight on Delaware but not nearly to the extent as before the enforcement of the OVO.

It has come to my attention that on Friday, 8 March 2024, a group requested the repeal of this ordinance be added to your 12 March 2024 meeting’s agenda. It appears this last minute request was done so as not to allow sufficient time for interested parties to provide their input prior to your meeting. This is therefore to provide my input and request this repeal be denied. The Oversized Vehicle Ordinance is working and appreciated. To repeal this ordinance would be a step in a negative direction for the city and residents of Santa Cruz.

Your immediate attention to this matter is appreciated and I look forward to learning of the outcome of your meeting.

Respectfully yours,
Deborah A. Loveland
2395 Delaware Avenue, Space 190
Santa Cruz, California 95060
Email: [email protected]

20.216
From: Brenda Payne
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 1:25:28 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Brenda Payne
DeAnza Mobile Home Park

20.217
From: Bruce Kramer
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 1:53:39 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Bruce Kramer

20.218
From: Bruce Kramer
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 2:16:13 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Carla Kramer

20.219
From: Lynn Slade
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 1:43:31 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

It has made a world of difference in my life to have the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance enforced on Delaware Ave (my doorstep). I no longer feel intimidated to walk in my neighborhood. I no longer feel hesitant to invite friends to visit my home. I no longer feel a stressful uncertainty during my comings and goings from home. I am deeply gratified by how well the ordinance is working!
I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Lynn Slade
2395 Delaware Ave, Space 18
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

20.220
From: Carol Smith
To: City Council
Subject: Over sized vehicle ordance
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 1:45:22 PM
City Counsil,
Thank you for passing the oversized vehicle ordinance, it has really helped with the trash, smells and unsafe feeling on Delaware Ave.

I encourage you to deny the appeal I feel it is a fair ordinance for the residence of Sant Cruz.

Carol Smith
2395 Delaware Ave #170

20.221
From: Ernest Castillo
To: City Council
Subject: OVO Delaware Ave
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 2:32:11 PM
Dear City Council Members,
On behalf of myself and other seniors living at De Anza Mobile Home Park, I want to thank you very much for putting the OVO in place!
I sure do enjoy having Delaware Avenue as a place to walk, meet neighbors, drive, see butterflies, predatory birds and other animals again!! It is such a pleasure to have our access street back to its safe and clean street.

I can enjoy my walks without having to see the trash, messes, and junky vehicles in my view. I can walk without fear of stepping on something into unhealthy debris of al l kinds. I can walk on the side of the road or as close to cars as I feel safer now. Before I was uncomfortable walking close to many of the vehicles, oversized or not and so I would walk in the middle of Delaware Ave, not a very safe thing to do, but I had no choice because of the filth and unknown dangers.

Often I chose not to walk there because of what unpleasantness I would encounter.

I can’t even imagine that families would want to walk down Delaware with all the filth and drug deals going on.

Now, there is no filth, and no drug dealers,
There are places for folks to go and now that Delaware is not an option, it has become the “normal” street that it used to be back in the day when I first came to Santa Cruz.

I appreciate the OVO because it allows me to be safe and comfortable on my street and in the Mobile Home Park.

Maybe you are unaware of the issues we had inside our Mobile Home Park such a vehicles parked and abandoned in the park itself, and people using our entrance grounds for their bathroom, and yes I saw it myself!!! Also, people in cars looking like they were casing the homes. We are seniors and have lived there for a while. We pay good money to have a safe place to live. Thank you for giving the residents in the park and surrounding streets their neighborhoods back to them. Safe, clean, and accessible. It affects our day to day life.

Again, thanks for putting this ordinance in place and we continue to support you on this matter as you have supported us!
Please keep the OVO in place and unaltered.

Sincerely,
Ernest Castillo
2395 Delaware Avenue, #91
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

20.222
From: Christie Cochrell
To: City Council
Subject: Keeping OVO in Effect
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 2:38:42 PM
To our City Council members:

Thank you so much for passing the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, which went into effect in December and has made life exponentially brighter in our neighborhood. During these past few months things have finally felt safe and sanitary for those of us living on the far Westside who have no choice but to pass right through the uncontrolled expanse of trash heaps and drug abuse and threatening behavior every day on our way home, or anywhere we need to go in town, when the RVs are allowed to camp all along Delaware Avenue, and especially at our end of it.

We would all be enormously grateful to have the enforcement continue. Those who are appealing these beneficial changes clearly don’t have to live with (or anywhere near) the opposite and truly unacceptable extreme, which we knew all too well until you mercifully stepped in last year.

With all best wishes, and thanks again for your support, Christie Cochrell
John Feneron
(De Anza, Santa Cruz)

20.223
From: Dianne Castello
To: City Council
Subject: Oversized Vehicle Ordinance
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 2:39:09 PM
Hi
I live at 2395 Delaware in the Mobile Home park. The new ordinance has made a big impact on my life. Prior to the Ordinance I had stopped walking on Delaware in the morings due to safety concerns. The last time I had walked, before the change, when Delaware had multiple people living on the street I had an incident. I was out around 8am and was on the sidewalk walking past a MotorHome. The resident of the vehicle was intoxicated and proceeded to yell at me from his door. When I didn't respond he came out of the door onto the sidewalk. I had to move onto the grass to avoid him and he continued to shout incoherently. I was frightened but made it past the vehicle and back onto the sidewalk. This was the worst issue I had but there were others.

Multiple times people would be fighting on the street or throwing their trash on the sidewalk.

I was also woken up many times by loud music coming from the street late at night and early in the morning. Since the new ordinance has been in effect I am again walking on Delaware without fear and the trash level has dropped significantly.

Please keep this law on the books
Dianne Castello
2395 Delaware
Space 137

20.224
From: Donna Fitzpatrick Brown
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 2:44:00 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods.

A personal thank you to all of you who worked so hard for our community. We are deeply grateful for the new found peace, quiet and clean streets. I have enjoyed being able, once again, to walk or ride my bike to Westside businesses without feeling very uncomfortable and unsafe. This is the City I remember and hope to embrace in the future.

Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue
Sincerely,
Donna Fitzpatrick Brown
117 Quintana Ct
Santa Cruz 95060

20.225
From: [email protected]
To: City Council
Cc: SUSAN Peers; Renee Golder; Toshi Wada
Subject: OVO-thought this was approved for 5 yrs
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 3:56:23 PM
Hello,
I am unclear how this is being appealed when you already approved for 5 years? Hello,
Thank you very much for reestablishing a “Safe” And “Clean” Delaware Avenue with the OVO this last December, 2023.

Seeing extension cords run across Delaware Ave., seeing fires being built under the Eucalyptus trees on the Natural Bridges side of Delaware Ave., having garbage thrown all over the street & curbs, And walking or riding bikes on Delaware Ave.- Having foul smells of urine-fecesgarbage has been a huge safety issue for months now.

Please continue efforts for our Delaware Avenue: “Safe” And “Clean” with the OVO! Thank you,
Susan Peers
2395 Delaware Avenue Space 17
Santa Cruz
831-234-5817
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS

20.226
From: Feney Matthews
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 4:12:19 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance. Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping. I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue. Sincerely, Kathleen matthews
2395 Delaware Ave #11, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

20.227
From: Kathy Perrin
To: City Council
Subject: OVO
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 4:49:27 PM
Please continue to support OVO--it has cut down on trash and human waste left behind on Delaware Avenue.

Kathy Perrin

20.228
From: Nancy Leatham
To: City Council
Subject: Deny the appeal of the OVO - Item 20
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 4:55:00 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:

I am writing to request that you deny the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance.

Since the OVO began enforcement in December, I have noticed a significant improvement in the previous issues related to unregulated overnight vehicle camping.

I am grateful to the council for passing the OVO, to the city staff for creating safe spaces parking and to SCPD for enforcement of the OVO in our neighborhoods. Please deny this appeal and allow the OVO to continue.

Sincerely,
Nancy Leatham
2395 Delaware

20.229
Appeal of Coastal Permit
for Continued
Implementation of
Oversized Vehicle
Ordinance
(CP23-0176)
Citywide in Coastal Zone

20.230
2 • Appeal of Planning Commission’s approval of Coastal Permit • Renewal required per Coastal Development Permit (CDP) A-3-STC-22-0018 • Planning Commission approval:
• Continue implementation of Ordinance No. 2021-20 (as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08); includes
 Restrictions on overnight parking of oversized vehicles (“OVs”)  Prohibition on parking of unattached trailers
• Maintain ongoing operation of Safe Parking Program
• Accommodate potential future minor modifications to Safe Parking Program and OV Regulations
 E.g., potential modifications to its OV residential parking permit program Project Overview

20.231
3 Project Site – Citywide in Coastal Zone

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• Alleviation of impacts of long-term parking of oversized vehicles • City seeks to balance
• Community concerns regarding effects of long-term, static parking of oversized vehicles (entrenchment)
• Needs of potentially vulnerable individuals, including occupants of oversized vehicles who may have limited access to housing • Restriction of parking of oversized vehicles 12 AM to 5 AM • Motor vehicles exceeding:
• 20 feet in length or
• 8 feet in height and 7 feet in width
4 Project Background

20.233
• 12 public hearings held to consider topic
• 10 City public hearings (including today)
• 2 Coastal Commission hearings
• Many opportunities for public feedback
• Exhaustive efforts taken to accommodate needs of OV dwellers • Program unique to City
• Efforts by City Council Subcommittee in shaping policy • Councilmembers Brunner, Golder, Kalantari-Johnson
5 Project Background

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• One-year approval of CDP A-3-STC-22-0018
• Approval through May 11, 2024
• Changes in response to CCC’s feedback effected June 2023 • Extensive efforts taken in less than one year, including preparation of
• Outreach Plan
• OVO Communications and Outreach Plan
• Signage Plan
 Signage installation
• Operations and Management Plan
• Hosting of Stakeholder Group meetings
6 Efforts in Response to CDP Conditions

20.235
• COAs of CDP require 4 meetings of OV Stakeholder Group • 5 meetings held
• New COAs added in response to feedback received:
• Mechanism for collection of ongoing feedback
• Five-year CDP renewal
• Annual OV count
• Proactive solicitation of feedback from Safe Parking participants • Collection of data re: effectiveness of OVO
• Website & handout updates - requests for reasonable
accommodations
7 Accommodations Made per Feedback

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• Appellants’ Claim: Renewal of CDP premature
•Hearing schedule requires action now
• Appellants’ Claim: OVO violates General Plan
•Many GP policies support action
• Appeal contains no substantive argument not previously addressed
• Appellants requested additional Conditions of Approval on March 7
8 Appeal and City Responses

20.237
• Six City lots currently open
• Additional capacity available to accommodate future demand • Safe Parking offers range of services
• Emergency Overnight & Overnight Only – hygiene, trash services • 24/7 Parking – comprehensive support services
• Ample daytime public parking available near Safe Parking sites • Thousands of free spaces within 1 mile of Safe Parking • Many spaces with access to coast
9 Safe Parking and Access to Coast

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10 • Citations since 12/4/23: 297 issued
• 296 – entered in system
 1 – pending entry in system
 137 – first-time violations reduced to warnings (46% of total citations issued)  5 – first-level appeals reviews pending
 13 – appeals dismissed
 5 – appeals denied
• Trend – decline in citations issued over time
• Approximately half of citations issued in first 4-5 days of enforcement • Indicates awareness of program and success in achieving compliance • To date, no vehicle towed for 5+ citations
• 72-hour warning required prior to towing of vehicle
Enforcement

20.239
11 Equitable Enforcement of OVO Citywide

20.240
12 • Positive environmental outcomes, public access benefits • Feedback from public – diminished OV entrenchment
• Decline in impacts from long-term OV stays on Delaware Ave., etc.  OV entrenchment previously common
 Environmentally-sensitive habitat abundant
• Similar reports from constituents of OVO Subcommittee members • Reduction in long-term OV stays, better access to proper facilities  Decreased trash accumulation, disposal of untreated human waste  48% decrease in pickup of trash adjacent to Antonelli Pond • Reasonably anticipated results of enforcement, Safe Parking Program
Success of OVO, Safe Parking Program

20.241
13 • Recommended additions to Conditions of Approval for consideration:
• OVO outreach documents, including the City’s website regarding the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, shall indicate the following: Oversized vehicle overnight parking space is available. If oversized vehicle overnight parking space fills up, eligible applicants will be given an on-street permit, which will protect the vehicle from being ticketed under SCMC

10.40.120(a) (prohibition against oversized vehicle on-street parking from 12AM-5AM).

Modifications to Conditions of Approval

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14 • Recommended additions to Conditions of Approval for consideration:
• Continue to maintain an easily-accessed disability grievance / reasonable accommodation process to consider reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.
• Motorized vehicles with attached trailers are eligible for participation in the Tier 2 safe parking program.

Modifications to Conditions of Approval

20.243
15 • Recommended additions to Conditions of Approval for consideration:
• The OVO website and the outreach materials or tickets themselves will include information identifying that payment plans are available for OVO tickets.
• The City shall conduct proactive outreach to those living in oversized vehicles, including 1) provision of information regarding the City’s Safe Parking programs and how to register and 2) the manner by which one may submit a disability accommodation request to the City.

Modifications to Conditions of Approval

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16 • Staff recommends that the City Council
• Deny the appeal
• Uphold decision of Planning Commission to approve the Coastal Permit, as required by Conditions of Approval of A-3-STC-22-0018 as revised, to  Authorize the City to continue implementation of Ordinance No. 2021-20, as amended by Ordinance No. 2023-08 and codified in Municipal Code Sections

10.04.065, 10.04.085, 10.04.104, 10.04.106, 10.04.165, 10.40.120, 10.41.060, and

16.19.070, including, but not limited to, restrictions on overnight parking of Oversized Vehicles (“OVs”) and a prohibition against parking of unattached trailers;  Provide for continued operation of the City’s Safe Parking Program  Accommodate potential future minor modifications to the City’s Safe Parking Program and OV Regulations, including potential modifications to its OV Residential Parking Permit Program
Recommendations

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17 • Staff available to answer questions and provide information • Thank you!
Questions

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City Council

AGENDA REPORT
DATE: 02/20/2024
AGENDA OF: 03/12/2024
DEPARTMENT: City Attorney/Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: Ordinance Amending Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 13.12, Use of Skateboards and Bicycles at City-Owned Parks and Recreational Facilities(CA/PR)
RECOMMENDATION: Introduce for publication an ordinance amending Chapter 13.12, Use of Skateboards and Bicycles at City-Owned Parks and Recreational Facilities, of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code relating to City-owned parks and recreational facilities in response to amendments to Health and Safety Code section 115800.

BACKGROUND: Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) Chapter 13.12 currently requires all persons riding a skateboard or a bicycle in a city park or recreational facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. SCMC § 13.12.010. The ordinance was adopted to comply with Health and Safety Code section 115800, which, prior to 2020, provided that “[a]n operator of a skateboard park shall not permit a person to ride a skateboard in the park, unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads.”
Health and Safety Code section 115800 was amended in 2020 to include reference to skateboards or “other wheeled recreational devices,” defined as “nonmotorized bicycles, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, or wheelchairs being used for recreational purposes.” Health & Safety Code § 115800(a) and (d).

DISCUSSION: Currently, Santa Cruz Municipal Code (SCMC) section 13.12.010 requires persons riding a skateboard or bicycle in a city park or recreational facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.

The proposed amendments to Chapter 13.12 broaden these requirements to include skateboards and “other wheeled recreational devices,” to comply with the amended Health and Safety Code section 115800. By updating the Municipal Code to align with the updated provisions of the Health and Safety Code, the City can avail itself of immunity from potential liability in certain circumstances. Neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable to any person who participates in a hazardous recreational activity. Gov’t Code § 831.7.

Health and Safety Code section 115800(e) deems the riding of a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at a park owned or operated by a public entity that is designed and maintained for such use a “hazardous recreational activity” when the following conditions are met:

21.1 • The person riding the skateboard or other wheeled recreational device is 12 years of age or older.
• The riding of the skateboard or other wheeled recreational device that caused the injury was stunt, trick, or luge riding.
• The City owned or operated facility is designed and maintained for the purpose of riding a recreational skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, is not supervised on a regular basis, and the City has:
o Adopted an ordinance requiring a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads; and
o Posted signs at the facility affording reasonable notice that a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device in the facility must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads, and that a person failing to do so will be subject to citation.

By amending Section 13.12.010 as proposed here, the City may avail itself of the immunity provided in Government Code section 831.7 in certain instances arising from the use of a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device within its parks designed and maintained for such use.

Health in All Policies (HiAP) – The proposed ordinance is consistent with the HiAP framework, particularly public health.

FISCAL IMPACT: None.

Prepared By:

Stephanie Duck
Deputy City Attorney
Noah Downing
Park Planner
Submitted By:

Tony Condotti
City Attorney
Tony Elliot
Director of Parks and
Recreation
Approved By:

Matt Huffaker
City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:

1. ORDINANCE - TRACK CHANGES.DOCX

2. ORDINANCE - CLEAN.DOCX

21.2 ORDINANCE NO.

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ AMENDING
CHAPTER 13.12 OF THE SANTA CRUZ MUNICIPAL CODE
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code section 115800(a) provides that “[a]n operator of a skateboard park shall not permit a person to ride a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device in the park, unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads;” and WHEREAS, pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 115800(b), the requirements listed in section 115800(a) may be satisfied with respect to a facility owned or operated by a local public agency that is designed and maintained for the purpose of riding a recreational skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, that is not supervised on a regular basis, in part, by adopting an ordinance requiring a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads; and WHEREAS, Santa Cruz Municipal Code section 13.12.010 requires the use of helmet, elbow pads and knee pads while riding a skateboard or bicycle in a city park or city recreational facility, but does not include “other wheeled recreational devices,” as required by California Health and Safety Code section 115800; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance amends Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 13.12 to include reference to “other wheeled recreational devices” as used in California Health and Safety Code section 115800; and
WHEREAS, in enacting this ordinance, the Santa Cruz City Council intends to avail the City of Santa Cruz of the immunity from potential liability provided in Government Code section 831.7 related to hazardous recreational activities, as set forth in California Health and Safety Code section 115800(e).

BE IT ORDAINED BY The City of Santa Cruz As Follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 13.12 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
“Chapter 13.12

USE OF SKATEBOARDS AND BICYCLES WHEELED RECREATIONAL DEVICES

AT CITY-OWNED PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

13.12.050 DEFINITIONS.
a. City park and recreational facility: the terms “city park,” and “city recreational facility” as used in this Chapter shall mean all human made public parks or public recreational facilities located in the City of Santa Cruz, which are owned or operated by the city, and are specifically designed to accommodate and allow skateboards or other wheeled

21.3 recreational devices used for stunt, trick, or obstacle course riding, such as city skate parks, bike parks and pump tracks.
b. Skateboard: the term “skateboard” shall refer to any short narrow board with two small wheels fixed to the bottom of either end on which a person may ride in a standing or other position.
c. Wheeled recreational device: the term “wheeled recreational device” shall refer to any nonmotorized bicycles, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, or wheelchairs being used for recreational purposes, as the term is defined in California Health and Safety Code section 115800(d) or any successor statute thereto.

13.12.010 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.
a. No person shall ride or operate a skateboard, bicycle, scooter, inline skates, roller skates, wheelchair used for recreational purposes, or other wheeled recreational device or bicycle or permit a minor for whom he or is shethey are responsible to ride or operate a skateboard or bicyclesuch a device, at in a city park or city recreational facility designed to accommodate specific hazardous recreational activities defined under Government Code section 831.7 or any successor statute thereto, unless the person or minor, while riding or operating the skateboard or bicyclesuch a device, is wearing a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.
a.b.All persons riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at a city park or city recreational facility shall abide by all applicable local rules, regulations, state, and federal laws.

13.12.015 PROHIBITED ACTIVITIESY.

No person shall bring a bicycle or other wheeled recreational device or a scooter, or permit a minor for whom he or she isthey are responsible to bring a bicycle or other wheeled recreational devicea scooter,, into a city park or recreational facility designated specifically for skateboard use. No person shall bring a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, or permit a minor for whom they are responsible to bring a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device any other skating apparatus into a city park or recreational facility designated specifically for bicycle use. As used herein, the term “bicycle” shall be defined as that term is defined in California Vehicle Code Section 231 or any successor statute thereto. As used herein, the term “scooter” shall refer to any foot-operated vehicle consisting of a narrow platform between two tandem wheels with an upright steering handle attached to the front of the vehicle. a. Only skateboards, wheeled recreational devices, or any other device specifically authorized for use at the city park or city recreational facility as determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation will be permitted at said park or recreational facility

21.4 designed for such use. All other wheeled recreational devices prohibited or not specifically authorized by the specific park regulations shall not be allowed at the city park or city recreational facility.
b. No person shall bring a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, or permit a minor for whom they are responsible to bring such, into a city park or city recreational facility where that device is not specifically authorized for use.

13.12.020 PENALTY – INFRACTION.

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of an infraction.” SECTION 2. If any section or portion of this chapter is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such finding shall not affect the validity of the remainder of the chapter, which shall continue in full force and effect.

SECTION 3. This ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and Section 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.) SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be in force and take effect thirty (30) days after its final adoption.

PASSED FOR PUBLICATION this ___ day of ______ 2024, by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

DISQUALIFIED:

APPROVED: __________________________
Fred Keeley, Mayor
ATTEST: ________________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator

21.5 PASSED FOR FINAL ADOPTION this ___ day of ______, 2024 by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

DISQUALIFIED:

APPROVED: _____________________
Fred Keeley, Mayor
ATTEST: ___________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator
This is to certify that the above
and foregoing document is the
original of Ordinance No. 2024-______
and that it has been published or
posted in accordance with the
Charter of the City of Santa Cruz.
___________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator

21.6 ORDINANCE NO. 2024-

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ AMENDING
CHAPTER 13.12 OF THE SANTA CRUZ MUNICIPAL CODE
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code section 115800(a) provides that “[a]n operator of a skateboard park shall not permit a person to ride a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device in the park, unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads;” and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 115800(b), the requirements listed in section 115800(a) may be satisfied with respect to a facility owned or operated by a local public agency that is designed and maintained for the purpose of riding a recreational skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, that is not supervised on a regular basis, in part, by adopting an ordinance requiring a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads; and WHEREAS, Santa Cruz Municipal Code section 13.12.010 requires the use of helmet, elbow pads and knee pads while riding a skateboard or bicycle in a city park or city recreational facility, but does not include “other wheeled recreational devices,” as required by California Health and Safety Code section 115800; and
WHEREAS, this Ordinance amends Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 13.12 to include reference to “other wheeled recreational devices” as used in California Health and Safety Code section 115800; and
WHEREAS, in enacting this ordinance, the Santa Cruz City Council intends to avail the City of Santa Cruz of the immunity from potential liability provided in Government Code section 831.7 related to hazardous recreational activities, as set forth in California Health and Safety Code section 115800(e).

BE IT ORDAINED BY The City of Santa Cruz As Follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 13.12 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
“Chapter 13.12
USE OF SKATEBOARDS AND WHEELED RECREATIONAL DEVICES AT CITYOWNED PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

13.12.050 DEFINITIONS.
a. City park and recreational facility: the terms “city park,” and “city recreational facility” as used in this Chapter shall mean all human made public parks or public recreational facilities located in the City of Santa Cruz, which are owned or operated by the city, and are specifically designed to accommodate and allow skateboards or other wheeled recreational

21.7 devices used for stunt, trick, or obstacle course riding, such as city skate parks, bike parks and pump tracks.
b. Skateboard: the term “skateboard” shall refer to any short narrow board with two small wheels fixed to the bottom of either end on which a person may ride in a standing or other position.
c. Wheeled recreational device: the term “wheeled recreational device” shall refer to any nonmotorized bicycles, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, or wheelchairs being used for recreational purposes, as the term is defined in California Health and Safety Code section 115800(d) or any successor statute thereto.

13.12.010 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.
a. No person shall ride or operate a skateboard, bicycle, scooter, inline skates, roller skates, wheelchair used for recreational purposes, or other wheeled recreational device or permit a minor for whom they are responsible to ride or operate such, at a city park or city recreational facility designed to accommodate specific hazardous recreational activities defined under Government Code section 831.7 or any successor statute thereto, unless the person or minor, while riding or operating such a device is wearing a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.
b. All persons riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at a city park or city recreational facility shall abide by all applicable local rules, regulations, state, and federal laws.

13.12.015 PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.
a. Only skateboards, wheeled recreational devices, or any other device specifically authorized for use at the city park or city recreational facility as determined by the Director of Parks and Recreation will be permitted at said park or recreational facility designed for such use.

All other wheeled recreational devices prohibited or not specifically authorized by the specific park regulations shall not be allowed at the city park or city recreational facility. b. No person shall bring a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, or permit a minor for whom they are responsible to bring such, into a city park or city recreational facility where that device is not specifically authorized for use.

13.12.020 PENALTY – INFRACTION.

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of an infraction.”

21.8 SECTION 2. If any section or portion of this chapter is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such finding shall not affect the validity of the remainder of the chapter, which shall continue in full force and effect.

SECTION 3. This ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and Section 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.) SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be in force and take effect thirty (30) days after its final adoption.

PASSED FOR PUBLICATION this 12th day of March 2024, by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

DISQUALIFIED:

APPROVED: __________________________
Fred Keeley, Mayor
ATTEST: ________________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator
PASSED FOR FINAL ADOPTION this X day of ______, 2024 by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

DISQUALIFIED:

APPROVED: _____________________
Fred Keeley, Mayor
ATTEST: ___________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator
This is to certify that the above
and foregoing document is the
original of Ordinance No. 2024-______
and that it has been published or
posted in accordance with the
Charter of the City of Santa Cruz.
___________________________
Bonnie Bush, City Clerk Administrator

21.9 Ordinance Amending
Santa Cruz Municipal
Code Chapter 13.12
PRESENTATION BY THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

AND PARKS AND RECREATION

21.10 Santa Cruz Municipal Code Ch. 13.12
•City adopted SCMC Chapter 13.12 to comply with requirements in Health and Safety Code. •Health and Safety Code section 115800 prohibits an operator of a skateboard park from permitting a person to ride a skateboard unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads.
•A local public agency that owns or operates a facility that is designed and maintained for the purpose of riding a recreational skateboard, and that is not supervised on a regular basis, may satisfy the above requirements by:
◦ (1) Adopting an ordinance requiring a person riding a skateboard at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads; and
◦ (2) Posting of signs at the facility affording reasonable notice that a person riding a skateboard in the facility must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads, and that a person failing to do so will be subject to citation pursuant to local ordinance.

21.11 Proposed Amendments to SCMC 13.12
•Health and Safety Code section 115800 was amended in 2020 to include reference to skateboards or “other wheeled recreational devices.”
• Other wheeled recreational devices include: “nonmotorized bicycles, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, or wheelchairs being used for recreational purposes.” Health & Safety Code § 115800(a). •The proposed amendments to SCMC Chapter 13.12 incorporate the Health and Safety Code’s definition of a “wheeled recreational device” to ensure compliance with Health and Safety Code section 115800.

21.12 Immunity for Hazardous Recreational
Activity
•Pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 115800(e), riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at a City owned or operated park or facility that is designed and maintained for such is a “hazardous recreational activity” when the following conditions are met:
o The person riding the skateboard or other wheeled recreational device is 12 years of age or older. o The riding of the skateboard or other wheeled recreational device that caused the injury was stunt, trick, or luge riding.
o The City owned or operated facility is designed and maintained for the purpose of riding a recreational skateboard or other wheeled recreational device, is not supervised on a regular basis, and the City has:
(1) Adopted an ordinance requiring a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device at the facility to wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads; and (2) Posted signs at the facility affording reasonable notice that a person riding a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device in the facility must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads, and that a person failing to do so will be subject to citation.

21.13 Questions?

21.14 City Council

AGENDA REPORT
DATE: 02/22/2024
AGENDA OF: 03/12/2024
DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
SUBJECT: Parks and Recreation FY 2023 Annual Report and FY 2024 Progress Update (PR)
RECOMMENDATION: Motion to accept the FY 2023 Parks and Recreation Annual Report and direct department staff to continue their evaluation of service levels, service offerings, and associated resources in the delivery of FY 2024 goals.

BACKGROUND: The Parks and Recreation Department manages 1,700 acres of parks, beaches, and open spaces, and provides some of the most iconic amenities in Santa Cruz including the Santa Cruz Wharf, Civic Auditorium, London Nelson Community Center, DeLaveaga Golf Course and Disc Golf Course, and more. Parks and Recreation also provides outstanding programs and community events and services, including but not limited to Junior Lifeguards, summer camps, youth and adult sports, senior programs, and Clam Chowder CookOff.

Annual department accomplishments and associated fiscal summary are included in the City’s annual budget process, which takes place in the spring and summer. Further, the Parks and Recreation scope of responsibilities are defined in the 2030 Parks Master Plan. Beyond the Master Plan, many specific amenities and scope of responsibilities are included in site specific plans such as the Beach Management Plan, Wharf Master Plan, San Lorenzo Urban River Plan, and many others.

With respect to recreation, the department’s core program areas and associated goals are captured in the FY 2021 Recreation and Leisure Study with achievements summarized as part of the budget process.

Last fiscal year, the department codified its 2023-2025 Strategic Plan (Link:
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/96561/638350429791070000) to help give staff focus considering the many above-mentioned plans and studies. With the creation of the 2023-2028 Citywide Strategic Plan (Link:
https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showpublisheddocument/95406/638277711616870000), the department cross walked its own strategic goals with the seven focal areas and associated strategies of the new citywide strategic plan to better understand alignment opportunities and potential gaps.

22.1 DISCUSSION: Guided by a strategic focus that is aligned with the new citywide strategic plan, the department aims to use the annual report to combine many of these details outlined above into a single report so that the City Council, Parks and Recreation Commission, and the community have a succinct, recurring, and clear report on the impacts and value of the Parks and Recreation Department. Staff aim to incrementally improve the report’s focus and content to deliver maximum information and value to constituents. Staff seeks feedback from the City Council on content and material included in the FY 2023 Annual Report.

With the inclusion of FY 2024 goals in the attached annual report, department staff are working diligently to achieve these goals, and will provide a progress update on major efforts associated with: park and staff safety, sustainability and stewardship, capital investment projects, and deferred maintenance. Staff are investigating constraints that are hampering progress toward certain goals, such as staffing and the increasing cost of doing business. Adjustments to service levels, service offerings and department resources will need to be evaluated to ensure strategic priorities remain on track.

Health in All Policies
The FY 2023 Parks and Recreation Annual Report outlines progress of the department in its mission to provide quality public spaces and experiences that build a healthy community, foster equity, and better the environment. The department mission and associated work aligns directly with the Health in All Policies pillars of equity, sustainability and public health.

FISCAL IMPACT: None.

Prepared By:

Lindsay Bass
Principal Management
Analyst
Submitted By:

Tony Elliot
Parks and Recreation Director
Approved By:

Matt Huffaker
City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:

1. 2023 ANNUAL REPORT.PDF

22.2 FY2023

ANNUAL REPORT
D R A F T - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4

P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N

22.3 A WORD FROM

THE DIRECTOR
03 DEPARTMENT

MISSION, VISION & VALUES
04 IMPACT
05 HIGHLIGHTS
06 FY24 STRATEGIC GOALS
11 CONTENTS

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
12 LEVERAGE
14 22.4

A W O R D

F R O M T H E

DI R E C T O R
The City of Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation
Department is an organization made up of
approximately 83 full-time staff and over
100 part-time and seasonal staff members
with a common mission to provide quality
public spaces and experiences that build a
healthy community, foster equity, and
better the environment.

Santa Cruz is home to truly world-class
assets and amenities like the Santa Cruz
Wharf – the longest wooden wharf in the
Western Hemisphere; a top-10 world ranked
disc golf course at DeLaveaga Park; the
most dog parks per capita in the United
States; the home of the longest-running
public skatepark in the nation at Sgt. Derby
Park; and iconic, historic community venues
like the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and
London Nelson Community Center.

We are proud of what we achieved and the
challenges we overcame in FY2023. Of
course, we are privileged and fortunate to
live and work next to the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary and some of the
best waves in the world.

TONY ELLIOT

DIRECTOR
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 3

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z

22.5 To provide quality public spaces and
experiences that build a healthy community,
foster equity, and better the environment.

MI S SI O N
There are no communities that pride themselves on their quality of life, promote themselves as a desirable location for businesses to relocate, or maintain that they are environmental stewards of their natural resources, without such communities having a robust, active system of parks and recreation programs for public use and enjoyment.

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 4 We envision a thriving Parks & Recreation
system that creates recreational and cultural
opportunities, improves quality of life, and
strengthens the health of the local
environment and economy for all.

VI SI O N
The parks and recreation department is
essential to the community. To that end, we
commit to:
transparent and honest communication as
the foundation of great relationships.
a spirit of equity, openness and
innovation, welcoming differences and
diversity.
service to the community in a manner
that is sustainable, safe, responsive and
accessible to all.
collaboration to achieve results that
reflect our department vision, leveraging
the strengths of the community.

V A L U E S
-National Recreation and Park Association

22.6 9,742
Street trees within the City’s
urban forest
99,952
Participants in recreation
programs, classes and events

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S A N D R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 5 annua
2M
l visitors to the Santa
Cruz Wharf and Beaches

22.7 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT

HIGHLIGHTS
The department capital improvement
program is severely under-resourced. In FY
2023, however the department funded
several new capital projects, including the
Downtown Infrastructure Beautification and
Safety Improvements and DeLaveaga Golf
Course Water Conservation Improvements.

In total, the department activated close to
$2.3M for critical projects across a number
of key facilities with a focus on investments
that would enhance staff and public safety,
improve revenue-generating assets and
drive natural resource conservation.

FY2023 also saw the completion of several
projects that brought key amenities back to
life for the enjoyment of many. The Garfield
Park and Playground Renovation project
scope was honed thanks to input from
surrounding neighbors. The new amenities
include: playgrounds for younger and older
children with innovative climbing features;
benches, picnic tables, and other site
furnishings; a new outdoor game area;
refurbished pathway; and water-efficient
plantings. Nearly half of the project budget
was provided by a Proposition 68 Per Capita
grant.

Thanks to another Prop 68 grant from the
Habitat Conservation Fund, staff was able to
replace over 400 linear feet of floating
boardwalk at Neary Lagoon, a project made
challenging by its location within a sensitive
wetland habitat. Finally, the department
completed the resurfacing of sports courts
at both University Terrace and Grant Park.

Councilmember (now Vice Mayor)
Golder and Director Elliot assist
Olivia Elliot with the official ribbon
cutting to open the new, improved
Garfield Park and playground.

GARFIELD PARK

REOPENS

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 6 $2.3M

22.8 RECREATION HIGHLIGHTS
Senior Program staff led the first senior trip
in over two years. 50 seniors traveled to
Angel Island State Park, the largest natural
island in the San Francisco Bay. Senior trips
provide transportation to each destination,
helping keep seniors active, engaged and
connected to their communities while
alleviating loneliness and isolation.

Juneteenth Festivities Expand. The 2023
Santa Cruz Juneteenth event drew hundreds
of community members to an expanded
celebration that included a music-filled
parade starting from the Black Lives Matter
mural in front of City Hall to the London
Nelson Community Center.

The celebration continued with dance,
poetry, and musical performances, along
with soul food offerings, arts and crafts, a
basketball skills contest, and a sack race, in
Laurel Park. The London Nelson Community
Center has been honored to host this annual
free event in Laurel Park since 1991.

Senior Programs Recreation
Assistant, Ka Bezerra, welcomes
an adventerous group of seniors
to the Angel Island Day Trip.

SENIORS A
TRAVELIN’

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 7 Super Saturday Delivers. The first day of
summer registration was super successful,
busting all records! Over 2,000 participants
registered online for summer programs
totaling $608,014, ten percent above
previous years. This included over $45,000
in scholarships from Friends of Parks and
Recreation, the Junior Guard Booster Club,
and the JR Scott Memorial Fund.

Beloved Events & Trips Return. Celebrating
Santa Cruz’ unique connection to Hawaiian
culture and history, the thirtieth Annual
Aloha Outrigger Races were held on the
Santa Cruz Wharf. Registration capped out
with 32 teams, and a robust waitlist. The
races occurred alongside the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary’s thirtieth
Anniversary celebrations. Kona Brewing
contributed a VW Hawaiian theme van as a
photo booth, and the hula dancers once
again graced the Wharf’s Stage during
Sanctuary anniversary speeches and
Outrigger trophy presentations.

22.9 Attracting top bands and
performing acts, the Civic
Auditorium played host to
Modest Mouse and a packed
house.

NOTHING
‘MODEST’ ABOUT

THE CIVIC

AUDITORIUM

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
Records Set for Clam Chowder Cook-Off.

Despite a snowstorm closing Highway 17
the day before the event, the sun emerged
Saturday as a huge reward to those able to
make it to the 42nd Annual Chowder CookOff. The event staff shined despite the spotty weather with 30 more chowder teams
registering to take part than in 2022. Thanks
to the pre-sale of chowder kits and
merchandise, the total revenue generated
was a record-breaking $85,253.

Civic Auditorium Shines as Community
Gathering Place. Despite challenges, a lean
team of Civic staff and volunteers ensured
the shows went on as was the case when
storms knocked out building power the
morning of the March Bonnie Raitt show,
staff made gutsy decisions that resulted in a
successful, sold-out show.

From the Cabrillo Festival of Music in July to
big shows like Oliver Tree, Modest Mouse,
and Bonnie Raitt to the Symphony’s season
performances to city school graduations, this
diverse community found in the Civic a place
to celebrate, dance and connect.

D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 8 Youth Leaders Provide Critical Assistance to
Programs. This year, teen and youth
volunteers gave thousands of hours to the
Captain’s Corps and Junior Leader programs,
providing help to the Parks & Recreation and
Public Works departments.

Open to youth volunteers ages 15 – 17, 26
members of the Captain’s Corp volunteered
more than 1800 hours to help the program
run smoothly. The Captains helped support
lifeguard competitions through added
support in the water, while also competing
in their own events.

Additionally, 14 Junior Leaders gained
leadership skills as Summer Camp
volunteers. Youth ages 12 – 17 are eligible
to take part in the Junior Leader program.
2022 was the first summer of volunteering
for Junior Leaders since 2019, the last year
the program was operated before the
pandemic. Junior Leaders volunteered
almost 2000 hours this summer, helping to
create an even better experience for both
campers and staff.

22.10 PARK HIGHLIGHTS
Volunteers conduct
experimental outplanting of the
endangered Santa Cruz Tarplant
at Arana Gulch

PROTECTING

ENDANGERED

SPECIES

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 0 9 Restoration of the Cowell Beach Bioswale.

Staff replanted the bioswale with native
plants to restore the feature’s landscape and
its original depth. These actions renewed
the original stormwater function and added
a splash of color to the parking area, further
improving the aesthetic appeal of the Wharf
entrance. The bioswale is important for the
environment and community, and this
stormwater feature helps to protect the
Monterey Bay Sanctuary from pollution.

Water Conservation at DeLaveaga Golf
Course. Staff completed several upgrades to
the Delaveaga Golf Course irrigation pump
station. Originally installed in 1992, some of
the station components were on the brink of
failure. Replacing them with modern
technology improved energy and water
efficiency yielding benefits to the
environment and the department’s bottomline.

Endangered Tarplant Rebounds. Nearly
every year since 2007, fewer than 50 Santa
Cruz tarplants have been observed at Arana
Gulch, one of the last places in the world
the plant is known to occur. From 2015-
2020, management focused on the use of
cattle grazing to create suitable habitat
conditions for the plant. By 2019, the
seedbank was too depleted to continue
grazing alone as a strategy to meet species
recovery goals. Recently, management
actions were re-focused on species
recovery, After several years of outplanting
experimentation and seed reintroduction
(and with the help of a wet winter), 1,899
Santa Cruz tarplants were found at Arana
Gulch in 2023.

Invasive Iceplant Kept at Bay. To allow for
unimpeded access to the coastline for
numerous events, ADA access, bicyclists,
joggers, tourism and more, staff removed
38,440lbs of ice plant from the West Cliff
pathways and curb lines.

22.11 Community members attend a
meeting hosted by the
department and Bionic
Landscape Inc. to discuss the
redesign of San Lorenzo Park
A PARK’S

JOURNEY BACK

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 1 0 hired a design and landscape firm to
spearhead the San Lorenzo Park re-design
process. From January to July, the Redesign
team held 19 outreach events and public
meetings, engaging a total of over 1,600
participants. This community engagement
will continue into 2024, and will culminate
in a final preferred plan and report with
rough cost estimates.

Reopening Upper San Lorenzo Park. After
months of closure, the Upper Park was
opened to the public and as a first order of
business, the park played host to a
successful Earth Day event. With a major
effort from staff to restore and prep the
area for public access and use, Mayor Fred
Keely was able to welcome the Earth Day
crowd back to San Lorenzo Park.

As with every department effort, success
would not have been possible without the
help of incredible partners - Hotel Paradox,
San Lorenzo Park Neighbors, Coastal
Watershed Council, Santa Cruz Lawn
Bowling Club, Jane Mio and the Benchlands
Environmental Stewardship Team (BEST),
and many others who contributed to upkeep
and restoration of the park.

Benchlands Closure in San Lorenzo Park.

From September through mid-November, a
cross-functional team of city staff remained
focused on vacating, closing and cleaning
the lower section of San Lorenzo Park
known as the Benchlands. The homeless
encampment presence in the park at its
height stretched the length of the lower
park from Water Street Bridge to the
Branciforte pedestrian bridge.

City and County outreach teams connected
with the estimated 240 people who were
living in the Benchlands to develop
alternative sheltering plans and provide
access to services. The City offered an
alternative shelter option to everyone who
was interested. 39 percent of people living
in the Benchlands accepted the City’s offer
of safer shelter at the City Overlook at the
Armory. This project connected over 170
people with a higher standard of shelter and
onto a path towards stable housing
Toward Restoration and Redesign. With the
closure, staff focus turned to restoring San
Lorenzo Park to a public, open-space for the
community. In early 2023, the department

22.12 DESIGN

EXCELLENCE
Complete a system-wide assessment of aging facilities and deferred maintenance Complete San Lorenzo Park conceptual redesign process
Research replacement of Civic Auditorium ceiling tiles
Upgrade, modernize outdoor stage in Laurel Park
PLAY,

COMMUNITY

HEALTH &

INTERACTION
Continue to activate Wharf with new events, activities
Increase programming and events for diverse and multi-cultural communities Launch Winter and Spring Break JG program
Implement more accessible and user-friendly scholarship application process Continue to develop intergenerational programs to combat isolation and loneliness Promote County Master Plan on Ageing survey

STEWARDSHIP &

SUSTAINABILITY
Update approved street tree list to promote a diverse and resilient tree canopy Collaborate with Public Works to install new solar panels and ballfield lighting at Harvey West Park and solar panels on the roof of the Civic Auditorium Continue installation of LED lighting at Civic Auditorium

SAFETY FIRST
Complete replacement of perimeter net and fence at Golf Course Driving Range Install physical security measures at Parks, facilities, offices With City partners, implement the Downtown Site Furnishing Standards Improve tracking of staff training and develop annual training calendar Continue de-escalation and general staff safety training

CONNECTION &

ACCESSIBILITY
Implement safety improvements at Civic Auditorium
Complete Market Street Center ADA improvements

PARTNERSHIPS
Finalize new MOUs with three key operating partners
Complete a department Sponsorship program
Engage MAH on London Nelson historical memorial updates Increase engagement with the Youth Action Network
GOOD

GOVERNANCE
CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies) accreditation roadmap developed and demonstrated progress being made Secure 2-3 grants for open space stewardship, water conservation & facility safety Golf Course Operation Plan is updated
Civic Business Plan and venue are achieving FY24 cost recovery target RecTrac system improvements yield better data for decision making FY2024 GOALS

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 1 1

22.13 F Y 2 0 2 3 FI N A N CI A L

HI G H LI G H T S
Expenditures
In FY2023, the Parks and Recreation
adopted budget was $16.9M. This
included over $625K in structural budget
reductions. However the department was
able to add a full-time (1.0 FTE) Special
Event Coordinator to the administrative
team.

Revenues
The Parks and Recreation department is
funded primarily through General Fund
revenue sources, such as property taxes,
sales and use tax, transient occupancy tax
(TOT). In a typical year, the department
generates enough revenue via program
fees, permits, and other charges to offset
about one-third of its expenditure budget.

In FY2023, department was budgeted to
bring in nearly $5.5 million (5,463,184) in
revenues. The actual revenue generated
exceeded this target by 11 percent,
bringing in just over $6.0 million.

Cost Recovery
A key department metric is the revenueto-operating expenditure ratio. In FY2023, the budgeted ratio was 32 percent, up
from 25 percent the previous year. In the
end, cost recovery was 4 points higher
than budgeted. The resulting net impact of
the department on the General Fund was
$10.9 million (10,866,331).

Capital Improvement Program
Though FY2023 represented a significant
increase in department CIP investment with
$2.3M being invested, historical department
CIP investment has been fairly anemic.

Looking at the last ten years prior to
pandemic shutdowns, which began in
FY2021, CIP investment represented only
six percent of the 10-Year Total of all CIP
and Operational spend.

As such, the department conservatively
estimates $100M in deferred maintenance
across the Parks & Recreation system. Staff
is working on a Facility Condition
Assessment to inform more accurate
estimates. This information will then drive
discussions on how to fund top priorities.

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 1 2

22.14 No data to display
0 20
40 60
80 100
No data to display
No data to display
Personnel
(Regular
FTE)

87.25 84.25 83.75 82.50 83.50
The department leveraged added funds from FY2023 budget adjustments to end the fiscal year within budget. The margin of actuals versus adopted budget clearly demonstrates the department operates on the margin. Another strong year of revenue generation delivered a lower net impact to the General Fund than was projected in the adopted budget.

While revenues are stabilizing at a higher level than pre-pandemic years, cost containment remains a challenge given increases to personnel, supplies and utilities outside the department’s direct control. Consequently, revenue optimization and diversification will continue to be a major department priority.

C I T Y O F S A N T A C R U Z
D R A F T - P A R K S & R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 1 3 $16.9M
FY2023 Adopted Budget
$16.9M
FY2023 Actual Expenditures
5-Year Actual Budget Performance

22.15 Grant funding secured by
department staff
700K
Revenue generated by Parks &
Recreation programs, rentals,
permits and fees

6.1M
Pounds of trash removed from the banks
of the San Lorenzo River in two hours by
143 volunteers; the January event was
sponsored by the department and several
local non-profit partners
3,808
Amount FOPAR Youth Scholarship
awards increased from FY22, with
35% of awards going to Medi-Cal
qualified youth
+84%
D R A F T - P A R K S A N D R E C R E A T I O N P A G E 1 4

22.16 Parks & Recreation
2023 Annual Report &
2024 Progress Update
Director Tony Elliot

22.17 Vision and
Guidance

22.18 Santa Cruz is
Parks and Recreation
Health and wellness: Parks and Recreation promotes improved physical and mental health.

Conservation and resiliency: Park and Recreation protects land, water, trees, open spaces and wildlife, improving air and water quality in communities.

Property values: Economic research has demonstrated consistently that homes and properties located near parklands have higher values than those located farther away.

Economic development: Parks and Recreation improves the quality of life in communities and benefits the local economic development in the City of Santa Cruz.

Visitor spending: Parks and Recreation amenities spur tourism, generating significant economic activity, including (but not limited to) increased sales at local restaurants/bars and hotels

22.19 By the Numbers
9,742 street trees valued at $38.6M, intercepting 608,263 gallons of stormwater +2 million visitors to the Santa Cruz Wharf & beaches annually 121,700 rounds played at DeLaveaga courses with over $2M in revenue 99,952 participants in recreation programs, classes and events over 1,695 acres of parkland and open space valued at over $6.7B

22.20 Economic Impact

22.21 Economic Impact

22.22 Most
Popular
Beaches:

Main &
Cowells
Most
Popular
Surf Spots:

Steamer
Lane &
Cowells
Cultural
Attractions:

Wharf, Surf
Museum
Top 10
World
Ranked
Disc Golf
Course
37 Miles of
Hiking,
Biking &
Walking
Trails

22.23 Provide quality public spaces Foster Equity Better the environment and experiences
Mission Delivery

22.24 Lessons Learned
Benchlands Encampment Earth Day 2024 San Lorenzo Park Redesign

22.25 Lessons Learned
Benchlands Riparian Stewardship River Clean Up Events Neighbors and Park Activation

22.26 22.27
• Stretched
• Staff safety remains a top
priority
• Implementation of
compensation study is helping
but high staffing costs are also
a challenge
• New classification review
process is key to success
• Five vacant leadership
positions presently
• Beach St. Restrooms
• Harvey West Pool – Status &
Pool Feasibility Study
• San Lorenzo Redesign
• Master Plan on Aging & Age
Friendly Designation
• Open Space Invasive Removal
• HWP Ballfield lights & Civic
Roof Solar w/ Public Works
• Event Grant Program w/ CMO
• Downtown Site Furnishings w/
ED and Public Works
2024 Progress Update

22.28 © 2023 110% Inc. All rights reserved.

Trade Offs
Budget
(staffing, resources) Service Offerings
(scope, portfolio)
Service Levels
(time, effort)

22.29 © 2023 110% Inc. All rights reserved.

Trade Offs: Present State
Service Offerings
(scope, portfolio)
FY2024
Status Quo w/ Significant inflation, e.g.
purchasing power of budget is decreasing
Budget
(staffing, resources) Service Levels
(time, effort)
FY2024
Service Offerings are static; Service Levels are
decreasing or staff are stretching to meet
perceived and real demands

22.30 Managing the Trade-Offs
• Mission-focused
• Needs vs. wants
• Maximize public good
• Leverage partners externally AND internally
• Find creative ways to grow resources

22.31 2023 Annual Report & 2024
Progress Report 22.32
Questions
Thank you

22.33 23.1

24.1 24.2

24.3 24.4