NAME AND AREA
A. NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Otay Valley Regional Park Citizen Advisory Committee hereby known below as the "CAC."
B. AREA
The area addressed by the CAC shall be the Focused Planning Area, in accordance with the Joint Powers Agreement, and approved by the Policy Committee of the Otay Valley Regional Park (OVRP), and the three member agencies.
C. BOUNDARIES
The definition of boundaries, as designated in the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement, shall define the area in which the CAC advises the Policy Committee on planning and review of projects within the following boundaries:
SECTION 3 of the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement among the County of San Diego, and the Cities of San Diego and Chula Vista states:
"The boundaries of the territory within which the Public Agencies shall exercise their powers under this agreement shall be the Focused Planning Area as defined by the Focused Planning Area Map which has been adopted by the agencies. Adoption of the Focused Planning Area shall not be construed to affect the uses to which any property may legally be devoted. The Focused Planning Area boundaries have been established after public review noticed public hearings and approval by the public agencies. All public agencies shall proceed as expeditiously as possible in identifying the park boundaries and exercising their powers to plan and design a park."
The purpose of the CAC shall be to advise the Policy Committee of the Otay Valley Regional Park in accordance with the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement on matters relating to the planning, funding, property acquisition, design, and preservation of resources within the Otay Valley Regional Park. The CAC will terminate upon completion of the planning process for the Otay Valley Regional Park.
OTAY VALLEY REGIONAL PARK GOAL STATEMENT:
The Policy Committee approved the following goal statement on June 1, 1990:
"The Otay Valley Regional Park will represent one of the major open space areas within the southern area of San Diego County linking South San Diego Bay with lower Otay Lake. The park will fulfill the need to provide a mix of active and passive recreational activities, while protecting environmentally sensitive areas, protecting cultural and scenic resources and encouraging compatible agricultural uses in the park.
To ensure that the Otay Valley Regional Park meets the diverse goals of a regional park, attention shall be focused not only on providing facilities and protecting resources, but also on adjacent land‑uses to ensure compatible development, buffering, and linkages with other regional resources.
A comprehensive management plan shall be implemented that will not only address the long‑term management of the park, but will also provide for the protection of visitors and park neighbors, develop environmental and recreational programs, and enhance park/open space activities and resources."
The Charter of the CAC shall be:
1. To be advocates of the OVRP planning and design implementation process.
2. To educate the public about, and generate support for, the OVRP.
3. To provide an open forum for community discussion on park related issues.
4. To provide a process for input from various interests within the community on park planning.
5. To review park and related plans and advise the Policy Committee on land use matters within the FPA.
The CAC shall reflect the diversity of the community and consist of a broad‑based representation of interests for the planning of the Otay Valley Regional Park. These shall include: neighborhood and community interests.
The CAC shall consist of 30 members. Each Policy Committee member shall appoint 10 members subject to the approval by a majority of the full Policy Committee. If desired by the member, the appointing Policy Committee member may appoint an alternate for each member, subject to the approval of a majority of the Policy Committee. The alternate shall represent the member and have the right to attend, deliberate and vote on all matters in the absence of the member and to the same extent as the member. Members may include but are not limited to representatives of local community planning groups, the biological science community, appropriate environmental, landscape, planning and community organizations, and representatives from the business community.
A member of the Policy Committee on behalf of one of the three jurisdictions shall recommend members. Each Policy Committee member shall recommend to the Policy Committee appointments for up to 10 committee members from his / her respective jurisdiction. The Policy Committee must approve each recommendation by a majority vote.
Voting membership on the CAC shall consist of appointed members or their appointed alternates only. Alternates, when appointed by the Policy Committee, will be accepted as a substitute vote on behalf of a member. It shall be the member's responsibility to ensure that the alternate has been appropriately briefed on issues prior to voting.
Each CAC member shall have one vote. No person shall represent more than one organization on the CAC. No organization shall be officially represented by more than one member.
A quorum for the purpose of conducting business will consist of the current membership of the CAC with a minimum of 12 members or alternates present. A simple majority shall determine approval of an item by vote.
It will be the responsibility of the member to notify the Chair of the committee in the case of an absence. The Chair shall decide if the absence is excused. CAC members may be removed, with a majority vote of the Policy Committee, if more than three excused absences, except in the case of an illness, occur in one year. Three consecutive unexcused absences or four total unexcused absences within a 12‑month period shall result in the automatic loss of membership. The Chair will consider special arrangements for circumstances beyond the control of the CAC member on a case‑by‑case basis. An up‑to‑date attendance record shall be distributed within the previous minutes.
The CAC may vote to create subcommittees. Subcommittees may appoint Officers.
Officers of the CAC shall be the Chair, the Vice Chair and Secretary.
Any CAC member shall nominate candidates for Office from the floor. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of CAC members. A term shall be two (2) consecutive calendar years. Terms shall begin at the first meeting of the first calendar year and shall end at the last meeting of the last calendar year.
A parliamentarian, who shall be a member of the CAC, shall either be the Chair or be appointed by the Chair of the CAC.
When an office vacancy occurs, an election shall be held at the next meeting.
The Chair shall be the principal officer and shall preside over all meetings of the CAC. The Vice Chair shall, in the absence of the Chair, carry out the duties and responsibilities of the principal officer. The Secretary shall record the meeting minutes.
The Secretary will record the numerical results of all votes and abstentions on each action taken, and such will be noted and distributed in the meeting minutes.
Amendments to these guidelines require a two-thirds vote of the Policy Committee.
The CAC agenda shall be mailed a minimum of one week prior to the meeting.