The Committee is Watching...

Committee for Green Foothills’ Legislative Advocates and volunteers juggle multiple projects to protect the environment in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

In addition to those projects described in this issue's articles, the Committee is watching:

... the city of San Jose, which has been stalling development of a county-wide Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) but has indicated recently that it may finally move forward.

... Cindy Rubin and Ciddy Wordell, who are working hard as co-chairs for our fall gala event, Nature's Inspirations.

... El Granada, where, thanks to funding from the California Coastal Conservancy, the San Mateo County Parks Division has started the planning for the California Coastal Trail segment on the blufftop portion of the now protected 49-acre parcel known as Mirada Surf.

... the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club, which recently honored CGF's Legislative Advocate extraordinaire Lennie Roberts with its 2004 Zone Conservation Certificate of Acknowledgement "in appreciation of her constant surveillance and informed attention to the issues involved in the preservation and conservation of our land."

... the County of Santa Clara, which - at the urging of Supervisor Liz Kniss - is considering incorporation of a General Plan update fee with all its development permit approvals, so that development projects in the County, which change land use and ultimately require the General Plan to be updated, pay their fair share of costs.

... Palo Alto's CityBeat cable TV magazine, which will feature CGF as part of their July issue.

... Gov. Schwarzenegger's new appointments to the Coastal Commission and other environmental agencies, to see whether these appointees are supporting the mandates of their agencies to protect and manage our natural resources.

... Elaine French, Priscilla Hexter, Peter LaTourrette and Peter Lipman, who are serving as the jurors for the Nature's Inspirations art exhibition on October 30.

... the Wavecrest site in Half Moon Bay, where developers continue their quest to build on this wetland habitat despite evidence of its importance for migratory birds and clearly-better locations for development elsewhere.

... local proposed routes for California's high-speed rail to connect the north and south of the state with a fast train system; proposed alignments threaten Henry Coe State Park, open space around Mt. Hamilton, wetlands and protected wildlife areas.

... House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, whose efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act have held up the listing of the Central California population of the California tiger salamander as threatened - a listing that would have ramifications for property owners throughout the Central Valley as well as on the Peninsula.

... the update process for the MidCoast Local Coastal Plan, an important document guiding protection of the coastal zone; the San Mateo County Planning Commission will continue to hold hearings on this issue - and receive public input, including extensive comments from CGF - through 2004.

... the City of Morgan Hill, which may be on the verge of approving the Institute Golf Course project despite environmental concerns and potential violations of the Endangered Species Act; last-minute meetings may determine whether additional mitigations will fix the environmental damage.