County committee receives annual work plans from seven county commissions, forwards them to full Board

The Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee on May 29 received annual work-plan presentations from seven Santa Clara County commissions and voted to forward the compiled reports to the full Board of Supervisors.

Supervisors heard one- to two-minute summaries from commissioners representing the Airport Land Use Commission; (listed as) Bridal Advisory Commission; Historical Heritage Commission; Parks and Recreation Commission; Planning Commission; Roads Commission; and the Parks and Recreation Commission’s capital and master-plan work. Committee members moved and carried a motion to receive the reports and forward them to the Board.

The Airport Land Use Commission presentation, given by Commissioner Walter Windus, cited the state statutory basis for the commission’s responsibilities and limits. "The Airport Land Use Commission is created by public utilities code 21670, and our duties and responsibilities are clearly outlined in that statute running from 21670 to 21679.5," Windus said, adding the commission may only find proposed projects consistent or inconsistent with adopted airport land use compatibility plans and cannot require changes to projects inside airport boundaries.

Andrew Fostore, speaking for the commission listed as the Bridal Advisory Commission, described priorities tied to animal services: increasing community engagement, expanding partnerships with non‑profits, and finding alternatives to shelter surrender during high-volume "kitten season." Terry Johnson of the Historical Heritage Commission described ongoing grant review and a countywide Preservation Alliance that coordinates award recognition and outreach. Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Keith Ball highlighted upcoming master-plan reviews and an annual capital improvement program overview scheduled for July 2025. Planning Commission Vice Chair Mark Rausser outlined zoning and land‑use work, including safety and environmental justice elements and updates to rural and equestrian zoning. Roads Commission Chair Tim We said implementation of the county’s Active Transportation Plan would be a major focus and asked the Board to help fill two commission vacancies, particularly for South County representation.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about specific commission requests and next steps. The committee agreed to receive the reports and forward them to the Board for consideration at the next available meeting.

The motion to receive and forward the reports passed on a roll-call vote recorded as Vice Chairperson Arenas: Yes; Chairperson (as recorded): Yes.

The Board will receive the full packets and the commissions’ written work plans as submitted by the Clerk of the Board; the committee presentations were intended to increase direct engagement between supervisors and commissioners and to surface items that may require follow-up.

The committee noted it would accept one public comment block at the end of the item but recorded no public speakers for the commission presentations.