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January 2010 |
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FRONT PAGE
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MCHA Government Affairs update Government Affairs Director Bob McKenzie
Peninsula water supply problems MCHA continued to work hard on water supply issues in 2009. We participated in the State Water Resources Control Board hearings and processes for its proposed Cease and Desist Order against California American Water Co. to drastically reduce pumping from the Carmel River, the source of around 80% of the Peninsula’s water supply. MCHA was partially successful in its efforts to scale back the proposed water cutbacks, but the SWRCB issued a modified CDO that orders a moratorium on new or intensified water uses and orders a gradual ramping down of our water supply, eventually to levels that will be devastating to the hospitality industry (think room and restaurant seat closures, employee layoffs, and declining local government revenues from taxes generated by visitors). Fortunately, a local Superior Court granted a stay against the CDO, on motions by Monterey Peninsula Water Management District and Cal Am. Hearings will take place in January 2010 to determine whether the stay remains in effect and whether the motions to set aside the CDO will result in a ‘trial’ on the issues, locally or elsewhere, of harm to the health and welfare of the residents and businesses on the Peninsula.
Maybe good news on water supply solutions? Three responsible government agencies (Marina Coast Water District, Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, and Monterey County Water Resources Agency) signed an historic agreement to work together for a water supply solution that will benefit the Peninsula. Those three agencies and Cal Am are in negotiations to reach a settlement of Cal Am’s application to the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to build a water supply project that will eliminate Cal Am taking more water that its allowed from the Carmel River and the Seaside Basin. A final Environmental Impact Report on water projects was certified by the PUC this month, and the preferred alternative is a regional water supply project crafted by a broad-based citizens’ group organized by the PUC’s Division of Ratepayer Advocates and led by water resources economist Steve Kasower. MCHA strongly supports the regional project and will continue to push for its earliest possible implementation. MCWD believes that with the final EIR certified, the effort to build the centerpiece of the project, a desal plant in north Marina near MRWPCA, can begin in 2010 and be completed by the end of 2012, before the most drastic CDO-ordered water cutbacks begin (assuming the CDO survives the legal challenges) – provided the local political will is strongly evident. MCHA will aid this effort in every way it can in 2010 and beyond to make sure the Peninsula area has enough water to avoid drastic cutbacks and serious damage to the economy and our industry.
Rational and excellent taxi service at last? MCHA has been an active participant in, and supporter of, a Transportation Agency for Monterey County-led effort to establish a regional taxi authority to standardize taxi service and performance. This decade-long struggle may finally be resolved in 2010. A legal review of the documents to create a regional authority is completed and the local governments involved will decide in February 2010 whether to join the regional authority. Monterey-Salinas Transit has agreed to act as the regional authority, which will provide the necessary administrative work to make the regional authority work. This will be a big help to our industry and visitors to the area, eliminating confusing rules about what taxis pick up and deliver where and establishing standardized performance and appearance standards.
County General Plan Update – end game in sight? The county’s effort to update its general plan, now well into its tenth year (that’s right folks, the process started in July 1999), is still plodding along. The final Environmental Impact Report should be released in January 2010, and then a series of hearings will be scheduled. The one remaining issue, as yet not resolved, is development on slopes. Oddly enough, this is a key issue for the future vitality and prosperity of the hospitality industry because it impacts vineyards, wineries and related facilities, and the proposed Winery Corridor, strongly supported by MCHA.
Widening Highway 156 –meaningful progress? Most of the environmental work, federal and state, on the proposed widening of Highway 156 was done in 2009 and Cal Trans selected two options for the project, both costing in excess of $400 million. The environmental reports should be finalized by mid-2010, which means the project will be eligible for funding; the bad news is that funding does not exist at this time to accomplish this major improvement for the drive corridor for our industry’s core visitor markets. Fortunately, TAMC officials have persuaded Cal Trans to develop plans for phasing the widening project, beginning with a more realistic funding goal closer to $100 million. Those phasing plans should be available in 2010.
2010 state and local elections MCHA will be involved in local elections and state ballot measures in 2010. Two Supervisors, all other county elected officials, all local mayors and city councils have elections in 2010, so MCHA will continue its practice of reviewing the elections and recommending candidates. In addition, there may be dozens of state ballot measures on the ballot in June and November 2010. Several measures, including the recently passed state water projects bond measure of over $11 billion, are already on the ballot. Several dozen measures, including some that would be very bad for the business and hospitality community (increased taxes, revisions to existing property tax protections) are in circulation or soon will be. MCHA will be on top of these measures and make recommendations on them.
Get involved in issues critical to business vitality and viability!!! The Government Affairs Committee tracks issues critical to the near- and long-term viability and vitality of our businesses and our communities and works hard to assure policies implemented at the local level are consistent with that goal. Plan to attend a Government Affairs meeting and learn how you can be involved influencing issues of vital concern to our industry and business and community interests generally. Government Affairs meets the first Thursday of each month at 8:30 am at Intercontinenntal The Clement on Cannery Row in Monterey. Once in a while the meeting is rescheduled to a different Thursday or different location to avoid conflicts, so contact Government Affairs Director Bob McKenzie (bobmac@qwestnet or 642-9809) or MCHA Executive Director Bonnie Adams (info@mcha.net or 626-8636) to be sure of the next meeting date and location (or check the MCHA website, where meeting notices and agendas are posted: http://www.mcha.net ). |
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©2009 MCHA • P.O. Box 223542 • Carmel, California 93922 • Phone 831-626-8636 • Fax 831-626-4269 • info@mcha.net | |
