Guest View

Santa Clara County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and is projected to add more than 500,000 new residents in the next 25 years.What is the best way to accommodate this growth and build communities in ways that allow local governments to provide cost effective services while ensuring that valuable natural resources such as open space and agricultural lands are preserved?This is a major challenge for local government—and a core concern for the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County, more commonly known as LAFCO.LAFCO is a state-mandated, independent local agency whose purpose is to discourage urban sprawl, preserve open space and agricultural lands and encourage efficient delivery of services.LAFCO fulfills these goals by regulating the boundaries of cities and special districts and by conducting studies to inform its regulatory duties.Santa Clara County’s LAFCO has seven members, including two county supervisors, one San Jose City Council member, one council member from any of the other 14 cities in the county, two special district board members and one public member selected by the other six. As LAFCO members, they must act on behalf of the countywide public interest, consistent with locally adopted LAFCO policies and the state mandate.In the 1950s, California experienced dramatic population growth and economic development. Demand for housing, jobs and services triggered rampant, unplanned, sprawling development that resulted in inefficient public service delivery systems and massive conversion of agricultural and open space to urban use. In response, the State Legislature created LAFCOs in 1963 and gave them responsibility for encouraging orderly growth and development in each county.Early in the 1970s, Santa Clara LAFCO, the 15 cities and the county jointly adopted policies that call for urban development to occur only within cities. Cities proposed urban service area boundaries that identified lands each intended to annex for future development. Those boundaries were adopted by LAFCO and future expansions became subject to its approval.Since urban service areas are key to where and when future growth will occur and services will be provided, LAFCO reviews each expansion request very carefully.One of LAFCO’s first considerations in reviewing an expansion proposal is whether there are infill development opportunities and whether the city has used or underused its existing supply of vacant land before seeking expansion.Among many other factors, LAFCO also will consider whether the expansion would result in conversion of agricultural or open space lands, whether the services and infrastructure needed to support the proposed growth can be financed and provided without negatively impacting current city services, and whether there is an adequate water supply available.  The creation of LAFCO and implementation of its policies has slowed the outward spread of urban development in Santa Clara County. This has, in turn, allowed for the preservation of an informal “greenbelt” around the urbanized area that consists of protected open space lands, farmlands and scenic hillsides. Consequently, despite experiencing significant growth over the years, our county remains a very desirable place to live and work.Today, LAFCO continues to play a vital role in promoting sustainable growth and good governance in Santa Clara County. Through its actions to curb sprawl and preserve open space and agricultural lands, LAFCO can play a key role in addressing emerging issues such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.Neelima Palacherla is Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County. For more information about LAFCO, visit,www.santaclaralafco.org.

This guest view is the first in a periodic series of upcoming op-eds on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which officially starts May 1 in Santa Clara County.Most people believe that wildfires ignite homes through direct contact with flames, but it is rare to have a home ignite this way. Thanks to effective defensible space campaigns, very few homes are in direct contact with traditional wildland fuel models (e.g., uninterrupted fields of seasonal grass, flammable brush or tree canopies). The collective experience of our wildland firefighters suggests that homes most commonly ignite from airborne flaming brands and embers.Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire. Scientific research finds that up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers landing on flammable materials such as roofing or landscaping materials, or ember penetration into concealed spaces through vents and other structural openings.Most of the activity that makes a home less vulnerable to ignition focuses on the home and its immediately surroundings. Defensible space preparations are part of the equation, but they do not address the ember threat. Our Ember Aware campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping. You can learn more at emberaware.com.In the coming weeks, we will provide a series of articles and tips on the topic. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home. Tip number one: Stop shaking.• The most reliable way to predict which houses will survive a wildfire and which will be destroyed is by looking at the roof.• Houses with wood shake or shingle roofs are many times more likely to be destroyed during a wildfire. Using wood shakes or shingles for roofs in high fire hazard areas is like stacking hundreds of pounds of kindling on top of your home. During the hot summer months, the shakes or shingles can be nearly bone dry and easily ignited by embers. The embers come from pieces of burning material that can be lofted high into the air during a wildfire and travel a mile or more from the actual fire.• Unfortunately, there is no effective, inexpensive long-term solution to the ember threat to wood roofs. We recommend replacing wood shake or shingle roofs with a rated, fire-resistant roofing material, such as asphalt composition shingles, metal, or concrete or clay tile. Although this can be expensive, it may well be the one thing that saves your home when the embers arrive.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

We are fast approaching another Fourth of July. In Morgan Hill, we celebrate July 4 over two days with six events, together known as Freedom Fest.Many people are not aware that Independence Day Celebration, Inc., (IDCI) produces the events. A 501c3 nonprofit corporation, IDCI is staffed entirely by volunteer, community-minded individuals. With more than 500 volunteers led by more than 50 dedicated team leaders, six event chairs and a five-member board of directors, our team works much of the year to bring you these events. Freedom Fest is not produced by the city or Chamber of Commerce, although both work closely with us.The six Freedom Fest events have a little something for everyone. Our Patriotic Sing on July 3 features local children singing patriotic songs, Blue Star moms and much more. Immediately after, the Family Music Fest held downtown includes live music and a DJ for dancing, food and drinks featuring wine from local wineries.Runners and walkers can start the day on July 4 with a quick tour around the parade route, then enjoy the car cruise and historic parade. Following the parade, car enthusiasts can stop by our Car Show at the Community and Cultural Center. The Fireworks on the Green at the Outdoor Sports Center is the perfect way to end the day with live music, food, drinks and crafts to go with our world-class fireworks show.All volunteer community organizations face annual challenges in the areas of financial and volunteer support. Freedom Fest is a perfect example. Despite the growth surge that Morgan Hill is experiencing, we have funding challenges this year. Morgan Hill businesses and residents have given us tremendous support over the years. We hope it will continue, and even grow. Without your support, there can be no Freedom Fest.We always try to find new ways to reach out to sponsors and communicate with Morgan Hill residents. One new way we will do so this year is to mail our award-winning program to every household and business in Morgan Hill. In past years, we have increased our Facebook and web presence.On behalf of the Freedom Fest team, I want to thank the community for always showing up. It is your participation and support that makes Freedom Fest events a pleasure to produce. We are proud to serve our community in this way.Please go to mhfreedomfest.com to donate, volunteer or learn more about us.Jeff Dixon is a Morgan Hill resident and President of Independence Day Celebrations, Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].

Many years ago, I was invited to celebrate Mass with the Sisters of Charity (Saint Theresa of Calcutta’s Sisters). On the sacristy wall, there was a message for visiting priests: “Celebrate this Mass as if it will be your first Mass, your last Mass,...

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