Debbie McIntyre

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. and included the Pledge of Allegiance. The board confirmed a quorum was present before moving to public comment for items not on the agenda, of which there were none. The primary discussion focused on item three, the application for a business license, temporary event, DBA Foli Center, presented by Alex Fernandez. A question arose concerning the permitting status of mobile food trailers participating in the event, specifically noting that necessary environmental health permits were pending further information from Foli Center. The applicant clarified that the trucks would be already county-permitted food trucks. The board subsequently moved for and passed the motion to approve the application.

The meeting commenced with a roll call where 13 members were present, noting the recent resignation of a committee member, reducing the body size to 18 members. Discussions included clarifying the clerk's statutory responsibility as the chief elections official, consolidated with the assessor's office in 1993. Committee members presented several recommendations for charter review and potential subcommittee assignments. Key discussion points included prioritizing environmental threats by adding charter language regarding climate resilience against fire, flood, wind, drought, and sea level rise; establishing dedicated funding for county parks by reviewing models from other counties like Santa Clara County; creating a system within the charter to link veterans to the Veteran Service Office to ensure they receive earned benefits; and initiating a review of the 414 boards and commissions manual to provide better structure, advocate opportunities, and ensure fulfillment of goals for various community groups including environmental, LGBTQ, veterans, and seniors.

The advisory meeting included oral communications where a member promoted the annual Farm Bureau Veterans Center event and pumpkin festival, seeking information on ticket purchases. Committee member updates covered a recent fire where reservoir water was used for suppression, leading to a discussion regarding the need for potable water pipelines for firefighting. Another committee member provided an update on the publication of the 2024 crop report, an upcoming growers workshop, and alerted the committee to pest concerns including the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine in Santa Clara County, new glassywing sharpshooter infestations, and the potential arrival of the new world screworm. There was also a discussion regarding apiary registration fees, with a request for a fee waiver for hobbyists (1-9 colonies). A significant portion of the meeting involved a committee member voicing concerns about the high cost and logistical difficulty for members to print lengthy meeting packets (up to 504 pages), leading to an agreement that full digital packets would be available on a monitor for reference. The consent agenda addressed the approval of minutes for the August 11th and September 8th, 2025 meetings, an agricultural use permit, and a coastal development permit application for drilling a test domestic well.

The meeting commenced with a roll call, noting one member listening in remotely from out of state. A significant portion of the discussion focused on public comments regarding the Pescadero fire station mitigation measure resolution, specifically concerning the requirement for replacement of prime soils and the perceived lack of review by the Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) despite prior vocal concern. Concerns were raised about the use of public funds for purchasing easements on previously farmed property. Other public comments addressed potential changes to the well ordinance, requests for an update on the farm labor task force (including loan programs and expedited processing), and concerns regarding the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's petition to list the mountain lion, citing population data discrepancies and inadequate consideration of agricultural impacts, including unreported cattle predation. Committee member updates included an announcement regarding an upcoming golf tournament in June.

The meeting commenced with the swearing-in of a new commissioner, Matthew Burroughs, and a tribute to the outgoing commissioner, Lisa Ketchum. Key agenda items involved the request by Water Solution, Inc. for a Coastal Development Permit, PD Permit, and Architectural Review to drill two new test wells on three parcels located west of Rio Highway. Previous attempts to drill three test wells were not sufficiently viable to meet the county's requirement of 2.5 gallons per minute for single-family residences. The project presentation detailed that the proposed new wells are located outside of sensitive area buffers, including riparian/marshland buffers, bluff setbacks, and special status plant buffers. An addendum to a previously certified SQA document confirmed no substantial new changes. Commissioners discussed water viability based on local geology, the county's water standards for single-family residences (2.5 GPM) and potential future accessory dwelling units (3.5 GPM), and confirmed that public water supply is unavailable in the area. The commission ultimately recommended approval of the permits subject to conditions of approval.