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| Item 7. Try to "like" us..... |
Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor. Or, view on local television or live feed Pacificcoast.TV, (formerly pct26.com). The meeting begins at 7 p.m., or shortly there following. City council updates and archives are available on the City website.
Open Session, 7:00 p.m.
Consent Calendar
Consent Calendar
1. Approval of disbursements, fiscal year 2013-14, 2/21/14 - 3/05/14.
2. Approval of City Council Minutes, 2/24/14.3. Continuing 4/7/10 proclamation of a cliff erosion at 380 and 400 Esplanade Avenue.
4. Route 1/San Pedro Creek bridge replacement and creek widening project/Wilsey Ham (consultant) time and charges contract amendment 14. Highway 1 Fund 12: $357,206. (San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) will reimburse).
5. Palmetto Laterals Project, bid contract awarded to Ranger Pipelines, Inc. Sewer Facility Construction Fund 34 - SEP Lateral Program, $99,107.00.
6. Fourth of July fireworks related issues: 1) parking, 2) fireworks fees, 3) anti-litter campaign.
7. Adoption of one-way community social media communication through "Nextdoor", with two-way communication in mind for the future. Staff will recommend implementation of a Communications Plan at the 3/24/14 meeting.
Adjourn Note: graphic from the bold and fierce blog
Posted by Kathy Meeh
86 comments:
It normally takes about 6 months to get labor contracts started to finished. Its been 3 years for the firemen.
Anonymous, for some reason your 445 comment remained when some glitch occurred, and the initial city council agenda article was lost. So I've re-posted the article anew, plus and your 649 comment.
So why does it take more than 3 years to complete a firemen labor contract in Pacifica?
From what I'v herd the Fire Union has been playing hardball for 3 years refusing to take any concessions even though all other Unions have made sacrifices for the good of the city.
Woohoo think of the retro when that juicy new contract is signed. Ought to be quite the inspiration.
Firemen took a pay cut.
If you remember the city promised no job losses when the fire merged with north county. 3 jobs were not filled. They took a pay cut. Police got a new contract.
If Pacifica tries to get out of the North County Fire, they lose all the brass and all the trucks so they would have to start over from scratch.
City council can not be trusted on this one.
Both fire houses are old and outdated and they need to be rebuilt.
Mary Ann, says the public should trust city council to do what is right. The same person who is going behind the other council members back to do secret back room deals.
The police department will be County Sheriff soon, she is working on this under the table also.
I doubt any of that's true 658. Any proof? Meeting dates, places, attendees?
Rebuild firehouses? I'm sure we need it but we better work on not going bankrupt first.
Ritmza and Quick's salaries were tied to the top 3 salaries in town. The city manager gets a raise, they get a raise. That's how it worked for years. Quick and Ritmza are both gone but the effect of their bad policy's still live on.
These two had the blessings of the sitting city council because they gave them every pet project they wanted.
They sat down like a couple high limit gamblers throwing money around with wreckless abandon.
One of our sitting council members thinks a new Palmetto Avenue is going to get Pacifica back "on the map" The other council member lives to close to vote or give imput.
What you see is what you get. A city with bad streets, broken infastructure, bad sewer system and a bloated underfunded Pension fund.
Back door and under the table? Sounds like politics as usual. Fact of life. Some are better at it than others.
11:12
People fall into the trap cause they think they know the issues. Pacifica, has always robbed Peter to Pay Paul. At least for the last 30 years. People say oh we like it like this. Asking for grants and hand outs and acting like a welfare city.
Until we get a council who understand we need revenue producing projects first, then pet projects like climate change and sea level rise. Look, the Pacifica city council isn't going to stop global warming, sea level change or climate change.
Pacifica should take care of Pacifica first. The city is crumbling around us and the city council is just as bad as the city councils past.
Anonymous 1:04 said...
"Until we get a council who understand we need revenue producing projects first, then pet projects like climate change and sea level rise. Look, the Pacifica city council isn't going to stop global warming, sea level change or climate change."
These aren't "pet projects" but a mix of state mandated legal requirements and actions needed to project the city, region, and yes, the planet. Working on ways to minimize impact can also be a positive by stepping up and gaining visibility for the city. Energy efficiency strategies will also reduce expense to the city and to residents that chose to make them. It's important that all cities and citizens do their part.
We do sometimes act like a "welfare" city, but it's not through asking for grants. That's how programs are funded. Thank goodness we have great city employees who have the knowledge to find, apply and receive these monies.
Least we forget, many cities continue with challenging financial and infrastructure issues, just like Pacifica. It continues to be sadly amusing to read posts on Fix Pacifica, pointing fingers at every City Council for the past 30 years.
Oh please let them work on global warming. We can trust them to make as much difference there as they have in Pacifica. And it's a trendy
issue. Don't want to miss that. This council is nothing if not trendy.
Whoa is that Back In Love Again by L.T.D. I'm hearing? Spring must be just around the corner and hope and trust get dug up every year. It's a beautiful thing.
The sitting City Council had very little to do with Cecilia Quick.
125 We may be a poor, dying city but at least we have you here with us to explain these things. Communicating with us all. Tickled.
1:25
please name a few cities that are having funding problems.
Cities around us in the greater Bay Area. Not cities in Georgia or half way across the US.
125, as 104 said, "Pacifica should take care of Pacifica first." FMV, that means take care of the Economic Development development that has NOT been happening for, say 30 years. Fix the highway, fix the balanced development as much as is possible now that so much of our city land has been removed, and replaced with permanent empty space.
Anyone who drives through this city (or sits in traffic while driving through this city) may observe, with pockets of city and pockets of open-empty space (not cohesive), the "city" looks a bit like Swiss cheese. (Okay its lunch time).
Some reason to stop and spend money in Pacifica is what is needed. That's the #1 overdue priority!!!! The alternative "stuff" is just that.
125, as for "every City Council for the past 30 years", the city council majorities have been nice, friendly, deceitful NIMBIES who have sacrificed this city.
125, "many cities" are not this city. We did not vote to make this city a park. We did not vote to keep this city poor. We did not vote to tear-apart our city infrastructure potential, to reduce services and jobs. No, we did not do that. Some of you eco-MIMBIES gained control (with the help of some of your outside city friends), and moved this city sideways. That is what is "sad", that is what is tragic. And your twisted comment targeting this blog which exposes your misguided vision is "sad". Other metropolitan Bay Area cities are not struggling with such anti-progress issues in a limited 50-60% permanent empty-open space city. Oh sure, we can grow frogs and snakes on GGNRA federal land, that's nice.
Pacifica has struggled to stay afloat for more than three decades. We've run out of various funds to loot and other temporary fixes. Now the challenge for city government is all about public relations... how to sagely communicate this disaster to the residents and enlighten them on the virtues of more taxes. There is no other way because
the damage that has been done by the great land give away is irreparable. Irreparable. Our proximity to real tourist destinations like SF, Marin, the Monterey Peninsula makes us of little interest to anyone. The Taco Bell on the beach is probably our most visited tourist attraction. Our proximity to SF made us a desirable place to live for commuters. We could have been a viable bedroom community. How clever of us to give away huge tracts of land that might have meant homes for those commuters and businesses for them to shop at. All of which would have produced revenue and meant vitality for this city. The damage is irreparable. How to break the news?
2:10
You are right I should have said past city councils. Once you send you have no way to edit.
Yes, we should have covered those huge tracts of open space with houses to make us a more viable city, like Daly City.
I'm not totally against her but how transparent of Ervin over on RIPTIDE kissing up to the NIMBY's. She learned well. Not a peep from her except her dominance on the pro phone tax, but now she miraculously appears on a blog in an election year. Karen, do you want to be re-elected? Then move away from the NIMBY's.
456 That's the scare tactic that brought us to our present sad state as a city. And it's the lie that has robbed us of a better future. Downhill all the way. Did the earlier ideologues who framed the development issue in all or none terms know what they were doing or did they just get lucky? A case of right time and right place and a few key players? A complacent electorate? It no longer matters.
Whether you're responsible for a child or a city, you must make them self-sufficient. Pacifica is not self-sufficient and it no longer even has the ability or tools to become so. That won't keep the development issue from animating every election. New heroes appear like clockwork.
Years ago one of the architects of failure, Councilwoman Julie Lancelle, said something to the effect that maybe we just should be willing to pay more to live in this Pacifica. I think she knew exactly what she was talking about.
456, how come you didn't mention "paving over the ocean"? We've heard that deflective retort too-- rather than any solutions that makes sense to give this city revenue and a balanced economy.
According to out-of-date Wikipedia statistics, Pacifica School District and the City of Pacifica are the largest employers. That was 2010. Likely that information is the same today, the same 10 years ago, the same 20 years ago.
In reflection, recycled citizen tax revenue to pay basic (minimum) city services (such as for city and school employees) must be what Councilmember Sue Digre was referring to when she so often repeated her slogan/mantra,"our environment is our economy". Previously many of us may not have understood what she was referring to. After all, if she intended that "our ecology provides our economy", well it doesn't. Free hikes and free pier fishing would more likely have a negative revenue impact on our city.
A dead urban outback economy may be all right for Councilmember Sue Digre, and all right for you and other drop-out NIMBIES, but we all live here. The constant city economic struggles are not all right for the infrastructure services our city provides. Its long past time for the city to fix this ongoing city inadequacy. Meantime, economic development is #1 on the city council goal list-- is it also an action item?
Kathy, economic development is a joke and you've lived here long enough to know that. It's resurrected from time to time, given a whirl, made the focus of a committee, the banner for some candidate. Nothing has changed other than the faces spinning the bull. How clueless are they on the subject? They made a public library/city hall chambers the centerpiece of their economic development plan for the OWWTP. Wow, that's such an improvement over Vreeland's Taj Mahal. We're so much better off with this bunch. There's big money in library fines. What's our share? The county can't take over soon enough.
931 Hey, the nimbys will be casting 3 votes for 3 seats. Ervin just wants to make sure she gets her share--particularly if there's a shortage of nimby candidates like last time. They couldn't get their guy elected but their votes are sought after by every candidate.
If your definition of NIMBY is someone who supports local action to combat climate change, then you are boxing yourself into a very small corner. In 2010, Californian voters had an opportunity to severely weaken AB32, the climate change bill which led to our city creating a climate change action plan. Proposition 23 was rejected by 59% of the voters statewide, but here in Pacifica it was even more lopsided, with 75% of us voting against it. I would argue that to be the percentage of us that support Pacifica enacting a strong climate action plan. I am thankful that Karen Ervin, an actual scientist, counts herself in the majority.
Kathy
I think it goes like this
School District
City Of Pacifica
Safeway
In the top 3.
Look at the people who endorsed Mary Ann and Karen. All the same people who led to the destruction of the city.
It would be interesting to take a poll of Pacificans to see how many think the city has been "destroyed." I bet that most Pacificans do not feel that way. They probably like it here.
716, the point is our earned money which is then taxed pays for our basic city services. And that's too often what passes for economic development revenue in this city.
Meantime, because there is limited real economic development, the city doesn't have enough money to function, and we fight over the scraps every budget season. Think there's a connection?
BTW on that Wikipedia top employer list, of the 9 employers listed, 5 of them are city related industries, paid by our recycled tax payer money.
931, this city voted to develop Mori Point. NIMBIES stalled the planning process and made sure that didn't happen. NIMBIES brought-in outside people to defeat quarry development, and pushed a main reason: "traffic". NIMBIES at city level influenced/pressured larger land owners to take the tax break and donate their land to open space. Etc.
NIMBIES are anti-progress and irresponsible. We are a city that needs to function better, and masking the issue with "we just love our open space" is inadequate and doesn't provide the infrastructure or pay the bills.
That's great Ian. But council rightly voted to not include energy improvements at point of sale when a house is sold. Something they wanted over on Riptide. We do not need to take severe steps that make our economy or people suffer. There's plenty we can do without putting a burden on businesses or tax payers. These wacky ideas they have about managed retreat or not building the highway because of sea level rise are not going to be taken seriously by most Pacificans.
Council didn't vote on anything. It was a study session. They can't make any decisions as a council at a study session.
931 Destroyed? That's kinda silly, but don't kid yourself. Most people, even the most content and complacent Pacifican, understand the need for self-sufficiency whether it's personal or municipal. They don't care about the unending historical drama, they care about the bills most certainly coming their way for the apparent privilege of living in a town that has been allowed to fall apart.
You are wrong 1:02. Council voted not to include the energy conservation ordinance.
Here are Ervin's own words:
"After the Climate Action Plan Study Session on March 5, City Council agreed to accept the Climate Action Plan as written with the exception of the Residential/Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinances (requires installation of energy efficiency measures during title transfer, based on sale price)."
1:06
Destroyed yes. The city is being held together with duct tape and bailing wire.
Financially the city has robbed Peter to pay Paul. $1 million should have gone to fix streets each year, forget about it, it got moved to the general fund.
The sewer system needs a $50,000,000 over haul and that doesn't count all the rotted sewer pipes under all the streets.
Beach Blvd. is slowly falling into the Ocean cause the retaining wall with rock in front is washing away the sand under the road. Sewage from the North part of town goes under Beach Blvd.
One big El Nino winter away from financial ruin.
I am thankful that Karen Ervin, an actual scientist, counts herself in the majority.
Climate change and making medicine are two completely different things. Quit trying to twist facts to prove your points.
I sure hope Tod Schlesinger is there tonight to set these knuckle heads straight.
236 Without diminishing by one iota the irreparable economic damage done to this town by decades of bad land use decisions, may I say you are one
big whiny baby? Hope to hell you're not underfoot if an actual disaster were to really destroy this town. And BTW, the damage you mention didn't happen overnight or at the point of a gun. It took place right in front of us. Funny how our complacency morphs to outrage. Personally, I think it's an age-related phenomena.
Tod always gets one of my votes whether or not he's on the ballot.
The easiest solution to Pacifica's financial woe is for all the haters to finally sell their houses and move away. With the new owners paying 2014 property tax levels, the city will be able to provide 2014 services.
Wow 653, you think there are that many haters? It's a deep hole. Are there even that many homeowners in Pacifica? Regardless, you and 931 need to get together and decide is it thumbs up or down for Pacificans on Pacifica. Should be easy for ya!
653 Relocate the dissidents? That your plan? Not feeling the love? You want fatter property tax revenue (and the sales tax that usually goes with) well why not build more houses? Still plenty of in-fill and a few city owned parcels to make a difference. A few of those new residents are bound to love you!
653 Here's the solution to your problem of not being happy here. You move to Nevada where the houses are cheaper but you pay twice the property tax. There.
9:26
Nevada only pays sales tax and Property tax and the tax rate on Real Estate is much lower than California.
You lose again!
Kathy
City Council will listen to citizens and people at the podium at City Council members when Hogs whistle and pigs fly!
Kathy
I did an excellent recap of city council and who spoke
You didn't post it
740, Nevada pays 2 to 3+ times the property tax rate we do. CA property tax rate is 1% Nevada is 1.7% to 3.6% depending on the county. Look and learn https://www.nvenergy.com/business/economicdevelopment/documents/propertytaxes.pdf
And they also have no prop 13 which you're obviously jealous about. So go move there since you're so in love with paying more taxes, the tumbleweeds are waiting.
848, sorry, for this thread, so far an "excellent recap of city council and who spoke" has not been received, and is not in our blog system.
But, if your comment was sent to fix pacifica email intended to be an article, Steve will see it.
Kathy
My phone must have ate the post I was doing the post while watching the city council meeting.
Oh well
Nevada breaks down the property tax bill into 4 quarterly payments in which makes it easier than coming up with two large payments in December and April for California.
Nevada doesn't charge a sewer tax that is higher than the base tax bill for prop 13 people.
Nevada has no estate, state paycheck withholding tax, or business inventory tax like California does.
Take a look a the Reno-Taho Industrial Park.
http://www.tahoereno.com
Nevada has no income tax, no corporate tax, no franchise tax and no inventory tax.
It ranks as one the most business-friendly states in the nation (in terms of tax policy).
Can't admit you're wrong huh 11:38?
Nevada property tax is way more than CA
Yes they have casinos too.
1:00
They have brothels that you are not allowed in. Even if you drove up in a Brinx Truck.
Property taxes in NV are slightly lower than those in CA.
NV property taxes are around 3.2% (depends on county)
CA property taxes are around 1.2%
BUT NV only considers 35% of a home's value as taxable.
$500,000 home in CA
500000 x 0.012 = $6,250
$500,000 home in NV
500000 x 0.35 = 175000
175000 x 0.032 = $5,600
Game goes to Fogel.
Crowd goes wild!
Nevada closes border to Pacificans.
Obama says he understands.
One little casino on Mori Point and we would have been just fine.
Development on the lower 1/3rd of Mori's Point would have brought in badly needed money.
That wasn't good enough for the tree and frog lovers.
Mori's Point brings in zero to the city of Pacifica.
Development of flying pigs would have saved our bacon.
If pigs could fly, would they be bacon? Just wondering.
Over 52% of the land in Pacifica is open space. No one here wants this City to look like Daly City but we need business to sustain ourselves. Do you understand that a fight for everything is exhausting for us all. Bringing a hotel to the Coastal Commission because they want to expand into a long vacant building was more than unnecessary. Now the Clock Tower building is in foreclosure I hear. Maybe someone will come up with a great idea for that space that some naysayer will again protest. Please...let development move forward to help offset the expenses of this City.
And yet the Chamber of Commerce supports widening the highway which will take out several businesses and probably administer the death blow to others that are on the edge. There are lots of empty commercial spaces all over town. If you want economic development, help local businesses to survive and thrive.
Your side 734 proposes an overpass that would still require extensive widening and removal of several businesses, and at a much greater cost both aesthetically and monetarily.
The current highway fix will help businesses thrive. Yes a couple of businesses will get help relocating, but most will benefit from easier exit, access and much less congestion.
806 You must guard against over-spinning, as in "Yes a couple of businesses will get help relocating".
I don't know what you think "my side" is but I'm totally against the overpass idea and I'm also totally against the widening. It's a disaster-in-the-making no matter how you spin it.
It's a disaster now 12:47. And you want nothing done? Please stand aside.
Oh jeez are you crying?
It's a disaster now? Oh, you have to wait a few minutes more when you drive to work at 8:30 in the morning. Oh boo hoo. Would you like some cheese to go with that whine? No, you want to trash that entire stretch of coastline. You want to more than double the width of the highway to get 1 extra lane in each direction between Rockaway and Vallemar, which won't solve the problem and will only make things worse by creating new bottlenecks at either end.
2:31 is another "expert" on freeway engineering like the rest of the anti everything noby's. They know better than anyone. They're experts at everything, except finding a real job.
Sports fans, that's Pacifica, right there in 231 and 245. It's Larks and dirt naps for everyone on here before that road is changed.
7:34pm Two businesses, Lovey's and a closed Boston Bob's will get funds to relocate and I hear it is in Lovey's lease that they will be able to get out of their lease to relocate. No other businesses will be closed or impacted and perhaps the workers may be hungry and eat their lunch and maybe dinner in town.
Chris
The roasted beast took over the Boston Bill's and they are doing work to open a restaurant and catering company.
The Pet Hospital said in a comment letter to Caltrans that the extra-wide highway would kill their business by taking out their front parking lot. Other businesses on the east side of the highway would also be impacted.
Widening kills biz? Can a post with the phrase "safety widening" be far behind?
Mary Ann nihiliest wants to set up a one way Nextdoor Site.
The idea of Nextdoor is community conversation, not a one way fluff and spin.
But darling, we can't allow, oops I mean afford, two way conversation. Deal with it Pacifica!
707 You see Nihart as a nihilist? Nah, and not a follower of Plato or Aristotle. I see The Prince. And that's not all bad as long as you don't start thinking you're royalty.
Yeah what was up with that suggestion of a one way Next Door. Did their communications workshop come up with that. Here's how it went...
"yeah we really want to connect with the community but we don't want all their opinions to get in the way of our message. I mean look what happened when that whole measure v thing got away from us and people started to discuss it on their own."
ok, safety widening. You are welcome
Let's keep in mind that the widening is expected to take 2 years of construction, making today's delays pale in comparison. I would be surprised if those 2 years didn't decimate our businesses north and south of the construction.
1011 Sounds like euthanasia for a dying town. Get on with it. There's no cure for what ails this town.
Mary Ann Nihiest, made me think back a few years when George Bush said.
"It would be much easier if it was a dictatorship, and I was the dictator"
I thought Mary Ann Nihist was going to have another one of her "espisodes" and start crying again when she said, on some blogs they have the nerve to critic us on city council.
I wonder when people have to kiss the ring on her pinkie finger before we chat with her at city council.
We have a city-wide "Malaise".
We need cheerful leaders to raise our spirits! Or our current leaders need to cheer us with more vigor, quality and quantity.
If not, we are doomed to OBLIVION!
1011 Yes the widening will take 2 years. They will keep lanes open during construction. Half Moon Bay went through it and business is booming and was not adversely affected by construction. Stop crying wolf.
1040, its possible that 1011 has worn-out the freeway to LA, asphalt forever, archaeological finds, city beauty, ecological disaster, no need because no traffic and no possible safety problems, etc. fake arguments. So what's left? The usual: to convenience a few more unaware people to protect the runaway inadequate, unsatisfactory status quo-- and leave others with no hope for a better city. And, whereas the true motive is anti-business, anti-development and anti-progress (the impoverished rally for more of the same and worse).
Interesting how 1011 and similar naysayer commentary did not exist with the pending replacement of San Pedro Bridge and creek widening. And that project will affect highway 1/Pedro Point/Linda Mar traffic for 1.4 years.
Pssst Kathy
You forgot Nancy Hall's Manta of "you can't build a new city in the quarry"
1040 It's a road to the gold. Good. Now, tell us where that airplane is.
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