Locunity/Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside, CA·Water District
Board of Directors
SAM is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by its three member agencies: City of Half Moon Bay (HMB), Granada Community Services District (GCSD), and the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD).
The JPA is a separate, independent, public agency created by the member agencies to perform functions and share powers common to the member agencies. Those powers are outlined in a joint exercise of powers agreement (Agreement). The Agreement creating SAM can be found on the Documents page.
Each Agreement identifies how the independent agency will be governed. In the case of SAM, each member agency appoints two members from its governing board to represent it on the SAM Board of Directors, for a total of six directors.
The Agreement also establishes the weight of each director’s vote. The vote by each representatives from the City is given the weight of two votes. The vote by each representative from GCSD and MWSD is given the weight of one vote. The total number of possible votes is eight. A quorum is a minimum of five votes and resolutions require at least six votes to pass.
Regular Board Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00pm.
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Chair Pushes SAM to Adopt Harbor District's Award-Winning Accounting Practices
Chair Slater-Carter directs the general manager to consult with the Harbor District on implementing GASB-compliant electronic accounting using SAM's existing Tyler software.
Why it matters: Better financial reporting could improve transparency, budget accountability, and potentially earn SAM national accounting awards, following the Harbor District's successful model.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
PPABoard of Directors28d agoJune 15, 2026
Solar PPA Faces Make-or-Break Week as Vendor Drags on Key Terms
SAM continues the public hearing on its solar PPA to June 22 as general counsel warns tough negotiations remain with the vendor over liability, risk-shifting, and a July 4 IRS deadline.
Why it matters: If the vendor cannot resolve open liability and regulatory risk issues within days, SAM will miss IRS safe harbor and Investment Tax Credit deadlines, potentially killing the 25-year solar energy project.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
Landstrip ParcelBoard of Directors28d agoJune 15, 2026
SAM Tables Landstrip Easement Over Scope and Habitat Disputes
Board continues the Landstrip easement to July 13, demanding the grant cover the full parcel and include endangered species habitat language.
Why it matters: The easement scope will determine whether Half Moon Bay can execute a comprehensive flood control and habitat restoration project on land SAM owns adjacent to its treatment plant.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
1982 AgreementBoard of Directors28d agoJune 15, 2026
Board Renews Expired Easement Securing SAM's Wastewater Plant Site
SAM unanimously approves a second amendment renewing the expired 1982 easement that authorizes its continued operation of the treatment plant on Half Moon Bay-owned land.
Why it matters: Without this renewal, SAM has no written legal right to access or operate its own wastewater treatment plant, which jeopardizes the pending solar PPA and other capital projects.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
Lanster ParcelBoard of Directors35d agoJune 8, 2026
Board Backs Expanding Lanster Easement to Full 9.8 Acres for Flood Control Flexibility
Board members and public commenters agreed the proposed 4.5-acre drainage easement should cover the full 9.8-acre Lanster parcel to allow proper engineering of water detention and habitat restoration.
Why it matters: With increasingly intense storms and SAM's treatment plant in a flood zone, the expanded easement could provide critical stormwater detention capacity while enabling habitat restoration along the Kehoe watercourse.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
PPABoard of Directors35d agoJune 8, 2026
Solar PPA Public Hearing Continued to June 15 as Deal Complexities Mount
The board opened the PPA public hearing and immediately continued it to June 15 after staff said they are not yet ready, with unresolved easement and tree shading concerns lingering.
Why it matters: The PPA negotiations have been ongoing for eight months with the vendor JUA Caldwell; the deal is entangled with the lapsed easement and faces questions about whether projected savings justify the complexity.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
EasementBoard of Directors35d agoJune 8, 2026
Board Rejects Linking SAM Plant Easement to Lanster Deal, Half Moon Bay Signals Willingness to Grant Standalone Easement
Directors pushed back on linking the lapsed SAM plant easement to the Lanster property agreement, and Half Moon Bay's representative signaled the city would grant a perpetual easement without conditions.
Why it matters: The 1982 easement for SAM's treatment plant has expired, creating legal limbo that has already complicated grant applications and could block the solar PPA and future construction projects.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
CIPBoard of Directors35d agoJune 8, 2026
GM Reveals $2M+ in CIP Overages Across Six Major Plant Upgrades Since 2021
A detailed presentation showed how aging equipment, supply chain delays, and scope changes drove over $2 million in CIP project overages across six recent plant infrastructure projects.
Why it matters: The board debated adding contingency funding and cost escalators to future project budgets and potentially hiring a dedicated project manager, acknowledging that tight budgeting forces the GM to repeatedly return for incremental approvals.
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
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