Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Board backs AB 1548 to form Monterey Bay Area Stewardship Authority, citing funding for long‑term land stewardship
Loading...
Summary
After presentations by Trust for Public Land and local conservation partners, the board voted 5–0 to support AB 1548, a bill to create a tri‑county stewardship authority to pool funds and pursue state and federal grants for long‑term habitat stewardship, trails and climate resiliency.
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on April 14 to support AB 1548, which would create the Monterey Bay Area Stewardship Authority to coordinate funding and stewardship across San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
Presenters from the Trust for Public Land described the authority as a regional mechanism to address long-term stewardship funding gaps that single grants often leave unfilled. The presenters singled out the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority as a model that combined county-level governance, drew state bond funding and later leveraged federal grants and a local measure to grow its funding base.
Trust for Public Land consultant Donna Myers said a central problem is that many grants pay for acquisition or capital work but not the long-term operations and stewardship costs that keep parks, trails and restored lands functioning. The proposed authority would be a local governance vehicle capable of applying for state and federal funds and, if authorized, could also generate local revenue over time.
Local conservation and agriculture groups told the board the authority would support working lands and voluntary stewardship without imposing new regulatory mandates on landowners. Jessica Woollander of Green Foothills said the authority would bring capacity and funds that would be “especially significant for San Benito County,” in part because of the county’s role as a corridor between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Gabilan Range.
Board members asked about governance: the bill drafts a nine‑member authority with one county supervisor and one city council member from each of the three counties (six elected officials) and three public members chosen to represent geographic diversity. The chief of staff for the bill’s author said the sponsor intends the measure to be shaped bottom‑up and that amendments remain possible as it advances through committee.
The board voted 5–0 to authorize a letter of support and to consider further engagement at the state legislative committee level. Presenters also invited county supervisors to join them in Sacramento for the local government committee hearing.
The motion was recorded and the county will send a letter of support as requested by the proponents.
