Coastal Conservancy Public Meeting in Napa – March 26th, 2015

Douglas Bosco (Public Member), Chairman
Sara Ramirez Giroux (Public Member)
Ann Notthoff (Public Member)
Peter Sadowski (Public Member)
John Laird, Secretary for Natural Resources; Bryan Cash (Designated)
Steve Kinsey, Coastal Commission Chair; Susan Hansch (Designated)
Michael Cohen, Director, Department of Finance; Karen Finn (Designated)

Senate Representatives
Benjamin Allen (District 26)
Anthony Cannella (District 12)
Jerry Hill (District 13)

Assembly Representatives
Mark Stone (District 29)
Das Williams (District 37)
Luis Alejo (District 30)

Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer
Glenn Alex, Legal Counsel

AGENDA

DATE:  March 26, 2015
TIME:   9:30 a.m.
LOCATION:Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency
625 Burnell Street
Napa, CA 94559

1. ROLL CALL

2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of the Conservancy’s January 29, 2015 public meeting

3. CONSENT ITEMS

A. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $37,000 to the Sonoma Resource Conservation District to prepare the Sonoma County LandSmart Environmental Document, an environmental document to facilitate implementation of conservation practices throughout Sonoma County watersheds to improve water quality, reduce soil loss and protect fish and wildlife habitat.

B. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to accept $75,000 in grant funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and disburse up to $25,434 of these funds to the Friends of the Dunes and up to $47,075 of these funds to the Redwood Community Action Agency to implement the Humboldt Bay Dunes and Marsh Restoration Project.

C. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to an additional $100,000 towards completion of the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study.

D. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,580,000 for planning, management, treatment, and monitoring to implement the Invasive Spartina Project within the San Francisco Estuary in 2015.

E. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to augment by $300,000 previous Conservancy grants to the Maritime Museum Association of San Diego, towards the construction of a replica of the historic ship San Salvador, and to delete a repayment requirement of $500,000.

F. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $85,000 to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to implement the Freshwater Farms Nature Trail Project and Improvements in Humboldt County.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

A. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to increase the maximum cost of consent items that the executive officer may place on public meeting consent calendars from $100,000 to $250,000

B. Update on Partnership with The California Endowment

C. Legislative Report

D. Draft Strategic Plan Update

E. Draft Proposition 1 Grant Guidelines Plan Update

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

5. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $5,030,000, including $1,000,000 from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and $1,280,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, to Reclamation District 2137 for construction of the Emerson and Gilbert parcels of the Dutch Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration Project in Contra Costa County.

6. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $165,000 to the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District for construction of the Pinole Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project, in the city of Pinole in Contra Costa County.

7. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $775,000, including $475,000 in federal grant funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for three years of planning, design, implementation, and monitoring activities for Phase Two Living Shorelines Projects at seven candidate sites, one of which will be selected for implementation of a one acre pilot project in the San Francisco Estuary (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties) and for one additional year of monitoring at the Living Shorelines Project site on the San Rafael shoreline (Marin County).

SOUTH COAST

8. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $150,000 to the City of Encinitas for the development of Cardiff State Beach Living Shoreline Conceptual Plan, County of San Diego.

NORTH COAST

9. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $950,000 in US Fish and Wildlife service grant funds and up to an additional $500,000 in Conservancy funds to the Pacific Coast Fish, Wildlife, and Wetlands Restoration Association to implement the White Slough Restoration Project and to adopt the Final Initial Study and Mitigated  Negative Declaration, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the project in the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Humboldt Bay, in Humboldt County.

10. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $326,000 to the Smith River Alliance for the Hamilton Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project, allowing for the removal of a fish passage barrier located at the intersection of Picnic Road with Hamilton Creek in Del Norte County, and the purchase a modular bridge that can be installed as needed to maintain vehicular access to the area.

11. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $200,000 to California Trout, Inc., to prepare designs and permit applications for the Mad River Floodplain Restoration and Public Access Project and to implement a pilot floodplain biofiltration project in Humboldt County.

12. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $150,000 to the City of Healdsburg to develop the Fitch Mountain Public Access Plan in Sonoma County.

CENTRAL COAST

13. Consideration and possible Conservancy approval of the Pedro Point Headlands  Implementation Plan and authorization:  1) to transfer three parcels owned by the State on  behalf of the Conservancy at Pedro Point Headlands, City of Pacifica, to San Mateo County  for open space preservation, natural resource protection and public access; 2) to reserve from  that transfer approximately 0.6 acres for sale at fair market value to an adjacent private  landowner to settle an encroachment dispute; and 3) for its Executive Officer to take all  necessary steps to implement the transfer and sale.

14. CLOSED SESSIONS

Possible closed session:

A. To confer regarding pending litigation or anticipated litigation (Malibu-Encinal Homeowners Association v. Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, et al, Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. BS 431798; Pappas v State of California, Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Case No. 1417388; and other pending litigation; and/or to consider the initiation of litigation). Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e).

B. To give direction to the Conservancy’s real estate negotiators regarding the price and terms of payment for the sale of the Conservancy’s Victorine Ranch Property (Monterey County Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 243-211-025, 243-211-026 and 243-221-019). Session will be closed pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(c)(7).

15. CONSERVANCY MEMBER COMMENTS

16. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS

17. ADJOURNMENT

N.B.:     Agenda items may be taken out of sequence at the discretion of the Conservancy. At any time during the meeting, but prior to the adjournment of the open session of the meeting, the Conservancy may recess or adjourn to closed session to consider personnel matters, prices and terms of real estate transactions, and possible and pending litigation. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to attorney-client privilege and statutory authorization under Government Code Sections 11126(a), (c) (7), and (e).

Questions about the meeting or agenda can be directed to Dick Wayman at
(510) 286-4182

or at the Conservancy:

1330 Broadway, 13th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612

Any person who has a disability and requires reasonable accommodation to participate in this public meeting should contact Mr. Wayman no later than five days prior to meeting.

March 26, 2015 Conservancy Board Tour – Napa County Projects
1:00 – 3:00 pm
The Conservancy board will leave from the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency and tour several projects in and near St. Helena and Calistoga, including: Moore Creek Park, Rutherford Reach Restoration, and Zinfandel Lane Bridge Fish Passage Project.  The board and staff will travel in vans. Members of the public can follow in their private vehicles.

Any person who has a disability and requires reasonable accommodation to participate in this public tour should contact Mr. Wayman no later than five days prior to meeting.