News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			The Almanac June 25, 2003   Open space district  should expand to coast Editorial - The  opinion of The Almanac Who hasn't driven down the coast of San Mateo County to buy a pumpkin for the kids? Or watched the passing fields of Brussels sprouts, artichokes and strawberries? Or picked ollalieberries at Coastways Ranch? And, of course, enjoyed the incomparable cliffs, beaches, parks and ocean? But do we realize what a miracle it is that San Mateo County still has a rural, relatively unspoiled coast right next to a world economic engine? If we want to maintain what is often called a national treasure, we must remain active. Development pressures on the still-open hills and terraces of the Coastside have been growing, creating a volatile mix of embattled farmers fighting a negative economy, dot-com money pursuing personal fiefdoms and mega-houses, and libertarian residents hostile to the machinations of government. Two initiatives that have cropped up within the last few years promise to help maintain farming and rural land from creeping pressures of sprawl. The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a land conservancy based in Menlo Park, has purchased more than 18,000 acres on the coast, and is midway in a "Campaign to Save Our Endangered Coast." Now the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), a special-purpose agency that buys and manages land for open space and low-intensity recreation, is applying to annex the entire Coastside -- 140,000 acres south of Pacifica to the Santa Cruz County line. It hopes to help preserve coastal open space by purchasing some lands and managing others for agriculture, habitat, and compatible recreation. Hearings on the annexation proposal will begin later this year before the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), an agency that approves or denies changes in government boundaries. While a 1998 advisory vote showed strong support for the annexation, residents from the rural South Coast -- the most vulnerable area -- have greeted the proposal as if it were a combination of Genghis Khan and the Evil Empire, threatening their way of life. Although a relatively small number of people are involved, their protests have risen in volume and emotion over the six years the proposal has been under discussion. They seem to reflect a mix of anti-government and property rights concerns, fear of far-away government, fear of invasions by outsiders, worries about water and the future of agriculture. Out of 57 speakers who on June 6 addressed the MROSD board, 32 opposed the annexation. Some even suggested creeping communism. In our view, many of the fears are over-stated and based on misinformation inflamed by hysteria. Others could be addressed cooperatively. MROSD is a relatively low-key agency that has been highly effective in acquiring and managing open lands on the Bay side of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and the Skyline area. Since 1972, it has preserved almost 50,000 acres of land in 23 preserves. To a considerable extent, MROSD appears to be a lightning rod for Coastsiders' resentment of government in general. Yet it has no power to regulate land use; it can only buy and manage land. As part of the annexation process, it has revoked the fear-inducing power of eminent domain in a legally convincing way. And it has been effective in slowing development. Without the district, the foothill and Skyline area of the county would be dominated by subdivisions. Think Windy Hill in Portola Valley, Teague Hill in Woodside, and Russian Ridge on Skyline. These and others were planned for major housing developments before they were acquired by the district, in some cases from POST. In addition, many Skyline residents who used to fear and fight the district are its biggest boosters. Take Larry Hassett, who is now a member of the board of directors. He believes the district's ability to manage land -- including for grazing, agriculture, and maybe even some logging -- could be invaluable in helping Coastsiders preserve a way of life so many value. "Agriculture is part of the beauty of the Coastside," he says. "If that's to be preserved, you need some tools in your toolbox. We can provide them." Just as the open space district has made a critical difference in keeping sprawl out of the hills, it could make a similar difference in preserving the rural coast. This is the big picture. We hope LAFCO keeps it in mind amidst the din of opposition. Page last updated July 2, 2003 .