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April 27, 1995 Contact:  Malcolm Smith,  Public Affairs Manager, (415)
691-1200

Open Space District To Appoint New Board Member, Seeks Applicants

	Los Altos, CA -- The Board of Directors of the Midpeninsula
	Regional Open Space District decided at last night's meeting to
	use the appointment process to fill an upcoming vacancy on the
	Board. The appointment will fill the vacancy which will be left
	by the departure of Ward 4 Director Ginny Babbitt, who recently
	announced her resignation from the Board, effective May 24,
	1995. Her term expires in November, 1996.  The District is
	seeking applicants who reside in Ward 4, which includes the
	City of Mountain View, the Moffett Field area, and north Los
	Altos (bounded by Adobe Creek, Foothill Expressway, and
	Springer Road). 

	The deadline for submitting applications is
	June 16, 1995. The Board will choose applicants for the first
	round of interviews, which is scheduled for June 21. Final
	interviews and the appointment are scheduled for June 26. By
	law, the appointment must be made by July 23, 1995.
	Applications are available at the District office, 330 Distel
	Circle, Los Altos. Additional information may be obtained by
	calling Jean Fiddes, Assistant General Manager, at (415)
	691-1200.  The vacancy left by her departure can, by State law,
	be filled either by special election, by regular election, or
	through appointment by the Board of Directors. The Board
	decided to use the appointment process in order to expedite the
	filling of the seat. The next available election would be in
	November, 1995 and the Board determined that it did not want
	the constituents in that area of the District to remain
	unrepresented for six months. 

	By using the appointment
	procedure the District will not have to bear approximately
	$33,000 in election costs.  

	The procedure approved by the Board
	includes the advertisement for and solicitation of applications
	for the seat, an application review period, two sets of public
	interviews, and a public selection of the new Board member. The
	individual selected to fill the vacancy will serve the balance
	of Director Babbitt's term, until November, 1996, at which time
	he or she may stand for election.  

In the past, mid-term Board
vacancies to be filled by appointment have resulted in large numbers of
very qualified people submitting applications. The Board has
interviewed up to seven individuals for one seat, illustrating that
this procedure garners a wide selection of candidates. With the
interviews taking place during public meetings, the community also has
the opportunity to be involved and assist the Board in making a
decision.
	

	The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, extending from
	the City of San Carlos to the Town of Los Gatos, is a public
	agency which has preserved over 39,000 acres of diverse open
	space and manages 23 open space preserves.  Funding is provided
	by a small share of the annual total property tax revenues
	collected within District boundaries. The District permanently
	protects wildlife habitat, watershed, and a variety of
	ecosystems, restores damaged natural resources, and  provides
	trail improvements for passive recreational use by the public.

	The District's goals are to acquire a continuous greenbelt of
	protected open space lands for public use and enjoyment, and to
	preserve open space for future generations to enjoy. There are
	approximately 20,000 - 30,000 acres of land still at risk of
	being lost to development within the District's planning area.
	The District is divided into seven geographic wards, each
	represented for a four year term by an elected Board member.
	The Board holds public meetings on the second and fourth
	Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the District
	offices.




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