The Water Department has recently sent a brochure regarding their proposed rate increases for the upcoming years, in particular with significant changes how drought conditions would affect our rates. A drought condition will automatically result in higher water bills, and in higher revenue for the city, although there is no higher cost associated with providing less water. The following table shows how the water bill would increase as a function of drought stage, if Prop 218 is implemented. The calculations are based on residential customers who use the currently allotted 5CCF for a 3-person household, with a 5/8 inch meter, assuming that they reduce consumption as requested. The results shown below represent only a small sample out of the many combinations of drought stages and usage tiers, but all others exhibit the same trend.
So with the Water Department's proposal, the water bill goes up after 1/1/2022 in drought conditions, although consumption goes down.
Instead of imposing a fixed charge as a function of drought stage, I propose to adjust all consumption related charges, which include Consumption Charges, Infrastructure Reinvestment and Rate Stabilization Fees. For example in drought stage 2, these charges would increase to 125%. Combined with a reduction in consumption to 80% produces the same bill as before, a much more equitable solution.
The following table displays the charges based on my proposal. The second column shows the water bill independent of drought, if customers save the requested amount of water by reducing from 5CCF to 4CCF in stage 2 and 3 CCF in Stage 4. Columns 3,4 and 5 display the combined cost of one CCF, for consumption 1 to 5 CCF.
The proposed consumption based rates will encourage customers to watch their water usage, and will reward those who save water.
I oppose the Water Department's money grab and will write a protest letter to the Mayor and Council of Santa Cruz, as suggested in the brochure, and I am encouraging you to do the same.
Hi everyone :-) Iβm from LA, been here my whole life. Iβm 26 and should have my teaching credential by the end of June and need a change of scenery. Iβm thinking of Santa Cruz as my next move but I know nothing about it other than it being liberal, beautiful and the same price if not more expensive than LA. Can anyone fill me in on what itβs like living there or moving there? Also what the public high schools are like too! Thanks!
[Note, adding a general reply to some of the comments:
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ha, yes, looking at my writing now the next morning it was indeed a novel. I swear there's a lesson I learned hidden amongst all those words.
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and while the story reads like a newb, I've been surfing for over 25 yrs. I've been out in big swell (overhead+) in Santa Cruz many times. Same for Blacks, Nicaragua, Hawaii, etc. This was a different experience entirely.]
tl;dr - I mistakenly thought tsunamis were one singular pulse of waves sent from a seismic event. Like in the movies, one giant set of waves come in and destroy a place over the span of a few minutes. The water recedes, and it's all over. Nope, additional sets keep coming for hours and days afterwards, like aftershocks of an earthquake. Was everybody aware of this?
Here's my account of how I discovered it the hard way.
In Santa Cruz. I avoided the coast Saturday AM during the estimated arrival window of the tsunami from Tonga. Last I heard it was a "1 ft wave". It definitely rose the water line in the morning far more than a 1 ft wave, But whatever, that was then. in the morning, so it was over because the...tsunami wave (i always thought it was a lone singular wave, like in the movies)... since it happened in the morning and now it's afternoon..... ergo, tsunami episode is done. (Don't ask me why i said that. Who says that? "Ergo". Dumbass).
Anyway, turns out tsunami's are sets of super long wavelength waves. So what was a 1ft swell in open ocean, had a mega long period. So there is a LOT of water in one of the waves. As it shoals into pleasure point, the waves begin to stand up remarkably . I went out in the evening at Steamer Lane. I walk down the stairs and it seems like a super low tide. It was a lot of stumbling over reef to get out. Reef that is not usually so exposed. In hindsight I now get that this was the water drawing out before the tsunami set. But at the time i just thought, wow i sure misread the tide time. So I stumble in, get to waves that are perfect pealers. But I can't catch them... they are 2 fast. Finally, a couple come and I am in the perfect position to catch them. I eat shit on a couple and ride a couple. Super fun. I'm loving the board. I then get sucked out toward the point again, and then get pushed back with another set of big waves. I resign myself to exiting at the stirs next to cowells. I walk up the stairs tired, and happy with the way i surfed. Speaking of which, I should look on surf
... keep reading on reddit β‘
