Residents and AAC members press county for explanation after Pescadero mitigation easement approval

Several residents and committee members told the San Mateo County Agricultural Advisory Committee on Feb. 9 that the Board of Supervisors approved a mitigation package for a Pescadero fire station without consulting the AAC as committee bylaws previously requested.

Public commenter Carrie Burke opened the subject during public comment, saying the Board "adopted a week or so ago without bringing that back to the AAC" and that the county appeared to have located and agreed to an easement on property that, she said, had already been farmed and that county action would require public funds to buy mitigation rights. Another commenter, Vince Fontana, said taxpayers deserved to know "what they're doing" and accused the county of playing "a game" and hiding details about the parcel and its cost.

Committee members said the AAC had written and sent a letter asking to be part of the mitigation-property review and expressed frustration that the committee's input had not been solicited. Chair Natalie Sayre and other members asked planning staff to bring the matter back for committee review; Ron Sturgeon suggested the community consider a follow-up letter to the Board of Supervisors and asked that the AAC agendize the issue for action.

Planning staff did not provide a detailed accounting of the mitigation payment during the meeting; public commenters cited roughly $405,000 as the amount discussed. The AAC voted to agendize follow-up work so the committee can consider additional correspondence to the Board and request a factual accounting from county staff.

Next steps: staff will place the mitigation-easement follow-up on a future agenda so members can decide whether to send a second letter to the Board of Supervisors and request documentation about property selection and purchase terms.