October 9, 2023

Habitat for Humanity Offers First-Time

Home Buyer Opportunity

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay (in connection with the CalHome Program) has first-time home buyer funding available for qualified applicants for a limited period. This opportunity is available to prospective homeowners interested in a 30-year, zero interest loan of up to $100,000 to be used for the down payment towards the purchase of a new home.

To be eligible, prospective homeowners must:

• Be a first-time home buyer.
• Have a good credit score and credit history.
• Have an annual income that is less than 80% AMI:
• For a family of two in Santa Cruz < $105,700.
• For a family of three in Santa Cruz < $118,900 .
• For a family of four in Santa Cruz < $132,100 .
• Be pre-qualified by a lender for a mortgage loan for the property being purchased.



If you are eligible and use Habitat’s loan, the property:

• Has to be your primary residence during the term of the loan.
• No part of the property can be rented.



Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay’s mission is to build decent, affordable homes and provide home ownership opportunities to qualified families who live and work in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. If interested in pursuing a First-Time Home Buyer Loan, have your lender send details to <familyservices@habitatmontereybay.org> .

Santa Cruz Police Department Sells Pink Gear to Benefit Women's Health and Shelter

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Santa Cruz Police Department will be selling our famous department pink patches.

This year, we are adding pink and black baseball hats and four types of women’s shirts to the mix. The shirts include two different t-shirts, a tank top, and a baseball- style shirt. These items are SUPER cute and would make a great birthday or holiday gift!

Pricing is as follows:

Large Patches — $10

Small Patches — $5

Black Baseball Hats — $20

Pink Baseball Hats — $25

Women’s Tank Tops — $20

Women’s Baseball Shirts — $15

Both Women’s T-Shirts — $10 each

All proceeds will be donated to Santa Cruz women’s health and shelter services in Santa Cruz.

To order and support this important cause, contact Jodi Mulloy at <jmulloy@santacruzca.gov> . Cash or major credit cards are accepted via Square. No checks, please.

Celebrating Clean Ocean Businesses

Our Environmental Compliance Program celebrated new City limits on wastewater discharges and Clean Ocean Business Awards at a special Pollution Prevention Week dinner on September 21, 2023. The celebration was hosted in association with the California Water Environment Association (Monterey Bay Section).

Speakers included Laboratory and Environmental Compliance Manager Akin Babatola, Mayor Fred Keeley, and Public Works Director Nathan Nguyen. Senior Environmental Compliance Inspector Dave Martin presented a review of environmental compliance work.

The awards recognized five, 10, 15, and 20 years of consistent practices by vehicle service and food service businesses. The recognized businesses protect Monterey Bay and local waterways by keeping pollutants away from both storm drains and the sewer system.

Bronwyn Eyre accepted an award from Mayor Fred Keeley honoring Engfer Pizza Works as a 20-Year Clean Ocean Business. Samuel Yanez accepted the award from Mayor Fred Keeley honoring Hindquarter Bar & Grille as a 20-Year Clean Ocean Business.

Improved System for Public Battery Drop-Off Location



Facility Maintenance and Resource Recovery Collections staff collaborated on an improved system for the public battery drop-off location at City Hall. Improvements included new, more robust fencing and a large battery-shaped container to collect and keep discarded batteries. Enhancements will prevent batteries from spilling over from the container as well as vandalism.

The Water Department's Maintenance Group has been busy preparing for winter (while recovering from the last one). They have installed a new organic carbon analyzer at the Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant. The analyzer is a critical piece of equipment that informs the Water Treatment Operators about how much carbon is in the raw source water. In the summer, operators use this to indicate water quality in the distribution system. In the winter, the analyzer is used to decide when to resume diverting water from the San Lorenzo River following a storm. The crew has also worked hard to remove sediment accumulated in the San Lorenzo River's Tait Street Diversion—they removed over three tons of sediment! In support of the Concrete Tanks Replacement Project, the crew conducted a food-grade oil change in equipment in the newly constructed solids tanks. The team is also heavily focused on the Concrete Tanks Replacement Project's performance and acceptance testing, which is a huge milestone for the project.

San Lorenzo River Levee Access Road Repaired and Channel Debris Removal and Rehabilitation

The San Lorenzo River west levee service road was severely damaged in January when winter storms and King Tide events occurred, requiring immediate repair to the levee's displaced riprap along the west bank near the San Lorenzo River Trestle Bridge. Repairs to the service road were completed after two days of paving.

A contractor was hired to remove large woody debris and rehabilitate the east levee flood control channel, an area where vandalism had previously occurred. Approximately three cubic yards of riprap had been dug out and placed in a non-sanctioned garden. The riprap had to be carefully repositioned to provide critical protection against erosion during high-flow events.

The Canham Wet Meadow Restoration Mitigation Project was initiated as part of the environmental permitting process for the Newell Creek Dam Inlet/Outlet Replacement Project, which required compensatory mitigation efforts. This project, installed in 2021 at the Glenwood Preserve in Scotts Valley, aimed to address the impact of filling a seepage channel for the construction of a new outlet structure. Working with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County in coordination with the City of Scotts Valley, a quarter-acre wetland habitat was restored, mitigating erosion and preserving wetland soils and vegetation. The project included regrading, energy dissipation measures, native plant installation, and a temporary bypass pipeline. Upon achieving wetland restoration goals in five years, the project will be considered complete.

New Traffic Pole Placed

To allow the Traffic Signal Technician to guide and anchor a new traffic signal pole, the Street Maintenance Road Crew assisted with standing the signal pole into position. Staff were recently certified with the City’s boom and aerial lift equipment.

Fresh Paint Complete at Resource Recovery Facility

The Street Maintenance Paint Crew installed fresh paint around the food waste processing equipment at the Resource Recovery Facility.



City of Santa Cruz

City Manager's Office

809 Center Street

Santa Cruz CA 95060

santacruzca.gov

831-420-5030