4g) Supervisors' Reports Regarding Board Special Assignments, Standing and Ad Hoc Committee Meetings, and Other Items of General Interest
(Sponsor: Board of Supervisors)
Public Comment – November 18, 2025 BOS Hearing
Title 20 Zoning Amendments & FY 2025-26 Budget Adjustments (MTSA) – Ensuring Fair Notice, Rural Protections, and Communication for All Landowners
November 17, 2025
Honorable Members of the Board of Supervisors,
I am Kylle St. Pierre, co-trustee of the Nui Rising Moon Trust and a rural property owner in Mendocino County. I submit this comment on both public hearings to advocate for mandatory notice, communication, and protections in zoning and fiscal decisions. These measures would safeguard rural rights—including water, rights of way, and emergency corridors—while ensuring meaningful participation to prevent unnotified changes that compromise safety and property values, as seen in recent annexations like Western Hills (LAFCo A-2022-02). Non Notification and lack of transparency will continue to induce equitable outcomes for rural owners who hold their property.
Title 20 Zoning Amendments (Rural Land Use / FHSZ / APO) The proposed changes risk creating or exacerbating "islanding" of rural parcels through retroactive rezoning, fire-hazard overlays, and agricultural preservation restrictions, often without prior notice or communication to owners. This leaves properties bifurcated or non-conforming, vulnerable to annexation or devaluation, while denying owners a fair opportunity to participate. With adequate communication about such changes—particularly regarding emergency corridors—impacts could be mitigated, ensuring safety for all. To protect individual and collective rights:
Mandate mailed notice and ongoing communication to every affected parcel owner at least 90 days before adoption, allowing input on potential impacts.
Prohibit retroactive application to pre-existing parcels unless owners receive compensation for lost vested rights, including water rights (riparian or appropriative).
Enforce rights of way by requiring public hearings for any designation of private corridors as public trails or firebreaks, with provisions for just
compensation and maintenance agreements to preserve safe access.
FY 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Adjustments (MTSA Transfers of $1.2–$2.5 million) These reallocations support annexations but overlook rural owners who bear disproportionate burdens, such as revenue shifts without benefits or notice. To foster fairness:
Condition MTSA funds on verified mailed notices and communication to all impacted parcels, promoting transparency and participation.
Dedicate 20–25% of transfers to a Rural Mitigation Fund for fire-safety upgrades and enforcement of rights of way in VHFHSZ areas, addressing gaps in the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Provide itemized reporting on how funds address equity, preventing favoritism and ensuring all stakeholders have a say in decisions affecting their properties.
Easement Recognition Requirement: Mandate that all zoning amendments or overlays explicitly recognize and preserve pre-existing easements, including implied easements by necessity for access in fire-prone areas. No change shall extinguish an easement without mailed notice, a parcel-specific hearing, and just compensation for the affected owner.
Prohibition on Non-Recognition in Annexations: Prohibit any annexation-related zoning adjustment from ignoring documented or implied easements for rights of way or water access. Require a pre-adoption easement inventory for impacted parcels, with public reporting to ensure transparency and protect rural safety.
Adopting these safeguards would uphold due process, protect vested rights (including water, rights of way, and safe corridors), and give rural communities a fair voice, preventing future inequities. This benefits the County by reducing disputes and building trust.
Thank you for considering this input on behalf of rural landowners. I am available at 415 725-9955
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Kylle St.Pierre
Public Comment – November 18, 2025 BOS Hearing
Title 20 Zoning Amendments & FY 2025-26 Budget Adjustments (MTSA) – Ensuring Fair Notice, Rural Protections, and Communication for All Landowners
November 17, 2025
Honorable Members of the Board of Supervisors,
I am Kylle St. Pierre, co-trustee of the Nui Rising Moon Trust and a rural property owner in Mendocino County. I submit this comment on both public hearings to advocate for mandatory notice, communication, and protections in zoning and fiscal decisions. These measures would safeguard rural rights—including water, rights of way, and emergency corridors—while ensuring meaningful participation to prevent unnotified changes that compromise safety and property values, as seen in recent annexations like Western Hills (LAFCo A-2022-02). Non Notification and lack of transparency will continue to induce equitable outcomes for rural owners who hold their property.
Title 20 Zoning Amendments (Rural Land Use / FHSZ / APO) The proposed changes risk creating or exacerbating "islanding" of rural parcels through retroactive rezoning, fire-hazard overlays, and agricultural preservation restrictions, often without prior notice or communication to owners. This leaves properties bifurcated or non-conforming, vulnerable to annexation or devaluation, while denying owners a fair opportunity to participate. With adequate communication about such changes—particularly regarding emergency corridors—impacts could be mitigated, ensuring safety for all. To protect individual and collective rights:
Mandate mailed notice and ongoing communication to every affected parcel owner at least 90 days before adoption, allowing input on potential impacts.
Prohibit retroactive application to pre-existing parcels unless owners receive compensation for lost vested rights, including water rights (riparian or appropriative).
Enforce rights of way by requiring public hearings for any designation of private corridors as public trails or firebreaks, with provisions for just
compensation and maintenance agreements to preserve safe access.
FY 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Adjustments (MTSA Transfers of $1.2–$2.5 million) These reallocations support annexations but overlook rural owners who bear disproportionate burdens, such as revenue shifts without benefits or notice. To foster fairness:
Condition MTSA funds on verified mailed notices and communication to all impacted parcels, promoting transparency and participation.
Dedicate 20–25% of transfers to a Rural Mitigation Fund for fire-safety upgrades and enforcement of rights of way in VHFHSZ areas, addressing gaps in the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Provide itemized reporting on how funds address equity, preventing favoritism and ensuring all stakeholders have a say in decisions affecting their properties.
Easement Recognition Requirement: Mandate that all zoning amendments or overlays explicitly recognize and preserve pre-existing easements, including implied easements by necessity for access in fire-prone areas. No change shall extinguish an easement without mailed notice, a parcel-specific hearing, and just compensation for the affected owner.
Prohibition on Non-Recognition in Annexations: Prohibit any annexation-related zoning adjustment from ignoring documented or implied easements for rights of way or water access. Require a pre-adoption easement inventory for impacted parcels, with public reporting to ensure transparency and protect rural safety.
Adopting these safeguards would uphold due process, protect vested rights (including water, rights of way, and safe corridors), and give rural communities a fair voice, preventing future inequities. This benefits the County by reducing disputes and building trust.
Thank you for considering this input on behalf of rural landowners. I am available at 415 725-9955
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Kylle St.Pierre