CivicCause
Sign in

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is a city of 13,000 on San Mateo County's rugged Pacific Coast — a charming agricultural and surf town famous for its pumpkin festival and the legendary big-wave surf break at Mavericks. Incorporated 1959, governed by a five-member Council, the coast's only incorporated city.

CivicCause organizes issues, meetings, elections, and public activity around Half Moon Bay so you can see what is happening locally and how it connects to broader county decisions.

Part of the San Mateo County network. View county hub.
Half Moon Bay civic mark
Daily Summary
2026-08-17

Half Moon Bay City Council has an upcoming meeting on 2026-07-21

The Half Moon Bay City Council is scheduled to meet on July 21, 2026. This upcoming meeting is the most recent confirmed city-level civic event for residents to note, although specific agenda details have not been disclosed.

Other recent local coverage does not include new news or additional meetings for Half Moon Bay. Residents following city issues such as housing constraints from Measure D, the 555 Kelly Avenue farmworker housing project, and Governor Newsom's housing compliance warning should stay alert for future council discussions or actions, as these remain key ongoing concerns. The next Half Moon Bay City Council meeting on July 21 remains the primary event to watch for any updates or decisions affecting the community.

Meeting: Half Moon Bay City Council • Half Moon Bay City Council
Read previous published Daily Briefs for this city.
Browse Daily Brief Archive →

Civic Signals

Updated daily

Highest Activity

Top Issues in Half Moon Bay

All issues

Priority issue threads currently visible across meetings, agencies, organizations, and public records.

Measure D — A 1999 Growth Control Law Colliding with 2026 State Mandates
active
Created by CivicCause
Half Moon Bay's most fundamental housing constraint is a voter-approved growth control law that has been on the books for 27 years. Measure D, passed by Half Moon Bay voters in 1999, limits annual population growth to between 1% and 1.5% b…
Farmworker Housing — A 555 Kelly Avenue Project Three Years in the Making
active
Created by CivicCause
The 555 Kelly Avenue senior farmworker housing project is simultaneously Half Moon Bay's most important affordable housing action and its most politically painful civic saga. Born from the shock of the January 2023 mass shooting that kille…
Governor Newsom's "Final Warning" — Housing Compliance on the Brink
active
Created by CivicCause
Half Moon Bay is the only Bay Area city named in Governor Newsom's March 2026 housing enforcement action — a distinction that carries serious legal consequences. Newsom gave Half Moon Bay and 14 other cities 30 days to respond to notices b…
Sheriff's Office Aftermath — Rebuilding Accountability & Trust
active
Created by CivicCause
San Mateo County is still working through the fallout of one of the most dramatic law enforcement governance crises in the Bay Area in recent memory. In May 2025, an independent investigation found evidence of conflicts of interest, misuse…
The VLF Funding Crisis — A $157 Million Injustice
active
Created by CivicCause
San Mateo County is fighting one of the most consequential — and least publicized — fiscal injustices in California. The dispute centers on "in-lieu VLF" replacement funding that counties and cities receive tied to a vehicle license fee re…

Civic Activity

View All Civic Activity

Recent chronological updates from civic sources connected to Half Moon Bay.

No published Civic Activity yet.

Elections

Explore elections
11/3/2026 November 3, 2026 California General Election
Candidate races
No candidate races loaded yet.
Measures
ACA 20: Save for California's Future ActACA 22: Local taxes: limitationAuthorizes bonds for immunology researchCreates loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homesEstablishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements

Upcoming meetings

View all meetings
No upcoming meetings in the next two weeks.

Recent meetings with summaries

Meeting archive
Half Moon Bay City Council
6/16/2026 • 7:00 PM
Half Moon Bay City Council
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What's Scheduled Half Moon Bay City Council's 2026-06-16 agenda is scheduled to cover FY 2026-27 budget and 2026-31 CIP, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING PROPOSAL ON MAIN AT METZGAR Staff, CONSIDERATION OF EASEMENT AGREEMENT GRANTI…
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
7/7/2026 • 9:00 AM
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened AC Transit Board of Directors' 2026-05-13 meeting centered on Consider receiving a report on the FY 2026-27 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets and provide direction to staff... and Consider authorizing…

Recent news

Coach arrested for alleged sex with former student in Half Moon Bay
Bay City News / Local News Matters • 2026-08-15
A former student in the Cabrillo Unified School District has accused her former coach of sexually assaulting her 18 years ago, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. Paul A. Farnswo…
Half Moon Bay coach, teacher accused of child sex crimes
KRON4 • 2026-08-14
(KRON) -- A Half Moon Bay man who is a coach and teacher with the Cabrillo Unified School District was arrested Thursday on allegations of child sex crimes involving a former student, accor…
San Mateo County to Execute California State Coastal Conservancy $1M Grant Agreement for the Half Moon Bay Landfill Clean Closure Climate Resilience and Restoration Project - coastside buzz
Google San Mateo • 2026-08-13
San Mateo County to Execute California State Coastal Conservancy $1M Grant Agreement for the Half Moon Bay Landfill Clean Closure Climate Resilience and Restoration Project coastside buzz
San Mateo County to Execute California State Coastal Conservancy $1M Grant Agreement for the Half Moon Bay Landfill Clean Closure Climate Resilience and Restoration Project
Coastside Buzz • 2026-08-13
CONSENT AGENDA. From the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors regular meeting on Tuesday, August 11th, 2026 at 9:00am, as a hybrid meeting with… The post San Mateo County to Execute Califo…
Coastside park with sweeping ocean views, beach access gets opening date
KRON4 • 2026-08-13
(KRON) -- A once-private coastal stretch of San Mateo County is opening to the public starting next week following years of delays. Don Horsley County Park, which encompasses Tunitas Creek …
CivicCause budget overview

Half Moon Bay Budget Overview

View budget overview

Balanced using prior-year savings. Half Moon Bay's General Fund costs still exceed revenues by about $1.47M, so structural pressure remains.

Budget status · FY2025-26 adopted
$23.86M revenue$25.33M spending-$1.47M gap