Oscar Braun’s drive to incorporate the Southcoast is featured in the Examiner. A couple of days ago, he put out a typically idiosyncratic press release attacking the Coastal Open Space Alliance for its opposition to the plan. The issue is real: self-rule for the 6,500 residents of a vast area that is now run by the county.
The County and incorporation opponents say the tax base can’t provide the necessary infrastructure. Braun plans to pay for it by charging $9.9 million in “mitigation fees” to the state, county and federal parks (and open space agencies?) in the new community. That’s about $1,500 per resident of the new community.
Click “read more” to see the Los Pueblecitos press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2004
Contact: Oscar Braun, Executive Director for Environmental Justice
Mitsuko “Mimi” Iwama, Director of Communications
COSA v. Los Pueblecitos (The Hamlets)
Half Moon Bay, California - Coastal Open Space Alliance (COSA), the “no
growth, anti-community” cartel, has stooped to using egregious tactics to
disenfranchise rural coastal residents. These urban extremists are fighting
tooth and nail to deny rural coastal residents their constitutional right to
vote to determine their community’s future. We rural coastal residents and
land owners stand united in our demand to exercise our right to vote on the
Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District’s (MROSD) Coastside Annexation.
The proposed annexation area engulfs 220 square miles of rural coastal lands
from the southern boundary of Pacifica to the Santa Cruz County line, making
it one of the largest open space annexations in United States history.
Why is COSA so afraid to let local voters determine their community’s own
future?
COSA’s relentless propaganda campaign would have uninformed urban tax payers
believe its altruistic motive is to “preserve the coast’s open space and
agricultural lands from urban sprawl.” Nothing could be further from the
truth! Due to stringent state and local coastal development laws,
restrictive zoning regulations, policies and ordinances, excessive building
fees and assessments, and severe infrastructure limitations, the San Mateo
County Coastside has maintained negative growth and its natural beauty and
rural qualities for decades. There are over 200 less housing units in the
rural coastal zone today than there were 20 years ago, and the population
has decreased over the passing years. Theirs is the big lie, and these no
growth statistics are a matter of public record. What contributed to the
reduction of rural farms and housing stocks? - COSA!
On December 6, 1995, lobbyist Lennie Roberts, Committee for Green Foothills,
proclaimed to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors that they were
“partners” with the Committee for Green Foothills and the Sierra Club in
implementing their so-called Coastside Protection Program. The Program’s
land use and zoning amendments called for the reduction of government
expenditures and reduction of costs to San Mateo County urban taxpayers for
roads, law enforcement, fire protection, schools, and health services
located in rural coastal lands. COSA’s program defined imminent
“development threats” as any increased water supplies, additional sewer
treatment facilities and larger highways. COSA would save the coast by
choking the very infrastructure needed to sustain the rural coastal
communities, and annex the entire coastal zone to MROSD and the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area.
In early 2003, the Rural Lands Incorporation Now Committee (RLINC)
(http://www.rlinc.org) filed a notice of intent with the San Mateo County Local
Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) to circulate a petition to incorporate
the Rural Lands into a township to be called “Los Pueblecitos” (the
Hamlets). Less than 1,000 signatures are required to qualify the petition
for the application process and for the ballot. LAFCo’s Executive Officer,
at the direction of COSA has blocked the approval of the petition
circulation to this day. RLINC has announced that it will start circulating
the petition in the next few weeks. Why do the Rural Lands residents want
to incorporate Los Pueblecitos? Incorporation will allow for local control
and accountability for decisions affecting our rural hamlets, secure
self-governance through elections of local residents, retain local tax
revenues for community services and preserve as well as protect and sustain
the quality of life and values prevailing within the proposed township.
Los Pueblecitos will promote cost-effective services tailored to the need of
local residents and land owners while providing coordinated resource
management and planning services for vital community interests, including
natural watershed systems, parks, and detached MROSD open space lands. The
rural coastal residents have declared their vision for independence to be
realized by July 4, 2005.
COSA has corrupted the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, LAFCO, and the
San Mateo County Elections Division. Their actions violate the very
principles upon which our founding fathers used to build our country.
Thomas Jefferson feared the tyranny of those who fear and distrust the
people, and wish to draw all from them into the hands of higher classes.
James Madison feared the tyranny of the majority and the abridgement of the
freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power.
John Adams feared all men, recognizing that the only maxim of the free
government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the
public liberty.
COSA member organizations include: Committee for Green Foothills, Midcoast
Park Lands, Surfrider Foundation SMC, Save Our Shores, Half Moon Bay Open
Space Trust, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Sierra Club, and Greenbelt
Alliance. Save Our Bay is presently cooperating with government regulatory
authorities in an ongoing investigation and audit of open space special
districts, including a review of policies and practices relating to
applications for grants, use of public funds, and valuation of properties
for tax related purposes.
The Housing Log prepared by the San Mateo County Environmental Services
Agency, Planning and Building Division, the Rate of Development in the Rural
Lands confirms the following: Number of dwelling units (1981-1995): 57
dwelling units; Permitted rate of development: 33 dwelling units per year;
Actual rate of development (average): 4 dwelling units per year (pertains to
main units, and not to second units or affordable housing); The total
number of dwelling units built in rural lands from 1996 to 2001: 12 dwelling
units. It is currently estimated that building fees and assessments for a
new dwelling in the rural coastal area is approaching $100,000. These
building fees and assessments are incurred by a home owner before the
completion of construction and the issuance of an occupancy permit.
Most of the County’s political leaders and open space advocates do not
even live in the San Mateo County Coastside area. San Mateo County
Supervisor Richard Gordon, District 3, the representative for the coastal
area, lives in Menlo Park. Supervisor Gordon is a LAFCo commissioner and
voted to approve the MROSD annexation on April 7, 2004. In a political
campaign report filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission,
Supervisor Gordon reported a $500 civic donation to Green Foothills
Foundation, a major proponent of the MROSD annexation. (San Mateo County is
the only county out of fifty-eight California counties that elects
supervisors at large rather by the district. Each supervisor is now
randomly assigned to represent districts.)
A City - County Makes More Sense (Pt. 1)
I'm intrigued by Oscar Braun's proposal. I don't want to boo-hoo it like some people have. I think it has many merits. This has been brought up in the past, it needs to be looked at again.
The idea of forming a city may create headaches the proponents have not contemplated. The proposed funding of the new city is novel and unprecedented. If the State of California is having problems collecting Homeland Security funds from the feds, the State itself is in dire straits financially, not to mention the County, I think its a stretch the new city can depend on "mitigations", although I would not say its completely impossible, perhaps the new City could begin swift litigation: collecting millions in damages from green-friendly juries. Existing Cities are having a hard enough time getting "local" taxes from the State!
As a tax payer who supports State and Federal parks, I am reluctant to support any funds for their upkeep to pay for Oscar Braun's new City. Furthermore, Im' reluctant to pay user fees that would be passed on to Oscar Braun's new city as mitigation fees. We'll see you in court buddy!
Realistically, the new city might turn to funding sources whith might make a bitter pill : DEVELOPMENT. Commercial districts would need to be bolstered. New hotels (Cities highest producing taxpayers), Big Box Retail, and new high value masterplanned communities, (a la Wavecrest) would need to be encouraged. A Redevelopment Agency might need to be formed. Bonds and Asssessment districts might be needed to take over from the County the provision of services. Just look over hill at Pacifica. Every few years they talk about "Disincorporation". With some businesses, they are still in bad shape. With a tinee business base, I wonder how the new city might fare any better.
A few years ago, someone wrote, "You can't make a Westborough out of Higgins Purisma Canyon". Or wrote something like that. Maybe it was Oscar Braun himself, but there lies the problem here with Coastal Zoning. No one wants development, and that sentiment has migrated into the County Zoning Ordinance through all sorts of odd formulas, requirements and high price tags needed to acquire permit. To quote the zoning ordinance: "if the sun is in transit with mercury, and the square root of the parcel's acreage, divided by its altitude, is less than or equal to the rate of perc, and you can astally project yourself around all corners of the property, and your neighbors, then you got yourself a permit".
The new city certainly could create a redevelopment agency, do eminent domain on Higgins Canyon on all the ponies that live there, and developers would have a field day creating a Westborough out of Higgins Canyon! They'd just create bond districts to bring in all the utilities theyd need and charge the residents!
(cont.)