Bolsa Knolls Middle School is the new kid on the block in the Santa Rita Union School District.
The school opens Wednesday with about 330 students drawn from La Joya and McKinnon elementary schools and some from Gavilan View Middle School. They all will attend Bolsa Knolls as sixth- and seventh-graders.
Some students will be taught in six eco-friendly modular classrooms made of concrete, steel and 99 percent recyclable material.
Two local municipalities received recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency for their commitment to fighting climate change, according to the EPA.
The Marin Energy Authority will, for the first time, appear as number 13 on the EPA's top 20 list of the largest local government green power purchasers nationwide, according to the EPA.
The City of Santa Cruz's Wastewater Treatment Facility will appear, for the first time, as number 17 on EPA's top 20 list of partners generating and consuming the most green power on-site. Green power is generated from renewable sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro.
Join us in Salinas Friday, Aug 20 at 8:30 am for an Imagination Coast breakfast, this time featuring Linda Meckel, a planner with AMBAG, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. (Location is to be confirmed.) Linda's topic:
"The 2035 Monterey Bay Area Regional Blueprint: Envisioning the Monterey Bay Area will generate a regional vision and practical strategies to ensure a more promising future for the Monterey Bay Area. Collectively, we will determine how population and employment growth can be shaped by local communities to improve our quality of life and minimize the negative impacts of growth."
County transportation leaders agreed Thursday to run tourist trains on the Union Pacific railroad when and if they buy the 32-mile rail line.
The decision follows recent demands by the state that county officials show more of a commitment to passenger trains if they want state funding. The state is on the verge of giving the county $10.2 million for purchase of the line with money earmarked specifically for trains.
The county Regional Transportation Commission has long discussed passenger service, but only this week under state pressure did it commit to a plan: The county will pursue a contract with Woodland-based Sierra Northern Railway, which is currently handling freight service for Union Pacific, to run excursion trains between Davenport and Santa Cruz within the next three years.
...The Steinbeck Festival is vast. It’s headquartered at the National Steinbeck Center (which former NEA head Dana Gioia commented was the “best modern literary shrine in the country; and I’ve seen them all”) but stretches out to locales like Cannery Row and Carmel Valley, and, this year, in simultaneous celebrations in East Berlin, Ha Noi, Vietnam, and along Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. The festival rebuilds itself every year on a familiar foundation: Explore different aspects of Steinbeck’s works and life in talks, readings, art, films, tours, workshops, mixers and other miscellaneous events....
Five of six Monterey Peninsula cities have signed off on a deal giving mayors in the California American Water service area a place on the regional desalination project’s advisory committee.
But opponents say the seat represents only a token voice for ratepayers.
Under Marina Coast Water District’s proposed amendment to the Water Purchase Agreement, now under consideration by the California Public Utilities Commission, the project’s advisory committee would expand from three to four members: Marina Coast, Cal Am, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency and a new municipal adviser.
Zero Motorcycles was awarded a $900,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to begin development of a new advanced compact electric powertrain project.
Additional matching funds from the city of Santa Cruz, and other contributors brings the total allotment to more than $1,840,000.
Zero’s next generation powertrain technology will be developed near its headquarters in the city of Santa Cruz. As part of this program, Zero said it will leverage today’s best technology by working with existing partners and electric drivetrain component suppliers.
At the next MBEVA meeting, Toyota's Government Sales and Advanced Technology Vehicles Manager Greg Glander will provide background on several of the electric vehicles Toyota is bringing to market in the next few years, including the Plug-In Prius and Toyota EV. Greg is also in charge of the Plug-In Prius Fleet Demonstration Program and will answer questions about the program.
Meeting Details:
Thursday, August 26, 10 a.m. – Noon
at IBEW Local 234, 10300 Merritt, Castroville
Environmentally and economically speaking, PACE was supposed to be awesome.
The clean energy financing model is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, create green jobs and lower household utility bills at virtually no up-front cost to property owners...
It’s often described as a low-interest local government loan, backed by bonds. The money can be used for renewable energy, water conservation or energy efficiency upgrades. The property owner pays it back over 20 years or less in annual installments – ideally close to the property’s annual utility savings – that show up as a line item on the property tax bill. If the home sells, the new owner takes over the payments.
Here’s the part Fannie and Freddie don’t like: If a property forecloses, its unpaid PACE bill becomes a “first lien.” The county gets paid its outstanding property taxes, including PACE assessments, before the mortgage lender can claim the rest.
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