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.
I have been working on this process (the MROSD expansion) for over two years. I was one of the original group of Coastside residents who initiated discussions with the District regarding coastal open space resource protection. Early on, I realized that the District would need to work out a revised set of policies for operation on the coast, especially those concerning agricultural lands and acquisition, and that this would best be done with the participation of the various stakeholders and interest groups in our communities. For these reasons, I was an advocate for both a coastal advisory vote on the district expansion (Measure F) and for the establishment of this Coastal Advisory Committee.
For this process to work, I believe it is important we listen to and learn from each other. We all have concerns about long-term land use planning, and we all have concerns about individual property rights. I respect these concerns, and encourage the involvement and activism they engender. And I also respect the District's mission of land conservation. I do not see these as exclusive or adversarial issues; we can work to the mutual benefit of all involved to help preserve and enhance our coastal communities and quality of life. I believe my experience and background (outlined further below) can greatly contribute to and facilitate the process of this committee.
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 a founding member of the Coastal Alliance Open Space Working Group, which was formed to study the various resources and options for land conservation on the San Mateo County Coast (one of which was the coastal expansion of MROSD.) I am on the board of a local land trust (Midcoast Parklands) and active in many environmental and conservationist programs (see list in #5 below). I regularly attend and participate in meetings of the Bay Area Open Space Council for the purpose of learning how other agencies, districts, and land trusts deal with land conservation issues in their areas.
I am an appointed member of two standing committees of the MidCoast Community Council: Planning & Zoning and Parks & Recreation. Both these committees are chartered to reflect their County counterparts, and work with County staff and agencies on their relative issues in the MidCoast area. This work often involves resolving antagonistic conflicts of land-use and development patterns. I have personally endeavored to establish cooperative working relationships between the County, the MidCoast communities, land owners and developers within the boundaries of our LCP and zoning regulations. Not always successfully, but I try.
I am familiar with the County zoning regulations, General Plan, Local Coastal Program , the State Coastal Act and applicable land-use policies & regulations. I have studied the District's policies, and reviewed them in the light of these regulations and programs. I have met and talked with groups and individuals from Montara to Pescadero about the issues surrounding the MROSD expansion. I have developed good working relationships with County, State and Federal representatives and agencies involved with land-use planning and conservation. I regularly attend meetings of the Planning Commission, Agricultural Advisory Committee, Board of Supervisors, and any meeting where I feel important coastal land use issues are being discussed.
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?
My motivation for supporting the MROSD expansion has always been the benefits that the coast might derive from it: the preservation of natural habitats, wild areas, rural communities, surrounding rural lands, family farms, ranches, agricultural operations, and our sweeping vistas from mountain to ocean. I believe a substantial number of the residents here share this motivation - certainly enough to pass the Measure F advisory vote.
The work of this committee is key to the realization of those benefits, but I feel it lacks the required level of advocacy for those benefits. The committee currently has solid local representation from its elected councils and boards, knowledgeable voices from the farming community, and the land conservation expertise of POST and MROSD. In my opinion, these need to be combined with the viewpoints of coastal conservationists to realize the best level of community and individual benefit and protection. As a long-time activist and responsible community leader in the area of coastal conservation, I feel I am amply qualified to be one of the representatives of this advocacy on the CAC.
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, I do not. I have owned personal residential property here in the past, and plan to do so in the future. I have no land investment or development interests or holdings.
5) What clubs, organizations, or interest groups do you belong to or are you affiliated with?
6) Please provide a brief description of your desired outcome of the work of the CAC.
I see the role of the CAC as developing a set of coastal-specific policy recommendations for MROSD operation in this area. This will need to be done from points of common interest and benefit among the diverse interests and stakeholders throughout the coastal communities. There is much to be learned of technical, legal, and cultural issues by all involved with this process. I feel confident that the support and leadership of this committee will facilitate that learning so that we can move toward cooperative effort in developing specific policy for the benefit of all on the coast. I hope to help the committee in whatever way is necessary to achieve this goal.
Chuck Kozak
PO Box 370702 (375 7th St.)
Montara, CA 94037
(650)728-8239 - cgk@montara.com