Stop the paving of paradise! I will preserve and protect the coast. Eshoo has never focused on the coastal communities in 30 years - why will it change now? I’ll establish a permanent multi-lingual coastside congressional office within 90 days, something that doesn’t currently exist - ensuring your voice is heard and urgent problems are actually solved.
As a passionate environmentalist who loves visiting California’s beaches with my family, I’ll stop the ill-conceived high-density housing push directed at our coastal cities and beaches that have steamrolled development projects like the San Pedro Mountain and Pedro Point Field projects into your peaceful little town.
Our beaches, parks and coastlines must be protected and a smarter approach to preserving our coastal resources for our children is essential. Additionally, I will stop any oil drilling off the San Mateo County coast. I support the dark sky initiative that will reduce light pollution and decrease energy consumption.
I will push for no development projects at the Half Moon Bay airport - we need it available for senior emergency services. I will push for an immediate report and remediation regarding leaded fuel levels of the HMB Airport surrounding area.
I will dedicate myself to raising the standard of public schools on the coast - to improve both test results and opportunities. The pandemic has greatly impacted learning. I will work to ensure the success of every child from our coastal district.
I will move to curtail crime on the Coast- especially by bad actors who use Hwy 1 for the purpose. I have a track record for crime reduction, dropping burglaries in my city by 50%, a historic reduction that was bigger than any other San Mateo or Santa Clara County city that year.
As a Saratoga councilmember, we preserved 65 acres of open spaces and protected wildlife on an abandoned quarry with the opening of the new Quarry Park (picture below), with beautiful recreational trails meeting the Pacific Ocean, I also stopped a 300-room hotel mega development project on a hillside in a high fire hazard zone, that would have severely disrupted our wildlife, trees, and neighborhoods.
As your Congressional Representative, I’ll always fight for coastal communities. I’ve met thousands of our coastal community neighbors and I will always champion your causes. I will be honored to have your vote on March 5th, 2024.
Help me fight for you and the coast - make your contribution here
The passage of SB 423, sponsored by Senator Scott Weiner as it stands now, could result in unregulated coastal development and also make permanent SB-35 (2017). As part of SB 423, legislators are working to expand applicability to include urban areas along the coast, which are currently exempt from permit streamlining.
This bill poses a substantial risk as it diminishes our capacity to control our coastal issues. Senator Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) would like to extend the housing bill, SB 35 (2017) with this proposal. This bill has already passed the The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee (6/29/23 - passed 6-1) and passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee (7/10/23 - passed 11-0). California Coastal Commission (CCC) has come out in opposition as it would strip the CCC of all of its oversight authority and ignore environmental hazards. Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin, a Democrat from Santa Cruz, expressed her opposition, stating that changing the coastal act was not the appropriate approach to achieve the bill's objectives of promoting affordable housing.
Call to action - click the button below to send an email to Assemblymember Berman and Senator Becker expressing your stance against this bill.
Dear Assemblymember Berman and Senator Becker,
As your constituent, I am requesting your help to stop Senate Bill 423.
I oppose Senate Bill 423 as it aims to eliminate the coastal zone exclusion that has been present in previous housing "by right development" laws like Senate Bill 35.
The passage of SB 423, as it stands now, could result in unregulated coastal development. This situation poses a substantial risk as it diminishes our capacity to control issues such as sewer and stormwater runoff, as well as concerns like fire evacuation and traffic gridlock. It is environmentally wrong and puts the coast at jeopardy.
Passing this bill would preempt local governments and planning commissions along California's coast, preventing them from effectively addressing the consequences of uncontrolled residential development. It would restrict their ability to mitigate the impacts of such development. Moreover, the bill would hinder public awareness by implementing ministerial over-the-counter processes, eliminating the need for public notice requirements for approvals by the Planning Department.
Is it a logical choice to have affordable housing along the coastline, taking into account the current absence of mass transportation infrastructure in those areas? Shouldn't our development plans be rooted in well-founded urban planning principles? Let's strategically plan for our future and address the increasing exodus from California in a proactive manner.
Thank you
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ADDRESS
Five years ago Pacifica’s Quarry development failed by a 68% vote.
But, the Pacifica city council is considering a reclamation plan for the Pacifica Quarry - a total of 86.2 acres - submitted by Bayland Soil Pacifica LLC. Public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) closed on April 4th and may precede a housing development application. An approved quarry reclamation plan will allow the former quarry to be reclaimed as required by Title 9, Chapter 2 of the Pacifica Municipal Code.
Documents created by National Park Service and Caltrans have revealed the Rockaway Quarry may have been the site of a Native American village. See the explanation here.
What I learned at these meetings were that fire & emergency preparedness, as well as emergency communication, are two hot topics. I heard that insurance companies have canceled many homeowners' fire insurances in the area, given what happened at Paradise. That is a huge problem! In order to ensure that those who need Fire Insurance the most are protected, we must adopt a model similar to that of the CEA for Fire Insurance. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ought to provide fire-insurance directly to consumers. This way, we maximize coverage and provide certainty to California families. The California FAIR Plan will insure any property, though many property owners prefer a private market alternative due to coverage options and cost support. I support ASSEMBLY BILL 2167 and SENATE BILL 292. Assembly Bill (AB) 2167 would make it easier for insurers to write more insurance policies, but both AB 2167 and SB 292 have died on the floor. We need to push these bills to be signed into law and expand on what we achieve. As your congressman, I will push for a State of California Fire Insurance, just like the earthquake plan our state offers today. We also need to establish an emergency communication plan to bring in urgent help during landslides, earthquakes, fire etc. Our neighbors just cannot be left in the lurch.
Public safety power shutoffs have become a PR nightmare for PG&E while creating a huge question mark and concerns for residents. The blackouts have impacted lives adversely while the economic impact is staggering! Our citizens are also asking ‘What gusty wind?’ Is this an example of a monopoly and crony capitalism? We grant PG&E a monopoly status at the cost of being governed by the people. I believe they can be governed better!
I am concerned with the investor-owned utilities' profit mandates, their continued under-investment in their electric grid, and their reliance on old fossil fuel plants. The answer is to go with the public utility model and municipalization. It is time for a massive public takeover so that we can prioritize citizen benefit over profit.
As the current councilmember of Saratoga, California, I have proposed the municipalization of San Jose Water Company, which supplies water to a million Silicon Valley residents covering the cities of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Campbell. I have been pushing back on the numerous rate increase proposals of San Jose Water Company since January 2017 and we have already rejected, reduced, and suspended a total of 9 water rate increases.
PG&E’s failure to maintain their power lines, which contributes to the wildfires seen across the state, resulting in the power company’s decision to institute the blackouts. PG&E’s infrastructure has been deteriorating. The San Bruno explosion should have been a wake up call. The Paradise fire was a disaster. What is PG&E’s plan? Shifting the costs from utilities to communities in highly inequitable ways is not acceptable. They should develop a good maintenance plan by deploying some of the latest IOT monitoring systems in place. News reports of PG&E choosing to divert money from infrastructure initiatives to boost corporate profits and to pay executives even more is concerning to many. Sacramento quietly recertified PG&E as a "safe" company - despite officials making the utility company responsible for the wildfires. Even more egregious, California spent $9.6 million on private attorneys who wrote a law protecting PG&E’s profits. State records reveal the law firm had represented PG&E for years. As your congressman, I will always put the people first, protect you and ensure that our system works for you.
