Process Improvement

By Dennis R Coleman

My presence on the Council has improved the perspective, performance and potential of City government to serve the public interest.

Despite bad process habits and entrenched opposition to change, I have successfully improved the whole tenor of City affairs. Whether that innocuous claim has involved new staff management and accountability; long-delayed recognition of the real rules; first-ever efforts to seriously enforce the rules; increased Council visibility, communication and interaction with the public; more civility and professionalism at Council meetings; more basis and clarity in the City's positions; or more extended and effective agency interfaces; a new emphasis on serving public as opposed to private interests is apparent.

I claim at least partial credit for cultivating the atmosphere and rationale to implement the above-mentioned reforms. I even led the charge which resulted in the state legislature changing the Coastal Act (SB1164) to allow small cities like Half Moon Bay to seek state reimbursement for expenses incurred to implement the Act (including defending against law suits). Finally, I helped make Council and Planning Commission decisions more defensible against legal challenge by developing a Discretionary Decision Checklist based on the governing criteria of Administrative Law.

Call it Business Process Reengineering, Total Quality Management, Quality Improvement Program, or whatever is popular, the City's process is now more open and rational than it was before my election. Without claiming to be overqualified, I do claim that this is not a co-incidence. Three examples of how process improvement benefits the City come to mind in the areas of Open Space Acquisition, Rent Stabilization and Interagency Relationships.

OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION

This objective is a work in progress that simply cannot be solved by throwing money at vacant landowners. In other words, with land values artificially inflated because of historically high development expectations, past Councils winking at environmental protection, sewer plant overexpansion, and low impact fees having been assessed on past development, we have to date been limited to development exactions (e.g. 70 acres Wavecrest open space), CEQA mitigation for road expansion (e.g. 15 acres near mouth of Pilarcitos Creek mitigated the existing SR92 passing lane expansion), grants (e.g. $100K from Coastal Conservancy to purchase creek-impacted corner of SR92 and 1) and private deals (e.g. $1.5M railroad right of way purchase).

The key issue for open space acquisition is obtaining land valuations that accurately reflect the reality of what can be built within the rules and the political will and resources to enforce those rules. For example, prior to negotiating a price for the Railroad Right of Way, I made sure that the City had partnered with the state Coastal Conservancy to co-fund a wetland delineation of adjacent land, the results of which decreased development expectations and thus the price the public had to pay. I also made sure that the appraisal fairly reflected all the other factors which made development on the affected land more or less uncertain. Such a process ensures that the public doesn't become the FDIC for previous land speculation.

RENT STABILIZATION

Whether accomplished by law, contract or other means, I believe that the City has a responsibility to maintain its affordable housing stock. Therefore, I supported special zoning for the City's 2 existing mobile home parks so as to better preserve that use in the future. I also support the City's current efforts to investigate whether the history and practices of mobile home park rent increases within the City pose a risk to affordable housing availability and if so, what remedial options would be most feasible and effective to apply. Taking a proactive role to prevent or address problems is better than waiting for them to accmulate to the point that nothing can be done.

INTERAGENCY RELATIONSHIPS

Having decided to take the letter and intent of the Coastal Act seriously, the City now has credibility and positive reporte with the Commission. In short, we're not regarded as outlaws anymore, but rather a source of objectivity and creativity (e.g. we documented the real - as opposed to applicant derived - traffic impact of previously vested subdivisions like Pacific Ridge and Beachwood, thus resulting in CDP conditions that retire development on an equal number of other lots; e.g. the Commission staff came to us for comments on the County's LCP Update and favorably considered our ideas on how to regulate development - as opposed to public safety - uses of expanded water pipelines).

Prior to my election in 1995, development in Half Moon Bay was relatively unaffected by (or took place in spite of) the Coastal Act, since there was no clear voice advocating its application. Since then, I have made the issues more visible and the public more aware of their ability to help me reform the government by taking matters into their own hands. Examples include Commission appeals, referendums, initiatives and other means of public education and political action.

As a result of becoming educated about their legal and political tools and leverage, the residents of Half Moon Bay now know how to call in the calvary and are now 7 for 9 in regard to successfully bringing preservation-minded measures to the local ballot. Also, the above-mentioned clarification of issues, rules, facts and procedures has given life and effect to the Coastal Act provisions in our current (1985 vintage) LCP, as well as providing the understanding and rationale for strengthening Coastal Act protections in our revised LCP. __________________________________________________________________________