The San Mateo County Farm Bureau has filed a lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission, asking it modify its Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan Amendment, which removes some local discretionary approval requirements for public agency land divisions for public recreation purposes.

BJ Burns, San Mateo County Farm Bureau president, said in a news release that the amendment allows subdivisions without a permanent conservation easement that would protect agriculture and open space values, creating unsustainable land parcels and significantly changes coastal agricultural land and environmental resources.

“Our board of directors took this legal action to protect agricultural land on the coastside of San Mateo County,” Burns said.

The California Coastal Commission, in a staff report, said the amendment makes it easier for public entities to develop low-intensity, public recreational projects along the San Mateo County midcoast by eliminating obstacles during a non-coastal development land division review. The commission modified the amendment in January. The Farm Bureau’s lawsuit claims the amendments violate protections for agriculture in the California Coastal Act of 1976 and results in potentially significant environmental impacts on agriculture and other resources for which mitigation was required under the California Environmental Quality Act. The lawsuit was filed March 3 in the Sacramento Superior Court of California. The Farm Bureau asks the court to direct the commission to vacate and set aside the amendment and comply with California Environmental Quality Act requirements.

The San Mateo County Farm Bureau consists of farmers and ranchers focused on promoting and preserving farming to enhance San Mateo County’s agricultural industry. The California Coastal Commission has the authority to plan and regulate land and water use in the coastal zone, including the construction of buildings, divisions of land and activities that change the intensity of land use.

The lawsuit argues that the amendment changes would result in “potentially significant environmental impacts on agriculture and other environmental resources for which mitigation is required.” The lawsuit said it would exempt parties from agriculture protective restrictions that promote the preservation of agricultural lands and removes the requirement to record agriculture and open space easements.

Osha Meserve, Farm Bureau attorney, said coastal agriculture depends on protections when recreational uses are developed. The lawsuit said the commission failed to consider the impact on agriculture land, geology and soil resources, water quality, policy inconstancies and land use. The Farm Bureau also said the amendment is not minor and has major ramifications on agricultural land.

The commission said it would have no significant environmental effects, and no mitigation measures are required. It said that Local Coastal Programs provisions protecting agriculture would remain unmodified, and the amendment’s main purpose is to help facilitate agriculture land stewardship and recreational access, like trails, in connection with specific land division types.

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