Business Council Position and Resources on Homelessness

On Thursday March 21st the Santa Cruz County Business Council Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt a formal position on the issue of homelessness. This decision comes as the issue of homelessness is reaching a breaking point locally, with the number of people sleeping outside having increased in the latest Point In Time (PIT)…

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SCCBC Endorses Senate Bill 50

The Santa Cruz County Business Council Board of Directors voted unanimously last Thursday to formally adopt a “support” position on Senate Bill 50 – Planning and Zoning, Housing Development: Equitable Communities Incentive. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the legislation, SB50 is this year’s iteration of Scott Weiner’s failed SB827, which would have…

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State of State: SCC Business Council Breakdown

By: Keshav Kumar Yesterday California Governor Newsom was at the State Assembly giving his annual State of our State address. While the State of the State was generally as a low-key affair during Governor Brown’s administration, Governor Newsom used the address to highlight the work he has already begun, and the likely proposals he will…

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Measure G Update: FIT Program

By: Robert Singleton The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors heard their first update of the year on the new Focused Intervention Team (FIT) program, which is a combination enforcement and social services effort, funded through Measure G, to address chronic recidivism. As you may recall, the Business Council Board of Directors voted overwhelmingly last…

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HEAP: The Future of Homelessness in Santa Cruz County

By: Josephine Buchanan As part of a law signed in by our previous Governor Jerry Brown, Santa Cruz County is set to receive $20 million over the next two years in the form of a grant to address the homelessness crisis. This funding called HEAP (Homelessness Emergency Aid Program) is a $500 million block grant…

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MBInterns Employer Workshop

The Santa Cruz County Business Council co-sponsored an Employer Workshop for MBInterns with Think Local First and Monterey Bay Economic Partnership. If you were unable to attend the event you can view the presentation below, or check out MBinterns for yourself.   MBI Employer Workshop

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Governor Newsom’s Approach to Housing and Other Budget Highlights

Last week newly elected Governor Gavin Newsom rolled out his proposed budget in charismatic fashion with a daring and engaging 2 hour long press conference. Not only is the Governor proposing a close to an $8 Billion increase over the year before, and his predecessor Jerry Brown, but the core of his new spending will…

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Local Ordinance Update

The City of Santa Cruz Recently passed a new Exorbitant Rent Increase Ordinance as well as a temporary Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, you can learn more about those policies and what they mean for Santa Cruz City residents in the presentations below.   JCE and the Exorbitant Rent Increase Ordinance Staff Presentation

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New Policy Overview: SB50

Learn more about a bill with huge potential for expanding California housing density and supply! This staff prepared presentation provides an overview of SB50 – an amendment to the State Density Bonus Law that would require local governments to grant an additional “equitable communities” incentive to housing developers if a given project is deemed to…

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