Expansion of Open Space District to Coast comes closer to reality
New coalition forms to support coastal protections
by April Vargas

Committee for Green Foothills' highest priority in San Mateo County is supporting the proposed expansion of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) boundaries to the coast. As part of that effort, CGF has taken the lead in forming a new partnership among environmental organizations and coastal activists to strengthen regional support for the preservation of coastal agriculture and open space.

Looking south from McNee Ranch State Park.

Through the new Coastal Open Space Alliance (COSA), organizations and individuals are actively collaborating to preserve coastal open space in San Mateo County. In addition to Committee for Green Foothills, the founding member organizations of COSA are Half Moon Bay Open Space Trust, Midcoast Park Lands, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Save Our Shores, Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County.

COSA volunteers have been busy with community outreach, providing information at key Coastside locations and distributing buttons and bumperstickers to supporters of the MROSD boundary expansion, dubbed the Coastside Protection Program. (Campaign materials are also available in the Committee for Green Foothills' office.)

Expansion of District endorsed by political leaders, Farm Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, newspapers, many others
Elected officials, Coastside community leaders and environmentalists announced COSA's formation at a January press conference overlooking the Half Moon Bay shoreline. District 12 Congressman Tom Lantos stressed the importance of COSA's endeavors: "If there was ever an organization that was sorely needed, it is this one."

The movement to support coastal protections is gaining speed: COSA and the Coastside Protection Program have been endorsed by dozens of cities, counties, agencies, elected officials, businesses and organizations, as well as more than 300 individuals from the coastside and beyond. A complete list of endorsements is available on COSA's website, www.CoastalOpenSpace.org.

The Half Moon Bay Review has opined in favor of the Coastside Protection Program and we expect additional newspaper endorsements to follow. The Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce recently endorsed the program as well. Importantly, the San Mateo County Farm Bureau recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MROSD, pledging its support for the expansion once state legislation has been passed that prohibits the use of eminent domain in the coastal area. The support of the farming community for this effort is critical and underscores the focus of the Coastside Protection Program on saving "working" open space such as agricultural lands as well as natural habitats.

Two LAFCo boards vote to support proposed expansion
Support for the Coastside Protection Program is gathering momentum, and the work of COSA and CGF has had two important successes recently. Two regional agencies advising on the proposed boundary expansion, the Local Agency Formation Commissions (LAFCo) of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties, have formally recommended the approval of the proposal. This is due in large part to the huge outpouring of letters, faxes and emails these Commissions received from Committee for Green Foothills member-activists and others in advance of the hearings.

Commission vote in March; future steps still uncertain
The final decision regarding the MROSD boundary expansion lies with the San Mateo County LAFCo, which will hold hearings on the issue in March. Committee for Green Foothills, the Coastal Open Space Alliance and others are working hard to continue to build public support for this proposal.

However, even if the San Mateo County LAFCo approves the proposed boundary expansion for MROSD, this does not guarantee that the boundary expansion will become a reality: LAFCo procedures allow for opponents of the final decision to launch a protest petition drive. That could result in this issue's going to the ballot box in November.

Should this happen, CGF and COSA will be ready to rally even more public support for the expansion of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District boundary. It's important that we not allow a small but vocal minority to compromise the future of coastal open space. Stay tuned for details about how you can continue to support the District's Coastside Protection Program, which is the single best way for us to ensure protections for coastal open space and agriculture.

Coastal protection and the preservation of agriculture are long-term benefits that will be enjoyed by generations to come. We'll be sure to keep CGF members and Footnotes readers up to date as we continue this huge effort to ensure our legacy.