Opinion

The city of Scotts Valley must maintain its financial stability and health. The magnitude of recent and past budget cuts, along with the associated layoffs, elimination of positions, furloughs and the siphoning off of more than $6.5 million of our tax dollars by the state of California, are facts that cannot be ignored.

Dear PG&E.

Every year, we tend to reflect on how the year went at the end of the year. We look forward with great hope to the New Year. In business, reflection is a must. Each month, I write about one local business in our Valley...

EDITOR,

I have been encouraged to run for one of the soon-to-be-open seats on the Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District board, but after reading the letter from Denese and Skip Matthes (“Boulder Creek Rec must get serious,” July 30), I’m seriously reconsidering whether that would be a smart move on my part — or anyone’s, really.

Mayor and Police Chief Working Together On Gun Shop SafetyBy Chief John P. Weiss, City of Scotts ValleyThe Scotts Valley Police Department recently proposed an ordinance to address gun shop security and safety in our town. The increase in local gun shops prompted us to examine this issue.While gun shops are highly regulated by Federal and State law, there are no requirements for alarm systems and video cameras. The current gun shops in town are professionally run (all have alarm systems and cameras) but we want to insure that they remain that way. Rather than reinvent the wheel, police staff researched neighboring jurisdictions and proposed an ordinance similar to others in other jurisdictions.Unfortunately, the convenience in following other regulations led to a somewhat hasty staff report that lacked adequate analysis. Gun shop owners and council members had valid concerns about certain provisions of the ordinance and several council members felt there were too many unanswered questions. It became obvious to police staff that more work was needed for the city council to make an informed decision.The police department’s main objective is to insure that gun shops are properly alarmed and equipped with camera systems (an invaluable resource for theft investigations.) The police department is designing a burglary and robbery protocol so local dealers know how to respond to such incidents. A modified ordinance will be brought back to the City Council and the City will explore a reasonable permit process for firearms dealers.The City of Scotts Valley prides itself on our commitment to public safety. We consistently have a low crime rate, vigilant police department and excellent programs like DARE and our Junior Police Academy. To that end, we will work together to insure local gun shops are safe, secure and well protected by our police staff.   Mayor and Police Chief Working Together On Gun Shop Safety By Dene Bustichi, MayorCity of Scotts ValleyAt last week’s city council meeting, the issue of existing and future retail gun shops was discussed. After listening to many comments on the subject, the City Council decided to defer action on a proposed ordinance and study the matter further. The consensus among the council was that the police department should do more inquiries on this matter and that, as written, the ordinance would have exempted the current gun shops from any proposed changes.The priority of this council is and always has been public safety. We reserve nearly 50 percent of our operating budget to achieve that goal. We also strive to craft a balanced approach to any matter that comes before us. To that end, I have asked staff (in coordination with the police department) to put two items on our agenda for the September 2nd meeting.A revised licensing ordinance from our police department which fully addresses the security and safety of gun shops in our community.A 45 day emergency moratorium of any new gun retailers, to allow the City Council to consider creating a conditional use permit process for any applicant who is considering opening up a retail gun shop. Throughout this process, the City Council and the police department have been and will continue to be proactive in dealing with this issue. Public comments and dialogue are always welcome in implementing measured and thoughtful policies that are best for our city. 

EDITOR,

If you were not bothered by airplane noise around February 2018, the rest of this letter may seem irrelevant. Noise report counts compiled by SFO showed a clear spike from residents in SLV and the western part of the county at that time. Noise complaints from Felton jumped from 698 in January to 4300 in February 2018 and from 168 to 1395 in Boulder Creek. For the month of February, the airport flagged the city of Santa