CUSD Comes to Midcoast Community Council to Explain Farallone Elementary’s New Lighting Strategy; MCC Insists on “Dark Skies” Standards

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VIDEO. From the Midcoast Community Council (MCC) on Wednesday, August 28th, 2024 at 7:00pm, as a hybrid meeting.

MCC Letter to Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD)

We write to request mitigation of the excessive light pollution from the recently installed
fixtures at the Farallone View School. This letter elaborates on and confirms communications
between members of the community and the MCC at CUSD Board Meetings, the MCC
meeting of August 14th, 2024, and on social media. This letter presents a problem
statement, suggested mitigations, and background on prior communications between us,
indicating that Dark Sky and wildlife lighting concerns were understood and agreed at both
CUSD remodels on the Midcoast. [Light pollution affects human health] A series of
photographs is also attached as an illustration of the light and roof issues.

The community, including neighbors and animal farm owners, find the lighting from the school
trespasses onto their properties, affecting their sleep and the biological clocks of the livestock
sheltered at those farms. In addition, there are likely effects on the wildlife in GGNRA lands
to the North of the school. The lighting is too bright, too blue-rich in intensity, and scatters
well beyond the school property – especially in the prevalent fog. Our community does not
want an “urban” aesthetic on the Midcoast.

Excessive light trespass was repeatedly discussed with CUSD in calls, emails, and at MCC
meetings in connection with both the El Granada remodel and the Farallone school remodel,
in at least four (4) meetings in early 2024, and in additional meetings and emails in 2023 (see
BACKGROUND). Even though DarkSky approved fixtures were to have been used, it is clear
that there was not proper planning and configuration of these fixtures. Otherwise, there
would not be a resulting DarkSky/light pollution problem.

>>> READ MORE on Lighting Mitigation and Background Discussions

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CUSD Turns Off Farallone Elementary’s New Lights Right Away in Response to Neighbors “Dark Skies” Complaints and will Continue to Develop a Longterm Plan; August 15, 2024

More on the MCC on Coastside Buzz

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MCC Agendas, Videos and Lots and Lots of Documents!

Thanks to exMCC’s Lisa Ketcham (now on the San Mateo County Planning Commission) for an incredibly well curated website archive on local planning issues.

Link to MCC Virtual Meetings

MCC from left. Gregg Dieguez, Chair Gus Mattamal, Ann Rothman, Kimberly Williams (Supervisor, Ray Mueller), Scott Bollinger and Dan Haggerty

Midcoast Community Council Website

Midcoast Community Council (MCC) is an elected Municipal Advisory Council to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Princeton, and Miramar.

Regular MCC meetings are on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM at Granada Community Services District (GCSD) meeting room, 504 Ave Alhambra, third floor, El Granada. 
All MCC meetings are open to the public, and are agendized and posted according to the requirements of the Brown Act.

Agenda item supporting documents are available 72 hours in advance of meetings on http://www.MidcoastCommunityCouncil.org.

Minutes from previous meetings on http://www.midcoastcommunitycouncil.org/2017-2018/

To subscribe to MCC agendas via email, send email to [email protected]

Midcoast Community Councilmembers

MCC: [email protected]
P.O. Box 248, Moss Beach, CA 94038
Subscribe to agendas via email: Google Group-MCC-Agendas.

Gus Mattammal, Chair – Term Ends: Dec 2026
Phone: 650-451-5335
Email: [email protected]

Gregg Dieguez, Vice Chair – Term Ends: Dec. 2024
Phone: 650-544-0714
Email: [email protected]

Ann Rothman, Secretary – Term Ends: Dec 2024
Email: [email protected]

Scott Bollinger, Treasurer – Term Ends: Dec 2026
Phone: 650-773-4425
Email: [email protected]

Dan Haggerty, Member – Term Ends: Dec. 2024
Phone: 650-212-6026
Email : [email protected]

Claire Toutant, Member – Term Ends: Dec. 2026
Phone: 650-676-5847‬
Email: [email protected]

Kimberly Williams, Member – Term Ends: Dec 2026
Email: [email protected]