News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			Half Moon Bay Review January 14, 2004   Enviros gear up  for open space battle By Jeanine Gore In an effort to ready themselves for what will likely  be a hard-fought battle over the preservation of open space on the Coastside,  several environmental groups announced the formation of the Coastal  Open Space Alliance (COSA).  The group, recently formed through the leadership  of Committee for Green Foothills, unveiled itself to the public Monday  at a ceremony at ENSO Gallery.  COSA was founded as a way to bring together like-minded  individuals, agencies and organizations, such as the Peninsula Open Space  Trust, Half Moon Bay Open Space Trust, Midcoast Park lands, Save Our Shores,  Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County. The groups share  one common goal - protecting coastal land from development.  The group intends to focus its energies on ensuring  the Midpeninsula Regional  Open Space District's plan to expand onto the Coastside is a success.  The district is proposing to add 140,000 acres west of Skyline Boulevard,  and county voters expressed advisory support for the move in 1998.  "If there ever was an organization that was  sorely needed, this is the one," said Congressman Tom Lantos, who  addressed a crowd of about 40 supporters Monday. The audience was a mix  of well-known community activists, politicians and environmentalists.  Lantos was followed by a representative of state  Assemblyman Gene Mullin, who also offered his support, praising the formation  of COSA and expressing the desire to protect the rural heritage of the  area.  Half Moon Bay Mayor Mike Ferreira said he was honored  to address such an esteemed audience. He said the Half Moon Bay City Council recently voted  unanimously in support of annexation by MROSD "and I believe we'll  continue to support it unstintingly." COSA spokesperson Zoe Kersteen-Tucker said there  hasn't been much opposition to the formation of COSA. And, she said, she anticipates the MROSD annexation  to be the first of many projects for the new group. Opponents of MROSD's proposed annexation of the San  Mateo County Coast have argued that the move will substantially reduce  revenue for the Coastside's special districts, but supporters have said  they hope to negotiate with agencies to ensure no revenue will be lost. Page last updated January 23, 2004 .