Change We Can All Live With

| Hilary and Rick

Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?” – C.S. Lewis

Standing in line at the Half Moon Bay Bakery, I admire the faded hot rod photos and drag race posters from long ago. The warmhearted ladies working the counter effortlessly switch back and forth from Spanish to English while Desi Sanchez, the new owner, plies his tradecraft in back. If you like doughnuts (and I love doughnuts), their crumb is the greatest dough’ on earth. I wonder if we can get it declared a historical monument so that it never changes. Sanchez is an old hand in the bakery he now owns, and the ladies know how much we all love those doughnuts. I’m safe. For now.

I finish off my treat a few steps away at the newly refurbished Mac Dutra Plaza. The new umbrellas soften the austere feeling. In 10 years, the New Zealand box trees will make that corner look amazing. Some change you just can’t rush.

Which leads us to the change we face now. After decades of public service, John Muller and Marina Fraser have decided to retire from the City Council. They did their best and have accomplished much we can be proud of. Thank them.

The upshot is, come November, we will swear in two rookies to govern the city. In some respects, it’s a great time to be stepping in — the local economy is booming, the city’s coffers are flush, the Hernandez Bridge at Pilarcitos Creek has been reopened, and the new library, skate park and gymnasium are on the way. Heady stuff.

On the other hand, the city is just getting into the heavy lifting on the new General Plan. The old plan has protected access to the beaches and the breathtaking sense of openness that defined Half Moon Bay for more than 30 years. Despite that, it has inconsistencies and shortcomings that need to be fixed now. The city has invested nearly $1 million in the process so far. It has collected feedback from stakeholders large and small, young and old, in every neighborhood, and in at least two languages. Go to planHMB.org to see for yourself.

You will see there that our top priorities are: 1) improve traffic, 2) protect open space and trails, 3) preserve our small-town character, 4) develop a more walkable and livable city, and 5) concentrate development in the downtown core.

If done right, the new General Plan will make that possible. If done poorly, we may well open the city up to indefensible legal risks, costly litigation, unchecked development, loss of the Coastal Trail and financial insolvency. Yikes.

To achieve our priorities, we must move forward. We should do so with great diligence and with as much high-quality help as possible, even if it takes a little more time. We need to foster frank discussions with development and conservation interests so we can take risks off the table. The leaders we choose in November must have the focus and professionalism to bring us all together to make this happen. If they do, we will have change we can all live with.

Stop The Coastal Commission Coup

| Hilary and Rick

We had friends over for dinner the other night. They are recent transplants from the East Coast. They marveled, “How can a place like Half Moon Bay still exist? Why wasn’t it overrun years ago?” 
How indeed?

Some would attribute it to our vocal and fractious citizenry, protesting infringements on open space. As the legend goes, David Iverson and Deborah Ruddock chained themselves to bulldozers on the bluff tops 20 years ago. Those things help, but, as a Half Moon Bay planning commissioner, I’ve come to appreciate the critical role that our municipal code and General Plan, along with the will of the people, play in the defense of our little outpost.

However plucky our community or well written our city code, it wouldn’t amount to much if not for the power of the California Coastal Commission behind it. The commission and its staff enforce the California Coastal Act, which protects our beaches, scenic views of hillsides, and wildlife habitat from unmanaged growth.

Our entire city is within the jurisdiction of the commission. This means that our city has to follow the policies of the Coastal Act, and any mistakes we make in its enforcement are appealable to the commission itself.

Over the decades, the commission has taken a hands-on approach in protecting Half Moon Bay from the excesses of development interests. In particular, Executive Director Charles Lester has been at the forefront, striking the right balance between environmental protection and appropriate development. One of my fellow planning commissioners spoke recently of the “new spirit of cooperation” Lester is encouraging. The Los Angeles Times reports that, “50 environmental and social justice groups say that Lester’s five-year record of interpreting and enforcing the Coastal Act is a good one” and cites his work increasing penalties for those who deny beach access while also reducing process times for permits and appeals.

This is not enough for big development interests and their lobbyists, however, who have been chipping away at these protections, aided and abetted by Gov. Jerry Brown, who has appointed four aggressively pro-growth commissioners who have targeted Lester. The Times has referred to their attempts to remove him as the “Coastal Commission Coup” and Stanford lecturer Steve Blank says this is a critical time to stand up: “Do we want to look at miles of beaches behind locked gates and wall-to-wall condos … or do we want to share with our grandchildren the same open vistas and glorious beaches that we have today?”

On Feb. 10, Lester will have a public hearing to defend himself against vested development interests. If he loses, we all lose our most stalwart ally in keeping Half Moon Bay so special. Let the governor know you support Lester and his efforts to protect California beaches. Here’s the number: (916) 445-2841. 

Listen to our Community

| Hilary and Rick

My comments to the Half Moon Bay City Council on  December 2nd, 2014 (26:13).

I’m Rick Hernandez and I live at 360 Poplar Street

Alan and Naomi, thank you for your service to our community. I welcome the new council.

I have comments on the General Plan Update commissioned by the outgoing council. We are about to start public workshops and I’m concerned that the draft documents do not reflect the priorities of the community. If we don’t correct course, we will waste time and money and alienate both residents and visitors.

Here’s why: the City reports that 80% of our town supports or strongly supports the protection of open space. In the Community Survey from May 2014, it is our #1 priority. Tonight, I am presenting a petition signed by more than two thousand three hundred people who agree.

Unfortunately, the draft plans ignore the consensus of our community. They include new subdivisions, roads and commercial projects on or along the Coastal Trail at Redondo Beach, Poplar Beach, and Francis Beach. These plans would make traffic worse, contribute to sprawl, and destroy stunning views and wildlife habitat forever. While we all agree with Mayor Muller that the bluff tops are sacred, why remove protections that keep them safe? Existing zoning and Planned Unit Development strikes a good balance between coastal protection and property rights. They should not be changed lightly! The Sierra Club, the Committee for Green Foothills and Coastside Land Trust agree.

We ask to you to listen to the overwhelming feedback from our community and direct city staff to incorporate the following changes prior to public workshops:

  1. Don’t change any existing land designations unless those changes provide clear protection for open space, revitalize our small town charm, and improve traffic.
  2. Provide maps of actual conditions on the ground, including sensitive habitat and wetlands as required under city law and the LCP. Don’t waste time and money talking about changes where it’s ill-advised or illegal.
  3. Clarify that with existing inventory and infill housing, we have more than 200% of what is required to meet our housing needs.

Instead of starting with the maximum build out and filling every spectacular view with development, let’s start the conversation with what we love about Half Moon Bay. Let’s make the targeted adjustments necessary to improve our community and protect our stunning natural resources for generations to come.

| Hilary and Rick

Open Space vs. open space

By Rick Hernandez

After a year long process, city staff and consultants presented a hodgepodge of proposals collected in the form of three maps to the General Plan Advisory Committee last week. More than 50 additional citizens, many of them wearing orange in support of open space and bluff tops along the Coastal Trail attended. What the plans lacked in any long term vision, they made up for in getting the conversation started with an engaged audience.

As I listened to folks debate specific details on the maps and express consternation about this or that, I was struck by a major communication issue. The technical experts from over the hill leading the process were speaking a different language than the locals. You see, it turns out there is a major difference between open space and Open Space.

We moved to Half Moon Bay in 2008 because we loved the open space. We walk our kids to school. Nearly every day, we enjoy some part of the Coastal Trail along with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean over the bluff tops west of Highway 1.  It turns out that the open space, which is the defining characteristic of our small town, is not actually Open Space, and this is where folks get confused.

While most of the land in city limits is undeveloped, open space. It is NOT in fact Open Space Preserve protected in perpetuity. To the contrary, much of the land west of Highway 1 that contributes so much to our rural aesthetic, wildlife, and erosion control, is technically zoned for development as part of something called a P.U.D, which is ostensibly a sub-division. Despite this designation, owners are effectively blocked from developing it under current land use policies defined in the General Plan and other zoning regulations. Other parcels are zoned as agricultural, regional public recreation, or urban reserve.  Collectively, these constitute more than half of the land in town. So before we make any changes, we better make sure we get it right. Here is where something gets lost in translation.

The consultants were excited because in some of these plans, they increased what is technically considered Open Space Reserve. They were being responsive to the community! However, to the horror and confusion of many in the audience looking at these maps, virtually every other piece of undeveloped property is being moved into something that looks like new housing and commercial real estate. A hotel/coffee shop at the west of end of Kelly! Rezoning for Mansions on Redondo Beach! The justification for these radical changes are unclear. What is clear is that virtually every piece of undeveloped land is literally on the table. As one of the attendees pointed out, the strip of actual green space along the bluffs appear to shrink significantly in these maps.

Based on the overwhelming feedback at last week’s meeting, I don’t see that happening any time soon. Fortunately, this is a slow moving process and we can and will change the discourse. Part of that will be learning to speak the same language.

As we work through these communication issues, we need our city leaders to help us articulate that defining vision of what we want to be 10, 25, or a 100 years from now. Without a clearly defined destination, it doesn’t make sense to pay somebody to tell you how to get there.  Now is the time to take a short time out and define that vision.

If it’s an open process, you can count me in.

Rick Hernandez & Friends of the Coastal Trail will be wearing lots of orange when they attend the Planning Commission Meeting on December 9th @ the Emergency Operations Center.

A New Constitution for Half Moon Bay

Image | | Hilary and Rick

Rick Hernandez

wethepeopleYou may not know it, but our city is in the process of writing a new constitution.

This living document is not being drafted in a stuffy room by men wearing powdered wigs and stockings. Rather, it’s being written at the Emergency Operation Center and City Hall and it’s called the General Plan. This document will define the strategic objectives of our town and its very nature for decades to come. It will impact traffic, housing, and the types of businesses we want to promote. Most importantly, this document will affect whether or not we retain our small town charm and protect the lifeblood of our community, the coastal trail and surrounding open space from the foothills to the sea.

City staff, volunteer committee members and private consultants have been working on this process for nearly a year – collecting feedback through surveys, community forums and public meetings. Collectively, they have articulated guiding principles, which at their core reflect the overwhelming community feedback: maintain and enrich our small town character and protect and enhance the Coastal Trail and surrounding open space.

Now is when the rubber hits the road, and our guiding principles and community values are most likely to be tested by the self interest of a select few. Tomorrow night, the General Plan Advisory Committee will review its first working drafts. At first blush, these maps and proposals are alarming; virtually every piece of open space along the coastal trail, and undeveloped property and farmland in the city limits is up for change.

Sadly, most of us aren’t even aware this process is going on. But it is…and if you care about the character of our community, you better pay attention and get involved. Twenty years ago, David Iverson and Deborah Ruddock led a campaign to stop bulldozing the bluffs. Today, we face a much more subtle but no less dangerous threat to our community. Fortunately, this is an open process and you can participate by just showing up!

It’s fitting that this opinion will be published just after Veteran’s day, a holiday dedicated to the men and women who served in the armed forces to protect our nation’s constitution. How will you serve your community and the generations to come? Will you get engaged and fight for the core values that have served our community, or will you let somebody else take your place?

If you can, please join us for at least the first 30 minutes of tomorrow night’s meeting for a brief overview of the proposals and limited public comment – wearing orange if you support protecting the Coastal Trail and surrounding open space. This is a working public meeting – so pay attention but be polite.

You can also sign our petition.

The General Plan Advisory Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 13th at 6:30pm at the Emergency Operations Center. The agenda and documents can be found at www.planhmb.org.