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HomeMy Public PortalAbout19990127 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Regional Open Space MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Meeting 99-04 REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS January 27, 1999 MINUTES I. ROLL CALL J. Cyr called the meeting to order at 6:35 P.M. Members Present: Betsy Crowder, Jed Cyr, Mary Davey, Pete Siemens, Deane Little, Nonette Hanko, and Ken Nitz. Members Absent: None Staff Present: Craig Britton, Sue Schectman II. CLOSED SESSION J. Cyr stated that the Board would adjourn to Closed Session for the purpose of discussing Closed Session Agenda Item 1. The Board recessed to Closed Session at 6:35 P.M. and the Closed Session commenced at 6:36 P.M. The Board concluded the Closed Session at 7:30 P.M. and J. Cyr called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. He noted that no reportable actions had taken place in Closed Session. Additional Personnel Present: Randy Anderson, Mary de Beauvieres, John Escobar, Malcolm Smith, Deirdre Dolan, Doug Vu, Michael Williams M. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Harry Haeussler, 1094 Highlands Circle, Los Altos, asked what the District was going to do regarding the north side of the trail through the Windy I-Iill/Portola Road parking lot. In addition, he asked about a claim for $200 as retainer to the Portola Valley town engineer. He asked that larger letters be used for the claims. King Lear, city council member, Los Altos, said he was happy to have the District office in Los Altos and he would try to occasionally attend Board meetings. IV. ADOPTION OF AGENDA 330 Distel Circe . Fos Altus, CA 94022-1404 . Phone:6.50-691-1200 FAX:050-691-0485 . E-mail: mrostltropenspace.org . Web site:www.openspace.org Board of Direr ton.ha to Siemens,M,rry C. Davey,led Cyr, Deane Little, Nonette Nanko,Betsy Crowder,Kenneth C.Nitz .General Manager:L.Craig Britton Meeting 99-04 Page 2 Motion K. Nitz moved that the Board adopt the agenda. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. V. ADOPTION OF CONSENT CALENDAR J. Cyr asked that the minutes of the November 12, 1998, Special Meeting be corrected to remove the words"in doing" from the next to the last paragraph under Informational Reports. Motion B. Crowder moved that the Board adopt the Consent Calendar, including approval of the minutes of the November 12, 1998, Special Meeting as amended; and the November 18, 1998, and November 30, 1998, Special Meetings; replies to written communications from Deborah Rogers, 2160 Avy Ave., Menlo Park; Ernst O. Meissner, 1327 Johnson St., Menlo Park; Beverly Bryant 27060 Appaloosa Way, Los Altos Hills;Richard & Constance Sharp, 261 Vista Verde Way, Portola Valley; and Nancy& Chris Carter, 237 Canyon Drive, Portola Valley; agenda item 8,Notice of Contract Completion for the Demolition and Cleanup of the Former Sink, Barlow and Young Properties, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve and Authorization for the Board President, or Other Appropriate Officer, to Execute the Notice of Completion of Contract and Acceptance of Work for the Cleanup Projects; agenda item 9, Authorization to Change Designation of Authorized Signatories fbr Entering, Safe Deposit Boxes (Md-Peninsula Bank), including adoption of Resolution 99-03 A Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Establishing Signatories for Entering Safe Deposit Boxes (Mid-Peninsula Bank): agenda item 10, Approval for the General Manager to Authorize Additional Payment to the Law Firm of Miller, Starr, and Regalia for Legal Services in the Amount of$35,000: and Revised Claims 98-20. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. VI. BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item No. 1 - Authorization of Agreements with 2M Associates and John Wade for Consultant Services on the Potential District Annexation of the San Mateo County Coast With a Maximum Budget of$400-000 and $5,000, Respectively—(Report R-99- 04 R. Anderson introduced Patrick Miller and Jane Miller(2M), and Terrell Watt. P. Miller said this would be a two-year program of planning, decision-making and recommendations. He said the team will work with the Coastal Advisory Committee for nine to twelve months soliciting comments about the potential annexation. They will work on the environmental review and fiscal impact study. He said they would be acting as District staff during LAFCO hearings, and would work with the ad hoc and advisory committees. N. Hanko commented that 2M had experience in San Mateo County. P. Miller answered questions from the Board, noting that the $122,000 for environmental Meeting 99-04 Page 3 documents assumed the worst case condition, and they wanted to make sure the budget was sufficient. He said the products would be produced along the way and that their responsibility was to see that the project came within budget and on time. M. Davey described her previous excellent experience working with 2M. P. Miller noted that some clerical errors would be corrected in the agreements. P. Miller answered questions about the phasing of the process, noting that they would be coming to the Board for decisions along the way. S. Schectman said the LAFCO statutory requirement is that the District submit a service plan and environmental documents for the area to be annexed, including services they will provide, how they will do it, and how they will fund it. She said the service plan would not contain funding choices, but the fiscal plan could have various scenarios and could include multiple possibilities. J. Miller said the question is how the area is serviced now and whether that would change with annexation. LAFCO wants to know how the District would fund the annexation and verify that all local agencies involved in the change understand it. P. Miller said they could outline options but not a detailed financial analysis. He said they could answer fiscal questions to satisfy LAFCO's request for information in order to make a decision. Beyond that, they need to listen to what needs to be done from a lot of different people. C. Britton talked about the service plan, stating that policy development and Board decisions will dictate what the plan looks like. P. Miller said this was a program-level document and decision-making process. He fisted some of 2M's major clients, stating the company did not take on work they could not do. C. Britton said the project required four or five areas of expertise. He said he thought this was the perfect place to hire a consultant. However, there would be staff needs. He said staff needed management of the process, and P. Miller was good at that. Bob Wallace, 12881 Foothill Lane, Stanford, asked what area the annexation included, and said the District had done well on trails. Marge Ottenberg(no card), said 2M handled some very difficult situations in the trails master plan for San Mateo County. Chuck Kozak, P. O. Box 370702, Montara, talked about the cost and layout of the contract. He asked if an EIR is automatically required. S Schectman said no, but they were assuming there would be one. Regarding service needs on agricultural lands, C. Kozak said he thought they would find them somewhat different from current ones. There would be the issue of protection of those lands. He talked about the scope of John Wade's role. Meeting 99-04 Page 4 Peter Markey (no card), said he knew J. Wade, and he had a good relationship with farmers and property owners. April Vargas, Montara (no card), said many people were concerned about the money they pay and how it is spent. She commented on the way the contract was broken down, noting that it showed fiscal responsibility on behalf of the District. C. Britton talked about the selection process for the consultant, and noted that they had received a$200,000 grant from the Packard Foundation, so taxpayers were only paying for half of the cost. He said John Wade's function was helping staff to better understand the coast. P. Siemens said he would like to hear from the 45% who voted against the annexation as well as supporters. H. Haeussler talked about the expenses for the annexation, stating that, as a taxpayer in Santa Clara County, he had been paying taxes since the formation of the District. He thought the people living on the coast should put something up for it. D. Little suggested that maybe the District should be talking to its lobbyist about exempting districts like MROSD from the EIR process. Motion: B. Crowder moved that the Board authorize the General Manager to execute the agreement with 2M Associates for consultant services on the potential District annexation of the San Mateo Coast, with a maximum not- to-exceed budget of$180,000 for all anticipated services and products on Phase I of the project, development of policies and draft service plan, and an anticipated maximum budget of$400,000 for all potentially required services, with page 2 paragraph(7), first sentence, to include the words, "arising out of any work" after the words, "subcontractors, or agents,"; and authorize the General Manager to execute an agreement with John Wade for consulting services on the annexation project, with a maximum not-to-exceed budget of$5,000. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. B. Agenda Item No. 2 - Confirmation of Coastal Advisory Committee Appointments: Confirm the Participants Appointed to the Coastal Advisory Committee_ Including Acceptance of the Cabrillo Unified School District Board of Directors' Decision not to Participated Therefore a Third"at-large" Appointment by the Coastal Advisory Committee is Recommended to Maintain the Committee Appointee Level at 13; Acknowledge that the Formal Appointment by the Half Moon Bay City Council will occur at its Meeting of February 2. 1999;Designate Director Nitz as the non-voting Alternate for the District's Ad Hoc Committee Appointees to the Coastal Advisory Committee; and Stronalv Recommend to the Coastal Advisory Committee that San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon be Selected as Chair of the Committee—Report R-99-171. C. Britton presented the staff report. Meeting 99-04 Page 5 N. Hanko discussed recommendation 1, stating that the committee felt that three at-large representatives, rather than two, provided a better representation of the Board's intention. The committee felt the alternates should be non-voting members. B Crowder spoke regarding recommendation 4, stating that the ad hoc committee felt strongly that it was important to have as chair a person who was not aligned with either the"yes" or"no" vote on the advisory measure. Rich Gordon had indicated he would be willing to serve on the committee as chair. Therefore she changed the recommendation to read, "Appoint Supervisor Rich Gordon as chair of the Coastal Advisory Committee, subject to ratification by Coastal Advisory Committee members." M. Davey requested that recommendation 3 clarify that all alternates will be non-voting. Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board amend recommendation 3)to add the sentence, "Any alternate will be non-voting as well" and amend recommendation 4) to read, "Appoint San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon as chair of the Committee subject to ratification of the Coastal Advisory Committee." M. Davey seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. Motion: D. Little moved that the Board confirm the participants appointed to the Coastal Advisory Committee, including acceptance of the Cabrillo Unified School District Board of Directors' decision not to participate; therefore a third "at-large" appointment by the Coastal Advisory Committee is recommended to maintain the Committee appointee level at 13; acknowledge that the formal appointment by the Half Moon Bay City Council will occur at its meeting of February 2, 1999;Designate Director Nitz as the non-voting alternate for the District's Ad Hoc Committee appointees to the Coastal Advisory Committee; stipulate that any alternate will be non-voting as well; and appoint San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon as chair of the Committee, subject to ratification by the Coastal Advisory Committee. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. There was a recess from 8:40 P.M.-8:50 P.M. C. Agenda Item No. 3 - Consideration of a Good Neighbor Pilot Do,g Program for Long Ridge Open Space Preserve and Recommendation to Direct Staff and an Appropriate Board Committee to Develop a Good Neighbor Pilot Dog Program Whereby Standards for the Program Will Include a K-9 Patrol be Developed in Cooperation with the Neighbors and Field Staff at the Long Ridge Open Space Preserve(&12ort R-99-23). N. Hanko reviewed her report including discussion of the report prepared by Dr. McGinnis. She said about six months ago she began receiving letters from property owners near Long Ridge who had access with their dogs to a portion of the Preserve for ten years and prior to the District acquiring it, had permission from the owners. Following a serious accident on Skyline, people were afraid to walk their dogs there and wanted Meeting 99-04 Page 6 permission to use the grassy area away from the riparian area. She said people would be on the honor system and police themselves, and she thought they should reinstate permission to use the grassy area. In return, they could patrol the area, look for hazards, and report to rangers as a way of returning something to the District. Permits would be revoked if violations of standards occurred. She said this pilot program could help in developing neighbor policies for coastal annexation. Bob Wallace talked about his experience with dogs off leash at various parks. Steve Wolfe, P. O. Box 322A, Star Route 2, said he was one of nine people who sent letters and documents requesting the opening of Long Ridge. He felt it was important to give something in turn. He said they are concerned about the condition of the preserve and how it functions. He thought they were responsible and could make the program work. Denise Williams, Los Altos Hills (no card), said she was thrilled that this was being considered. Jerry Peters, 1531 Skyline Blvd., said Director Hanko had captured his thoughts. He talked about close calls while walking his dog on Skyline. Janet Peters, 1531 Skyline Blvd., thanked N. Hanko, noting that her property is surrounded by the preserve. She said they pick up trash and keep an eye on things. Bill Fawkes, Rt. 2, Box 329, La Honda, thanked N. Hanko. He said he would like to be able to take his dog on the preserve and that it was a safety issue. He said there were 20- 25 immediate neighbors adjacent to Long Ridge. He described the area they used to walk their dogs. He said most trails are old roads, not narrow trails. Some of the connecting ones are narrow. C. Britton said staff is not supporting this program because the McGinnis study was of a particular area of Long Ridge and was superseded by a matrix study of the District. Long Ridge landed below the line and they ended dog access. Because of enforcement, staff would like all preserves either opened or closed . Another problem is exclusivity with only access for neighbors. In addition, it may set a precedent for other preserves. He said if they are considering opening it, they should open the whole site to dogs. K. Nitz referred to the Warner Report and said one part of the plan he liked was involving the ranger staff. B. Crowder said she did not believe dog policies and good neighbor policies worked. together. She did not want to burden staff with additional work. She said she did not want to revise the dog policy adopted in 1995. N. Hanko said that policy was adopted as a guideline. The idea of the good neighbor policy, which goes back farther, was to meet with neighbors to find out where problems were and act on them. She thought this proposal responded to neighbors' concerns, and did not see involving staff a great deal. Meeting 99-04 Page 7 D. Little strongly supported the plan for several reasons, including safety and the fact there was no evidence of dog problems at Windy Hill. He said he thought it showed a measure of respect for their constituents. K. Nitz noted that everyone who spoke called it o ark not a preserve. P. Siemens said in regard to the issue of enforcement, they might think about a permit system. This might be a good place to test such a program. J. Cyr said he would like to take the long view. This was setting precedent and would involve staff time. Also, it was not fair to allow access to only a few. He said he might be open to exploring a permit system farther. M. Davey said she thought the solution would be to open the whole preserve to dogs and have a neighborhood patrol. She said there is concern regarding the part of the preserve that is a fragile environment. She thought the District's goal was to make land available in the least harmful way. She said she knew there would be an increased burden on staff. B. Crowder if the plan were implemented, they would have to amend the 1995 dog policy and the Use and Management Plan. N. Hanko said she would be happy to have M. Davey's idea considered by field staff and the neighbors. J. Escobar said there would be increased public use and impacts on other preserves. He thought there would be a significant amount of law enforcement. In addition, Long Ridge had no off-road parking. J. Escobar said no jurisdictions that surround the District allow dogs. He said he believed staff would favor the preserve being open to everyone, not a permit system. Motion: P. Siemens moved that the Board refer to District staff and appropriate Board committee the concept of a pilot permit dog program for Long Ridge Open Space Preserve whereby standards be developed in cooperation with the neighbors and field staff. N. Hanko seconded the motion. Discussion: D. Little said he would like to see the Board vote on N. Hanko's proposal. P Siemens said he would rather have a committee come back with recommendations after looking at the concept. C. Britton recommended that they come back with simple permit system and try it out on a pilot program with the neighbors rather than get into some larger study they can't handle without setting aside other priorities. N. Hanko supported C. Britton's idea. J. Escobar suggested the Board could vote to open the area that was open to dogs before. Vote: The motion failed with Directors Siemens and Hanko voting yes and Directors Nitz, Cyr, Little, Davey, and Crowder voting no. f Meeting 99-04 Page 8 Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board restore the dog use policy that preceded the 1995 change to the Use and Management Plan, and that they go through the process to change the Use and Management Plan. Amendment: D. Little asked to amend the motion to add P Siemens' suggestion of a permit system. M. Davey agreed to the amendment. N. Hanko seconded the motion as amended. Discussion: Additional discussion of the permitting system and the amount of staff time required followed. Vote: The motion passed 4 to 3 (Directors Siemens, Little, Davey, and Hanko yes, Directors Crowder, Nitz and Cyr no). S. Schectman said with litigation pending on uses, the Board might want to consider where the area of use will be and how it will affect the ongoing litigation. She said interested Board members can sit in on Use and Management Committee meetings as observers but cannot participate. There was a recess from 10:10-10:20 P.M. D. Agenda Item No. 4- Tentative Adoption of an Amendment to the Use and Management Plan for the Mt. Umunhum Area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve for the Establishment of a New Employee Residence, and Authorization for Staff to Solicit Bids for Site Planning and Design Services Necessary to Secure Building Permits From Santa Clara County—(Report R-99-14). M. de Beauvieres reviewed the staff report, noting that the preferred alternative would be to acquire a property with an existing structure suitable for use as an employee residence. If that does not work, installation of a manufactured home in the area on one of four potential sites would be the second choice. C. Britton explained that one of the problems is timing, so staff needs to spend some money to be ready to go in case the District isn't able to buy a house. Motion B. Crowder moved that the Board tentatively adopt an amendment to the Use and Management Plan for the Mt. Umunhum Area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve for the establishment of an employee residence in the vicinity of Hicks Road; and authorize staff to solicit bids for site planning and design services necessary to secure building permits from Santa Clara County. P. Siemens seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. E. Agenda Item No. 5 -Permit for The Sequoias-Portola Valley and Pacific Geotechnical En ingi eering to Enter Windy Hill Open Space Preserve for the Purpose of Conducting a Seismology Study and Authorization for the General Manager to Execute the Permit to Enter—(Report R-99-M Meeting 99-04 Page 9 D. Vu outlined staff recommendations. He said J. Isaacs would determine if reseeding needed to be done. To his knowledge, no archeological groups had been notified, but he would mention it. He said the work is being carefully monitored by the Town geologist. Board members commended D. Vu on the report. Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board authorize the General Manager to execute the Permit to Enter allowing The Sequoias-Portola Valley and their contractor, Pacific Geotechnical Engineering, to access Windy Hill Open Space Preserve for the purpose of conducting a seismology study. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. F. Agenda Item No. 6 - Tentative Adoption of Preliminary 1999-2000 Action Plan for Implementation of District's Basic Policy—(Report R-99-14 C. Britton noted that the Planning Program and Action Plan had been combined for the first time. He said there were new positions proposed but only general justifications for them would be presented at this meeting. When the Board considers adoption of the budget, specific justification for the new positions will be provided. Open Space Acquisition Program Negotiations and Special Prpjects Subprogram M. Williams noted the proposed addition of a Land Protection Specialist position. M. Williams explained that the Land Protection Specialist would do easement monitoring and deal with encroachment issues. He said some of the key acquisitions would be to protect scenic ridge lines at the north end of the District boundary, and some properties that may connect the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Santa Cruz Coastal Trail at the south end of the District. Under grants, gifts, and bargain sales, they will pursue key acquisitions in the Lexington Reservoir area with Santa Clara County Parks, and acquisitions at Long Ridge which may connect to Portola State Park with Save the Redwoods. Enterprise Subprogram M. Williams noted that staff would pursue a long-term arrangement with the new tenant at historic Picchetti winery which may include a potential vineyard lease. He talked about alternative lease arrangements which could include a long-term lease similar to the Bach/Bullis property at Skyline, or a lease that is structured like the Thornewood lease where there is some renovation done in lieu of a portion of the rent. S. Schectman explained that Items 14 and 15 under Negotiations and Special Projects Subprogram would be joint projects with the Legal Program which supports many projects in the action program. She said the Research Attorney position would be filled soon and that person would be working actively on those issues. M. Williams said that approximately 1,000 acres had been added to the District this year in Meeting 99-04 Page 10 20 transactions. Regarding Thornewood road arbitration, S. Schectman said it had been continued until March. She thought they would reach a compromise the District could live with. Open Space Planning Program Advance Planning(including related Interdepartmental Support and Team Development) Subprogram R. Anderson said there were a number of special projects including the coast, the trail use policy and guidelines, wilderness policy review, and an area plan. Another listed project was to increase and refine the level of attention given to supervision. He talked about proposed additional staff. C. Britton said staff will bring a proposal for a permanent reorganization of Planning, and are working with E. Jarosz on that. R. Anderson talked about the area plan which would include inventory of resources and development of a methodology. He said the current methodology did not focus on resources. R. Anderson said the Regional Open Space Study is complete except for the basic policy which will be coming to the Board at their next meeting. Current Planning(including,; related Interdepartmental Support and Information Systems) Subprogram work program attached) M. de Beauvieres reviewed the recommendations. Regarding the Sausal Trail, she said it should be complete this fiscal year. Regarding item 4 on the work program, she said the consultant would be doing the majority of the work under staff direction. R. Anderson talked about GIS, stating that staff would produce detailed maps showing holdings, facilities, and how trails are used, among other information. M. de Beauvieres said the issue of the closure of two trails would probably be coming back to the Board at the second meeting in February. Regarding item 39, C. Britton said they had not finished the acquisition of the Silva property. R. Anderson said they had received $170,000 from FEMA for the 1995 storms, which was roughly 30% of what was spent. They are filing appeals. Operations Program Field Operations Subprogram J. Escobar said the proposed plan reflects the operations program review outcome, Meeting 99-04 Page 11 including positions to be added. He said the seasonal hours cover Sunday staffing at Deer Hollow Farm and special projects, in addition to maintenance responsibilities. He said renegotiating the contract with Mountain View for Deer Hollow Farm should be added to the list of projects. Regarding Key Project 1, he said the focus this year would be on ranger and visitor safety issues and staffing levels throughout the program. He said vandalism is now being included in the monthly activity report. Staff is working on sign wording for trail closures at ECDM. He talked about Key Project 4, noting that staff will be working on improving systems and sharing responsibility on a systematic basis. Resource Management Subprogram In J. Isaacs' absence, J. Escobar said staff intends to put more resources into Pulgas Ridge this year. Key Project 3, Resource Management Program Development, was directly attributable to the Operations Program Review. He said they cannot recommend major changes at this time, but plan to come up with a long-term plan. They will be looking at increased participation and level of responsibility for field staff. J. Escobar said the Grassland Management Implementation Plan is in its third year and he hoped they would see reduced costs next year. It will require maintenance. Regarding Item 3 under Other Projects, he said field project leaders would be field staff in cooperation with the Native Plant Society and other volunteers. Public Affairs Program General Public Information and Outreach Subprogram M. Smith said Key Project 4, Coastal Community Outreach, was a significant addition to the general program emphasis. He said the Public Event referred to in Key Project 1 was meant to replace Kids Art of Open Space. He said they are budgeting for at least two mailings to the coast side as part of Key Project 4. He said the mechanism is in place to contact the press regarding actions pertaining to the Coast. Referring to item 2 under other projects, he said staff will be scheduling presentations to members of the media. M. Smith said the good neighbor brochure that will be sent to the coast will describe some of the District issues and policies that relate to neighbors surrounding open space preserves, to try to educate them about what the District does that is mutually beneficial, such as fire breaks. He said that, as part of the ongoing outreach, they will make presentations and provide information to Silicon Valley companies. He added that as item 10 under Other Projects. TLe i la ivye, Funding, and Organizational Relations Subpro m M. Smith talked about two new Key Projects, Coastal Preservation Effort and Funding for Mt. Umunhum Clean Up. Regarding Item 4, Sponsor Legislation, staff want some definition and language changes in Public Resources Code 5500, and changes to the Civil Code to redefine mountain biking Meeting 99-04 Page 12 Visitor Services Subprogram M. Smith talked about Key Project 1, Interpretive Program, stating that staff wants to refine the objectives of the docent program. Key Project 2 referred to the short courses for docent training. Environmental Education, Key Project 3, will include increasing training sessions to twice a year and continued efforts to secure funding for Kids Nature Express. At the Daniels Nature Center, some of the objectives are to finish the exhibit cases and install benches. Regarding Other Project number 5, he explained that the Grant Cabin was at Deer Hollow Farm. Administration Program Administration/Human Resources Subprogram D. Dolan said staff had added a sentence relative to the coast under general program emphasis. She talked about staff increases which included increasing the secretary to 60% time and adding a one-half time network specialist. She outlined Key Projects and added that the sound system for the Board Room would be upgraded. She said Y2K would be added as number l l under Other Projects. In regard to Item 12, she said the idea is to provide a single place for information about the District. Legal Services Subprogram S. Schectman said the coastal expansion will be the major project. She said she hoped staff could reduce their reliance on outside counsel. The goal is to work with the research attorney as assistant District legal counsel to handle projects independently. Referring to Key Project 2, Risk Management, she described the lawsuits that are going on, including a civil rights suit for false arrest. She talked about Key Project 3, Human Resources, stating staff will finish the internal affairs policy, and binding arbitration and grievance issues. Motion; N. Hanko moved that the Board adopt the Preliminary Action Plan, and charge Administration and Budget Committee with conducting a review of the Preliminary Action Plan on the Board's behalf as part of the budget review process. B. Crowder seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. G. Agenda Item No. 7 - Appointment of 1999 Board Committees—(Report R-99-15), Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board approve appointments to standing and ad- hoc committees as contained in the staff report, including the determination of compensation status. K. Nitz seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. VII. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS N. Hanko reported as follows: 1. She hoped the District would take a strong position against the county charging an entrance fee at Rancho. C. Britton said they were not taking any position at Meeting 99-04 Page 13 this time. He had provided a full report in the FYIs. There seemed to be groundswell against the proposal. N. Hanko said they should let people know it is not the District's idea and they should contact the County. C. Britton said he would agendize the issue, if necessary. 2. N. Hanko said legal counsel had informed her that any interested Board members may attend the South Skyline meeting that the sheriffs will attend without fear of violating the Brown Act. J. Cyr read into the record Section 54952.2(c)(3) and (4) of the Government Code, as follows: "(3) The attendance of a majority of the members of a legislative body at an open and publicized meeting organized to address a topic of local community concern by a person or organization other than the local agency, provided that a majority of the members do not discuss among themselves, other than as part of the scheduled program, business of a specific nature that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body of the local agency. (4) The attendance of a majority of the members of a legislative body at an open and noticed meeting of another body of the local agency, provided that a majority of the members do not discuss among themselves, other than as part of the scheduled meeting, business of a specific nature that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body of the local agency." S. Schectman cautioned Board members about being drawn into discussions. 3. N. Hanko reported that M. Smith had provided to the Half Moon Bay newspaper an application for people who wished to fill one of the three at-large seats on the Coastal Advisory Committee. She announced dates of the first meetings of the Committee as follows: February 9 in Half Moon Bay, February 23 for the appointment of three new members, and March 9. She said they are planning bi-weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings at different locations on the coast. S. Schectman said it appears the Committee will be subject to the Brown Act. M. Davey said she and M. Smith went to the Bay Area Open Space Council meeting. The high point was Ralph Heim's report. He stressed it was important to keep in close contact with elected officials. B. Crowder said she and M. Davey went to T. Lempert's breakfast. D. Little said he got a call from an irate Mountain View resident regarding the proposed parking fees at Rancho. He said he intended to fight it personally. C. Britton said it was very difficult for the District to demand they not charge a fee when they were charging fees throughout the county. He said he would talk to Paul Romero to see if there were options. D. Little suggested that next time they do a proposed preliminary action plan that requires a lot of staff to be here they do it as the first item or at a special meeting. J. Cyr reported: 1. He had signed $29+ million worth of bonds. 2. He said the Board needs six more lapel microphones. C. Britton reported as follows: 1. San Mateo County LAFCO passed a resolution asking Santa Clara County to pass the jurisdiction of the coastal annexation to them. 2. He brought to their attention that the payment to Jens Hansen at Windy Hill had been reduced by$2,700 because of the plant loss. 3. The claim questioned at the last meeting was for fumigation costs for the duplex at Rancho that is occupied by two field staff members. 4. He had a flier on the Bay Area Open Space Council Spring Conference on May 14. 5. The note issue closed today; he passed out the official statement. 6. Staff members had attended a talk by Jim Kent, a sociologist. He thought the subject matter would be germane to two of the District's projects, the coastal annexation and Meeting 99-04 Page 14 the possibility of a funding measure. He produced a memo from J. Escobar and a copy of Jim Kent's background information. He said he would like to bring him in for a training session with Board and keystaff members on Sa turday,da March 13. Ke nt ent would o to the Y, g coast, then meet for a four-hour seminar on general matters. J. Escobar said staff members were impressed and talked about J. Kent's methods. C. Britton he would like to provide media training and bring in a political advisor in the future in addition to this training session. VIM ADJOURNMENT At 12:55 A.M. the meeting was adjourned. Roberta Wolfe Recording Secretary