Qualifications

EDUCATION

• B.A., Political Science and International Affairs, 1972
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
• M.S.P., Urban and Regional Planning, 1974
• Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
• Architectural drafting and cartography classes at Cabrillo Community College. Continuing education in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Environmental Planning, and Subdivision Map Act through University of California Extension and the Association of Environmental Professionals.

SPECIALTIES

• CEQA, environmental assessment, development review, native botany, policy and ordinance development, project management and public presentations

CERTIFICATIONS

• Certified Environmental Professional No. 97050343

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• National Association of Environmental Professionals
• Association of Environmental Professionals (California)
• President of the Monterey Bay Chapter of AEP in 2001 and 2002. Chapter Vice-president 1996-98 and term beginning in Jan. 2000.

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

• Cypress Environmental and Land Use Planning: 4 years, Owner of firm. Environmental Planning Consultant, part time 1998-May 2002 and full time since May 2002
• County of Santa Cruz Planning Department: 21 years, Department Training Coordinator and Deputy Environmental Coordinator 2001 to 2002; Deputy Environmental Coordinator and Senior Planner 1990-2001; Agricultural Land Use Planner 1985-1990; Solid Waste Management Planning 1984-1985; Zoning and Building Code Enforcement 1979-1984
• San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District: 2 years, State/Federal Projects Coordinator 1977-1979
• Pajaro Valley Unified School District: 2 years, Assistant Projects Coordinator 1975-1977
• Central Seattle Community Council Federation: 1 year , Community Organizer/VISTA Volunteer 1974 -1975

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

• Academic Year in the USA (AYUSA): 2 years, lay-counselor for foreign high school students 1997-99
• Aptos Soccer Club: 5 years, youth soccer coach 1993-98
• Save Our Shores: 17 years, co-founder, first president and board member 1978-1995

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE IN MORE DETAIL

I own and operate an environmental and land use planning consulting business which provides a range services to clients ranging from individual property owners to public agencies. My services include preparing expanded initial studies and similar environmental documents, conducting project analyses of complex development projects for public agenceis and providing individuals and non-profit organizations with permitting and project management assistance for thie projects. These services and others are described on the "services" page in this website. My professional services draw upon my over 20 year experience working in a public agency planning department.

My experience at County Planning has been varied; beginning as a field inspector for Zoning Enforcement to my last responsibility of managing the County's Environmental Review program and the Planning Department's training program. Zoning Enforcement included managing a tracking system that determined when permit conditions were to be fulfilled and working with permit applicants to attain compliance with all permit conditions. Solid Waste planning was primarily focused on formulating the County's Solid Waste Management Plan and working with the County advisory committee established to oversee that effort. As the County's Agricultural Land Use Planner, I analyzed and managed all project applications on or effecting agriculturally designated land. This required extensive report writing and field work. Responsibilities included serving as the staff, along with the County Agricultural Commissioner, to the County Agricultural Policy Advisory Commission and representing the County at the four-County RCD Area Productive Farmlands Committee.

The position of Deputy Environmental Coordinator was responsible for the daily management of CEQA process in the County. Projects subject to CEQA were reviewed by myself to determine the environmental impacts which could possibly result from development and to determine mitigative solutions to the potential impacts. Managing Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) was a significant part of this responsibility. A representative sample of my EIR work is provided below. To date, I have issued over 560 Negative Declarations and managed 37 EIRs. I was also assigned to review the department's most complex projects on a periodic basis in County Planning's Development Review section. This requires complete application analysis from the time a permit application is submitted to the public hearing on the project. During 2001, I shared my CEQA position with another person in the department so I could coordinate and implement a new on-going staff development and training program.

Work at both school districts involved program planning and grant writing to obtain federal and/or State funding to implement new educational programs at various school sites. A major focus of this job was working with school teachers and administrators to implement and evaluate the new programs and providing on-going technical assistance to school staff. Although not part of the job, I also was a part-time substitute teacher for the PVUSD Adult School during this time, teaching American History classes.

During my one year VISTA commitment I worked with diverse residents in the inner city to assist them in alleviating themselves from various forms of social, economic and political disfranchisement. This involved organizing people into neighborhood groups and assisting those groups once they were organized. This experience was vital towards my understanding real life situations of minorities and economically disadvantaged people in our society.

SELECTED PROJECTS

The projects summarized below are representative of some of the projects I have managed during recent years.

City of Watsonville Landfill Expansion

I was the lead project planner to evaluate the City's proposal to expand their municipal landfill on agricultural land within the County's jurisdiction. The project included a complex group of proposed amendments to the General Plan, Local Coastal Program, County's Agricultural Resources Map and zoning ordinance. Impacts to both biotic resources and surrounding agricultural uses were other major issues that I analyzed. As the project planner I was the primary liaison between the County and the City regarding this project. When the County's approval of the project was appealed to the California Coastal Commission, I represented the County at Coastal Commission hearings. The Commission approved the project with amended conditions.

Reference contact: David Koch, City of Watsonville Public Works and Utilities Director.

 

Farm Labor Housing Ordinance

One of the several County ordinances I authored was the County's current Farm Labor Housing Ordinance. This County-wide law specifies regulations for locating various types of accessory dwelling units on agriculturally designated land. Companion Local Coastal Plan policies were also formulated. The purpose of the ordinance was to address on-site labor needs of growers and need for affordable housing stock while conserving agricultural land for the production of crops and livestock. This challenging balance was the subject of several public hearings on the issue which took over two years. It was also one of the major political issues regarding County land use during 1989-1991. My tasks included repeated presentations to two County advisory commissions, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors and writing several revisions to the draft ordinance language to address the concerns after each hearing for re-review by advisory and decision-making bodies and the public. The ordinance and LCP polices were approved in September, 1991.

Reference contact: Bruce Dau, organic vegetable grower and Agricultural Policy Advisory Commissioner.

 

Polo Grounds Regional Park

Managed the original and Supplemental EIRs and authored the Final SEIR and MMRP for a County regional park project located on a vacant 62 acre site in Aptos. One section of the EIR was based on an agricultural viability analysis I prepared. Environmental issues included loss of prime agricultural soils, excessive noise generation to adjoining neighborhoods, traffic impacts to substandard local streets and intersections and the potential for an endangered wildlife species to inhabit the site (Santa Cruz Long-toed salamander). The first two issues dealt with unavoidable adverse impacts. My tasks also included coordination the inter-departmental staff working group and presentations at multiple public hearings on the project. The Planning Commission certified the EIR and approved the project on September 14, 1994 based on the EIR mitigations and the staff recommendation.

Reference contact: Robley Levy, former County Supervisor.

 

Seascape Uplands Subdivision

Managed the EIR for a 125 dwelling unit project on a vacant 190 acre site in the Aptos area. This was the first project in the County which proposed The encroachment and removal of the habitat of a federally listed wildlife species, the Santa Cruz Long-toed salamander; as a result a Habitat Conservation Plan was also prepared as part of the project. Other environmental issues included impacts to rare and locally unique plant and animal species, conservation of oak woodlands, ridgetop development and visual impacts to scenic corridors and school overcrowding. My tasks included management of a complex EIR, review of the proposed HCP, presentations at the three public hearings conducted by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, representing the County at the Coastal Commission hearing and assisting County Counsel with defending litigation against the project. The project was approved, based on staff recommendation, for 107 units with a 125 acre biological preserve by the Board of Supervisors on November 1, 1994. This approval was sustained by the Coastal Commission on appeal. Since 1994 I have been managing the implementation and monitoring of mitigation measures and other permit requirements at the project site on an on-going basis.

Reference contact: Rich Beale, Richard Beale Land Use Planning (applicant's representative).

 

1994 County of Santa Cruz General Plan

Managed the EIR prepared to evaluate the effects of implementing new policies contained in a new County General Plan and three alternative General Plan scenarios. Worked extensively with the EIR consultant on the text and format of the document and the analysis of some of the issues under a very constrained time frame. The EIR was prepared simultaneously with preparation of the Draft General Plan/LCP. Issues included growth outpacing the provision of public services and facilities, loss of agricultural land to accommodate growth near the City of Watsonville and increased traffic. The Board of Supervisors certified the EIR and approved the General Plan on December 19, 1994 after its certification by the Coastal Commission. The plan is currently in effect as the primary guidance document for land use development and conservation policies for Santa Cruz County.

Reference contacts: Bob Berman, Nichols-Berman, Inc. (EIR consultant). Mark Deming, Principal Planner, County of Santa Cruz Planning (Supervisor of the General Plan effort).

 

MCI Worldcom Trans-Pacific Fiber Optic Cable EIR/EIS

Coordinated the combined EIR/EIS for the County and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) for a proposed marine telecommunications cable that begins in Australia, crosses the Pacific Ocean and the MBNMS and continues on-shore through southern Santa Cruz County. This project included managing a $566,290 budget to prepare a technical document meeting both State and federal environmental law requirements; coordinating inter-agency meetings with the State Lands Commission, California Coastal Commission, the MBNMS and others.

Reference Contact: William Douros, Superintendent of the MBNMS.

Mt. Hermon Camp and Conference Center Specific Plan

Managed the EIR and was the project planner preparing the Specific Plan for the expansion of a Christian conference center and youth camp on a 85 acre campus in the Santa Cruz mountains. Both the Plan and the EIR addressed a series of complex issues including the proposal to expand visitor serving accommodations to 886 beds in an area that is experiencing groundwater overdraft and has federally listed endangered species inhabiting the site. The project was approved on May 1, 2001 and I am currently monitoring the implementation of the Plan.

Reference contact: Ken Hart, Principal Planner/Environmental Coordinator, County of Santa Cruz Planning.

North Monterey County Water District Consolidation Project

Managed an Expanded Initial Study to evaluate the environmental and political effects of merging several rural mutual water systems with the Pajaro/Sunny Mesa Water District and expanding water service to areas now only served by individual wells which have become contaminated with agricultural nitrates and effected by seawater intrusion in the northern part of Monterey County.

Reference contact: Melanie Mayer Gideon, owner of Melanie Mayer Consulting.

 

Guadalupe Trail Master Plan

Managing the Expanded Initial Study to evaluate the environmental effects of constructing a 4.2 mile linear park along the Guadalup Creek corridor in the City of San Jose. Work on this project inlcudes receiving and resolving directions from three primary agencies/firms: the project sponsor, City of San Jose Parks Divison; the landscape architecture firm designing the project, Callander Associates; and the City of Jose Planning Department.

Reference contact: Mark Slichter, Senior Associate, Callander Associates.