Yee announces bill to get HMB $10 million in parks money for Beachwood

State Senator Leland Yee has announced that he plans to introduce a bill, SB 650, to allocate $10 million in Proposition 84 Park Bond funds to Half Moon Bay so the city can acquire Beachwood for a public park.

Under the bill, there would be no houses built on the the property.  According to Half Moon Bay mayor John Muller, with the addition of the $5 million in settlement money set aside from the Association of Bay Area Governments settlement, "the city would only have to raise at most $4 to $5 million".  Muller told me that it might be possible to borrow that much without issuing a bond.

The city must pay Beachwood owner Chop Keenan $18 million by August 29 under the settlement, according to Muller.

The bill will be presented at the city council meeting on Tuesday, April 7.

SB 650 will be considered by a Senate policy committee in the coming weeks.  Assemblyman Jerry Hill will amend an identical bill (AB 650) in the Assembly.

Because SB 650 is an "urgency" measure, it must receive a 2/3 vote in order to pass. Muller noted that all segments of the community must support the bill if it is to receive the necessary votes in both houses.

While the city will receive an option to buy the adjacent Glencree property as part of the settlement, Muller declined to say what would be done with it, saying that he was focused on resolving the Beachwood issue right now.