Health & Fitness

Half Moon Bay Family, Restaurateurs Offer to Pay Entire Moss Beach Tax Debt

"We regularly visited Moss Beach Park when our son Sam was younger (and occasionally still do!), so it holds a special place in our heart ... "

Paul and Julie Shenkman of Half Moon Bay, owners of Sam’s Chowder House, have offered to pay the entire property tax due on Moss Beach Park, approximately $8,000, according to a report on Montara Fog.

The Shenkmans currently own Sam’s in Half Moon Bay as well Osteria Coppa in San Mateo and Campo 185 in Palo Alto. In an effort to thank the community for their continued support of their restaurants, the Shenkmans thought this was the right thing to do after learning that the park could be saved after paying the back taxes due. 

In a letter on Montara Fog outlining their motivation for paying the entire balance of $8,035.79 due on the park, the Shenkmans explain that Moss Beach Park holds a special place in their heart as it’s a place they regularly visited with their son Sam: 

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We regularly visited Moss Beach Park when our son Sam was younger (and occasionally still do!), so it holds a special place in our heart, and we know how important it is for the community. We were as surprised as many to find out that it had been silently sold. Our first thought was that we had to find out how to help, and when we learned that it could possibly be resolved by the back taxes being paid, we knew right away we wanted to contribute. We are always looking for ways to thank the community for their continued support of Sam’s, and this was just one more way to do it. We are so grateful to Montara Fog for first publishing the letter to tell everyone what was going on, to the community for rallying the way that they did, and for San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley and everyone else involved in helping to return the park to the community. What a wonderful place in which we live!

Paul, Julie, and Sammy Shenkman

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A public meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 4 at 7:00 at the Farallone View Elementary School in Montara to discuss the details of securing the park’s future.

Read the full report on Montara Fog here.


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