Coastal Conservancy Public Meeting in Imperial Beach – February 02

Meeting Notice

Douglas Bosco (Public Member), Chair
Ann Notthoff (Public Member), Vice Chair
Marce Gutiérrez-Graudi?š (Public Member)
Joseph Alioto Jr. (Public Member)
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for Natural Resources; Bryan Cash (Designated)
Donne Brownsey, Coastal Commission Chair; Madeline Cavalieri (Designated)
Keely Bosler, Director, Department of Finance; Gayle Miller (Designated)

Senate Representatives
Benjamin Allen (District 26)
Josh Becker (District 13)
John Laird (District 17)

Assembly Representatives
Mark Stone (District 29)
Robert Rivas (District 30)
Christopher Ward (District 78)

Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer
Amy Roach, General Counsel

AGENDA
Hybrid Meeting
DATE: February 02, 2023
TIME: 9:30 A.M*
LOCATION: YMCA Camp Surf
560 Silver Strand Blvd.,
Imperial Beach, CA 91932

*On Thursday, February 2, the Conservancy will tour the YMCA Camp Surf facility. The tour will begin at 9:00am at the YMCA Camp Surf, 560 Silver Strand Blvd., Imperial Beach, CA 91932. Members of the public are welcome to join the tour, during which participants will walk the facility. The tour will conclude at 9:30am.

This meeting will be conducted in a hybrid virtual/in-person format in accordance with Government Code Section 11133. To maximize public safety while maintaining transparency, members of the public can choose to watch the webcast of the meeting or participate in the meeting via Zoom, by telephone, or in person at the location listed above. People attending in person will be required to adhere to the site’s health guidelines, which could include wearing masks, health screening, and social distancing.

Members of the public may watch an online webcast of the meeting or join the meeting by internet with Zoom or by telephone with the following steps:

Webcast (Watch Only): To watch the meeting and not provide verbal comments, please view the webcast at this site: https://cal-span.org. If you do not wish to provide verbal comments, we strongly recommend watching the webcast as this will free up space on the webinar for those who are providing verbal comments. If you intend to make verbal comments, please do not view the webcast, and then switch over to the Zoom webinar or phone to comment, as the webcast will have a time delay and you may miss the opportunity to comment.

Zoom (To Make Comments): In addition to in-person participation, remote participation is available to members of the public via Zoom webinar. To participate via Zoom, you must register for the Zoom Webinar at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GkDpSqYBT4eCptTMX1GZfg. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Telephone (To Make Comments): Members of the public can offer verbal comments on agenda items by calling in via telephone. Zoom registration is required. Register for the Zoom Webinar at the link above and you will receive an email with a phone number to dial in by telephone. When the agenda item you want to speak on is being presented, press *9 to “raise your hand” and indicate your interest in making a comment. You will be called upon (using your phone number to identify you) and will be unmuted at the appropriate time.

More information on how to participate and comment verbally on an agenda item or during open public comment can be found here.

* Spanish interpretation will be provided for the February 02, 2023 meeting if you join by zoom.

1. ROLL CALL

2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES of the Conservancy’s September 22, 2022andDecember 01, 2022 public meetings.

3. CONSENT ITEMS

A. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $50,000 to the Morro Coast Audubon Society to restore coastal dune habitat in its Sweet Springs Nature Preserve property on the south Morro Bay shoreline, San Luis Obispo County.

B. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $33,300 to Jug Handle Creek Farm and Nature Center (JCFNC) to remove a minimum of 95 high-fire-risk invasive Monterey Pine trees, plant 30 Redwood trees and shrubs, and install interpretative signage on the JCFNC property located in the community of Caspar, Mendocino County.

C. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $143,120 to Orange County Coastkeeper to augment a previously authorized Conservancy grant of $35,780 to conduct monitoring and outreach to protect endangered bird species and associated habitat located near the Santa Ana River Mouth in Orange County.

4. EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORT

A. Annual Financial Report.

B. Sea Level Rise Planning and Adaptation

SOUTH COAST

5. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $275,000 to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy for fire fuel reduction and habitat restoration consisting of enhancement of 46.8 acres of habitat through removal of invasive plants and planting of native plants to increase wildfire resilience and benefit federally protected butterflies and other native species within the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

6. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $358,000 to the County of Ventura to conduct pre-construction activities associated with the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project, including hydraulic and sediment modeling, environmental compliance and design planning in Ventura County.

7.Consideration and authorization to disburse up to four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) to the City of Santa Ana to prepare designs and perform initial environmental review for restoration of 4.28 acres of pedestrian hiking trail and riparian habitat in Santiago Park within the City of Santa Ana, Orange County.

8. Consideration and authorization to disburse up to three hundred and eight thousand, seven hundred dollars ($308,700) to the Discovery Cube of Orange County to produce a conceptual design and feasibility study for an outdoor science park along Santiago Creek in the City of Santa Ana in Orange County.

9. Consideration and potential authorization to disburse up to $685,546 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to develop a Tribal Access and Engagement Plan and update environmental assessments for the Frank and Joan Randall Preserve/Genga (formerly known as Banning Ranch) property in Newport Beach and unincorporated Orange County.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

10.Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $7,000,000 to East Bay Regional Park District to acquire the 768-acre Finley Road Ranch Property in Contra Costa County for purposes of protecting, restoring, and enhancing natural and scenic resources, including wildlife corridors and habitat; improving landscape resilience related to climate change; preserving open space; providing public access and recreational use compatible with the protection, restoration, and enhancement of natural and scenic resources; and providing a public entry staging area for parks on the southern side of Mount Diablo.

11. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $5,400,000, including a $400,000 grant from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, to the California Invasive Plant Council for the planning, management, treatment, monitoring, and restoration activities of the San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project from 2023-2024.

CENTRAL COAST

12. Consideration and authorization to disburse up to $525,000 to the City of Santa Barbara to reduce wildland vegetation fuels on approximately 283 acres in up to seven high fire hazard areas in Santa Barbara, purchase equipment needed for the project, prepare planning and biological resource documents, conduct community outreach and education activities, and build capacity to implement their Community Wildfire Protection Plan through hiring additional staff; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

13. Consideration and authorization to disburse up to $752,510 to the Santa Lucia Conservancy to develop and implement a wildfire mitigation training program that will train a wildfire workforce and reduce fuels on 675 acres of coastal habitat and to plan four prescribed burn projects, on the Santa Lucia Preserve in Monterey County.

14. CONSERVANCY MEMBER COMMENTS

15. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS

16. CLOSED SESSION

A. To confer regarding Pappas, et al. v. State Coastal Conservancy, et al., Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Case No. 1417388. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

B. To confer regarding Grassroots Coalition, et al. v. California State Coastal Conservancy, et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 21STCP02237. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

C. To confer regarding Defend Ballona Wetlands, et al. v. California State Coastal Conservancy, et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 20STCV29911. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

D. To confer regarding Lebolt v. City and County of San Francisco, et al., San Francisco County Superior Court Case No. CGC-19-581761. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

E. To confer regarding City of Trinidad v. Tsurai Ancestral Society, et al., Humboldt County Superior Court Case No. DR180684. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

F. To confer regarding Ballona Wetlands Land Trust v. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, et al. (Environmental Science Associates, Real Party in Interest), Los Angeles County Superior Court, Case No. 22STCP03307. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e)(2)(A).

Please note: If a closed session is needed, the Conservancy will reconvene in person and on the webcast and zoom webinar to make any reports required by Section 11125.2 of the Government Code.

17. ADJOURNMENT

CONSERVANCY TOUR INFORMATION:
On Wednesday, February 1, the Conservancy will tour sites within the Tijuana River Valley. The tour will begin at 1:00 pm at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR)’s Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial Beach, CA 91932. The tour will stop at the following sites throughout the Tijuana River Valley:

  • Monument Mesa
  • Smuggler’s Gulch
  • Tijuana River Valley Campground
  • Coastal Trail Connection Points
  • Oneonta Slough

Members of the public are welcome to join the tour but must provide their own transportation to the Visitor Center. During the tour, all tour participants must ride in vans provided by TRNERR; no private cars will be permitted on the tour. The tour will conclude at 4:45 pm at the Visitor Center.

For any questions regarding the tour, please contact Megan Cooper at Megan.Cooper@scc.ca.gov.

Note: 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).
Any person who has a disability and requires reasonable accommodation to participate in this public meeting should contact Taylor Samuelson no later than five days prior to meeting.
Questions about the meeting or agenda can be directed to Taylor Samuelson at
(510) 286-4182 or Taylor.Samuelson@scc.ca.gov or at the Conservancy:
1515 Clay Street, 10th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612

This meeting notice and agenda may be accessed at http://scc.ca.gov/public-meetings/

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