Split decision

After nearly a month of hearings and controversy, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to redraw the boundaries of the 1st and 5th Supervisorial Districts through Scotts Valley.
Highway 17 now marks the boundary between the two districts, with the Mountain Charlie Road, Pasatiempo Drive and Sims Road communities moving to the 5th District while roughly 2,000 residents of Scotts Valley living on the Granite Creek Road side of the freeway are now part of the 1st District.
The decision came down at the board’s Sept. 20 meeting after a public comment session, in which several residents and civic leaders of Scotts Valley urged the board to consider an alternative plan submitted by the city.
“I’ve never heard so many people from Scotts Valley be so anxious to be associated with the San Lorenzo Valley — so that’s heartening,” said SLV resident Jim Coffis, while addressing the board.
Ultimately, the board called the redistricting task force’s boundary lines solid. The only change to the county’s redistricting plan was to adjust the borders between the 5th and 3rd districts on the University of California, Santa Cruz, campus, moving most of the dormitories into the 5th District.
In making his vote, 1st District Supervisor John Leopold cited precedent in the fact that all the other incorporated cities in Santa Cruz County are divided between multiple supervisors.
While he understood the city’s concerns, Leopold said, Scotts Valley’s two alternative plans did not take into account a possible ripple effect on other districts.
“They’ve only looked at the corner (of the map) that they care about,” he said.
Scotts Valley Mayor Dene Bustichi, though, argued that Scotts Valley’s voice in county politics is now more diluted than ever.
“You’ve got 2,000 people from Scotts Valley (now in the same district as) 50,000 people in Live Oak — does John Leopold really need to listen to them? Probably not,” Bustichi said. “It’s less of a voice in both of those districts.”
The boundary change also excludes Dene Bustichi from running for county supervisor in the 5th District, as he will now live in the 1st.
City Councilman Jim Reed echoed Bustichi’s comments, pointing out that while the board members said they didn’t want to second guess the task force, they were quick to approve redrawing the lines on the UC campus.
“They’re comfortable with one change, but not ours, because (5th District Supervisor Mark Stone) sat on his hands,” Reed said.
Reed said that, based on meetings with the board members, the writing was on the wall as to what the outcome was going to be.
“(The board members) were pretty honest with us — we’re disappointed, but not surprised,” he said.
Reed said that the City Council would consider possible legal action against the county’s decision at its Sept. 21 meeting. No reports from that meeting were available before press time.