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.

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Daily Summary

2026-10-22

Half Moon Bay City Council has an upcoming meeting on 2026-09-01

The Half Moon Bay City Council has an upcoming meeting scheduled for September 1, 2026. This meeting is the most recent city council activity available and remains a key point for local governance, although specific agenda items have not been detailed in the current sources.

Separately, the Half Moon Bay Library is hosting an Elections Night Out event this Thursday, providing residents a chance to engage with election-related information. This event is connected to ongoing local discussions about Measure D, a 1999 growth control law that limits housing development and is currently at odds with 2026 state mandates. Residents interested in housing issues and local governance should watch for future council meetings and community events addressing these topics, as well as any updates on the Treatment Plant Advisory Committee's recent focus from October 8. These gatherings and discussions will shape how Half Moon Bay navigates growth and housing challenges.

News: Half Moon Bay Library To Host Elections Night Out Thursday - Patch News: Half Moon Bay Library To Host Elections Night Out Thursday - Patch Meeting: Half Moon Bay City Council • Half Moon Bay City Council

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Measure D — A 1999 Growth Control Law Colliding with 2026 State Mandates

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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…