Stopgap funding for Opportunity Center, future tenuous 

Because the lease on the OCC building is prepaid until January 2025, councilmembers voted for the city to keep lights on and water running as the various nonprofits scramble to find alternate funding sources. 

One such group is Coastside Venture Studios, which is headed by the American Energy Society and offers mentorship to burgeoning coastside businesses focused on agriculture, water and built environment like roads and infrastructure. The first startup cohort experienced an astonishing 60% success rate, American Energy Society President Eric Vettel said previously. 

During the City Council’s meeting Sept. 16, Vettel urged councilmembers to keep funding the OCC’s utilities and said Coastside Venture Studios was waiting to hear back on grant funding from a variety of public and private sources. 

“Voting against spending is often the fiscally responsible thing to do, but sometimes voting against spending can be fiscally irresponsible,” he said. “Turning off the electricity and water at the OCC four months early might actually be a case of fiscal irresponsibility. We have businesses, startups, jobs — moving here to part in the next cohort.” 

Both Vettel and Karen Decker, Economic and Community Vitality manager, emphasized that the city’s investment could be seen as a positive sign for potential donors who are considering grants for the various nonprofits. 

“Even a modest investment is a good-faith effort that does not go unnoticed,” she said. 

While Coastside Venture Studios, JobTrain and Renaissance — the latter of which are both geared at training and preparing coastside residents for jobs and business opportunities — may be able to move into new physical locations, the city’s Chamber of Commerce is in a different situation. 

The Chamber of Commerce is located in the same building and has served as a coordinator for the OCC’s various resources. It’s paying its own portion of the utility bill, which is not included in the $10,000 the City Council approved at its recent meeting. 

But with the building’s lease set to eminently expire and future funding sources tenuous, Chamber CEO Krystlyn Giedt expressed concern that the organization was not being adequately included in the city’s efforts to find donor sources for the OCC groups. 

“Come Sept. 30, we lose $14,000 a month, and I most likely lose a valuable employee,” she said. “Ever since January, we have been told time and time again that we are not considered part of the OCC, and we are not considered a part of the funding.” 

Decker said the Chamber of Commerce had been included in funding requests when possible, but when applying for grants geared for nonprofit organizations the chamber didn’t always meet qualifications. Half Moon Bay staff have been making every effort possible to ensure the OCC stays operational in its totality, she emphasized. 

“These efforts have kept me and my staff up at night, thinking how to sustain this incredible program,” Decker said. 

While the city approved utility funding for the building for several more months, it’s clear more conversations will be needed to try and preserve the work of the chamber and the other nonprofits that make up the OCC, Mayor Robert Brownstone said. 

“We can’t solve all of this tonight,” he said.