Monday, October 31, 2011

Pacifica Planning Commission meeting 11/7/2011

Meeting cancelled, changed to November 21st, 2011  (rev. 11/7/11)

The Planning Commission meeting is located at City Council Chambers, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor, from 7pm, Monday November 7, 2011.  The public is welcome to attend, or view on Pacifica Community Television live feed http://www.pct26.com/ .

Thank you Pacifica!
PC Agenda 11/7/2011, 19 pages.  Public hearing:  Certify the Final Environmental Report (EIR), site development permit, use permit and sign permit for construction of a 3-story, 96 unit Assisted Living Center at 721 Oddstad Boulevard. The project includes 3 buildings and underground parking.  San Pedro Creek boarders 2-sides of the property, located behind a single-family house at 725 Oddstad Boulevard.  The site is approximately 2 acres of land, previous use was agricultural.  Current zoning is C-1 (neighborhood commercial), no change.

Reference.  Final EIR, 10/2011, on city website, broken into sections. Previous DEIR, 5/2011, 72 pages.  Project applicant:  Ken Winters (Contact), WDM Marketing Consultants, LLC , San Francisco, on behalf of the owner, Cabot Sheley.  Applicants Agent:  JC Engineering, Pacifica.

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Eco-Halloween tips


What are you doing for Halloween?
 
Mercury news/Rebecca Jepsen, 10/28/11.  "Go green for Halloween! Skip the plastic and create a custom, one-of-a-kind costume out of materials and items you probably already have at home. Ban classic candles and opt for soy ones instead. Look for fair-trade chocolate or sweets made from fruit juice and natural colors. Or avoid the candy altogether and hand out small toys, pencils or soy crayons. Go to Treehugger.com for more Halloween tips."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Redistribution of wealth in America - the continuing conversation


From ABC News, 10/26/11.  "The income of the richest 1 percent in the U.S. soared 275 percent from 1979 to 2007, but the bottom 20 percent grew by just 18 percent, new government data shows.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a study this week that compared real after-tax household income between 1979 and 2007, which were both after recessions and had similar overall economic activity. While the income of the richest 1 percent nearly tripled, increases were smaller down the economic ladder. After the 1 percent, income for the next highest 20 percent grew by 65 percent, much faster than it did for the remaining 80 percent of the population but still lagging well behind the top percentile.  

The changes illustrate how the better off have captured the bulk of income gains over the past three decades. The top quintile has seen its share of income rise while the other four quintiles have suffered declines in their shares, according to John Bowler, director of country risk service with the Economist Intelligence Unit. The report states that without the growth of the top percentile, income inequality still would have increased, "but not by nearly as much." The study was prepared at the request of Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. Click to Expand (Source: Congressional Budget Office)."

Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sheriff's Office - Halloween Safety Tips

As we approach Halloween, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office would like to advise coastal residents to be cognizant of traffic and safety concerns during this seasonal time.   
 
Although our coast is one of the safest places to work, live, and play, events do occur which may require the intervention of Law Enforcement.  Within the last month very few incidents of auto or home burglary have occurred on our coast, however, locking your home and vehicles still remains the most sensible ways to secure your home and possessions and we want to encourage you to not give criminals an easy opportunity.   
 
Attached is a flyer regarding Halloween Safety Tips which should help keep your Halloween trouble free.  Should you need the assistance of the Sheriff's Office while in our jurisdiction - please remember to program our Sheriff's Dispatch phone number into your cell phone for quicker response;  Sheriff's Dispatch is 650-363-4911
  
Sheriff’s Office - Halloween Safety Tips 
Trouble Free - “Trick or Treat” - Tips: 

PREPARATION: 
•Purchase several connectable “glow sticks” to wear as necklaces and bracelets. 
•Make sure kids wear light colors and/or put reflective tape on their clothing. 
•Keep costumes a short length to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night. 
•Use make-up instead of masks if possible.  Masks are hot and uncomfortable and obstruct vision. 
•Make sure the kids wear flame retardant costumes so burning jack-o-lanterns don’t ignite them. 
•Create a map of a safe trick-or-treating route and set a time limit for your kids to return home. 
 
CHILDREN: 
•Carry a flashlight and always keep a safe distance from moving cars. 
•Cross at street corners, NOT diagonally across an intersection and NEVER between parked cars! 
•Look in ALL directions before crossing; obey all traffic signals; walk and NEVER run. 
•Wear a glow stick necklace and wear glow stick bracelets – These glow sticks have saved lives. 
•Do not take shortcuts through back yards, alleys or parks.  Only visit homes with porch lights on. 
•Don’t go inside anyone’s home; instead remain on the porch at all times. 
•Don’t accept rides from cars with strangers. 
•Don’t eat any treats until your parents have inspected them. 
•Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats. 
 
PARENTS: 
•Clear all outdoor obstructions such as ladders, hoses, and toys from your property and walkway. 
•Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and all exterior lights turned on early. 
•Make sure your “trick-or-treat” rules are clear to your children BEFORE they leave the house. 
•Try to “trick or treat” while it is still light outside. 
•Carry a flashlight and use a powerful flashlight if at all possible – it will command attention better. 
•Parents should always accompany young children while trick or treating. 
•Older kids should “trick-or-treat” with friends that are known and familiar to parents. 
•Trick or treaters should be in groups so they aren’t a tempting target for real-life goblins. 
 
MOTORISTS: 
•Halloween is one of the nation’s MOST DANGEROUS nights to drive a car.  Use extreme caution. 
•Consider driving at least five miles per hour UNDER the speed LIMIT in residential areas. 
•Accept that you will be late to your destination; Call them, excuse yourself and drive extra slow. 
 
PETS: 
•Costumes and special effects can be stressful on pets – they can misunderstand Halloween time. 
•Electrical cords from special effects make tempting chew toys, or animals may become frightened of the “monsters.”  Take pets into a garage to calm their curiosity and cool their protective instincts. 
•Halloween treats can be deadly to dogs and cats.  Shiny foil wraps attract animals and can cause intestinal distress.  Chocolate, (especially dark) contain theobromine, a stimulant for humans, but causes shaking, seizures, heart issues and death for dogs. Sugar free candy and gum with Xylitol can cause liver damage, blood pressure drop and death. One gram of Xylitol can require veterinary treatment for a 22 pound dog. Raisins & grapes also can also have a poisonous effect and have caused kidney failure in dogs. Keep these dangerous goodies away from pets! 
 
Get more information on the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office at www. SMCSHERIFF.com

Sent by Owen Yoch to Miramar, Princeton, San Gregorio, Moss Beach, Coastal Communities, El Granada, Pacifica, Pescadaro, Half Moon Bay, Montara (E-mail accounts, Wireless devices) through SMC Alert

Home Energy Audit Workshop


When: Wednesday November 2, 7:00PM
Where: Pacifica Community Center Card Room; 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica, CA 94044

To discuss: Available Home Energy Audit Incentives
Join the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for a workshop to learn how a home energy upgrade can help to:

Lower utility bills
Protect the environment by saving energy
Improve home comfort

For more information please contact: Deb Kramer, Dkramer@ecoact.org or by calling 1-831-515-1EUC

Posted by Steve Sinai

Dive in home values hits San Mateo County governments

 
As property values decline in San Mateo County, governments are feeling the pain.

According to county data released this month, Peninsula property values declined a whopping $4 billion in the 2009-10 tax year, which worked out to $40 million less in property tax revenue for governments.

“Coming at a time when San Mateo County itself is running a $50 million deficit, it’s just another hit,” said Rebecca Irwin, legislative aide for county Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson, whose website links to the report.

And between 2010 and 2012, governments will lose another $30 million, the report predicts.

In 2010, the county reassessed property values, taking a huge bite out of tax revenues that year, said Terry Flinn, special assistant to the county assessor.

Posted by Steve Sinai

Monday, October 24, 2011

Mammoth bones found in Pacifica



Updated: 10/24/2011 05:13:12 PM PDT


PACIFICA -- Ian Butler was picking up trash in a cliffside gorge when he saw it: yellow and calcified, not rock or shell, but marrow.

Ian "The Dinosaur Hunter" Butler
"The first thought that came to my mind was 'mammoth,' for some reason," said Butler.

He wasn't hallucinating -- he was right. Butler had stumbled on a tusk segment belonging to a mammoth, the kind that roamed the earth during the Late Pleistocene period, which ended about 11,000 years ago.

Then he found other pieces of bone. Bits of leg; a single mammoth tooth, larger than his own skull. Enough to fill four shoeboxes.

Last Friday he took the bones to Jean DeMouthe, Invertebrate Geology Collections Manager at the California Academy of Sciences. DeMouthe confirmed that the bones, which have extensive water damage, probably belonged to a Columbian mammoth -- a species of mammoth that ranged across the Bay Area until it went extinct at the end of the last ice age.

Back then, the shoreline extended as far as where the Farallon Islands are today.

"It was probably either grassland or a boggy nearshore area," said DeMouthe. "Sea level was a lot lower. This animal was not at the edge of the ocean. The sea shore is way out."

Butler's discovery may be the first mammoth remains ever found in San Mateo County. In 2005, a San Jose man found a well-preserved mammoth skeleton in a drainage ditch near the Guadalupe River. The mammoth, nicknamed Lupe, is now preserved at the University of California, Berkeley Museum of Paleontology.


Read more...

Submitted by Ian Butler

New Members and Volunteers Needed for the Save Sharp Park Campaign

 

 
 

WANTED: NEW MEMBERS
Those who wish to eliminate Sharp Park have deep pockets and powerful friends.  We must build our membership and show City Hall that we have a strong, diverse membership.  We need your help recruiting new SFPGA members: friends, family, co-workers and golf buddies.  You can help us create a strong organization that can protect and advocate for affordable golf into the future.  Can you please take a few minutes and personally sign-up anyone you know who cares about public golf in the City?  Please visit this link and sign-up new members here: http://sfpublicgolf.com/member-signup.  Thank you for doing your part to save Sharp Park Golf Course.

WANTED: SOLDIERS
We're still looking for volunteers to help us gather letters and signatures from players at golf courses around San Francisco.  The Board of Supervisors may vote on Sup. John Avalos' plan to wipe out Sharp Park within the next few weeks, and we must demonstrate broad-based local support for public golf in the City.  If you can spare an hour or two, please contact our volunteer coordinator Andrew Brown anytime at 415-519-5318 or thesfpga@gmail.com.

BAY AREA GOLF CLUB JOINS THE FIGHT! 
The San Francisco-based Bay Area Golf Club, a mostly African-American club which was one of the six founding clubs of the Western States Golf Association - one of the oldest African American golfing organizations in America - has joined our fight and written a powerful letter to our elected leaders in support of Sharp Park. Bay Area Golf Club hosted the inaugural Western States championship tournament at Sharp Park in 1955.  They join other several other ethnic clubs -- Mabuhay Golf Club (Filipino-American), the Golden Hill Golf Club (Chinese-American) and the Mexican American Golf Association -- in supporting Sharp Park.  The President of the Bay Area Golf Club, Nathaniel Jackson, had these eloquent things to say:
"Sharp Park is part of San Francisco's egalitarian tradition of providing great classical architecture for its public places . . . If San Francisco were to destroy this golf course, the city would be telling our members and those other minority and working-class golfers that the city does not respect or care about them . . . We thank you for your efforts to preserve the historic Alister MacKenzie golf course at Sharp Park. And we urge you to resist those who would destroy it."

THANKS TO PACIFICA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR ITS SAVE SHARP PARK TOURNAMENT.
Thanks to the Pacific Chamber of Commerce and all who played in the Chamber's Save Sharp Park tournament on Monday, October 17.  Your support for Sharp Park is greatly appreciated.  Let's do it again soon.




Donations are greatly appreciated. To donate, please visit our website: Donations Page

Submittted by Richard Harris

Pacifica Sewer


Lionel Emde: Pacifica Sewer System Overhaul Estimate: $50 Million

Submitted by Jim Alex

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Every city can except for Pacifica


Major changes may be coming to El Camino Real

FORECAST: Plan would triple transit use on roadway by 2035, officials say
By Gary Richards grichards@mercurynews.com
Updated: 10/23/2011 09:45:39 AM PDT


El Camino Real could undergo a major transformation over the next five years -- one that would impact everyone from motorists to bus riders to bicyclists to pedestrians from San Jose to Palo Alto.

The Valley Transportation Authority wants to run express buses along the well-traveled link between the South Bay and Peninsula, as well as on The Alameda, Stevens Creek Boulevard, Alum Rock Avenue and Santa Clara Street.

The proposed changes on El Camino will draw the most debate -- especially the VTA's plan to remove two lanes of traffic and turn them into bus-only lanes running down the middle of the road for 10 miles -- from Lafayette Street in Santa Clara to Showers Drive in Mountain View.

It's all part of what's being called the Grand Boulevard Initiative for El Camino from San Jose to San Francisco. While it's now mostly a vision in San Mateo County, Santa Clara County officials are getting ready to turn the idea of a more transit- and pedestrian-friendly roadway into reality.

"I don't think I have ever run across anybody who says El Camino is great the way it is," said VTA transit planner Kevin Connolly, who led a two-bus caravan Saturday along El Camino to explain the proposed changes to elected officials, city planners and the public. "No one ever says that."

The express buses would be sleek and look more like light-rail trains, with ticket areas in the median and signals that turn green as a bus approaches an intersection.  They could run every five minutes during commute times, with fewer stops than regular service.

A 3-inch curb would separate the bus lanes from cars, enough to alert motorists who may wander into the transit-only lanes. The curbs would be low enough to allow emergency vehicles access.

The issue is this: Will people be happy with fewer lanes for motorists and more lanes for buses and bicycles, along with more pedestrian crossings, on the VTA's most heavily traveled bus route?


Read more...

Submitted by Jim Alex
 


Rural coastal town trash problems - Pescadero


Lack of San Mateo County financial subsidy could close Republic Services trash dumping, recycling transfer station.  Doing that would also leave rural Pescadero without a trash collection vendor.  Not knowing much about the business or the liability, Pescadero's town advisory committee is considering a cost saving "do-it-yourself" approach. Good luck! 

Mercury News, Julia Scott, 10/22/11.  "There was a time when rural residents of Pescadero, lacking anywhere to dump their garbage, would just dig a hole and toss it in. Those days could return, locals fear, if the county decides to close the town's transfer station -- the only place for thousands of South Coast residents to bring their trash, recycling and household junk. Operated by Republic Services, the transfer station runs a $15,000 monthly deficit despite a generous monthly subsidy from the county. Its prices are artificially low -- it costs just $3 to dump a mattress, for instance.

Now that subsidy is going away because the county is canceling its Solid Waste Fund. As of August 2012, locals will face astronomical rate hikes unless someone can find a way to make up the difference. If not, people living outside Pescadero's downtown corridor may take to dumping their trash deep in the woods or in ravines. Motorists can see it now, if they know where to look -- tires, a toilet, bags of broken tiles and soiled diapers.

"We don't want to get into the trash business, but we don't want to lose the transfer station, and we don't want to see garbage along the streets," said Greg Bonaparte, chairman of the Pescadero Municipal Advisory Committee, a local citizens group. Faced with the deadline, the committee is scrambling to hammer out a business plan to take over the transfer station, possibly as a nonprofit that would have less overhead and would be directly controlled by locals, instead of by Republic Services. The nonprofit would subcontract hauling and disposal, and try to make a little money by having employees sort recycling on-site and sell the materials, as opposed to shipping them off in a jumble as they do now. Even so, Bonaparte estimates the transfer station would probably run a deficit of $4,000 to $5,000 a month.

County officials have tentatively agreed to cover expenses for the first 36 months while the nonprofit works to develop other sources of revenue and reduce expenses. "Somebody needs to come in who really knows what they're doing, who has some passion and interest in the whole thing, so it can be turned around," said Catherine Peery, an advisory committee member who lives on the outskirts of Pescadero.  

Roughly 600 Pescadero residents and businesses along the town's three main streets get weekly trash pickup from Republic Services, while local farmers and plant nurseries contract with hauling companies for the green waste they don't compost on-site. Everyone else is on their own. By some estimates, more than 1,000 other South Coast residents -- from the wilds south of Half Moon Bay down the coast to Davenport, from La Honda up to Skyline Boulevard -- all use the transfer station somewhat regularly.   

At present, the county pays Republic Services $14,500 per month to operate the transfer station. The company also charges the county for per-pound dump fees it incurs when it hauls trash to the Ox Mountain landfill in Half Moon Bay -- on average, another $5,000 a month. Those dump fees are offset by use fees charged to people who use the transfer station, which amount to $7,000 in a good month.  Republic Services would be amenable to canceling its franchise agreement with the county, according to Bonaparte. It expires in 2015. Not everyone is convinced of the merits of the committee's proposal, however. "Once you get volunteers and let people wander around this equipment, it gets really dangerous," said Dante Silvesti, a local farmer. Silvestri's family used to own a landfill behind the transfer station, but it closed in the 1980s and is now being capped with a liner at county expense."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Thursday, October 20, 2011

heathens repent! and buy me a drink



Wear clean underwear. Film at 11......

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Harold Camping, the Oakland, Calif., minister who infamously predicted a rapture would occur May 21, says he now believes the world will end this week.

"I do believe we're getting very near the very end," Camping, 90, said this month in a podcast posted on his Family Radio Web site. "Oct. 21, that's coming very shortly, that looks like it will be, at this point, it will be the final end of everything." (snip)

Patt Morrison Asks: Benefit buster Lanny Ebenstein


The economics professor argues why California voters should ban collective bargaining for public employees.

October 15, 2011|Patt Morrison

Lanny Ebenstein wants you to vote to kneecap the state's public workers unions by banning their right to collective bargaining. Other measures scrambling to qualify for the November 2012 ballot would drop the hammer specifically on public employees' pensions or increase their retirement age, but Ebenstein's may be the most uncompromising. Ebenstein, a lecturer in economics at UC Santa Barbara, believes that it's too cozy for unions to be bargaining with bosses they've likely campaigned to elect -- and the state's economic doldrums are one result. An eight-year veteran of the Santa Barbara school board and the author of volumes about conservative economists Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek, he's now got a metaphorical book he wants to throw at public employee unions.


Submitted by Jim Alex

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Planning Commission Voids Votes, Testimony After Brown Act Violation Claims


http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/planning-commission-takes-remedial-action-after-brown-act-violation-allegations

Submitted by Camden Swita


City Council Agenda, Monday, October 24, 2011


Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor.  Or, view on local channel 26, also live feed internet www.pct26.com.  The meeting begins at 7pm (but usually starts a few minutes late).  

City Council Agenda, 10/24/11, 1-56  pages.  Amended by the City, 10/20/11.  Agenda outline as follows: 
 
Closed Session - None  

Consent Calendar
(pass through)
1.   Approval of Disbursements
2.   Approval of Minutes
3.   California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant agreement targeting drivers who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
4.   Resolution to apply for a Wildlife Conservation grant to repair the Pacifica Municipal Pier.
5.   Resolution to grant the California Coastal Conservancy land acquisition for the Pedro Point headlands coastal trail. 
6.   Approval of San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) to purchase land right-of-way for the Pedro Point headlands coastal trail.

6a. Consider use of funds spending plan and recommendations for the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund.

Special Presentation
a.  Proclamation -  Police Captain Dave Bertini
b.  Proclamation -  Kirk Rogers
c.  Proclamation -  James Vallejos
d.  Library update - Tom Ball
 
Consideration (public discussion)
7.  Phase 111 in Redevelopment of Beach Boulevard Property (OWTP), including General Plan/Zoning amendments, DEIR, and budget from Capital Improvement Fund up to $250,000.
8.  Significant Natural Areas Management Plan DEIR comment letter to San Francisco concerning Sharp Park Eucalyptus tree removal and surface water drainage concerns.
9.  Submit 28 year sewer collection system master plan to the Regional Water Quality Control Board (condition of the lawsuit settlement agreement).

Posted by Kathy Meeh
 

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Herman Cain 999 Sales Tax Calculator



http://999calculator.net/

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Pacifica Planning Commission Brown Act Violation will probably be a slap on the wrist


Pacifica highway 1, Reina del Mar to Fassler

The usual NIMBY political maneuvering on key city issues. Note the unapologetic, deflective comment by Planning Commission Chairman Richard Campbell.  Yet, he's an attorney,  he should understand the issue.   

Mercury News/Julia Scott, 10/16/11. "Controversy over a proposal to widen part of Highway 1 through the city's south side has divided residents and prompted a district attorney's investigation into what could be violations of the Brown Act.

The plan to widen part of Highway 1 to six lanes from just north of Reina Del Mar to just south of Rockaway Beach has been in play since at least 1999 and has received the full support of City Council members for just as long. But major development projects of any kind are difficult to achieve in Pacifica under the best of circumstances. Voters narrowly opposed a major mixed-use neighborhood planned for the city's vacant quarry in 2008, for instance, and a slew of other projects sit in limbo.

Caltrans released a draft environmental impact report on the Highway 1 widening on Sept. 26. While many Pacifica residents support the widening plan, intended to relieve morning traffic bottlenecks, opponents say the agency didn't truly consider alternatives to a plan that would displace several businesses and the residents of a home along Old County Road.  Caltrans released a draft environmental impact report on the Highway 1 widening on Sept. 26. While many Pacifica residents support the widening plan, intended to relieve morning traffic bottlenecks, opponents say the agency didn't truly consider alternatives to a plan that would displace several businesses and the residents of a home along Old County Road. Their complaints prompted the Pacifica City Council to ask Caltrans to extend the public comment period on the environmental impact report, which will now end Saturday.

That meeting never took place. It was canceled after two local residents, who support widening Highway 1, got ahold of a tape of the meeting and alerted the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office about purported violations of the Brown Act -- the California open-meeting law designed to ensure public participation and transparency in government. Assistant district attorney Al Serrato is reviewing the meeting tape to determine whether something illegal occurred. "If an issue is discussed and voted on, and it wasn't on the agenda, that would be a violation of the Brown Act," Serrato said. Leon did not return a call for comment.

Mark Stechbart, one of the people who got the DA's office involved, said the Planning Commission was trying to interfere with the project-review process. "There was a deliberate attempt by highway-widening opponents to get them to interject themselves into the debate," he said. What Stechbart sees as politically motivated, Richard Campbell contends were good intentions gone awry. The planning commissioner missed the meeting in question, but said his colleagues very likely got carried away by the topic at hand. Tape of the meeting shows Planning Director George White warning the group that they were in danger of violating the Brown Act, but they carried on. "It's disappointing that an attempt to further public dialogue and open communication with regard to this issue got turned into this," Campbell said. "There's some irony in that." 

If the Brown Act allegations prove true, the officials may be required to repeal their previous votes, according to Serrato.  But it's unclear what that would accomplish, since the votes had little effect. Caltrans will incorporate comments into a final environmental impact report, due out in 2012.  The Pacifica City Council will vote on the highway-widening proposal, as will the California Coastal Commission." 

Posted by Kathy Meeh


CA Medical Associationn endorses legalization of marijuana

 
While the Fed cracks down on medical marijuana distribution centers, the California Medical Association (CMA) votes to legalize the drug.  Isn't fact frequently funnier (more ironic) than fiction?

Daily Journal, 10/17/11.  "California’s largest industry group for doctors is calling for the legalization of marijuana even as it maintains that the drug has few proven health benefits.  California Medical Association adopted the new stance at its annual meeting Friday in Anaheim.

A Sacramento physician who wrote the new policy says doctors are increasingly frustrated by the state’s medical marijuana law, which allows use with a doctor’s recommendation. Dr. Donald Lyman says physicians are put in the uncomfortable position of having to decide whether to recommend a drug that’s illegal under federal law.

The group acknowledges health risks associated with marijuana use and proposes regulation similar to alcohol and tobacco, but says the consequences of criminalization outweigh the dangers. CMA represents more than 35,000 California physicians."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Internet Troll



Submitted by Jim Alex

Open for business

October 15, 2011, 03:45 AM By Heather Murtagh Daily Journal Staff

With wine glasses stacked and new employees eager to serve treats, the new Burlingame Safeway opened to a select few Thursday evening and the entire community Friday.

Customers flooded the parking lot Friday morning to be one of the first to shop in the new 45,600-square-foot, 24-hour grocery store. Located at 1420 to 1450 Howard Ave., the store features a 6,190-square-foot mezzanine sitting area, a fountain at the entrance of Howard Avenue and El Camino, a Starbucks and a U.S. Bank. Employees, some of whom were brought in from neighboring stores to help, worked nonstop Friday to keep the shelves stocked. Despite long lines outside and inside the store, customers seemed happy to have the store open again.

John Meyer of Hillsborough has been shopping in the area for 35 years. He was sad to see the old store go simply because he had gotten to know employees over the years. While waiting for his wife to finish shopping Friday morning, Meyer added that he liked the new state-of-the-art facility. He simply hoped to see familiar faces again soon.

One such familiar face could be produce clerk Rich Carrabino who previously worked at the Howard Avenue location four years earlier. Busy stocking apples Friday morning, he was a fan of the new store.

“Much different from the old one, right?” Store Manager Gerry Schwinges commented in passing.

Read more...

Submitted by Jim Alex
 







Friday, October 14, 2011

Do you like pancakes?


Submitted by Jim Wagner

You are Invited to Hear Quentin Kopp Speak On Prop 13, "Three Strikes" Law and Gas Tax Spending at Pacifica Democrat's Mtg - on Saturday, Oct 15th


PROP 13........."THREE STRIKES LAW".......GAS TAX SPENDING

On Saturday, October 15th 2011, the Honorable Quentin L. Kopp will be the guest speaker at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Pacifica Democrats, scheduled to be held in the rear banquet room of the Sharp Park Golf Course Restaurant, located at Hwy 1 and Sharp Park Blvd. in Pacifica.

He will provide the local Democratic club with current and historical observations on Proposition 13, the "Three Strikes Law" and gasoline tax spending. His report will be based on over 50 years of politics and elected public office.

Kopp, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, is a former member of both the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the California State Senate. He is also a retired San Mateo County Superior Court judge who, upon retirement from the San Mateo County Court system in January of 2004, was immediately accepted into the Assigned Judges Program of the California Judicial Council. By order of the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, Judge Kopp has been assigned almost continuously to the San Mateo Superior Court since February of 2004, with intermittent assignments to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Humboldt Superior Court, Sonoma Superior Court, Napa Superior Court and Santa Cruz Superior Court.

His list of involvements and accomplishments is long and stellar. As an elected local and state legislator for several years, Judge Kopp has served as a leader on virtually every regional govermental policy-making body affecting the Bay Area including membership on the Boards of the following: Chairman of the  Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Director of  the Bay Area Rapid Tranist (BART), President of the County Supervisors Association of California (CSAC), Director of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and Chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority.

Members of the general public are invited to attend. It is neither necessary to be a Democrat, nor a club member, to attend the Pacifica Democrats monthly breakfast meetings. All are welcome.

A full breakfast is provided for $12; continental - $6 and coffee only for $3. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Seating is between 9:00 a.m. and 9: 30 a.m. Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m. If any questions, or to RSVP, please call Barbara Arietta, Club President at 415-246-0775 or email barietta@hotmail.com

Submitted by Barbara Arietta

Noisy neighbor in Vallemar


I received the following from someone who lives in Vallemar. They've been having problems with a noisy neighbor, and asked if I could post their message to see if anyone else is in the same boat. If so, go ahead and post something in the comments section, or you can send info to fixpacifica@gmail.com, and I'll forward it.

Heard of any other noise complaints about a car stereo in Vallemar? I have been trying to pinpoint who it is so I can help create awareness of our city's noise ordinance. It's not on my block (Berendos @ Aurora Court) but as loud as it is one would suppose they were right in my driveway. This has been going on for several months. 

Any ideas or thoughts on how to help spread the word and, hopefully, be able to resolve this on the lowest level?

Posted by Steve Sinai

SR1 Widening visual aid car/bus/bicycle

Dear all,

Attached is a great illustration for highway widening alternatives. The photo compares how much space is needed to transport 60 people by either car, bus or bicycle. Please use this if you can when discussing the Calera Parkway project in Pacifica


Todd Bray

yikes! mandatory tipping SF of 25%

October 13, 2011 12:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/99.7 Now) – It’s a question many of us ask when we go out to a restaurant. “How much should I tip?” Whether your service is good or bad, San Francisco Restaurant workers want to implement a 25% standard tip onto your bill for you. Is this fair?Many in the food industry say “…yes, it’s about time.” However, many “foodies” are not as happy with the idea. According to an article in the San Jose Mercury News, for the most part, people, on average tip between 15% – 20% and the restaurant worker actually has to claim 15% of that to the IRS.
 
Opinions that sway against the increase said that “…the whole purpose of a tip is to reward service.” They feel the new tip increase should be earned and if more is needed, then they must step up their service so that the increase justifies a larger tip amount.
Not everyone is against the idea. Some have felt with the state of the nation’s economy is in, that 25% is not unreasonable. And some tip above the average already. Some went a step further to say if you want to reward service, you must start tipping the workers at fast food places as well. Most fast food workers earn minimum wage and rarely get tips.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/10/13/san-francisco-restaurants-want-to-make-25-standard-tip-rate/

Submitted by Mark Stechbart

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Pacifican killed in San Bruno car crash

October 13, 2011, 03:48 AM

A 32-year-old Pacifica man was killed when his car collided with another vehicle late Tuesday night at Skyline Boulevard and San Bruno Avenue, according to police.

Police responded to the collision at about 11 p.m. and found Brian Mombay Sacdalan dead from injuries sustained in the crash.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 39-year-old Pacifica man, was discovered with moderate injuries and transported to San Francisco General Hospital, according to police.

The San Bruno Police Department is continuing its investigation into the matter and anyone who witnessed the collision is encouraged to call police at (650) 616-7100.

Submitted by Jim Alex

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Harrisburg, Pa., Votes to File for Bankruptcy


 By National Journal Staff
Updated: October 12, 2011 | 4:41 p.m.
October 12, 2011 | 9:29 a.m. 
Pennsylvania's capital city voted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday as it faced a state takeover, according to media reports.
The City Council voted 4-3 to seek bankruptcy protection for Harrisburg, which has a debt burden five times its general-fund budget "because of an overhaul and expansion of a trash-to-energy incinerator that doesn’t generate enough revenue," Bloomberg Businessweek reported

The bankruptcy means the city will lose state aid, but that is better than the proposed recovery plans, Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson said, according to Bloomberg. But State Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, a Republican from Dauphin County, where Harrisburg is located, said the council's vote is against the law.
“I have been on the record as saying that bankruptcy is simply not an option. It’s illegal under Pennsylvania law, which prohibits third class cities from filing for bankruptcy,” Piccola said, according to PennLive.com.

Patty Kim, who voted against bankrupcy protection, said the city cannot afford the high cost of litigation that will likely ensue.

“The problem still exists that we still don’t have money, and we still haven’t moved one foot forward,” Kim said.

Pennsylvania's capital city voted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday as it faced a state takeover, according to media reports.

The City Council voted 4-3 to seek bankruptcy protection for Harrisburg, which has a debt burden five times its general-fund budget "because of an overhaul and expansion of a trash-to-energy incinerator that doesn’t generate enough revenue," Bloomberg Businessweek reported

The bankruptcy means the city will lose state aid, but that is better than the proposed recovery plans, Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson said, according to Bloomberg.

Read more...

Submitted by Jim Alex

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

La Mordida


I was driving by the former Manor Taco Bell today, and saw a sign announcing the coming of a restaurant called, "La Mordida." Given how long it takes restaurants to open in Pacifica, it should be ready sometime in 2014.


Hope it's as good as Taco Bell.


Posted by Steve "El Mordido" Sinai

Builders sought to construct housing at Bay Meadows

October 10, 2011, 03:30 AM By Bill Silverfarb Daily Journal staff

Developers are being sought to build the first round of housing for the second phase of the Bay Meadows project in San Mateo that will eventually see more than 1,100 units of rental and for-sale properties on the 83-acre site.

A request for proposals by Wilson Meany Sullivan is seeking a builder for 156 townhomes, just south of where a 12-acre community park will be constructed, said Janice Thacher, project manager with WMS.

Construction should start in 2012, Thacher told a group of Parks and Recreation commissioners during a tour of the site last week.

The commissioners visited the site to weigh in on the last details of a large community park that will eventually be deeded to the city to manage.

The high-density transit-oriented development, tucked between the Hillsdale and Hayward Park Caltrain stations east of El Camino Real, will also feature more than 715,000 square feet of office space and 93,000 square feet of space set aside for retail.

So far, WMS has leveled the former horse race track to construct the beginning infrastructure for the project, including roads, landscaping, lighting and a pond.

The parks segment of the project has been in the works since 2005 and the commission gave its last recommendations to WMS last week for a 12-acre park that will feature soccer and baseball fields.

The project will also feature a 1.5-acre neighborhood park and 1.5-acre linear park which will also one day be maintained by San Mateo.

The site of the bigger park is intended to serve as the stormwater retention facility for the entire development and WMS has constructed a pond adjacent to Saratoga Drive to handle excess water during wet weather.

Park and Recreation commissioners had one last request for the developer, however, to build a bathroom facility at the park.

“Our only reservation was the lack of rest room facilities,” said Dave Morrison, chair of the commission.

The park will be used for youth and adult sports leagues, Morrison said.

The park will be built first as a feature element to help sell and complete the project, Morrison said.

Wetland gardens will also be a feature of the park as will picnic areas, bicycle racks and pedestrian pathways around the pond.

The community park will feature 41 parking stalls for visitors, Thacher said.


Submitted by Jim Alex

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Cool pics of USS Bonhomme Richard (I think) on the way to SF Fleet Week


bruce higgins, oceana high school security, took these pictures on wed. the carrier is designated CV6. notice the escort helicopters.



beautiful day. beautiful view. great pictures. i love pacifica!

View slideshow...

Submitted by Jim Wagner

"Dream Act" signed into California legislation, effective January, 2013


7C9DREAMACT.JPG From Sacramento Bee/David Siders 10/9/11. "Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Saturday allowing undocumented immigrant college students access to public financial aid, marking California's relatively liberal ground in a bitter row over immigration nationwide.

The California Dream Act allows undocumented students who came to the country before age 16 and attended California high schools access to public financial aid, including Cal Grants. Those students already are eligible for in-state tuition, and Brown in July signed a companion measure affording them access to private financial aid. "Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking," Brown said in a prepared statement. "The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us." 

Brown, a Democrat, supported the act during last year's gubernatorial campaign, and his signature was all but certain. He had negotiated amendments to the bill, Assembly Bill 131, to reduce costs, excluding graduates of technical and adult schools and delaying implementation until January 2013. But anticipation was high, and news spread among students and young people via Twitter and text message within minutes of Brown's announcement. "It's amazing," said Maria Gomez, 26, an illegal immigrant who moved with her family from Mexico when she was 8 and graduated with a master's degree in architecture from UCLA in June. "We're all ecstatic." The bill, by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, was passed by lawmakers on partisan lines. Republicans said the measure would encourage illegal immigration, and they objected to the cost, estimated at $23 million to $40 million annually."  Read more.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Next Saturday, Oct 15th -Quentin Kopp Will Talk on Prop 13, "Three Strikes" Law and Gas Tax Spending at Pac Dem Breakfast Mtg


PROP 13........."THREE STRIKES LAW".......GAS TAX SPENDING

On next Saturday, October 15th 2011, the Honorable Quentin L. Kopp will be the guest speaker at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Pacifica Democrats, scheduled to be held in the rear banquet room of the Sharp Park Golf Course Restaurant, located at Hwy 1 and Sharp Park Blvd. in Pacifica.

He will provide the local Democratic club with current and historical observations on Proposition 13, the "Three Strikes Law" and gasoline tax spending. His report will be based on over 50 years of politics and elected public office.

Kopp, a graduate of Dartmouth University and Harvard Law School, is a former member of both the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the California State Senate. He is also a retired San Mateo County Superior Court judge who, upon retirement from the San Mateo County Court system in January of 2004, was immediately accepted into the Assigned Judges Program of the California Judicial Council. By order of the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, Judge Kopp has been assigned almost continuously to the San Mateo Superior Court since February of 2004, with intermittent assignments to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Humboldt Superior Court, Sonoma Superior Court, Napa Superior Court and Santa Cruz Superior Court.

His list of involvements and accomplishments is long and stellar. As an elected local and state legislator for several years, Judge Kopp has served as a leader on virtually every regional govermental policy-making body affecting the Bay Area including membership on the Boards of the following: Chairman of the  Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Director of  the Bay Area Rapid Tranist (BART), President of the County Supervisors Association of California (CSAC), Director of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and Chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority.

Members of the general public are invited to attend. It is neither necessary to be a Democrat, nor a club member, to attend the Pacifica Democrats monthly breakfast meetings. All are welcome.

A full breakfast is provided for $12; continental - $6 and coffee only for $3. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Seating is between 9:00 a.m. and 9: 30 a.m. Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m. If any questions, or to RSVP, please call 415-246-0775 or email barietta@hotmail.com

Submitted by Barbara Arietta

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Recology wants a 5 percent rate increase for Pacifica garbage collection


By Lionel Emde
The Pacifica city council will take up the latest demand for another price increase in Pacifica’s sky-high garbage collection rates at a public meeting on Monday, October 10, 2011. The current request for a 5 percent increase in January 2012 follows an 8 percent increase in rates in July 2011, and a 5 percent increase in August, 2010. At the time that Recology was awarded the no-bid contract in February 2010, Pacificans were already paying the highest rates for garbage collection in San Mateo County.  
Residents will be able to send in written protest letters if they wish, in accordance with the settlement reached in Emde v. City of Pacifica. The letters will be counted and tabulated as part of the public hearing on November 28, 2011 at Pacifica City Council chambers on Beach Blvd.
Recology also services Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada. Those communities pay half as much for garbage collection as Pacifica. Those communities are served by the same company running the same trucks out of the same location as that which serves Pacifica. The question of why rates are so much lower there for similar service has never been answered.

Half Moon Bay Councilman and Medical Cannabis on Wavelength


This month on Wavelength, PCT's award winning TV show, Ian interviews "Farmer" John Muller, Half Moon Bay City Councilman; and Mike Lause, a local medical cannabis activist.

You can watch those shows and many others anytime at http://vimeo.com/channels/wavelength. Or watch them on cable cannel 26 in Pacifica or cable 27 in Half Moon Bay, Mondays at 6:30 PM.

Submitted by Ian Butler

Friday, October 7, 2011

Volunteers Needed NOW to Stop the Assault on Golf!

 

 
 



Volunteers Needed NOW to Stop the Assault on Golf! 
SF Supervisor John Avalos has introduced legislation that would turn over control of Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  This would mean an end to nearly 80 years of golf at Sharp Park!  We must stop this legislation in its tracks!!  We must get the word out to all San Francisco-area golfers that our sport in San Francisco is under attack.  The SFPGA is looking for volunteers who can spare just a couple hours on the weekends to educate golfers and gather signatures to repel Sup. Avalos’ attack on Sharp Park.  If you are available, even for two hours, please send an email to our volunteer coordinator Andrew Brown at theSFPGA@gmail.com.

San Mateo County Supervisors support Sharp Park
We are proud to announce that our neighbors to the south have joined our fight!  The president and vice president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Carole Groom and Adrienne Tissier, have written an excellent op-ed in the San Francisco Examiner that expresses San Mateo County’s interest in helping to preserve Sharp Park Golf Course.  Read it all here: http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/10/sharp-park-benefit-all

Closing Sharp Park Golf Course and expanding wetlands at Laguna Salada may increase threat of West Nile virus
In this video, Dr. Suzanne Valente, a long-time Pacifica resident, expresses concern that destruction of the Sharp Park golf course may result in an increased threat of West Nile virus.  See the full video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wevfg5gSzN4





Donations are greatly appreciated. To donate, please visit our website: Donations Page


 We are on Twitter (@SFPublicGolf), Facebook and our website
 
Submitted by Richard Harris

Tournament to benefit Public Golf Alliance, Monday, Oct. 17, Hosted by Pacifica Chamber of Commerce at Sharp Park

 

 
 
Tournament to benefit Public Golf Alliance, Monday, Oct. 17, Hosted by Pacifica Chamber of Commerce at Sharp Park 



One of our strongest supporters, the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting a tournament at Sharp Park to benefit the SFPGA and help our fight. Deadline to register is next Tuesday, Oct. 11. Registration fee is $150/player, with proceeds going to help the SFPGA.

Annual 4-Man Best Ball Golf Tournament
Monday October 17, 2011
Sharp Park Golf Course
11:00AM – Check-in Registration
12 NOON – Shotgun Start

The tournament includes lunch, dinner, drinks and prizes. 
To register, please contact Debbie at 650-355-4122 or Debbie@pacificachamber.com

And please let us know that you will be participating, by e-mailing us, at:  info@sfpublicgolf.com







Donations are greatly appreciated. To donate, please visit our website: Donations Page


 We are on Twitter (@SFPublicGolf), Facebook and our website
 
Submitted by Richard Harris