Tiburon open space deal stalls amid state budget talks

The California Wildlife Conservation Board has agreed to award $5.5 million for the Martha Co. property purchase, but the funding is on hold while lawmakers grapple with the $27.6 billion deficit.

A key cache of grant money for the acquisition of the Martha Co. property on the Tiburon peninsula is on hold until the state budget is set.

The California Wildlife Conservation Board has agreed to award $5.5 million to the Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco nonprofit, for the purchase of the 110-acre property with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay.

However, the funds cannot be distributed until lawmakers address the state’s $27.6 billion deficit.

Jennifer Norris, executive director of the California Wildlife Conservation Board, said the funding issue could change things. She said the state basically said to hold off on all one-time grants of more than $1 million that are sourced from the state’s general fund.

“It was sort of a blanket ‘don’t spend your money until we figure out what we’re doing,'” Norris said. “The wildlife conservation board’s May agenda was already in process, we already had 50-odd projects that were getting close to being awarded. We were given permission to have our meeting, but any of the projects of that criteria needed to be conditionally approved.”

The Martha Co. property is in unincorporated Marin next to land owned by the Marin County Open Space District. A coalition of groups led by the trust has raised money to buy the site, with help from the local group Tiburon Open Space.

The area is home to many rare and special-status species, including the Marin dwarf flax and serpentine reed grass, and provides habitat for the California red-legged frog, the loggerhead shrike and the northern harrier.

The owners of the property, the Reed family, have set a sale price of $42.1 million. The Marin County Open Space District, which will take over the management of the property, previously agreed to contribute more than $29 million. Other funding sources include $3.2 million from various philanthropic sources, $1.5 million from the Moore Foundation and $1.5 million from the California Natural Resources Agency.

Norris is hopeful the funds will be available, but she said nothing is “for sure” until budget negotiations are over. While the board is not giving out any notices to proceed with projects, Norris said, it has continued to work on projects so funds can be disbursed quickly when they get the green light from the state by July 1.

Norris said that in a previous round of negotiations there was a proposal to take a fair amount of funding from the conservation board, which is why she is proceeding with caution. She said there are a lot of people advocating for projects in Sacramento, which helps when combined with the fact that nature is important to many residents of the state.

“I guess I would say I don’t count my chickens,” Norris said. “We’re optimistic that it will remain but all the negotiations come down to the wire, we know there’s a lot in play, and the deficit is really big. They are looking to fill those budget gaps wherever they can find them.

“I’m hopeful they will know these are projects that are virtually done, but I think we just can’t know until we know,” Norris said.

Jerry Riessen, president of Tiburon Open Space, said as long as the $5.5 million comes through, only a $20,000 gap in funding remains. He said if the $5.5 million is disbursed, the additional $1 million that Tiburon pledged in April will not be needed. Tiburon had previously pledged $1 million in 2022, and Belvedere pledged $125,000 in April.

Despite the freeze on the funds for now, many working on the project remain confident.

Erica Williams, a project manager for the land trust, said it is optimistic that the funding will be retained in the budget. The group is moving ahead with the acquisition project.

“TPL is thrilled that the WCB Board unanimously approved funding for the Martha Property and reaffirmed its ecological, scenic, and recreational significance for Californians,” Williams said in a statement. “This support by WCB serves as a wonderful tribute to all those who have stewarded the land and worked so hard for its protection.”

The property is contiguous with the 122-acre Old St. Hilary’s Preserve as well as 24 acres of the Tiburon Uplands preserve. The Tiburon ridge property would connect with the trails in the 389-acre Ring Mountain preserve.

Tiburon Mayor Alice Fredericks said she is optimistic the funds will come through.

“As an early and former member of the community group, the Last Chance Committee, which was the predecessor of the current Tiburon Open Space Committee, I remain confident that the Martha property with all its environmental, recreational and educational significance, will be fully funded and the deal will close soon,” Fredericks said.