Board approves sales tax measure for March ballot
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 5 to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the 2024 March primary ballot.
At 9%, sales tax in the unincorporated area is currently tied for the lowest among jurisdictions within Santa Cruz County. While all eligible voters may vote on the measure, the tax would only apply in unincorporated areas of the county.
As part of the proposed measure, the Board adopted funding priorities for essential services, including:
- Wildfire, flood and other disaster response, prevention, and recovery services;
- Affordable housing to support working families and frontline workers;
- Critical community programs providing mental health crisis services for children, substance use disorder treatment and homelessness services; and
- Continuing ongoing work to enhance the local road network, maintain and improve parks and recreation programs and deliver high-quality public safety services to the community.
In June, the Board passed a Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 that supports the County’s strategic vision and goals through the implementation of department objectives in the 2023-25 Operational Plan. However, the budget was austere and did not forecast significant new investments in our priorities, staff or community, while maintaining minimum levels of budget reserves and projecting significant future deficits through Fiscal Year 2027-28.
Santa Cruz County provides municipal services to more than half of the County population living in the unincorporated area, and delivers public safety, health, human and other mandated services countywide. It also receives just 13% of local property tax dollars, making it significantly underfunded compared to peer counties throughout California.
Projects to receive $61M in county share of state and federal funds
Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) adopted its 2023 Consolidated Grant Program and its 2024 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) on Dec. 7, approving approximately $61.3 million of the region’s anticipated formula share of certain state and federal funds for County and city road, bike, and pedestrian projects and regional transit projects.
As the state-designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency for the County, the RTC is responsible for selecting transportation projects to receive funds from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program/Regional Surface Transportation Program Exchange, the State Transportation Improvement Program, and the SB1 Local Partnership Program-formula.
This year, the RTC also programmed $34.7 million in one-time formula funds specifically designated for transit capital and operations projects through the SB125 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program and the Zero Emission Transit Capital Program.
Collectively, these funds can be used on a wide range of highway, local road, bridge, transit, rail, bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs that advance regional, state, and federal priorities and performance metrics.
Projects that received funding include:
- Santa Cruz Metro Rapid Corridors Project – for traffic signal priority for buses;
- Santa Cruz Metro Transit Operations – for Reimagine Metro Wave Service;
- Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail Project – for environmental analysis;
- Go Santa Cruz County Bicycle Incentives Program;
- Pavement maintenance and roadway rehabilitation projects on local roads, including Murphy’s Crossing, Roggie Lane, Lee Road, West Beach Street, Corralitos Road, Amesti Road, Empire Grade Road, Bear Creek Road, Soquel San Jose Road, Rio Del Mar Boulevard, Bay Street, Scotts Valley Drive, Mt, Herman Road, 41st Avenue and Green Valley Road;
- New and upgraded bicycle/pedestrian facilities projects in Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, Ben Lomond and on Green Valley Road in the county; and
- Complete Streets Improvement projects in the Felton-SLV Schools Complex area and the Bay Corridor in Santa Cruz.
Project sponsors submitted 23 applications requesting over $95 million. RTC staff used metrics to evaluate the projects that align with regional, state and federal goals in the areas of safety, infrastructure condition, system performance, sustainability, resiliency, equity and public health.
Staff also assessed the potential for projects to leverage additional grants using RTC-discretionary funds and considered whether projects were ineligible for any other funding sources.
New judicial leadership and assignment changes announced
The Superior Court of Santa Cruz County announced that the Honorable Syda Cogliati has been elected by the bench to serve as the Presiding Judge and the Honorable Jerry Vinluan has been elected to serve as Assistant Presiding Judge. Their new terms will commence on Jan. 1.
Judge Cogliati has served on the Santa Cruz Superior Court bench since 2018, after being appointed by then Gov. Jerry Brown following her election. She currently presides over a felony department and serves as the Criminal Supervising Judge. She also participates on the Judicial Council’s Appellate Advisory Committee and the Local Committee on the Prevention of Bias.
Judge Vinluan has served on the Santa Cruz Superior Court bench since 2021, after being appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. He currently presides over Juvenile Justice, a Misdemeanor department, and Civil Harassment Restraining Orders. He also participates on the Local Committee on the Prevention of Bias.
Effective Jan. 1, Judge Nancy de la Pena will be the Criminal Supervising Judge.
The following Judicial Assignment changes will begin April 1, 2024, upon the retirement of current Presiding Judge Timothy Volkmann:
- Presiding Judge Cogliati will hear Civil, LPS, Unlawful Detainer cases, CEQA, Writ of Mandates, and Complex Litigation matters in Department 5;
- Judge de la Pena will hear the Felony calendar in Department 6;
- Judge Leila Sayar will hear Criminal Domestic Violence, Felony and Misdemeanor calendars in Department 4; and
- The Department 2 Misdemeanor calendars will be heard by Visiting Judges.
