Final approval of Open Space District to Coast not quite final
Battle to preserve coastal open space rages on
by April Vargas

While the expansion of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) to the Coast won decisive approval from the agency charged with approving boundary changes in such special districts, the victory to protect coastal open space and agriculture is not yet final.

Thanks to broad public support and an unprecedented effort from a coalition of pro-open space supporters including Committee for Green Foothills, Coastal Open Space Alliance, and many others, the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) approved the proposal on April 7 with a 6-1 vote.

LAFCo's approval sets the stage for the extension of District boundaries to include some 140,000 acres west of Skyline. The addition of this region to the District will allow MROSD to purchase and manage lands in this area and create public open space preserves on the Coast, under their proposed Coastside Protection Program.

This is a huge victory for long term protection of the agricultural and natural resources on the Coast.

Approval follows years of planning, negotiations and compromise
The LAFCo decision followed years of planning, four public hearings and more than nine hours of testimony. In the weeks prior to the vote, MROSD signed agreements with the La Honda-Pescadero School District and San Mateo County Fire services to offset any possible economic impact on these agencies; none of the special districts on the Coast have opposed the expansion.

Also just prior to the vote, landowner fears were alleviated when Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill removing MROSD's power of eminent domain in the proposed expansion area - codifying MROSD's "willing sellers only" policy.

Despite the decisive vote by the LAFCo board and strong support from the community, including the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce, the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, and many, many others, the battle to preserve open space and agricultural lands on the San Mateo County Coast rages on.

LAFCo allows citizens' protest
Under LAFCo law, if opponents can within 60 days obtain protest signatures of 25% of the registered voters in the proposed expansion area, the boundary expansion issue will go to a Coastside-only vote. Signatures of 50% of the voters would cancel the decision outright. In yet another provision unique to LAFCo law, anyone signing a protest petition can withdraw that signature at any time during the protest period.

As opponents worked to collect signatures, Committee for Green Foothills and other supporters of the Coastside Protection Program, organized through the Coastal Open Space Alliance (COSA), have focused on educating the public about the consequences of signing a protest petition and collecting withdrawals from citizens who realize that they signed in error.

COSA works to inform the Coastside
CGF, along with other members of COSA, staffed information tables at key public locations, answering citizens' questions and making available withdrawal of protest forms.

COSA's strong neighborhood outreach efforts included letters to editors, newspaper editorials, advertising, mailings and precinct walking.

We also displayed yard signs throughout the Coastside, encouraging supporters to "Decline to Sign" the protest petitions, with several large signs prominently displayed along Highway 1, at the northern edge of Devil's Slide and along Highway 92.

Next steps and outcome uncertain
The San Mateo County Elections Department and LAFCo officials are now embarking on the process of validating and counting these signatures. To ensure a fair public process, open space supporters are monitoring the process of validating and tallying signatures.

LAFCo has until July 9 to certify the number of valid signatures and determine whether the proposal stands as approved, or will go to election. As we go to press, we don't know the outcome, but it will likely be news by the time our readers receive this issue of Green Footnotes.

CGF will continue to fight for protecting our Coast
The successful expansion of the open space district boundary remains a high priority for Committee for Green Foothills. The MROSD Coastside Protection Program is the single best way we have to protect our coastal resources, and CGF will continue to work with others toward the implementation of this visionary program.