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Our other open space district
Young agency saving public land in Santa Clara County
by Jim Foran
photo by Cait Hutnik |
We are all familiar with the terrific job that has been done by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) in preserving 50,000 acres along the skyline and now expanding their efforts to the coast. However, MROSD's boundaries stop at the cities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, and Los Gatos. In 1992 the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) was created between MROSD and the East Bay. It includes the rest of Santa Clara County, with the exception of the City of Gilroy whose City Council elected not to participate.
OSA survives early taxpayer organization challenges
Like MROSD, OSA is a special district that is completely separate from the County and has its own elected Board of Directors, including yours truly. You haven't heard much about OSA because its funding sources have been the subject of contentious lawsuits from "taxpayer" organizations. Clearing those challenges all the way through the US Supreme Court for OSA's first Benefit Assessment took eight years.
Luckily for all of us, MROSD was created and initially funded prior to Prop 13 by a majority vote rather than having to achieve a two votes to one margin that has been in place since then. The Authority was created as a "Benefit Assessment District" by a majority vote and a majority approved its funding assessment in an advisory vote prior to the Board action to assess property owners in the district.
Assessment helps preserve 10,000 acres
This first assessment yielded $4 million dollars a year. The money OSA accumulated during the lawsuit has helped to protect 10,000 acres; however, the OSA has identified over 100,000 acres that are in need of protection. After losing the final appeal the plaintiffs resorted to crafting Prop 218 which requires assessments elections to be conducted by mail-in ballot of property owners only. The Authority passed an additional assessment in 2001 for an additional $8 million dollars. So far, we have won in both the District and, recently, the Appeals Court. We are now waiting to learn whether the State Supreme Court will hear their appeal. It is frustrating to have to wait with funding tied up in court while our original funds dwindle, but we remain confident that the will of the people will ultimately prevail.
Acquisitions add links in the Bay Ridge Trail
The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority has concentrated acquisition activity in three areas. One is in the east San Jose foothills above Alum Rock Park where we are working to connect the Bay Area Ridge Trail between Ed Levin County Park in Milpitas and Grant County Park in Hall's Valley on the road to Mt. Hamilton. The second area is in a triangle between Calero County Park, Uvas Canyon County Park, and MROSD's Sierra Azul Preserve. We are close to connecting all three of those areas. Both of these areas have trails that are open to the public through the existing parks. The third area connects the County's new Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Park to Henry Coe State Park. You can learn more about the OSA and get directions to the trails at www.openspaceauthority.org.
Jim Foran represents District Two on the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Board and serves as the agency's Vice-Chairperson. He is also a member of Committee for Green Foothills' Board of Directors.
Published November 2005 in Green
Footnotes.
Page last updated
September 13, 2010
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