Application for Consideration of Appointment to the Coastal Advisory Committee (CAC)
Thank you for your interest in being appointed to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's Coastal Advisory Committee. The CAC's job will be to review, discuss, and recommend revisions to specified District policies related to the San Mateo County coastal area under consideration for annexation by the District, and will include the responsibility of gathering input from a wide range of community and special interest groups on the Coastside. The District policies to be reviewed include those concerning eminent domain, land acquisition, and agricultural land use.
Please answer the following questions, which will help the existing members of the CAC to select representatives for the three "at large" seats available. The intent of appointing such individuals is to ensure that there is adequate representation for Coastside interests which are otherwise un-represented, or under-represented, on the CAC. "At large" members must live within the area under consideration for annexation. Please limit your answers to the space provided. Please write legibly. This form must be returned to the District office, 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos, CA 94022-1404 (fax: 650-691-0485) by 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 12, 1999.
1) Briefly describe your reasons for wanting to participate on the CAC.
As a resident of Montara and 15-year activist as chair or co-chair of the coastal land use subcomittee of the local Sierra Club Chapter, I have invested a great deal of my personal time in conserving the natural resources of the San Mateo County coast. I believe strongly that farmland along the coast should be preserved and enhanced through both regulatory and non-regulatory approaches including the types of tools and strategies that MROSD can employ. I was active as a member of the Yes on Measure F Campaign and served as a Steering Committee Member for the Friends Of Coastal Open Space (FOCOS) Committee. I also attended many of the public workshops organized by MROSD held prior to the election. I would like to continue my active role in the annexation process.
2) Please describe your personal or professional interest in and knowledge of Coastside land use and land conservation issues, and what expertise or experience you will bring to the CAC.
I am currently employed by the state Coastal Conservancy as a project manager. I have also worked for the state Coastal Commission. I was the project planner and principal author of the recently completed (9/98) ABAG Coastside Subregional Planning Project Report which addresses, in part, the threats to San Mateo County's dimishing coastal farmland and open space. The Report, including its recommended actions to protect and enhance these natural resources has been formally accepted by the Half Moon Bay City Council, the Midcoast Community Council and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
I have a graduate degree in urban and regional planning and possess an extensive and practical understanding of local and state coastal land use policy. I have participated as both a volunteer and a professional in the implementation of the state Coastal Act and County LCP and associated zoning regulations with particular experience in policies and regulations addressing agriculture and recreational access. I was the campaign manager for the successful 1986 San Mateo County Coastal Protection Initiative (Measure A) and have remained active since then on additional efforts to protect our County's farmland through LCP amendments intended to strengthen the Program's resource protection policies.
3) What is the Coastside interest which you feel is un-represented or under-represented on the CAC, and what are your qualifications to represent those interests?
I feel the conservation community that I have been a part of for the past 15 years deserves greater represention on the CAC. See #1 and 2 above regarding qualifications.
4) Do you own property in the coastal area under consideration for annexation? If so, please briefly describe its location, size, and use. (It is important for the CAC to be aware of any potential conflicts of interest that may arise that might be relevant to its deliberations.)
No.
5) What clubs, organizations, or interest groups do you belong to or are you affiliated with?
I was appointed by Rich Gordon to the San Mateo County Agricultural Advisory Committee in the spring of 1997 representing the conservation community. I am a 15 year member of the Sierra Club. I am a member of the Coastal Alliance, a community-based conservation group and serve on its Open Space Working Group. I serve as an appointed member of the Park and Recreation Committee of the Midcoast Community Council. I am also a member of the Committee for Green Foothills and serve on the Board of Directors of the local Surfrider Foundation.
6) Please provide a brief description of your desired outcome of the work of the CAC.
To begin to build concensus between the proponents of Measure F and local landowners, ranchers and farmers on the 3 critical issues of concern to both constituencies as they appear in MROSD's operating policies. To identify and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the values, needs and goals of all the individual and group stakeholders with an interest in farmland and open space protection. To work with the individuals on the CAC representing the various constituencies in a collaborative effort to reach broad agreement on the most appropriate role MROSD can play in protecting farmland and open space along our spectacular San Mateo County coast.
Timothy Duff
P.O. Box 370575
Montara, CA 94037
650-728-2948