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Half Moon Bay Review April Vargas hasn't had any sleep for over 24 hours. "I didn't go to bed last night," the Montara interior designer said Monday afternoon. "I had a
big project and I needed to finish it. I have the ability to do that without drinking coffee, but I try not to abuse it." Vargas was recently named the 2002 Woman of the Year for the 19th Assembly District
by Assemblyman Lou Papan, in recognition of her local activism. The California State Assembly will honor Vargas in Sacramento on March 18. Vargas is involved in so many political organizations that it's a wonder
she ever gets any rest. She is a secretary of the Midcoast Community Council, a board member for the Committee for Green Foothills, the president of the Green Foothill Foundation, an alternate member of the San Mateo
County Democratic Central Committee and sits on the board of the Chicano/Latino Democratic Club of San Mateo County. Vargas, who has lived in the area for nearly 30 years, said growing up in a rural part of
Connecticut had a big impact on her. "It had an influence on where I chose to live and my involvement in maintaining rural amenities like the beauty of this place, the open space (and ensuring) that there are
still rugged and wild areas near developed housing" she said. Vargas' family moved to the East Bay when she was still a child and she went to high school in Hayward. While she was in college at San
Francisco State, Vargas moved to Moss Beach with some friends. Within three years, all her friends had moved back to San Francisco, but Vargas said she enjoyed living in a small town and didn't want to leave.
"There's a lack of anonymity that some people may not appreciate, but I like to be part of a community," she said. "Being in a small town has been a good intro for political life. When I became a
public figure it carries more responsibility of how I conduct myself in public, and I think that's good. People should be respectful and considerate of others." Vargas' first project on the coast was in
1994, working on street standards for Montara. It was satisfying, Vargas recalled, that when her street was paved it had the standards she had worked for, including adequate gutters, but no sidewalks, which
residents felt were too suburban and unnecessary in the neighborhood. Vargas found this experience typical of others on the coast. "A situation comes up, people want to work toward certain goals and we're
successful." An example was Measure T, the 1996 campaign for the Devil's Slide tunnel, in which Vargas was involved. Zoe Kersteen-Tucker, spokeswoman for the Measure T campaign, and executive director of
Committee for Green Foothills, continues to work with Vargas on Devil's Slide and a variety of other coastal protection issues. Vargas' dedication and professionalism is extraordinary, Kersteen-Tucker said.
"The woman is absolutely tireless. I've seen her work around the clock for days on end when an important issue is involved." Kersteen-Tucker said that Vargas has strengthened the voice of the coast and
brought political clout to the Coastside by serving on the Midcoast Community Council (MCC). "She has taken it from a little-known entity to one that is now serious and significant voice in county politics and
brought a level of professionalism that increases its credibility and stature in eyes of the supervisors," Kersteen-Tucker said. San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon's district includes the Coastside, so
he works with Vargas frequently. "What I particularly like about April is that she has a passion for coastal protection issues and she's a consensus builder," Gordon said. It is Vargas' ability to listen
and her efforts to understand different points of view that give her the capacity represent the community, the supervisor added. Vargas is particularly proud of three things she has worked on at the MCC:
standards on house sizes on the unincorporated Mid-Coast; the upcoming Local Coastal Plan review, and the needs assessment for parks and recreation areas in unincorporated areas that should be completed in March.
These were all issues the community felt strongly about and galvanized lots of public support, Vargas said. Kersteen-Tucker said Vargas' has a rare ability to find common ground with nearly everyone she meets.
"One of things I've seen her do is talk with developers and forge working relationships that have been productive," Kersteen-Tucker said. "That's so important because we environmentalists tend to
have an us against them mentality. "April's able to build bridges and that takes courage to reach out to adversarial constituencies." Forming personal relationships with people is the most effective
way to do this type of work, Vargas said. She finds lots of similarities between her political work and her work as a interior designer. "They're both collaborative efforts with a goal in mind that isn't
apparent at the beginning of the process and by the time we're finished we're looking for a something that's pleasing to everybody." |
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