Community Matters

July 25, 2025 Hour One: Discussion of State Fire Marshal BESS Fire Safety Symposium; Hour Two: Continued BESS Discussion & Rail Trail Info

Hour One: What were the takeaways of the July 24, 2025 State Fire Marshal Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Fire Safety Symposium?  Fire Officials can be driving the local BESS Ordinance for public and firefighter safety.  Questionable claims by EPA of inability to calibrate equipment at Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire.

Fire Safety Symposium:

https://www.youtube.com/live/Q1yZFtaykiA

 

Hour Two: More BESS discussion; RTC plans for rail and trail?  A plea for help to save Redman-Hirahara Farmstead as Brd. of Sups plan to delist from National Historic Registry.

July 18, 2025 Hour ONe: Discussion of Battery Energy Storage Issues; Hour Two: Interview With Ms. Sarah Christensen, CEO Santa Cruz RTC re: passenger rail and highway projects.

Hour One: Discussion of recent public meetings by Never Again Moss Landing https://neveragainmosslanding.org/ and Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County https://www.stoplithiumbessinsantacruz.org/ and why it is important to boycott 3CE by Opting OUT: https://3cenergy.org/billing/energy-choices/opt-out/

 

Hour Two: Interview with Ms. Sarah Christensen, CEO of Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) re: passenger rail project: https://www.sccrtc.org/projects/rail/zeprt/  and Highway One Expansion Projects: https://www.sccrtc.org/projects/streets-highways/hwy1/

July 11, 2025 Interview with Ms. Skylar Sacoolas of GreenAction...Helping Moss Landing After the Vistra Battery Fire

Hour One: Ms. Skylar Sacoolas describes GreenAction and what she is doing to support the residents injured by the 2025 Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire.  https://greenaction.org/

https://neveragainmosslanding.org/

 

Hour Two: Continued discussion of lithium battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects proposed in Santa Cruz County with caller Ms Nina Audino of Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County, and July 17 public meeting in Live Oak. https://www.stoplithiumbessinsantacruz.org/

Also, some discussion of the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury and six recent reports released. https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/Departments/GrandJury/2024-2025GrandJuryReportsandResponses.aspx

June 27, 2025 Hour 1: Interview With Brian Peoples, Trail Now; Hour 2: Interview With Brian Roeder, Never Again Moss Landing Update/Nina Audino, Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County

Hour One: Brian Peoples of Trail Now discusses recent RTC passenger rail feasibility study of $4.28 Billion Project and why rail banking and trail only should be prioritized. Caller Cami Corvin discusses related encroachment problems for Capitola mobile home park residents and updates.

Hour Two: Brian Roeder of Never Again Moss Landing updates about recent meetings with EPA and Dept. of Toxic Substances regarding the clean up of the Vistra 300 Battery Fire site, facilitated by GreenAction.  Caller Nina Audino discussed Stop Lithium BESS in Santa Cruz County actions and review of Commission on Environment Workshop presentations (view Workshop video recording here):

https://santacruzcountyca-my.sharepoint.com/personal/pln144_co_santa-cruz_ca_us/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fpln144%5Fco%5Fsanta%2Dcruz%5Fca%5Fus%2FDocuments%2FGMT20250625%2D235920%5FRecording%5F1760x900%2Emp4&nav=eyJyZWZlcnJhbEluZm8iOnsicmVmZXJyYWxBcHAiOiJPbmVEcml2ZUZvckJ1c2luZXNzIiwicmVmZXJyYWxBcHBQbGF0Zm9ybSI6IldlYiIsInJlZmVycmFsTW9kZSI6InZpZXciLCJyZWZlcnJhbFZpZXciOiJNeUZpbGVzTGlua0NvcHkifX0&ga=1&referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Eb3c4cc55%2D43e1%2D43d7%2Dbfbd%2Db2ebb748a783

June 13, 2025 1st Hour: Mr. Ed Mitchell, Lead Investigator for Never Again Moss Landing..why did agencies fail to respond? 2nd Hour, discussing proposed grid-scale lithium BESS in Watsonville

Hour One:  Lead Investigator Mr. Ed Mitchell discusses lack of planning and response from EPA on January 16, 2025 Moss Landing BESS Fire, how he was affected and what people need to do now. https://neveragainmosslanding.org/

 

Hour Two: Host Becky Steinbruner discusses history of Santa Cruz County's three proposed Battery Energy Storage Site (BESS) project sites, with latest news on the 90 Minto Road facility permitting.  Join the grassroots group demanding a countywide moratorium on grid-scale lithium BESS, an impartial panel to advise on the County's BESS Ordinance, and town hall meetings in the Community.

https://www.stoplithiumbessinsantacruz.org/

 

June 6, 2025 Hour One: Tim Richards re: Appeal of 151' Cell Tower in Bonny Doon; Hour Two: Jami Wallace re: Similarities in Agency Actions in East Palestine, OH and Moss Landing Vistra Battery Fire

 

Hour One: Guest Tim Richards discusses his rural Community's hard work to push back on having a 151' tall cell phone tower built in their backyard.  

Scheduled as Item #10 on the June 10 Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor agenda, the Community of Bonny Doon will push back on the appeal before the Board that was launched by CTI.  The Planning Commission sided with the Community and denied the application in February, 2025 that would allow CTI to remove a 70.6' tall wireless communication tower and replace it with a 151.1' tower and nine antennas at 186 Summit Road.  Now, the Board will consider the matter de novo.

 

How can you support this Community ?

 

Here is the link to the Board meeting agenda: https://santacruzcountyca.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=828

 

 

Hour Two: Guest Jami Wallace, resident of East Palestine, Ohio, discusses what happened in her Community in 2023 when a train derailed, producing a  toxic plume of smoke that sickened many.   Public safety agencies responsible for protecting the area failed to take action.  Jami spoke at a recent "Never Again Moss Landing" event at the Prunedale Grange, comparing the pattern of inaction with that of local, state and federal officials involved in the January 16, 2025 Vistra Battery Fire in Moss Landing. 

 

What can people do?  

 

What should Santa Cruz County residents do in the face of the Board of Supervisors set to approve three lithium battery energy storage systems (BESS) here, with the 90 Minto Road one in Watsonville quietly zooming through permitting process?

 

https://whyy.org/segments/two-years-after-east-palestine-train-derailment-health-risks/

 

https://neveragainmosslanding.org/

 

https://www.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2F519407474020832%2F

May 30, 2025 Interviews Hour 1: Sally Arnold with Friends of Rail & Trail; Hour 2: Brian Roeder with Never Again Moss Landing

Hour One: Sally Arnold describes Friends of Rail & Trail, recent opening of new trail serving the Westside, actions yet to come. https://www.railandtrail.org/

Hour Two: Brian Roeder describes Never Again Moss Landing results of Scientist Panel discussion held in Moss Landing, and the June 2 "Bigger Than Moss Landing" event with national science experts Dr. Beatrice Golamb and Scott Smith, as well as East Palestine, Ohio resident Jami Wallace. https://neveragainmosslanding.org/

May 23, 2025 Hour One: Never Again Moss Landing BESS and Santa Cruz County BESS Politics; Hour Two: Barry Branin re: Morro Bay BESS and Activism

Hour One: Never Again Moss Landing Event with Scientists on May 24 and discussion about three proposed BESS sites for Santa Cruz County..keeping pressure on elected officials to listen to the people!

Hour Two: Barry Branin, Protect El Estero Bay and the Morro Bay City Council's two-year moratorium on new BESS ...not all San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors are listening.  Can Santa Cruz County residents fight the conversion of taking ag land out of production?  Listen for good advice.