‘Trailblazing’ Former San Mateo Mayor Gifts $50K to Preserve Sugarloaf

A former San Mateo mayor has given a gift of $50,000 to preserve and maintain Sugarloaf Mountain, the centerpiece of the open space preserve shared by San Mateo and Belmont.

According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, Baker, who was San Mateo’s first woman mayor, was passionate in her efforts to save Sugarloaf Mountain from development.

Although Baker died nearly two years ago at age 88, her husband, Bill Baker, unexpectedly paid a visit to San Mateo City Manager Susan Loftus earlier this week and presented her with the $50,000 check. A note that accompanied the check read that the money from her trust was a gift for the maintenance and preservation of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Belmont city councilmember Coralin Feierbach, who has led the charge to preserve San Juan Canyon open space on the Belmont side of Sugarloaf, is a kindred spirit of Baker’s.

“Jane Baker is one of my heroes. If it weren't for her, there would have been 1000 houses on Sugarloaf instead of the beautiful open space that everyone enjoys. We need more council people like her - what a delightful woman she was also,” said Feierbach in a Facebook posting.  

In November 2009, the City of Belmont bought about 35 acres of property within the San Juan Canyon, and is now engaged preparing a Master Development Plan for the San Juan Hills Area. The Master Development Plan will provide a roadmap for long term use of these properties, which is anticipated to include significant permanent open space areas, new trail connections, and a small number of new residential lots.

The Daily Journal reports that Baker’s donation prompted San Mateo Mayor David Lim to ask the city to consider renaming Laurelwood Park after Baker.  “Sugarloaf would not be there without Mayor Baker’s efforts, so naming the park in her honor would be a fitting tribute,” Lim wrote in an email.  

Baker was known to be anti-development and began her political career in the campaign to save open space on Sugarloaf Mountain in San Mateo in the early 1970s, reports the Daily Journal.