From: Bill Meincke
To: CITY CLERK
Cc: Melanie Schlotterbeck
Subject: City of Costa Mesa 111824 Beekeeping Ordinance Agenda Item 1 Date: Monday, November 18, 2024 10:29:37 AM
Attachments: 111824 CCA Letter to CM on Beekeeping Ordinance (SUPPORT, if Amended) FINAL.pdf Dear City Clerk,
Please find attached a letter from the Coastal Corridor Alliance (CCA) regarding the City of Costa Mesa’s proposed Beekeeping Ordinance, which is scheduled for discussion as Agenda Item 1 (Old Business) at the November 19th City Council meeting. This letter outlines our position (support, if amended) and proposed amendments to the ordinance for consideration by the Mayor and City Council.
We kindly request that this letter be distributed to the City Council for their review.
Additionally, please confirm receipt of this email and attachment at your earliest convenience.
Best Regards,
Bill
--
Bill Meincke
Communications Specialist
Cell: (949) 216-0880
Available: Mon – Fri
Follow: Website, Subscribe, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Report any suspicious activities to the Information Technology Department.
November
18,
2024
Submitted
via
email
to
the
City
Clerk:
[email protected]
Mayor
John
Stephens
and
City
Council
City
of
Costa
Mesa
77 Fair
Drive
Costa
Mesa,
CA
92626
SUBJECT:
Old
Business
(Agenda
Item
1)
-
Beekeeping
Ordinance
(Support
if
Amended)
Dear
Honorable
Mayor
and
Councilmembers:
Coastal
Corridor
Alliance
(CCA)
learned
about
the
City
of
Costa
Mesa’s
plan
to
allow
residential
beekeeping
through
the
November
12th
Voice
of
OC
article
.
Our
comments
are
intended
to
improve
the
proposed
Beekeeping
Ordinance
scheduled
for
introduction
and
first
reading
at
your
November
19th
meeting.
BACKGROUND
By
way
of
background,
the
Banning
Ranch
Conservancy
(BRC)
became
the
Coastal
Corridor
Alliance
(CCA)
in
January
2024.
The
change
in
name
and
mission
reflects
our
organization’s
transformation
into
a
stewardship
role
and
signals
an
expansion
of
our
vision
beyond
the
Randall
Preserve
(formerly
Banning
Ranch)
to
encompass
the
Coastal
Corridor
from
the
Pacific
Ocean
up
the
Santa
Ana
River
to
Adams
Street
in
Costa
Mesa.
Our
updated
mission
is
to
protect
biodiversity,
foster
community
stewardship,
and
advocate
for
appropriate
human
access
on
the
Randall
Preserve
and
Santa
Ana
River
Coastal
Corridor.
BEEKEEPING
BACKGROUND
CCA
supports
residents
advancing
home-grown
food
and
product
resources,
increasing
local
resiliency,
reducing
the
large
carbon
and
packaging
impacts
of
remote
resource
acquisition,
encouraging
healthier
people
through
healthier
food
and
soil,
encouraging
people
to
engage
more
outdoors,
and
many
other
benefits.
Local
beekeeping
helps
with
all
of
the
above
benefits.
P.O.
Box
15333
Newport
Beach,
CA
92659
(949)
216-0880
CoastalCorridor.org
There
are
ecological
concerns
however,
which
we’d
like
to
see
addressed
as
the
City
considers
the
ordinance.
These
three
proposed
amendments
to
the
ordinance,
include:
acknowledging
potential
impacts
to
native
bee
populations
in
the
first
whereas,
slightly
revising
the
intent
to
support
native
bee
populations
too,
and
creating
a
buffer
around
natural
parks
to
support
native
bee
populations.
It
is
important
to
acknowledge
that
honeybees
are
not
native
species
and
have
an
outsized
impact
on
local
native
pollinators
and
plant
species,
along
with
more
indirect
impacts.
Honeybees
are
a
domesticated
species
of
bee/pollinator
that
have
co-evolved
with
human
agriculture.
Neither
human
crops
nor
honeybees
technically
need
the
other,
but
both
are
bolstered
by
the
other.
Many
other
pollinator
species
can
sufficiently
pollinate
human
crops,
but
they
are
likely
less
efficient
and
effective
than
honeybees.
Honeybees
live
in
large
hives
and
have
a
large
foraging
range.
Honeybees
often
hive
in
‘the
wild,’
not
in
managed
hives,
which
means
they
forage
and
pollinate
in
our
open
spaces.
Honeybees
are
aggressively
invasive.
They
pollinate
fast-growing
invasive
plants
like
mustard,
increasing
its
impact
on
native
plant
opportunities.
Honeybees
will
also
forage
in
native
plants
but
are
also
territorial,
pushing
our
local
rare,
threatened,
and
endangered
pollinators
away.
This
reduces
the
survivability
of
native
pollinators.
Currently,
four
species
of
native
bumble
bees
(the
western,
Franklin’s,
Suckley
cuckoo,
and
Crotch’s)
have
faced
significant
population
declines
due
to
several
reasons
(non-native
honeybees,
pesticides,
etc.)
The
California
Fish
and
Game
Commission
is
presently
considering
listing
each
of
these
four
bumblebee
species
on
the
California
Endangered
Species
Act.
In
fact,
all
four
are
candidate
species,
as
of
June
2019.
1 The
loss
of
our
native
bumblebees
vastly
reduces
biodiversity,
making
our
local
ecology
less
resilient.
With
the
recent
discovery
of
the
rare
Crotch’s
bumblebee
nesting
in
Fairview
Park,
this
issue
becomes
even
more
urgent.
While
honeybees
have
become
crucially
important
to
the
modern
industrialized
human
agricultural
system,
they
are,
in
fact,
invasive
species
to
the
natural
ecosystems
of
Earth.
They
must
be
kept
within
the
limits
of
human
farming
and
treated
like
the
domestic
livestock
that
they
are,
in
order
to
protect
wild
ecology
and
habitats,
which
underpin
all
global
biological
and
weather
systems.
PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS
With
this
in
mind,
we
propose
the
following
amendments
to
the
ordinance
(
strikethrough
=
delete,
italics
=
additions):
1 See
California
Fish
and
Game
Commission
Notice
of
Findings
from
June
18,
2019.
(Also
attached)
P.O.
Box
15333
Newport
Beach,
CA
92659
(949)
216-0880
CoastalCorridor.org
First
Whereas
As
noted
above
non-native
bees
impact
the
candidate
species
of
bees
above.
We
propose
the
following
amendment
to
the
first
whereas:
WHEREAS,
the
keeping
of
domesticated
bees
allows
for
preservation
of
domesticated
bees,
which
are
essential
to
agriculture,
preservation
of
habitat,
cultivation
and
pollination
of
native
plants
and
amelioration
of
climate
change;
and
3-18.2
Intent
Recognition
that
residential
beekeeping
may
have
a
negative
impact
on
candidate
species
under
consideration
for
listing
on
the
California
Endangered
Species
list
should
be
included.
The
intent
and
purpose
of
this
section
is
to
authorize
residential
beekeeping
subject
to
certain
requirements
intended
to
avoid
problems
that
may
otherwise
be
associated
with
the
keeping
of
bees
in
populated
areas
while
also
making
decisions
that
support
the
preservation
of
native
bee
populations.
(c)
Property
and
Hive
Requirements
To
limit
disruption
of
the
local
ecology,
protect
biodiversity,
and
local
parks
and
preserves,
2 we
urge
the
addition
of
the
following
language
as
a
new
(6).
Honeybees
often
forage
1-2
miles
from
their
hive,
but
will
stay
closer
to
home
when
more
food
is
available.
When
food
is
scarce,
they
can
forage
up
to
six
miles
away.
Because
of
this
we
suggest
the
following
language:
(6)
Prohibit
bee
hives
and
permits
from
being
issued
within
a
one-mile
buffer
of
natural
parks
(i.e.,
Fairview
Park
and
Canyon
Park)
and
preserves
(i.e.,
Randall
Preserve
and
Upper
Newport
Bay
Nature
Preserve)
to
reduce
impacts
to
native
flora,
limit
the
spread
of
non-native
mustard,
and
protect
sensitive
pollinator
species.
OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS
We
also
urge
the
proposed
background
materials
to
include:
●
Send
educational
resources
to
all
inquiries
on
the
differences
and
interactions
between
honeybees
&
native
pollinators.
Focus
on
the
importance
of
the
recovery
of
local
native
pollinators.●
Suggest
alternative
native
pollinators
for
residents
to
manage
for
crop
pollination
instead
of
honeybees—for
example,
monarch
butterfly
gardens
using
native
milkweed.
2 While
several
preserves
may
be
outside
the
City
of
Costa
Mesa’s
boundaries,
geopolitical
boundaries
are
arbitrary
and
therefore
not
followed
by
flora
and
fauna.
The
proximity
of
Costa
Mesa
residences
to
the
Randall
Preserve
and
Upper
Newport
Bay
Nature
Preserve,
for
example,
have
the
potential
to
impact
native
bumblebee
populations
on
both
preserves.
P.O.
Box
15333
Newport
Beach,
CA
92659
(949)
216-0880
CoastalCorridor.org
● Aim to keep all domesticated bees in managed hives andtoremovehoneybeehivesoccurring inthewild,especiallyinnaturalhabitats(FairviewPark,CanyonPark,etc.),becausetheyare invasive.
● Spearhead regional reform by establishing Costa Mesa as a pollinator city. TheMayorhas suggestedCostaMesacouldbecomeknownasabutter flycity.CostaMesacouldleadthewayby advocatingwithotherOrangeCountycitiestoputnativepollinatorprotectionsliketheseinplace, toupdatetheirbeekeepingpolicies,andperhapsevensponsorhoneybeeselectionprogramsto directhoneybeeevolutiontobelessaggressivewithsmallerforagingradii.
Ifthesesuggestedordinanceamendmentsareincorporated,CCAwouldsupporttheordinance.Please letusknowhowwecanhelpCostaMesabecomeapollinatorcity.Shouldyouhavequestions,wecanbe reachedat(949)216-0880.
Sincerely,
TerryM.Welsh,MD
President
Attachment: 1 NoticeofFindingsforBumblebeesbyCFGC(06/18/19) HelpfulResources:
● Landscape factors in
fluencing honey bee colony behavior in Southern California commercial apiaries(03/19/20)
● Pollinator Conservation Resources: California (lastaccessed11/16/24) ● Native BeeSip (lastaccessed11/16/24)
● Bee City USA & Bee Campus USA (lastaccessed11/16/24)
● Honeybee Forage Map (lastaccessed11/16/24)
● Bumblebee Watch (lastaccessed11/16/24)
P.O.Box15333 NewportBeach,CA92659 (949)216-0880 CoastalCorridor.org
California Natural Resources Building
1416 Ninth Stre
et, Room 1320, Sacramento, California 95814
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION
NOTICE OF FINDINGS
Crotch Bumble Bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s Bumble Bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus suckleyi), and
Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to the provisions of Section 2074.2 of the Fish and Game Code, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission), at its June 12, 2019 meeting in Redding, California, accepted for consideration the petition submitted to list Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.
Pursuant to subdivision (e)(2) of Section 2074.2 of the Fish and Game Code, the Commission determined that the amount of information contained in the petition, when considered in light of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's (DFW) written evaluation report, the comments received, and the remainder of the administrative record, would lead a reasonable person to conclude there is a substantial possibility the requested listing(s) could occur.
Based on that finding and the acceptance of the petition, the Commission is also providing notice that Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) are candidate species as defined by Section 2068 of the Fish and Game Code.
Within one year of the date of publication of this notice of findings, the Department shall submit a written report, pursuant to Section 2074.6 of the Fish and Game Code, indicating whether the petitioned action is warranted. Copies of the petition, as well as minutes of the June 12, 2019 Commission meeting, are on file and available for public review from Melissa Miller-Henson, Acting Executive Director, Commission, 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1320, Sacramento, California 95814, phone (916) 653-4899. Written comments or data related to the petitioned action should be directed to the Commission at P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 or email [email protected].
Fish and Game Commission
June 18, 2019 Melissa Miller-Henson
Acting Executive Director
Commissioners
Eric Sklar, President
Saint Helena
Jacque Hostler-Carmesin, Vice President
McKinleyville
Russell E. Burns, Member
Napa
Peter S. Silva, Member
Jamul
Samantha Murray, Member
Del Mar
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Gavin Newsom, Governor
Fish and Game Commission
Wildlife Heritage and Conservation
Since 1870
Melissa Miller-Henson
Acting Executive Director
P.O. Box 944209
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
(916) 653-4899
[email protected]
www.fgc.ca.gov
Attachment 1
From: Peter Scharnell
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Old Business (Agenda Item 1) - Beekeeping Ordinance (Support if Amended) Date: Monday, November 18, 2024 5:08:38 PM
Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers:
I strongly support the letter submitted by the Coastal Corridor Alliance on Monday November 18, 2024, to put protections in place for native bees in the planned beekeeping ordinance.
Thanks for partnering with us in our local conservation efforts.
Regards,
Peter Scharnell
Secretary
Cell: (770) 715-0619
Follow: Website, Subscribe, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn November 19, 2024
Submitted via email to the City Clerk: [email protected]
Mayor John Stephens and City Council
City of Costa Mesa
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
SUBJECT: Old Business (Agenda Item1) – Beekeeping Ordinance
Dear Honorable Mayor and Council Members:
For the record, Fairview Park Alliance agrees with Coastal Corridor Alliance’s letter regarding the Beekeeping Ordinance before you tonight. (See Attached)
Sincerely,
Kim Hendricks
President
Attachment: Coastal Corridor Alliance letter to Costa Mesa City Council
A 501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation
Tax ID 82-2238446
Board:
Kim Hendricks
President
Priscilla Rocco
Secretary
Jason Komala
Webmaster
Mailing Address:
FPA
P.O. Box 2471
Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2471
E-Mail Address:
Website:
www.FairviewParkAlliance.org
2 Sincerely,
Name
Title
Fairview Park Alliance
From: Priscilla Rocco
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Including CCA"s recommendations in the beekeeping ordinance Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 11:48:13 AM
Attachments: 111824 CCA Letter to CM on Beekeeping Ordinance (SUPPORT, if Amended) FINAL.pdf City Council,
I am in complete agreement with CCA (Coastal Corridor Alliance) that Costa Mesa's Beekeeping Ordinance should not damage our native bee population. Restrictions to create a buffer zone to keep managed honey bees away from Fairview Park, Canyon Park, and Talbert Park is good biodiversity policy. It is in keeping with the federal and state 30 x 30 biodiversity plans that are mandated to save 30% of land and water by 2030.
However, allowing managed honey bees in Costa Mesa is necessary, because so many of us have gardens packed with fruit trees, fruits, vegetables, and flowers, both native and cultivars. So, no matter what we do, we will have bees taking up residence.
As many of you know - despite my clever deceptions - honey bees have lived in my atrium in a trash can for 10 years. I leave them alone and they have never had a reason to swarm. Along with them are the Monarchs that fill my gardens in the summer, due to my extensive amount of milkweed.
And the more native plants I put in, the more bumble bees and other native pollinators come to live. So far, everyone is sharing the garden without incident. But other folks may not have this situation and I would hate for honey bees - which are not native to this country - to displace the native bee populations we are so lucky to have in these three parks, and in the Randal Preserve.
I am a rank novice with limited knowledge, but the Coastal Corridor Alliance has a deep bench of scientists and experts who have taken it upon themselves to protect, restore, and preserve the area from Fairview Park to the sea. They provide exactly the kind of information and recommendations that will protect what we have, restore what we must, and regain the biodiversity that once was common in this part of California.
Thank you,
Priscilla Rocco