Sharp Park vote was a good behind-the-scenes show

C. W. Nevius

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Connoisseurs of City Hall politics surely gave the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee meeting five stars on Monday.

There was a woman in a frog hat, allegations of gamesmanship directed at Chairman John Avalos, and dozens of speakers.

Technically the issue was the future of the Sharp Park Golf Course and the frogs and garter snakes that live there. But the behind-the-scenes maneuvering was the real show.

Avalos denied it, but it certainly looked as if he was playing pretty fast and loose to get an ordinance passed that would give the course to the National Park Service, which doesn't have much interest in it. Conspiracy theorists think Avalos was trying to rush this to a vote - the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance called it "the rocket-docket method" - before Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi leaves to become sheriff. They add that the ordinance was transferred from Budget and Finance to City Operations so Avalos could shepherd it through. They also claim that his late revision of the ordinance last week was an attempt to avoid having to do an environmental impact report, which would drag things on beyond Mirkarimi's stay.

But the showmanship may be much ado about nothing. The ordinance will be at the full board today. It will likely get six votes to pass, but not enough to withstand a likely veto by Mayor Ed Lee.

And it will all have been sound and fury that accomplished nothing.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/06/BAN71M8K5K.DTL

Posted by Steve Sinai

Herhold: Learning how to speak Pension

By Scott Herhold
Mercury News Columnist

Posted: 12/05/2011 02:37:18 PM PST

Updated: 12/05/2011 10:10:29 PM PST 

At its meeting Tuesday to discuss reforms to the city's retirement system, the San Jose City Council shows every sign of inflicting a numbing new language on voters: "Pension."

Like the obscure language Sentinelese, which is almost entirely unknown to linguistics experts, Pension can be lethal to learn. The residents of the North Sentinel Island drive away anyone trying to establish contact, even those accidentally wandering onto their turf.

Because this is an all-service column, let me introduce you to a basic lexicon. The key thing to remember about Pension is that any time you come across a term that sounds like English, it does not mean what you think it does.

COLAS: A classic example of Pension's pitfalls. Bet you thought we were talking Coca-Cola, Pepsi or RC, maybe even Red Bull or Zam Zam. Naturally, it couldn't be so easy. COLA stands for cost-of-living allowance. 

Forget any health advice. If you're an employee, a COLA is always good. If you're a taxpayer, not so much.

VESTED RIGHT: Sounds like good sartorial advice, doesn't it? Get yourself a sharp vest, maybe a leather number with pockets for every tool under the sun, and you'd be vested right. But no: In Pension, a vested right means anything promised to an employee since third grade, including your oxblood marble collection and that sweet 1973 Camaro in your garage.

Read more...


Submitted by Todd Bray

Sharp Park Golf Course update to be continued until Tuesday (tomorrow)

From Pacifica Patch, 12/5/11.  "A proposal that could lead to the closure of Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica brought more than 100 supporters and opponents who spoke at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors committee hearing today....  The committee decided at the end of the meeting to forward the proposal without a recommendation to the full board, which will consider it on Tuesday. " Full article...

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Same genes, different behavior evolves into a different species?

.  

The following evolutionary adaptation study article is titled "Urban bird behavior may divide a species."  I'm waiting for the same thing to happen to humans, if it hasn't already.  

Science News, 11/30/11. Article: "Humans aren't the only species to rapidly adapt to urban hustle and bustle. A new study reveals that when European blackbirds (Turdus merula) move from their native forest into the city, they migrate shorter distances than their country cousins—a behavioral change that could eventually split the populations into separate species.

Researchers studied 168 blackbirds along a 2800-kilometer path in and around seven cities from Spain to Estonia. When blackbirds eat and drink throughout Europe, different a

tomic varieties of hydrogen become incorporated into their beaks and feathers, which give clues to their migration patterns. The data revealed that urban blackbirds in northern Europe, which started moving into cities in the 1930s, stay closest to home during the winter.

Meanwhile, their forest-dwelling counterparts still take to the wing each year for warmer climes, traveling to southern Europe or as far as northern Africa, the team reports online this month in Oikos. Cities tend to stay warmer than the countryside and there's lots of food within easy reach -- factors that may keep urban birds lazing about town. The migratory divide could explain genetic differences that have already arisen among the urban and rural blackbird populations -- a possible first step to a species split."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Don't fergit - Oppose Avalos Ordinance To Close Sharp Park

URGENT

Attend Public Hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 A.M., S.F. City Hall, RM. 250:  Oppose Avalos Ordinance To Close Sharp Park

The long-threatened public hearing on Supervisor Avalos' Close-Sharp Park Golf Course Ordinance, is scheduled for public hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. in Room 250, S.F. City Hall, before the City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee.  (Room 250 is the big legislative chamber at top of the grand staircase).
The Avalos Ordinance would direct the Rec & Park Dept. to offer to close Sharp Park Golf Course and enter exclusive negotiations with the GGNRA to take over Sharp Park.  The GGNRA has already announced it will not operate a golf course at Sharp.
NOW is the time for golfers and their friends and families to come to the aid of affordable public golf and the legacy of Alister MacKenzie at Sharp Park. 
Bring your friends, family, and foursomes.   Be early. 
If you plan to attend, PLEASE RSVP via Email by clicking here.  Please include your name and phone number.
Spread the word!
Save Sharp Park!!
RSVP:  info@sfpublicgolf.com

Submitted by Jim Wagner 
 

Environmental Science class at Skyline

I'm taking Environmental Science from Professor McCarthy this semester. I've been taking classes at Skyline for 17 years and she is one of the best professors I've had the good fortune to work with. She has pioneered this class in collaboration with another professor. If you have the opportunity to take this class, don't pass it up!

http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/koskelo/ENVS%20680SD%20Flyer.pdf

Jim Wagner

Blogmaster's Note: 17 years! When the hell are you going to graduate, Wagner?

Drinking water may be cloudy Monday (12/5/11) but its safe

Daily Journal, 12/3/11.  "Drinking water on portions of the Peninsula may temporarily appear cloudy of milky white when drawn from the top beginning Monday, but water officials emphasize it is safe to drink. This temporary cloudy water is caused by changes in the water system distribution resulting in additional air bubbles in the water. 

The water change will only be aesthetic, with water continuing to meet all state and federal regulatory requirements, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The operational changes in the water system are due to routine maintenance of the system’s Foothill Tunnel and seismic upgrades to the San Joaquin Pipeline System in the Central Valley. Instead of receiving water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, 

SFPUC customers will be receiving water exclusively from local reservoirs. The increased rate of treatment of the local reservoir water at the SFPUC’s Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant in the East Bay causes air to be mixed into the water, which in turn makes the water appear cloudy or milky. If the water is allowed to stand for a few minutes, the cloudiness will dissipate as the air bubbles rise to the surface and break apart, according to water officials."  

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Palmetto Avenue CEQA entanglement - a holiday story for NIMBYS

City council meeting, 11/28/11, (item 7),  a coastal development permit  for existing and future business use at 800-1046 Palmetto Avenue was appealed and failed.  The applicant/owner/landlord offered a list of possible tenant business uses for his zoned C-3 (outdoor use) rental property.  Additionally, he asked the city for a time projection of possible zone changes to C-1 (retail, commercial), so that he could plan accordingly.  His hearing appeal was rejected, as was the prior planning commission  hearing review.

Further, CEQA review  is needed for ALL his existing Palmetto Avenue applicant C-3 rental properties, (locations at 800-1046).  However, the applicant did not hire a consultant to conducted these studies. And, in the future CEQA review would be needed for each new property tenant. The scope of this State CEQA requirement is potentially "mind numbing", and very expensive for all concerned.  

Net result:  The applicant property owner, his tenant small business owners, their vendors, citizens who use these services, any resulting city tax revenue ALL lose.  The city staff report blames the applicant and claims financial loss, without alternative suggestions, assistance or solutions. The ruling from city council is the usual:  "we can do nothing".  NIMBYS win again, well that's "happy holidays" to them!  For the rest of us, humbug.  For those interested, see city council meeting, 11/28/11, Hearing appeal, pages 56-58.

The following is an account of this city council hearing appeal from the Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 11/29/11.   "James Payne appealed to City Council to reverse what he called an "unfair" Planning Commission decision denying him permits for a variety of outdoor uses on his Palmetto property. "Payne had envisioned luring a variety of businesses to his property at 800 to 1046 Palmetto, but he was unable to tell City Council or the Planning Commission exactly what those businesses would be. He sought permits in advance of tenants, hoping to make it easier for a business to move in and begin operating. City Council unanimously denied his blanket request because each one of the uses tenants would come up would require its own environmental review process under state law."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City managing a sewage system - better to fake it than fix it?

For whatever its worth, at a recent city council meeting I heard Councilmember DeJarnatt say "they (city council) knew the next day this was a sewage spill".

Sewer spill closed beaches 1/28/08

From Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 11/29/11, "Most of the blame is on ourselves". "Tod Schlesinger's letter regarding the sewer lateral point of sale ordinance passed by the City Council was right on the mark. Tod once again showed a great grasp on the facts and history of the actions of some of our city council members.

Our so-called state of the art waste water treatment plant has never worked properly due to a variety of reasons, one of them being mismanagement by some of our city council members. Money was granted to the city when the old plant was decommissioned, that money did not go to the new plant or to a future fund for the plant but went to our General Fund and spent on other items.  

The spill in 2008 of over 7.5 million gallons of sewage water was claimed by two city council members to be "tar balls." They went so far as to call out a San Mateo Times reporter and claimed that the reporter had the facts wrong. Turns out it wasn't so. These council members went on to propose to build a biodiesel plant that was to be attached to the very same waste water treatment plant, even after the 7.5 million gallon spill. So our current city council had to pass this ordinance or face a fine for not doing "something" to negate the results of a poorly designed plant that has never operated as proposed and to offset the actions of these council members.

The longest members of the council have continuously diverted resources, time and money to pet projects of their own instead of necessities that our city needs. Again, the homeowners get to pay for these council members co actions and/or lack of actions.

Try emailing them, but wait — two of them do not even give out their email addresses. Care to imagine which ones? Tod pointed out a few weeks ago, it is our fault as voters, or non-voters, that we have allowed some of our council members to be reelected over and over. We are reelecting these individuals mainly by not paying attention to what is going on."  

Reference on blog:  Pacifica Tribune "My Turn" article, 11/23/11, by Tod Schlesinger. 

Frank Vella

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Patch story on Linda Mar Beach parking fee

http://pacifica.patch.com/articles/linda-mar-beach-parking-fee-proposal-gets-nod-from-coastal-commission-staff

Submitted by Jim Alex

70 Bay Area soldiers - last California Guard unit return home from Iraq

Welcome home soldier!

This evening from Mercury News/Joshua Melvin, 12/2/11.  "...The group -- with members from Cupertino to San Francisco and Millbrae to Hayward -- is the last California National Guard unit to come home from the war in Iraq. In October, President Barack Obama announced all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the year. Soldiers said that news brought them home about a month ahead of schedule. 

Even before the doors of their white bus peeled open there were tears, American flags, welcome home signs, but most of all the rush of relief. Everyone had come home -- not a single one killed or wounded. About 4,483 American fighters have died in the war that started in 2003, according to icasualties.org. Of those killed, 26 were guard soldiers. One of their ranks, Spc. Sean Walsh, 21, of San Jose, is to be buried Saturday.

The group of roughly 70 soldiers consisting of medics and medical technicians, was not on daily patrols of dusty streets that might conceal a handmade bomb or a nest of armed insurgents. But they lived and worked in a war zone, primarily in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Their base was routinely hit with enemy rocket and mortar fire.While the unit did its work in a dangerous place, families back home had to figure out how to carry on with lives that were missing a central piece." Read full story...

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Oppose Avalos Ordinance To Close Sharp Park

URGENT

Attend Public Hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 A.M., S.F. City Hall, RM. 250:  Oppose Avalos Ordinance To Close Sharp Park

The long-threatened public hearing on Supervisor Avalos' Close-Sharp Park Golf Course Ordinance, is scheduled for public hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. in Room 250, S.F. City Hall, before the City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee.  (Room 250 is the big legislative chamber at top of the grand staircase).
The Avalos Ordinance would direct the Rec & Park Dept. to offer to close Sharp Park Golf Course and enter exclusive negotiations with the GGNRA to take over Sharp Park.  The GGNRA has already announced it will not operate a golf course at Sharp.
NOW is the time for golfers and their friends and families to come to the aid of affordable public golf and the legacy of Alister MacKenzie at Sharp Park. 
Bring your friends, family, and foursomes.   Be early. 
If you plan to attend, PLEASE RSVP via Email by clicking here.  Please include your name and phone number.
Spread the word!
Save Sharp Park!!
RSVP:  info@sfpublicgolf.com

Submitted by Jim Wagner 
 

Press Release November 29, 2011 San Francisco Federal District Judge Susan Illston, in an Order released late Tuesday, denied the motion of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and a handful of other conservation groups, to halt mowing and winter flood-relief pumping at the historic Alister MacKenzie-designed Sharp Park Golf Course. Click on the following links to download files containing the judge's Order and the Press Release of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. -- Richard Harris San Francisco Public Golf Alliance 415-290-5718 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

Woodside - "Home sweet home" without town permits

Don't comply with permits, after the lawsuit no problem!

Mercury News/Bonnie Eslinger, 12/1/11.  Woodside has sued a resident it claims built a two-story building on his property without permits and wants him to remove it if he doesn't obtain the necessary paperwork.  According to its Nov. 9 complaint for injunctive relief and abatement of a public nuisance, the town first became aware that Gregory Smith was building a structure on his property at 37 Upenuf Road in or around August 2008. "The Town Inspector observed that a two-story building was being constructed without the necessary permits," the suit states, adding that utilities
were also being installed.

On Aug. 14, 2008, the town's planning and building department sent Smith a stop-work notice asking him to immediately halt construction and contact staff to discuss the matter. When he didn't, it sent a second notice on Aug. 26 that was also ignored, according to the complaint. The town followed up by sending a formal code violation notice on Oct. 22, 2008. Smith told The Daily News on Wednesday that he has been trying to resolve the permit dispute and the town never informed him it would be taking him to court. "I've been working with the town for three years on this issue," Smith said. "If the town has filed a lawsuit against me, I'm completely unaware of it and a little surprised." The building is a 24-foot by 24-foot garage with an in-law unit on top, Smith said. He declined to explain why he did not obtain the necessary permits for the project, The town's legal move is "ludicrous," said Smith, the chief financial officer for a high-tech company called Pogoplug.saying he wants to first review the lawsuit with a lawyer.

According to county records, the Upenuf Road property that Smith and his wife own has a net assessed value of more than $1.3 million. There's also a 4,700-square-foot home with five bedrooms on the 174,240-square-foot lot, according to the real estate website Zillow.com. The expansive, woodsy lot is located off Old La Honda Road. It is not known why the town waited more than three years to take legal action. Assistant Town Manager Kevin Bryant said the town's policy is to not comment on pending litigation. If Smith does not bring his garage-and-apartment unit up to code and obtain a building and site development permit, the complaint asks the court to order him to remove the building, "returning the Property to its pre-construction condition and calling for a final inspection of this corrective work." The town also asks to be reimbursed for attorney fees and awarded a civil penalty of up to $5,000."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Traffic light on demand south of devil's Slide

Half Moon Bay Review, 12/1/11.  "Caltrans told a meeting of the ad-hoc Devil's Slide Task Force earlier this week that it will install a traffic light near the southern portal of the Devil's Slide tunnels to assure safe passage for pedestrians using the old roadway as a walking trail.

Traffic light goes where?

The light is known as a Hawk Beacon Signal and would be tripped only when someone pushes a button. The light would remain green otherwise. The safety of pedestrians has been an issue since Caltrans delivered plans for a parking lot on the eastern side of Highway 1.  

The walking trail itself is to the west and will require crossing busy Highway 1 south of the tunnels. Plans for an unsignaled crosswalk brought howls of protest from many on the Midcoast. Initially, Caltrans indicated it would not change plans that have been years in the making. San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley said in a release that all members of the task force endorsed the new signal system."

NMBR trailing blog comment, Elizabeth Vespremi: "The irony is that the tunnel was justified to improve traffic, and eliminate traffic interruptions..."  

Posted by Kathy Meeh

One less worry - Earth's polar magnetic field flip

Yikes!

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — Scientists understand that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times over the millennia. In other words, if you were alive about 800,000 years ago, and facing what we call north with a magnetic compass in your hand, the needle would point to 'south.' This is because a magnetic compass is calibrated based on Earth's poles. The N-S markings of a compass would be 180 degrees wrong if the polarity of today's magnetic field were reversed. Many doomsday theorists have tried to take this natural geological occurrence and suggest it could lead to Earth's destruction. But would there be any dramatic effects? The answer, from the geologic and fossil records we have from hundreds of past magnetic polarity reversals, seems to be 'no.'

Reversals are the rule, not the exception. Earth has settled in the last 20 million years into a pattern of a pole reversal about every 200,000 to 300,000 years, although it has been more than twice that long since the last reversal. A reversal happens over hundreds or thousands of years, and it is not exactly a clean back flip. Magnetic fields morph and push and pull at one another, with multiple poles emerging at odd latitudes throughout the process. Scientists estimate reversals have happened at least hundreds of times over the past three billion years. And while reversals have happened more frequently in "recent" years, when dinosaurs walked Earth a reversal was more likely to happen only about every one million years. Read more...

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Trash rates - Foster City style

Two issues:  1) apparently Foster City does consider trash pick-up a Proposition 218 issue; and 2) cost is less, probably in conjunction with the city contract (lower franchise fees), the land is flat, the city economy is good (and sustainable).   

"Sweet deal" Cookie Monster!

From The Daily Journal, 11/29/11. "The Foster City Council approved a 6.4 percent increase to garbage rates last night in a special Proposition 218 public hearing. The hearing allowed residents to officially protest the increase and if a majority did, the council would have had to figure out another way to pay Recology the money it lost this year and expects to lose next year based on residents migrating to smaller 32- and 20-gallon cans.

Only 10 residents sent in protests but more than 3,600 were needed to prevent the rate hike in accordance with Proposition 218 which allows residents who are assessed a fee a chance to protest it. The approval means residents will see the increase in their next bill, which will be mailed out next Wednesday for the months of December, January and February.  The increase will be reflected for the months of January and February.  The monthly cost for a 20-gallon can will rise from the current rate of $11.11 to $11.82 next year and from $17.78 to $18.92 for the 32-gallon can. Foster City Manager Jim Hardy called the increase “modest” compared to other cities who contract with Recology through the South Bayside Waste Management Authority, which represents most cities in the county.

The increase did not get unanimous approval, however, as Councilman Rick Wykoff voted against it. “I have a real problem with the rate increase so soon after joining the service,” Wykoff said. In February, the council approved a 29.5 rate hike to cover the cost for Recology’s expanded service, improvements to the Shoreway Environmental Center and expected migration to smaller cans.

Wykoff is not thrilled with state mandates that call for 75 diversion rates by 2020. He called Assembly Bill 341, which set the diversion rate, a “baseless law.” The law calls for cities to divert garbage out of landfills by 75 percent through recycling or composting efforts or face stiff penalties. Wykoff said that even though the city only received 10 protests does not mean that more are against the hike. “I don’t want staff to assume there is no objection to this. There’s more than 10 that object to this,” he said." Read more...."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

History lesson reminder - move away from radical environmentalism

One wonders why Pacifica is going broke, scrambling to extort new infrastructure repairs out of the public, and in the crosshairs of every radical enviro group in the state. Can you imagine if this biodiesel albatross had been hooked into our "State of the Art" waste water treatment plant!  

Pacifica City Councilman Jim Vreeland is not up for re-election next year, but just thought I would remind people of just one of his failed projects that cost the City of Pacifica and its citizens.   Satirical Video, 4:52 minutes.  Pacifica Mayor Vreeland at the Coastal Commission.  flaky, potentially dangerous project for our WWTP.

Coastal Commission Staff Report and recommendations,7/11/08 hearing (large report).

Coastal Commission approval article, Pacifica Tribune article/Jane Northrop, 7/16/08.

Biodiesel project tanks (4/09), scroll down for more detail, All Business News.

Submitted by Jim Wagner
Posted by Kathy Meeh 

Attend Public Hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 A.M., S.F. City Hall, RM. 250: Oppose Avalos Ordinance to Close Sharp Park

Attend Public Hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 A.M., S.F. City Hall, RM. 250:  Oppose Avalos Ordinance To Close Sharp Park The long-threatened public hearing on Supervisor Avalos' Close-Sharp Park Golf Course Ordinance, is scheduled for public hearing Monday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. in Room 250, S.F. City Hall, before the City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee.  (Room 250 is the big legislative chamber at top of the grand staircase). The Avalos Ordinance would direct the Rec & Park Dept. to offer to close Sharp Park Golf Course and enter exclusive negotiations with the GGNRA to take over Sharp Park.  The GGNRA has already announced it will not operate a golf course at Sharp. NOW is the time for golfers and their friends and families to come to the aid of affordable public golf and the legacy of Alister MacKenzie at Sharp Park.  Bring your friends, family, and foursomes.   Be early.  If you plan to attend, PLEASE RSVP via Email by clicking here.  Please include your name and phone number. Spread the word! Save Sharp Park!! 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

Sharp Park legal victory for San Francisco and Pacifica

The Wildly Equitable Biodiverse Litigants for Ecological Extortion and Deep Untruths (WEBLEEDU) just lost another battle in the Sharp Park Golf War.

The San Francisco Public Golf Alliance has the story:

"Federal Judge Susan Illston today issued an Order Denying Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction at Sharp Park Golf Course. The plaintiffs, "a collection of non-profit conservation groups" led by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, had sought an order to halt mowing on Holes 9-18 and to halt winter flood-relief pumping at the 80-year-old golf course. Noted architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. submitted a declaration to Court, saying that if granted, the relief sought by the plaintiffs would effectively mean destruction of the Alister MacKenzie-designed course.

In a 15-page ruling, Judge Illston said she denied the motion because she found that the plaintiffs "failed to establish the likelihood of irreparable harm" to the California red-legged frog or the San Francisco garter snake. Judge Illston, a veteran Federal Judge who last year presided at the Barry Bonds case, heard oral arguments in the Sharp Park case on November 18. Trial in the case is scheduled for July 16, 2012.

To read a copy of Judge Illston's opinion, click here [PDF]."

For those keeping score:

• WEBLEEDU failed to elect SF Supervisor John Avalos mayor of San Francisco, after he cravenly secured their support by promising to give away 400 acres of beautiful coastal park land that belongs to the people of San Francisco (I know. Really. Only in EssEff.)
• WEBLEEDU failed to make the scientific case to close Sharp Park based on a specious threat to endangered species who have thrived at the park since it was created over 70 years ago.
• WEBLEEDU failed to close the park by promoting false and misleading statement about the financial status and popularity of golf at the park.
• WEBLEEDU failed (thus far) to intimidate The City into closing the course with threats of patently absurd and pointless lawsuits.
• WEBLEEDU failed to stop the funding of a job-creating, stimulus-subsidized, PUC-sponsored, cities of San Francisco and Pacifica supported project to bring recycled water to supply the course (Yes - this coalition of ostensible "environmentalists" were really fighting to stop a project to use recycled water instead of potable Hetch-Hetchy reservoir water at Sharp Park.)

With the latest win, by my count, the current score:

People of SF and Pacifica - 6
WEBLEEDU Axis - 0

Of course, this latest decision is only the most recent skirmish in a series of legal battles. That's ok. We may have a lot of problems in the City, but a shortage of really good lawyers is not one of them. No judge is going to rule to close a historically important landmark golf course in the face of a good faith plan to enhance the habitat for protected species that is sponsored by the most environmentally progressive City government in the country. It is purely an intimidation and EAJA compensation ploy. That's what WEBLEEDU does - environmental bullying of cash strapped municipalities. The City must stand up to them, and so far we have done exactly that.

They will lose the legal battle. Less predictable in San Francisco is what happens on the political front. The next political battle starts this Monday December 5th in a public hearing with the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee to discuss Supervisor Avalos' ordinance to give away Sharp Park.

The WEBLEEDU's will be there in force. Any Pacifica or San Francisco citizen interested in protecting this landmark city treasure should be there too. As I've said before:

"John Avalos is advocating giving Sharp Park away to the federal government. This is political suicide, or should be. Where else in the world could a politician run for mayor on a platform of giving away 400 acres of incredibly valuable and beautiful coastal park land that contributes millions in revenue to the city and belongs to the people of that city?

Sharp Park is a unique gem that belongs to the people of San Francisco. We choose to share our park with the Bay Area and the world.

The 80-acre golf course was designed and built by Alister MacKenzie, the game's most important architect. The 400-acre park itself was landscaped by John McLaren, the godfather of San Francisco parks. The park was a gift to the city in 1917 and represents a historic legacy entrusted to the people of San Francisco. The park and golf course are important historic landmarks by any standard.

This civic jewel of a park is a treasure that is our common San Francisco heritage and is a legacy for us to leave to future generations of San Franciscans.

Unless some clueless politician manages to give it away."

Cross Posted from MW Mobile Blog.
UPDATE: Fixed link


Mike Wallach
Fix Pacifica Foreign Correspondent
San Francisco Bureau

Sewer revenue bonds, the price bite just went up

This bankruptcy will affect the price of the 50 million in new sewer infrastructure bonds the city wants to float.

Comment from the Wall Street Journal/Kelly Noland, 11/29/11, "Muni Market Sounds Alert". The bankruptcy filing of Jefferson County, Ala., has caused alarm bells to ring in the municipal-bond market. Lawyers for the county, which in November filed for what could become the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, are arguing that holders of $3 billion in debt used to finance a sewer project should be forced to wait for their money along with other creditors. That has caused a stir in the market because the sewer bonds are classified as revenue bonds. Those bonds are considered among the safest to own because they are backed by a specific revenue stream.

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Posted by Kathy Meeh

"The cost of doing business" - not so fast....

Unfortunately this move -to-trial judicial decision will be appealed, but its a good start. 

From the New York Times/Edward Wyatt, 11/28/11.  "WASHINGTON — Taking a broad swipe at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s practice of allowing companies to settle cases without admitting that they had done anything wrong, a federal judge on Monday rejected a $285 million settlement between Citigroup and the agency.....

The agency in particular (the SEC), Judge Rakoff argued, “has a duty, inherent in its statutory mission, to see that the truth emerges.” But it is difficult to tell what the agency is getting from this settlement “other than a quick headline.” Even a $285 million settlement, he said, “is pocket change to any entity as large as Citigroup,” and often viewed by Wall Street firms “as a cost of doing business.” According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Citigroup stuffed a $1 billion mortgage fund that it sold to investors in 2007 with securities that it believed would fail so that it could bet against its customers and profit when values declined. The fraud, the agency said, was in Citigroup’s falsely telling investors that an independent party was choosing the portfolio’s investments. Citigroup made $160 million from the deal and investors lost $700 million."  Full article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Planning Commission meeting agenda for December 5

http://www.cityofpacifica.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4654 

Amendment, pages 1, 2.

Only in Pacifica, they try to shut down a businesses with outdoor seating(Gorilla BBQ) that was on a National TV show(Diners, Drive In's & Dives)!!!

Submitted by Jim Alex

Brown Act study session, Wednesday night, 11/30/11, 6 - 8 pm

Want to learn more about how the Brown Act works in government, and what constitutes good government vs. violations?  There will be a special Study Session for the Planning Commission  at City Council Chambers, 2212 Beach Boulevard, this Wednesday, November 30, 2011 from 6 pm.  Take this opportunity to attend.

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Posted by Kathy Meeh

New studies suggest global warming less severe, but...

Washington Post/Andrew Freedman, 11/28/11.  "New research takes some of the most dire global warming projections off the table. A study published last week in the journal Science concludes that the more extreme climate change scenarios, which involve temperature increases of up to 10°F are implausible. Instead, the study finds, we are likely in the midst of a more manageable, but still potentially dangerous, shift in the planet’s climate.
In fact, this study’s projections still warm the planet to the highest levels in human history.
According to the study, if atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important global warming gas, were to double, the global average surface temperature would increase by between 3 to 4.7°F, with a median value of 4.1°F (or 1.7 to 2.6°C, with a median value of 2.3°C). This is a narrower range, with a lower upper estimate, than other studies have concluded. .....

Submitted by Jim Wagner 

Posted by Kathy Meeh