When Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane read local activists’ ballot initiative to put desal to a vote, he says one thing caught his attention. It had to do with timing. Lane agrees with a host of activists that Santa Cruz voters should weigh in on whether or not to build a $100 million-plus desalination plant on the Westside to increase the fresh water supply. But they agree on little else—including when to hold the vote.

Some people are worried about an idea for a disc golf course at Anna Jean Cummings Park, saying it would bring “flying projectiles” to a quiet mid-county park, according to petition that is currently making the rounds in Soquel. Supporters of the course counter that they are just looking for a place to play.

It might be an overstatement to say Santa Cruz’s discussion over desalination has been blown out of the water, but it definitely just changed. Mayor Don Lane and Councilmember David Terrazas will propose an ordinance at the next city council meeting that would put a desal plant to a vote sooner rather than later, as outlined in a statement released Wednesday, Feb. 15.

At a city council meeting that fell on Valentine’s Day, some community members raved about a proposed mixed-use development many hope will spice up Lower Ocean Street and make it safer too. But the city council wasn’t exactly showering love on the developer’s handling of the public process.

For someone to start a newspaper in 2012, its founding editor would have to either be totally nuts or betting on a very good idea. Jon Chown, whose new twice-monthly Monterey Bay News and Views hits the stands this week, obviously believes he falls into category number two.

City councilmember, former mayor and NextSpace co-founder Ryan Coonerty is preparing to further buff up his resume and applied to be the county’s next economic development coordinator. “This is something I’ve done on the city council for seven years trying to attract and retain businesses,” says Coonerty, also a legal studies lecturer at UCSC. “And I thought it was important for the county to have an effective strategy to create jobs. I have a commitment to doing that.”

Congressman Sam Farr’s office took a botched headline in stride this week after the Monterey County Herald reported his congressional seat was vacant. “It appears April Fools’ Day came early this year,” Farr said in a statement yesterday. “Contrary to this morning’s Monterey County Herald headline—I have not retired or resigned and have no plan to do so.”

With the 108-page Climate Action Plan awaiting final approval by the Santa Cruz City Council, environmentalists are nursing hopes that a few final items on their wish list will make it into the framework. One such item is creation of a citizens’ advisory board to make sure the city meets its own goals for cutting its emissions. “I envisioned a working group where there were would be committees that were open the public,” says People Power’s Micah Posner. Some politicians are hesitant to say the least. “I think that’s a big, big mistake,” former Mayor Mike Rotkin told city council.

It was a curious scene as the sun set over Santa Cruz City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 24. A team of wetsuit-clad activists, snorkelers and people in jellyfish costumes gathered for a downtown parade to show Santa Cruz how it all could look if people don’t take global warming seriously enough. County Treasurer Fred Keeley served as the evening’s tour guide.