Public Participation in the Decision Making Process

By Carolyn Moffatt

Port San Luis Harbor District extends from the Cuesta Grade to the Santa Maria River. All consituents of the District should be equally represented.

In 1984 the Port San Luis Master Plan was adopted by the Harbor Commission after hundreds of hours of public meetings and many revisions, incorporated into the Local Coastal Plan by the County of San Luis Obispo and certified as consistent with the California Coastal Act by the California Coastal Commission. As a result, the Board of Supervisosrs is the permitting authority for coastal land use permits. An applicant for a permit within the Port first applies to the Harbor Commission and if approved applies to the Board of Supervisors. If the proposed use is seaward of the mean high tide line, the California Coastal Commission is the final permitting authority. Decisions at all three levels are ideally based upon consistency with the certified Local Coastal Plan, review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQUA) and public participation at various opportunities along the way.

The Port's Master Plan has become outdated and will be updated along with an update of the Local Coastal Plan of the San Luis Bay Planning Area.

With the cooperation of relevant county supervisors, community organizations and the media, I will work to ensure that the District can provide all residents of the Harbor District the opportunity to participate in the new Port San Luis Harbor District Master Plan process. The new Master Plan will provide guidance to the Commission for the next 10 years.