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Comment 101 for Public Workshops on Investment of Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds to Benefit Disadvantaged Communities (sb-535-guidance-ws) - 1st Workshop.
First Name: Paia
Last Name: Levine
Email Address: pln456@co.santa-cruz.ca.us
Affiliation: Planning Department,County of Santa Cruz
Subject: Comment on Proposed Identification of Disadvantaged Communties
Comment:
The County of Santa Cruz Planning Department regularly engages the needs of disadvantaged communities in the course of our work. We are concerned that the proposed method for identifying disadvantaged communities will fail to capture disadvantaged populations in Santa Cruz County that should be identified if the program is to reach those communities that are intended to be served by Cap and Trade resources. The technique of using a weighted average of characteristics to identify communities may obscure communities that are strongly disadvantaged in some important categories but not broadly in all categories. For example, disadvantaged populations in coastal areas are not as likely to be located near identified polluted areas. However, in other important measures of social equity, such as housing costs and the economic and social cost of long commutes to jobs, the disadvantage is extreme. Santa Cruz County has the second most expensive cost of housing in the nation, when housing cost is compared to income. Thank you for considering amending the proposal to consider all relevant measures of social equity, to consider that disadvantages vary among the different regions of California, and to consider accepting applications from communities that may not meet the CalEPA definition of disadvantaged community as it is currently conceived. Please contact me if additional information is needed. Sincerely, Paia Levine Planning Department County of Santa Cruz
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted: 2014-09-15 16:16:32
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