A washout of state Highway 1 caused national headlines at the end of March by stranding motorists near Big Sur in Monterey County. On Wednesday, neighboring Santa Cruz County’s civil grand jury released a report finding that 63 percent of their local roads are in poor or failed condition.
Reliant on state, federal and county funds, the county road budget’s deficit runs over $800 million, according to the civil grand jury. The California Constitution established grand juries in each of the state’s counties. Citizen jurists collaborate to investigate their local governments and write reports to hold them accountable.
In making its assessments, the grand jury relied on a 2019 independent audit, carried out by the Richmond engineering firm NCE. The audit called for roads to be re-evaluated every two to five years, depending on their use. The grand jury wrote that it could not assess if those inspections had taken place. It presumed that costs have increased while road conditions may have worsened.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission found in 2020 that the county roads’ pavement conditions ranked as the 12th worst out of those in California’s 58 counties. The grand jury asserted that many roads have not been repaired for decades.
Jason Hoppin, a spokesperson for Santa Cruz County, wrote in an email, “We have had to borrow money to keep the lights on because we have spent so much money on roads.”
Ayres Associates, a Midwest-based engineering company focused on surface mapping and transportation, wrote on their website that a new asphalt road should last approximately 18 years without maintenance. Traffic, weather, tree roots and water incursion from cracks contribute to road repair needs.
‘Unstated’ maintenance strategy
The Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works estimated that reconstructing a road costs eight times more than sealing it as part of normal maintenance. The grand jury said that DPW prioritizes maintaining roads in fair condition over more significant repairs.
The jury stated in its report, “This is not a formal policy on the part of the County and many residents are not aware of this unstated strategy.”
Hoppin wrote, “If they mean that we sometimes focus on more cost-effective repairs than the more expensive longer-term ones? I think that’s probably true in some cases.”
Regarding the report, Hoppin wrote “We agree with the conclusions and the need for more funding. What the report doesn’t highlight is the primary issue — storm damages.”
Hoppin estimated the county spent a quarter of a billion dollars responding to eight storms since 2017, with half the costs reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That shortfall required the county to borrow money to make repairs.
“This is what climate change is doing to local governments,” he added. “There are just no more resources to put into roads.”
The grand jury acknowledged recent natural disasters have had an effect, but said, “The biggest threat to our roads could be deferred maintenance (aka ‘unfunded backlog’).”
It estimated this needed but unfunded work would cost over $400 million, increasing to almost $480 million by 2028.
Culverts help divert stormwater from roads and minimize the risk of washout. The report estimates the backlog of culvert repair at $400 million.
The grand jury also cited Santa Cruz County’s relatively low allocation for general repairs. Proposition 13 froze the proportion of counties’ budgets spent on certain areas, like education or capital repairs. They keep to the same spending allotments as when the proposition passed in 1978.
Santa Cruz County contributes roughly 13.5 percent of a tax on 1 percent of property values to a general fund that includes road repairs. Members of the grand jury said that allotment is very low compared to other counties in California.
Finding the funding
According to the grand jury, the greatest potential source of funds could be a readjustment of County Service Area Special District 9D. One-quarter of the roads’ repair budget comes from funds raised through the special district. It was established in 1983 to pay for the county’s needs, charging a fee to each property owner in the zone.
The report stated the special district’s needs assessments have not changed in over 40 years. If they were adjusted for inflation, the service charges would be worth more than three times the current amount collected.
“That amount barely pays for the gas to go visit a pothole, let alone fill it,” added Hoppin.
The civil grand jury also stated they could not find adequate information about how the county uses the special district’s funds.
“We agree with the conclusions and the need for more funding. What the report doesn’t highlight is the primary issue — storm damages.” James Hoppin, Santa Cruz County spokesperson
“There’s nothing that shows this money was spent on road XYZ,” said Steve Shupe of the grand jury. “Just that they took in X amount of dollars and they spent the same amount on services. There’s no accountability for how that money is spent.”
Santa Cruz’s 586 miles of county roads serves its population of roughly 250,000, approximately half of whom live in unincorporated areas that depend on county roads.
The grand jury said the DPW relies on public feedback to determine the need for repairs. Their investigation included a test of the complaint system. Some repairs, the report said, were completed within one week.
The report added that the public can inform the county of road problems such as potholes via the “My Santa Cruz County” mobile app for phones (both Apple and Android), the “My Santa Cruz County” website, or by phone at 831-454-2160.
