Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Ray Mueller, District 3
Subject: Appointments & Reappointments to the Agricultural Advisory Committee
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Recommendation for the following members of the Agricultural Advisory Committee, for terms ending September 30, 2030:
A) Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou, representing Agricultural Business, appointment for a first full term in position; and
B) Daniel Theobald, representing Farmer, appointment for a first full term in position; and
C) Rick Hernandez, representing Public Member, appointment for a first full term in position; and
D) Kristen Kurczak Nightingale, representing Conservationist, appointment for a first full term in position; and
E) Reappointment of Natalie Sare, representing Farmer, or a third full term in position; and
F) Reappointment of Crystal Chaix, representing Farmer, for a first full term.
body
BACKGROUND:
The Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) is established to advise the Board of Supervisors on all matters related to agriculture within the County of San Mateo. Members of the AAC are appointed by the Board of Supervisors and represent various stakeholder categories, including Farmer/Grower and Agricultural Business Representative.
As reflected in the AAC bylaws, the positions of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are to be held by Farmer/Grower members. Currently, there is a member appointed to the AAC who is unable to serve as a Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson as an Agricultural Business Representative but meets the criteria of Farmer/Grower. To qualify this member to serve as a Chairperson/Vice-Chair, a request was made to vacate their current seats and be appointed to fill the other’s seat for the remainder of their terms.
DISCUSSION:
The above-recommended actions require board approval for members’ represented categories and terms.
AAC member Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou, who is a Farmer/Grower member, is also an active agricultural businessperson at Brisa Ranch in Pescadero. Cole has agreed to vacate his farmer/grower seat and represent as Agricultural Business Representative on the AAC. AAC member Daniel Theobald, who serves as Agricultural Business Representative, is also an active farmer. Vacating the Agricultural Business seat and appointing Theobald as Farmer/Grower allows him to serve as AAC Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson. Upon approval, each member will be appointed to the existing term of their new represented seat. Daniel Theobald and Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou were both appointed to the AAC in July 2023 to partial terms ending September 30, 2026. Upon approval, each will be appointed to their new seats on the AAC for a first full-term effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.
Rick Hernandez has been newly appointed for a first term representing Public Member. Upon approval, this appointment will reflect Rick Hernandez’s first full term on the AAC effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.
Kristen Kurczak Nightingale has been newly appointed for a first term representing Conversationist. Upon approval, this appointment will reflect Kristen Kurczak Nightingale’s first full term on the AAC effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.
Natalie Sare was appointed in 2022 for a second term. Upon approval, this reappointment will reflect Natalie Sare’s third full term on the AAC effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.
Crystal Chaix was initially appointed in 2023 to an initial partial term. Upon approval, this reappointment will reflect Crystal Chaix’s first full term on the AAC effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2030.
Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou has worked full-time on growing Brisa Ranch in Pescadero since 2019 and leads Brisa’s sales, marketing, harvest coordination, orchard production, and greenhouse production. Cole has served on the AAC since 2023. While growing up interested in farming with extended family members in agriculture, he began building his farming expertise as a college student at UC Davis, where he graduated in 2012 studying agriculture, wildlife conservation biology, and animal behavior. He worked extensively in conservation, working on a USFWS-funded project breeding critically endangered Mexican wolves for reintroduction into the wild and doing wildlife research in Yellowstone National Park, the Peruvian Amazon, and Honduras. In 2015, Cole apprenticed in Pie Ranch’s Emerging Farmer program in Pescadero. From 2016-2018, Cole managed Green Oaks Creek Farm in Pescadero, CA, a six-acre certified-organic diversified vegetable, fruit, and flower operation that sold at farmers’ markets and to restaurants and other small local businesses.
Daniel Theobald is a builder, farmer, and investor who loves turning big ideas into global solutions. He has been actively farming on the Coastside for ten years. Founder of 127-acre Twisted Fields research farm, Rancho San Gregorio, Daniel also owns a 50-acre greenhouse property in Half Moon Bay under Mister Sunshine LLC (formerly Bay Cities Flowers). Through sustainable and regenerative farming to create a thriving ecosystem, Daniel grows fruits, vegetables, grains and raises cows, goats, chickens, geese, and ducks, and sells eggs to most of the local general stores. Daniel was chosen as the top student in the School of Engineering at MIT by the faculty, and was awarded fellowships from the Ford Foundation, National Science Foundation, and Hertz Foundation. He is chairman of FoundersGuild.org, with a mission to improve financial outcomes and quality of life for founders worldwide. He advises venture capitals, founders, governments, and Fortune 50 companies. He has 67 patents and 30 pending. He believes founders can be the solution to many of the world’s problems when they are armed with an understanding of how the systems operate.
Rick Hernandez has served on the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission for 12 years, including on the subcommittee that updated the General Plan and addressed the intersection of agriculture, housing, and Coastal Act priorities. He understands the economic and regulatory pressures facing farmers, farm workers, and Coastside communities. As a logistics executive, he has worked in meal kit, food hub, and last-mile operations and has spoken on the impact of cross-border trade on agriculture and food supply chains. He also advises Adventure CPG, which is building more efficient distribution models for natural food and produce. His focus is practical: use technology, logistics, and better market access to strengthen local agriculture, improve farm productivity and farmer economics, support farm workers, and protect regional food security.
Kristen Kurczak Nightingale brings more than 20 years of experience advising farmers, investment firms, corporations, governments, and nonprofit organizations on the design and implementation of resilient agricultural, marine, and conservation initiatives. Grounded in firsthand experience as the daughter of poultry producers and the wife of a fifth-generation sugarcane farmer, Kristen brings a practical understanding of the risks, opportunities, and realities that shape decisions on the farm, in the bank, and in the boardroom.
Kristen’s work spans the globe, from U.S. farms and food companies to smallholder and artisanal producers across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. This perspective informs her work with organizations of every scale, from family farms and producer organizations to multinational corporations, governments, nonprofits, and the United Nations, all working to safeguard the planet’s natural resources. She partners with clients to advance resilient food systems, sustainable management of terrestrial and marine resources, and long-term environmental stewardship. She also serves on boards in the United States and internationally. Kristen is particularly passionate about biodiversity conservation-from soil to sea-and its fundamental role in sustaining the health, resilience, and productivity of the natural systems upon which life depends.
Kristen is the proud mother of two teenagers and shares her home with her husband, Max, and their black Labrador.
Natalie Sare is co-owner of Santas Tree Farm, a 487-acre choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm in Half Moon Bay. A third-generation Coastside farmer, she comes from a family with a 100-year farming legacy. She grew up in Pescadero, where her father and grandfather cultivated row crops and operated a family produce stand, where she helped sell their harvest. Natalie has received numerous awards for her public speaking on agricultural related topics and remains an active member of both the California Christmas Tree Growers Association and the National Christmas Tree Growers Associations.
Crystal Chaix grew up around livestock and agriculture, with experience working on her grandparents’ ranch, Sea Horse Ranch, as a child. Crystal moved to Half Moon Bay in 2000 and currently resides in San Gregorio with her partner where they run cows on approximately 750 acres in San Gregorio, and farm approximately 50 acres of red oats and rye grass hays along Highway 84. In between tending to the cows and the hay, Crystal works at La Nebbia Winery as the winery manager and event planner, and enjoys volunteering at the Half Moon Bay I.D.E.S., spending time with friends and family, reading and hunting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.