To: Board of Supervisors
From: Internal Operations Committee
Report Title: RECOMMENDATION FOR APPOINTMENTS TO THE FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMITTEE
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
REAPPOINT Nicole Balbas to the At-large #3 seat and APPOINT Olivia Ortega to the At-large #4 and Courtney Coon to the At-large Alternate seat on the Fish and Wildlife Committee for terms of office beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
There are 10 members on the FWC: one from each Supervisor’s District, four At-large members, and one At-large Alternate. A current roster indicating the Supervisorial District or At-large seat that the member represents, their appointment and term expiration dates, as well as their city of residence or employment is attached. The terms expire on a rotational basis, so as to have internal continuity on the FWC. The five district seats are nominated by the corresponding Supervisor. When one of these membership positions is available, the public may apply directly to the Supervisor’s office. For the four At-large positions and one At-large Alternate position, the FWC publicizes the vacancies to recruit candidates. The Internal Operations Committee (IOC) considers applications from all interested individuals, conducts interviews and recommends appointments to the Board.
Public Notice of Vacancies and Application Availability
An application for membership for the two At-large seats and one At-large Alternate seat on the FWC was distributed to the Fish and Wildlife Committee and the Contra Costa Watershed Forum email distribution lists as well as posted to the FWC website on August 8, 2024. A press release was sent to local newspapers and a flier was sent to County libraries. The announcement appeared in the news sections of the County and Department of Conservation and Development’s (DCD’s) websites, noted in e-newsletters by three District Supervisors, posted on the DCD social media sites, and added to CCTV’s County Net which appeared on Comcast Channel 27, Astound Channel 32, and AT&T U-verse Channel 99.
The terms for the two At-large positions and one At-large Alternate position will be four years starting January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2028.
Application Review
Nine (9) applications were received for the At-large and At-large Alternate seat vacancies. Those include applications from Phillip Cardenas, Courtney Coon, Thomas Ehrich (who later withdrew), Robert Kearsley, Tom Morehouse, Martin O’Connor, Olivia Ortega, and Jeffry Tibbetts. One incumbent, Nicole Balbas (At-large Seat #3) applied as well.
At a special meeting on November 14th, the IOC interviewed eight applicants and recommends the reappointment of Nicole Balbas to the At-large #3 seat and the appointment of Olivia Ortega to the At-large #4 and Courtney Coon to the At-large Alternate seat on the Fish and Wildlife Committee for terms of office beginning January 1, 2025 and ending December 31, 2028.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the Board reject the recommendation, a new recruitment would need to be conducted resulting in delays in filling the vacant seats.