On Tuesday, June 25, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Santa Cruz County’s proposed low-impact camping areas (LICA) ordinance. This ordinance would allow landowners to host a small number of campers on their property.
We encourage our local organic community to show up in support of this ordinance and to ask the Board of Supervisors to pass an ordinance that would make it easy for local landowners to host a small number of campers.
- Please take a minute today to write a letter or call your Supervisor using the template below.
- Who is my supervisor? Visit the Santa Cruz County website to find your supervisor and their contact information.
- To email the entire Board of Supervisors at once: BoardofSupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov
- Please join the BOS meeting on June 25 at 9:00 a.m. to say your comment. If you submitted a written comment or called ahead of the meeting, we still encourage you to show up and say your comment verbally!
Why should Santa Cruz County allow agritourism?
- Camping on organic farms offers Santa Cruz County’s organic farmers an additional income stream and supports the financial viability of our community’s food producers.
- Organic farmers are accountable land stewards and are well-equipped to serve as responsible camp hosts. Certified organic producers are required by federal law to conserve natural resources including water, soil, air, wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife.
- Organic farmers are key educators in a society where only 2 percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. By providing more accessible and affordable opportunities for the public to visit farms, the LICA ordinance would increase access to agricultural education and empower families to make more informed decisions about their food and health.
Please find a template below that you can edit to include personal stories, feedback on the draft ordinance, and any other information you’d like to share with the Board of Supervisors. Reach out to Laetitia Benador, CCOF’s senior policy advocate, at Lbenador@ccof.org with any questions!
Email/Call Template
Subject: Please pass the proposed low impact camping areas ordinance
To: BoardofSupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov
Dear Chair Cummings and Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors,
As a constituent and organic farmer, I urge you to support the proposed Low Impact Camping
Areas (LICA) Ordinance.
Agriculture is an important part of Santa Cruz County’s economy, identity, and history. But farmers like me need diversification opportunities to keep our businesses economically viable—between the wildfires and drought, the floods and pandemic, inflation and workforce shortages, it’s never been harder to make ends meet on a small farm. That’s why I support the opportunity for private landowners like farmers and ranchers to host a small number of campsites on our properties.
Visitors come from all over the world to visit Santa Cruz County and get a taste of the world- renowned organic food grown here. The county should create ways for farmers like me to participate in and benefit from tourism. The LICA ordinance would let more visitors affordably access the region’s organic farms so families can learn more about where their food comes from and make smarter choices about what they eat and how they stay healthy.
Hosting campers is a great way to increase on-site sales and connect community members and tourists with our local food system and agricultural heritage.
[Optional: Insert personal story about how you/your community would benefit from camping on organic farms.]
Please support an ordinance that makes it easy for landowners to host a small number of low impact campsites and that gives farmers the flexibility needed to host campers in a way that is compatible with the ever-changing needs of our agricultural operations.
Thank you,
[your name, farming operation, and location]