Week two was held in the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education. A great place to take the kids.
This session focus on the "Environmental Services Agency" (part 1). This agency should really be called "The Miscellaneous Civic Services Department". Notes follow:
* Marsha Raines, Director of Environmental Services - city-type services in one agency. Consists of weights & measures, animal control, UC Co-op extension, county fire (contracted to Cal Dept of Fire), Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), county library system (11 smaller cities + unincorporated -- works with peninsula library system), parks rec & trails.
* UC Co-Op Extension - Gloria Brown. Off-site educational arm of UC division of agricultural science. Run by "land grant" institution throug US Dept of Agriculture - filtered down to counties through UC to every county. Opened in 1945 in SMC, where ag happened to be (in Half Moon Bay). Programs: 4H, marine scientist, public service arm, elkish (sp?) youth ranch (600 acre land for educational program), nutrional education. Diverse funding - 10% from SMC, most from state (from USDA)
* Fire unit - SMC/Santa Cruz unit of the CDF. Chief John Ferera. CDF provides service of SMC fire dept since 1960s. Not many wildland fires in SMC. Most interaction with public is in the "plans clearing" service. New agreement to respond to fire calls with closest resource despite borders (old agreement had only covered medical calls). Fire depts train together, use same communication system, and are all dispatched together. Planning review to conform to cal fire code (part of building code) and uniform fire code. Shared responsbility for enforcing building code. Trying to get more uniformity across jurisdictions in SMC.
* Animal Control - Donna Spillane. Cities contract with county, county contracts with peninsula humane society. Field services is "guys in trucks" - pick up animals & enforces laws. Also shelter services. $4.4 million contract with PHS. County administers spay/neuter & rabie s voucher program - animal population trust fund commitee - fees provided thorugh animal licensing. State mandates for animal control in the Hayden Act. Contact Donna for problems with PHS.
* ESU has less than 300 employees, but 16 comittees (hint hint).
* Parks & Rec - Dave Holland - brand new director. 15,146 acre in 18 parks. Coyote point marina only county marina. 518 berths. Enterprise fund (self-sustaining). P&R budget is approx $7.5mil marina is about $2.5 mil. $1.5 mil revenue for parks. 2 million visitors a year to park. Priorities are maintenance. Trying to raise 1/8 Cents sales tax. Park foundation raises money. Staff of 50, most in the field, 9 in the office. Parks and rec commission - 5 memebers - one per supe district - push recommendatinos to supes. New playground coming to coyote point. Cooperation with peninsula open space trust, mid-peninsula open space district.
* We talked a bit about a policy project we are going to doing on housing.
Other random notes:
* Ventura county is the other county in the state most like San Mateo County
* There is an intergovernmental affairs office to deal with state & local govt
