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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
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Santa Cruz County, CA November 7, 2006 Election
Measure I
UCSC Growth Ordinance
City of Santa Cruz

16,486 / 76.65% Yes votes ...... 5,021 / 23.35% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures
Results as of December 1 10:01am, 100.00%% of Precincts Reporting (44/44)
Information shown below: Official Information | Impartial Analysis |

Shall the Santa Cruz Municipal Code be amended to add an ordinance that promotes sustainable growth in the City by opposing the negative impacts of proposed University of California at Santa Cruz ("UCSC") growth and by prohibiting the City from providing services to the University necessary for University expansion until the University has fully implemented mitigation measures intended to offset the negative environmental impacts that will otherwise result from that expansion?

Official Sources of Information
Impartial Analysis from City Attorney
This ballot measure, if adopted by the voters, would require the City Council to take whatever actions are necessary, available and legally feasible to require the full mitigation of all adverse impacts to the Santa Cruz community, particularly in the areas of housing, traffic and the provision of public services, which are attributable to the future growth and expansion of the University of California at Santa Cruz ("UCSC").The ordinance would prohibit the City Council from approving the expansion of City services to UCSC outside City limits without the prior approval of the State of California Local Agency Formation Commission ("LAFCO"). The ordinance would require the City to provide additional facilities necessitated by UCSC growth only after UCSC pays its fair share of the cost of those facilities. The ordinance would prohibit the City Council from approving the provision of services to UCSC needed for additional growth until the mitigation measures related to those services have been fully implemented. The ordinance would require the City Council to ensure that all UCSC growth-related decisions are implemented in full compliance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") and, if necessary, would further require the City to take legal action to challenge the Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") prepared for the University's 2005 Long-Range Development Plan ("LRDP") currently under consideration.

The proposed ordinance acknowledges that UCSC is a vital part of the Santa Cruz community and that UCSC provides substantial economic, social, cultural and intellectual benefits to the community at large but also notes that UCSC's growth and expansion has in the past adversely impacted the Santa Cruz community and will continue to do so in the future unless those adverse impacts are fully mitigated. Primary adverse impacts pertain to the supply and cost of available housing, traffic congestion, public services, public safety and general quality of life for community members.

The ordinance would promulgate City policies: to oppose the 6,000-student enrollment increase contained in UCSC's 2005 LRDP or any other enrollment increase that might be proposed in connection with the final approval of that LRDP unless all significant impacts are fully mitigated; to decline extension of City Water and Sewer Service Areas beyond the existing City limits without the prior approval of LAFCO; to require UCSC to pay the full costs of mitigating past and future growth impacts; and to decline provision of any additional municipal services to UCSC until anticipated costs for providing those services are first fully paid to the City by UCSC. The ordinance would require the City Council to cooperate with UCSC in carrying out these policies.

s/ John G. Barisone
City Attorney

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Created: January 4, 2007 09:39 PST
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