Q. What is the Coastside Protection Program?

A. The Coastside Protection extended the District's service boundary westward to include an area of 220 square miles, serving approximately 30,000 San Mateo coastside constituents. The new boundary extends from the southern border of Pacifica to the San Mateo/Santa Cruz County line. Extension of this boundary provides elected representation to coastside residents and ensures public participation in the development of specific, District coastside policies. Any future projects, including purchase of easements or property from willing sellers, land management services, resource restoration, and community programs will be evaluated by the elected Board, with full public participation.

Q. Why did the District extend its boundaries to include the San Mateo coastal area?

A. In 1997 and 1998, the District received requests and petitions from individuals, organizations, and elected bodies (including the Half Moon Bay City Council and the Midcoast Community Council) to join local efforts by providing locally based open space and agricultural preservation and management services on the coastside. In a subsequent poll, 90% of all San Mateo County residents contacted indicated that preservation of open space from Skyline to the coast was important. The San Mateo coast is a national treasure of great regional pride and interest.

It is likely that lands purchased for preservation by other agencies and organizations in the coastal area will need management services. Other agencies have indicated they do not have the capacity to provide stewardship. The District can provide locally based, long-term stewardship of some of these lands and offer easement opportunities to willing sellers for agricultural lands.

Q. How many acres might the District eventually preserve and manage in the Coastside Protection Program area?

A. Over the next 15 years, the District anticipates it could, with existing funds, purchase or manage approximately 11,800 acres of land within the entire Coastside Protection area. The District estimates that 80% of the land to be acquired is likely to be purchased from other agencies or organizations.

Q. What would be the benefits of the District's Coastside Protection Program?

A. The benefits of the District's Coastal Program would be...

• Agricultural easements to promote viability of the agricultural & rural coastside heritage;


• Experienced staff, providing for the planning, maintenance, and resource management needs of public open space lands;


• 24-hour, radio-dispatched rangers and staff, trained in law enforcement, wildland fire suppression, and first-aid;


• Low-intensity recreational opportunities--regional trail links, such as Skyline-to-the-Sea;


• Minimal facilities (restrooms and information kiosks) and "light footprint" staging areas;


• Enhanced community programs-environmental education and volunteer opportunities;


• A neighborly approach and partnership opportunities to address local land and resource management issues; minimization of flood erosion, landslide, and wildland fire hazards;


• Democratic representation and accountability via an elected board, and staff dedicated and responsive to public requests;


• Enjoyment of coastal rural character, scenic beauty, and local agricultural produce for generations to come.

Q. Will the District use the power of eminent domain to acquire coastside land?

A. No. On Thursday, April 1, 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1195 into law. The bill was developed voluntarily in an agreement between the District and the San Mateo County Farm Bureau. Under the terms of the new law, the District permanently released its right to acquire property through the power of eminent domain in the 220 square miles of coastside encompassed by the proposed Coastside Protection Program. Acquisition of property or conservation easements will be from willing sellers only.

Before the law was passed, based upon comments received from the public during over 40 workshops and meetings in the coastal area, the District Board had unanimously agreed to direct staff to proceed to develop policies to give up eminent domain in the Coastside Protection area. This policy was reinforced by several mechanisms: by inclusion as a permanent policy in the Coastside Service Plan, as a mitigation measure in the Environmental Impact Report, adopted as a "Willing Sellers Ordinance", and included in the "Resolution of Application" to the Local Agency Formation Commission.

Q. How will the coastside residents be represented on the District's elected Board of Directors?

A. The District has 7 elected Board members, which is the maximum permitted by state law. The District is working with coastside residents to determine how to modify the existing ward boundaries to ensure coastside representation. One to four wards could be extended to include coastal constituents. Once the extension is completed, coastsiders could run for Board seats.

Q. How will management of coastal lands and provision of agricultural easements be funded?

A. No taxation would accompany the extension of boundaries. The Coastside Protection Program will be accomplished with existing District funds. The Board of Directors adopted a “Resolution of No Property Tax Exchange”, which ensures that no share of the current property taxes will be requested from another local agency or special district. This means the property taxes collected in San Mateo County will continue to be distributed exactly as they are today. If the District were to seek additional tax revenue in the future, it would do so according to state law. (State law currently requires that a 2/3 majority of voters approve assessment for any new taxation.)

Q. What authority will the District have on the coastside, if the boundary extension is successful?

A. The District has no regulatory power over how other individuals or agencies use or manage their property. The District is another landowner, subject to all local, state, and federal land use regulations. In fact, as a public agency and good neighbor, the District considers public input, invites more influence from its neighbors, and confronts the same permit issues as private property owners.

Q. Who has endorsed the program?

A. To date, the Coastside Protection Program has been endorsed by 19 cities, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara LAFCos, state and federal elected representatives, and a host of environmental, recreational, and business organizations, including the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce.

See Resolutions of Support for a list of supporters.