Hello Manu
When we reach out, Save Pleasure Point (SPPt) appreciates your and your staff’s prompt
responses including your meetings with our Steering Committee.
“Thanks” to the WSJ, NYTimes and Sunset articles, PPt was found-out!! With summer “here”
our daily and weekend crowds will increase creating extra wear on our infrastructure and on
residents.
Keeping our “Hood” spiffy, safe and accessible is a PR goldmine for the County and a boost for
Lower 41st’s small businesses. As such, we have complied a detailed list from 23 rd Ave to
Moran Lake to along East Cliff Dr, to Portola and in our Avenues of “safety, maintenance and
beautification” needs and suggestions. We’d appreciate your getting these concerns on Parks –
Rec and Public Works’ active ”workboards’.
Speeding, Congestion on East Cliff Dr (ECDr) – the Avenues, on Portola
25-mph is rarely adhered to ANYWHERE. a summertime 20-mph speed limit for our
narrow Avenues and on ECDr would be a worthy experiment! Note: many Capitola
village streets are posted 15-mph
Drivers have to be bobble heads getting through the stop signs at Portola’s 38 th and 41 st
Avenue intersections (recently a Tesla went under a bus at 38 th ). It is time for a
solution: a light, flashing lights on the stop signs – something!
Stop signs on 26 th,, 30 th , 34 th , 36 th , 37 th and 38th are often rolled through. The CHP could
ticket dozens at 38 th and Floral. Drivers ignore the stop on 37 th at Floral – this should be
a 4-way stop. Cars going up the 23 rd Ave hill have been clocked at 50-mph
Paint is mostly non-existent: we have faded curbs, crosswalks, street stripping
Deliveries for Portola business should drop on Portola; the big delivery trucks now using
36 th and 38 th Avenue (1 lane each way) are creating bottlenecks and hazards for drivers
and pedestrians
East Cliff Drive (ECDr), the East Cliff Path (Path), The Hook
The Path’s surfaces are uneven; people have tripped, and some have fallen!! One
woman tripped, broke her tooth, had plastic surgery on her lip yet the County denied
responsibility
Originally this Path was 2-sided: the decomposed granite side for walking and asphalt
side for bikes. Now bikes and people jostle for space; the crowds added to strollers and
wheelchairs require full use of this Path
Bikes (every type) should be restricted from the Path
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The bike lane needs “green stripping” and signage; bicycles and e-bikes go in both
directions; cars drive in it
Hook’s parking lot: people use a stepping-stone walk out to ECDr which notes the need
for a 2nd crosswalk here (original crosswalk is at the Hook’s shower)
Moran Beach – Lake, Moran’s Parking Lot, Moran Walking – Bike Path, Monarch Habitat Area
A very popular beach area, Jesse Williams and Steve Wiesner have been proactive
resolving Moran issues. Storm damage and extensive public use requires on-going
maintenance and upgrades: if Moran’s restoration plan monies are not “locked in” why
not use them now to make needed fixes?
Monitoring is needed: homeless tents go up at night and down during the day on the
beach and along the lake; RVs sometimes reside in the parking lot
The parking lot’s deep ruts cause problems for small cars and are tripping hazards for
pedestrians (this lot is often full)
The orange dots on the lake’s temporary wood fence fade and should be touched-up
often
“Hillside” erosion on the right side of the lake could reduce Moran’s walking- bike path’s
width; new boulders appear to be stopping this problem: we appreciate this being
watched
Aqua paint vs beige on Moran’s toilet/shower “shed” would be a cheerful plus (we’ll buy
paint and rollers)
Added to Moran’s crosswalk flashing beacon flashing yellow lights set further back on
ECDr would add to alerting drivers to Moran’s multitudes of pedestrian crossings
Acknowledge crossing “desire lines”: widen this crosswalk as pedestrians walk outside of
it per its short yet extra distance from/to the parking lot
A recontouring of the beach’s steep and slippery entry/exit path would make it safer,
easier for regular users and allow more disabled folks to enjoy Moran too
Moran’s bike and walking path needs more visible signage
Vacant ECDr lot at Palisades: if the old very large eucalyptus falls it will go across ECDr
into 2 homes (how much have repairs to 3 homes already cost the County?). This
Monarch butterfly habitat area could remain protected by planting a combination of
golden rod, black-eyed susans, butterfly bush, cosmos, lantana, etc.
The ECDr/Moran/Palisades crosswalk is on a blind curve; as many cars speed it is rarely
used (beacon or not); moving it closer to Anchorage would increase usage
Toilets – Showers at Moran Lake, 32 nd @ ECDr and the Hook
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In constant use these toilets and showers should be kept in working order and cleaned
at least 2x per day. On holidays, during surf constants and other events their use
increases by multitudes and could use cleaning 4x a day
Fire Prevention
Tall, drying weeds are in PPt’s bike lanes, street curb areas, along the Path, along 30 th –
41 st ’s rail tracks and on islands
Where viable, spreading rock salt in many areas could deter weed growth for a year+;
goats would also be useful weed control; reducing weed-wack time could save labor
costs
Presumably PPt’s fire hydrants are in working order
Vacation Rentals and Airbnb’s
This irritant of many PPt neighbors needs ongoing vigilance. Compliance should include
uniform VR signage posted* in front of all permitted units. A Next-Door post recently
listed CA cities abolishing or restricting VR’s – most replied: “get Santa Cruz on this list”
*perhaps at Airbnb’s too
Together let’s keep our PPt beach neighborhood safe and our vibrant vibe intact! In advance,
we thank you for your support.
Respectfully – SPPt’s Steering Committee: Jo Ann Allen, Kimber Blackburn, Patti Brady, Carin
Hanna, Glenn Hanna, Lowell Marcus, George McCullough, Padi Romero, Matt McMillan, Debbie
Shulman, Jerry Still, Marika Strauss, Kevin Walter, Vanessa Young (all PPt residents, property
owners and business owners
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