Save Upper Campus! LAFCO Hearing

Save Upper Campus!
Reminder: LAFCO Hearing tomorrow, downtown Santa Cruz

Wednesday, April 4th 2012
Santa Cruz County Building (701 Ocean Street) - room 525
Gather at 9:00am sharp on the front steps.

Let's keep a strong presence on behalf of the forest and the future.

Last month on March 7th, there was a powerful showing of 40+ people who came to oppose UCSC's planned development in the forest of Upper Campus. For over an hour, dozens of people--students, local residents, faculty, and staff--made statements to the LAFCO board, the vast majority of which were opposing the extension of water & sewer services to Upper Campus.

After some discussion of the motion to approve the service extension, Commissioner Leopold presented a new "Substitute Motion" which includes stronger conditions that the City will have to meet before additional services can be provided to UCSC. This motion would require the City to enter in to a binding Habitat Conservation Plan with federal and state agencies which would include significantly reducing stream and river diversions-- a major source of the City's water supply. These conditions could make the UCSC service extension infeasible, or significantly delay it.

The discussion of the Upper Campus-related motions was halted before a decision was reached-- and will be continued at the upcoming April 4 hearing.

Let's gather together to continue reminding the powers-that-be that destroying the unique ecological and cultural landscape of Upper Campus is not an acceptable option! Hope to see you there.

Background:

UCSC's Upper Campus is outside of the Santa Cruz city limits, which means that LAFCO (the Local Agency Formation Commission, a state agency composed of local politicians & citizens) must grant approval for water and sewer service extensions before any development can happen.

UCSC's current expansion proposal calls for building on 240 acres in what is now forest and chaparral, housing up to 2,000 additional students. Long Range Resistance is a coalition of people on and off campus who are dedicated to creatively resisting UCSC expansion through community education, grassroots organizing, and direct action.

http://longrangeresistance.org/

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Agenda and related documents for April 4 are at:
http://santacruzlafco.org/pages/agendas.html#2012

To view the full transcribed minutes from March 7th-- including all of our public comments:
http://santacruzlafco.org/pages/agenda/20120404materials/March%207%202012%20Minutes%20Draft.pdf

To view the "Substitute Motion":
http://santacruzlafco.org/pages/agenda/20120307materials/Substitute%20Motion%203-7-12.pdf

Facebook event page for the hearing (invite friends!):
https://www.facebook.com/events/327209684009780/

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http://lrdpresistance.org/