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VIDEO. From the Midcoast Community Council (MCC) meeting on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025 at 7:00pm, as a hybrid meeting. Kellyx Nelson, Executive Director of the San Mateo RCD, reports.
From Kellyx Nelson, Executive Director on San Mateo Resource Conservation District.
We convened a Technical Advisory Committee last week to review the 107 wildfire resiliency and forest health projects submitted to the Regional Priority Plan being developed the RCDs of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties in partnership with the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network. Project solicitation was open to FireSafe Councils, fire agencies, public land managers, land trusts, RCDs, timber companies, and others actively involved in in forest stewardship and community protection efforts across San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. Of the 107 projects, about 55 are in San Mateo County including a number of projects on the Coastside from Pacifica to HMB, including:
- Pedro Point Wildfire Resilience – focused on fuel reduction and Eucalyptus removal in the Wildland Urban Interface of Pedro Point
- Highway 1 Fuel Break – focused on improving the evacuation route between tunnels and Pacifica by removing eucalyptus and other hazardous trees from the CalTrans ROW (see below)
- Fuel Reduction Planning at McNee Ranch
- Grassland Restoration and WUI Fuel Reduction on GGNRA lands at Rancho Corral de Tierra
- Montara Moss Beach CalTrans ROW
- Non-shaded fuel break along the western boundary of Quarry Park (and maintenance of existing fuel breaks).
- Highway 92 Fuel Break phase 1 (East of 35). (see below)
- Eucalyptus Removal from Open Space District lands at Madonna Creek and Miramontes Ridge
- Eucalyptus Removal at Burleigh Murray State Park
- Targeted fuel reduction along ingress and egress routes in residential canyons along the coast
- Vegetation Management Assistance Program, which would include our current Neighborhood Chipping Program, and aims to provide support to residents/landowners in the way of programmatic permits for fuel reduction and/or Eucalyptus removal, provide cost-sharing financial assistance to landowners removing hazard trees, Eucalyptus, or other fire hazards,
Project Specific Updates:
- Chipper Program Update: The RCD hosted neighborhood chipping events in the Midcoast in late May. This was preceded by substantial outreach including a presentation to MCC, posts to website and social media, posts on Coastside buzz, consistent posting on NextDoor by Michele Dragony, and flyers mailed to every eligible home. We maximized the service area for El Granada and Montara due to requests from those communities related to the changing Fire Severity Hazard Map. Despite these requests for services, very low participation from El Granada.
- Overall ~59 Midcoast residents participated
- Montara – 48
- Moss Beach – 4
- El Granada 7
- Highway 1 Fuel Break: About a mile long, from just north of the tunnels to Pacifica city limits. We are supporting CalTrans to get this project submitted to the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation to suspend certain CEQA and Coastal Act Requirements for urgent wildfire resilience projects. If approved, implementation (funded by CalTrans) would begin no later than 10/15/2026.
- Caltrans ROW Montara Moss Beach: We are not currently involved in this project, but Caltrans staff reached out to us to discuss permitting this type of project in the Coastal Zone, and we provided them with information on the CalVTP and the RCD’s Public Works Plan, which when paired can achieve long-term environmental compliance for veg management projects. This project has been included in our RPP development.
- Highway 92 Fuel Break: We are continuing to develop project plans and designs for this critical hazard tree and fuel reduction project on 92 between 35 and I280. We are on track to have final plans in place in time to begin implementing this project in late spring/early summer 2026. This project is funded by Measure K and the Coastal Conservancy
- Wavecrest Wildfire Resiliency Project: This Coastal Conservancy funded project in Half Moon Bay on Coastside Land Trust’s Wavecrest property is designed and funded as a demonstration project to show how fuel reduction can be done responsibly in eucalyptus groves that have been known to harbor monarch butterflies. We worked closely with the Xerces Society to develop a treatment plan that would avoid impacts to overwintering monarchs. We look forward to demonstrating that effective fuel management in these areas not only reduces the risk of wildfire to neighboring homes, but can protect or enhance overwintering conditions preferred by the monarch. This project is slated to begin mid to late August and be completed by October 1st.
More on the MCC on Coastside Buzz
Midcoast Community Council (MCC) Meetings ~ 2nd & 4th Wednesdays @ 7:00pm
The MCC is an elected Municipal Advisory Council to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing unincorporated 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. Meetings are in hybrid format and the public is encouraged to attend remotely. All MCC meetings are open to the public, and are agendized and posted according to the requirements of the Brown Act.
MCC Agendas and Zoom Links
Regular meeting agendas are posted 72 hours in advance.
Special meeting agendas are posted 24 hours in advance.
Comments by email, remotely or in person.
Archived MCC meeting videos on PCTv
Lots and Lots of Documents! Check out the menu bar. Thanks to exMCC’s Lisa Ketcham for an incredibly well curated website archive on local planning issues.
Subscribe to MCC agendas via email, send email to MCC-Agendas+subscribe@googlegroups.com
2025 Midcoast Community Councilmembers
MCC: midcoastcommunitycouncil@gmail.com
P.O. Box 248, Moss Beach, CA 94038
Claire Toutant, Chair – 3rd Term Ends: Dec. 2026
Phone: 650-676-5847
Email: midcoast.claire@gmail.com
Kimberly Williams, Vice Chair – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2026
Email: midcoast.kimberlyw@gmail.com
Connie Santilli, Secretary – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2028
(just installed; email to come)
Kevin Sniecinski, Treasurer – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2028
(just installed; email to come)
Scott Bollinger – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2026
Phone: 650-773-4425
Email: scottbollingerMCC@gmail.com
Gus Mattammal – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2026
Phone: 650-451-5335
Email: midcoastgus@gmail.com
Chris Rogers – 1st Term Ends: Dec 2028
(just installed; email to come)
Author: mdrag
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