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.

Daily Summary

2026-07-24

Half Moon Bay City Council Votes Unanimously to "Let HMB Voters Decide" at the November 2026 Ba…

The Half Moon Bay City Council unanimously voted to place a measure on the November 2026 ballot asking voters to approve a 99-year ground lease to Mercy Housing for a senior farmworker housing project at 555 Kelly Avenue. This decision follows a July 21 council meeting and marks a key step in addressing affordable housing needs tied to the site, which has been a focus since the tragic 2023 mass shooting that highlighted farmworker living conditions.

Both supporters and opponents are preparing for a contentious election campaign over this measure, which intersects with Half Moon Bay's longstanding Measure D growth control law from 1999 and recent state housing mandates. Residents should watch for campaign developments and voter information as the November election approaches. The council’s recent unanimous vote and the upcoming ballot fight are the most immediate civic actions shaping this issue in Half Moon Bay.

News: Half Moon Bay City Council Votes Unanimously to "Let HMB Voters Decide" at the November 2026 Ballot to Grant a 99-Year …News: Half Moon Bay City Council Votes Unanimously to “Let HMB Voters Decide” at the November 2026 Ballot to Grant a 99-Year …News: Both sides gear up for election fight on Half Moon Bay senior farmworker housing 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

Biggest Movers

Activity Resumed

Public Health

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…