Monday, November 30, 2009

We can share in this

 
This really touches me and is a way for us to support our troops.


XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING NICE!
 

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com  you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!    It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?    Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.    Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!


Submitted by: Lois Rogan

RFP? NFP!!!





posted by: r roads

CITY TRASH MEETING TONIGHT


http://www.cityofpacifica.org/about/news_n_events.asp


Okay the Trash meeting tonight wasn't well enough advertised, but the following notice is from the City of Pacifica News and Events board:

On Monday, November 30th at 7PM the City will be holding a public forum on Solid Waste (Garbage) and Recycling services as part of the process of considering the assignment of those services from Coastside Scavengers to Recology (formerly Norcal). The forum will be held in the City Council Chambers and include a brief presentation by Recology on services they intend to provide and examples of containers, educational materials and programs that Recology provides in other communities. The meeting will then be open for public input regarding garbage and recycling services and programs

Please note: The time for an Request For Proposal (FRP) process has past. The garbage assignment is with Recology. The question is one of services, and currently planned is one stop, 3 can pick-up: recycling, greenwaste, garbage.

Pricing and services competitive? Pacifica takes a higher franchise fee right off the top (gross). There is a senior rate, a small can rate, not much commercial development, hills, narrow and irregular streets, free services to non-profits, coastal trash pick-up, and high level customer service.

Submitted by: Kathy Meeh

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Trash Talk


An Event Affecting All Pacificans
by Lionel Emde

On Monday, November 30, 2009, the City of Pacifica will be holding "a community forum on solid waste disposal services, including recycling..."

The start time is 7PM and it will be held at the city council chambers, 2212 Beach Blvd., Pacifica.


Garbage collection; that's what will be talked about, and the notice fulfilling the legal requirement appeared on page 17A of the Tribune this past Wednesday.

Why page 17A with no news story attached? Well, Tribune publisher/editor Elaine Larsen told me that the notice was received just before their publication deadline, and there wasn't time to do a story, much less give it more prominent placement.

If it wasn't for Elaine, I would have never known the notice was there, I went right over it.

Now why would such an important, once-in-a-lifetime event such as changing trash collection firms be so under-noticed?

Maybe because it's becoming evident that the City of Pacifica wants to shove the problem/contract at Recology and not do a Request For Proposal process. (RFP)

An RFP might (horrors!) protect the ratepayers, who've been paying the highest rates for garbage collection in San Mateo County, courtesy of the gougemasters at Coastside Scavenger.

And of course, the city mustn't be let off the hook for their complete lack of oversight between 1995 to 2006.

An RFP would encourage a competitive bidding process. You know, that thing you've heard of and never seen here in Pacifica.

The  city manager characterized this process as "contentious" and he's right--it's really a bitch when all us unwashed citizens come out and speak our minds.

But it's important that we do so, and ask that an RFP be instituted for this contract, and tell them what we'd like to see in recycling services--something other than being told by Coastside Scavenger that containers bearing recycling nos. 1,6, and 7 be "thrown away".

Does Pacifica Already Have an Accessible Dog Park?


The following is a verbatum copy of a letter sent to the entire Pacifica City Council (cc'd City Manager) on July 2, 2004 by Dr. Suzanne M. Valente:

July 2, 2004
Dear City Councilmember:

It has come to my attention by way of citizen complaint that Parks, Beaches and Recreation has been advising citizens that Sharp Park Beach south of Clarendon is NOT an official off-leash dog area. Follow-up by this citizen with the Police Department resulted in an explanation that Sharp Park Beach south of Clarendon IS a sanctioned off-leash dog area.


Obviously, this is a situation which requires clarification. On April 22, 2002 the Sharp Park Beach area immediately south of Clarendon to the Mori Point Bluffs was approved by the City Council as an off-leash area. A motion to amend the current leash law ordinance to reflect this was approved by a vote of 4-0, with one Councilmember [Pete DeJarnatt] being absent. Staff was asked to amend the ordinance and come back to Council with the amended ordinance for approval. This never happened. Most likely because, in the interim, a lone citizen [Paul Jones] complained and requested an environmental review. Subsequently, the City Council approved on August 12, 2002 funding to have an environmental report drawn up by Thomas Reid Associates.


Unfortunately, the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration as produced by Thomas Reid Associates was so badly flawed as to be unlawful. If you question that statement, please feel free to contact me directly, and I will be happy to provide you with a fully documented explanation. The environmental review should have been merely a Negative Declaration without the imposition of mitigation measures. This beach area was specifically chosen because it has no presence of threatened or endangered species, as any habitat was destroyed when the berm was built to protect the golf course from flooding. Thomas Reid Associates acknowledge that in their review. The Planning staff has apparently abandoned any plan of completing the environmental review, and in doing so, the matter was never taken to completion.


Please, have staff bring back to the Council the amended ordinance for approval. This will enable signage to be put up, alleviating the confusion on the part of citizens, AND, put the City in a defensible position should any untoward event occur out there. There is specific mention of that matter by the City Attorney in the minutes of the meeting where this motion to amend the ordinance was approved. A staff attorney at the State Resources Board indicates that the ordinance is not affected by a citizen’s request for an environmental review. The City does have the right to terminate the review after receiving confirmation that there are no endangered or threatened species at Sharp Park Beach without fear of retribution from any government agency. I would also point out, should there be any question of the necessity for this area to exist, that it is the only off-leash area the city has approved which provides access to the disabled or handicapped. Furthermore, the Esplanade area which is the only other area approved, has been inaccessible for some 9 months due to damage to the stairway leading down to the beach which has not yet been satisfactorily repaired.


Sincerely,
Dr. Suzanne M. Valente

**Today's San Mateo Daily Journal reports that San Bruno is looking to expand its off leash dog park access to up to 3 city parks:


http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=120478

"In 2008, Burlingame considered a similar ordinance at Washington Park. In May, the council approved a 90-day trial allowing off-leash dogs in the upper field of Cuernavaca Park and the eastern most lawn in Washington Park before 7:45 a.m. The trial went well, allowing the trial to become the rule last summer."

added by Jeffrey W Simons



Dog Friendly Business Model for Pacifica? (updated 11-29-2009)




Many have tried... All have failed! This economic development plan (circa 1997) is modelled after similar development plans in Carmel, California and Cannon Beach, Oregon (both recently featured in Sunset Magazine) and a handful of other progressive thinking communities throughout the United States. No such community exists in the Bay Area and such a plan would certainly be a draw to the forty percent (40%) of the population as a whole who might very well like to take advantage of it. The good news: an economic development plan that would actually benefit the quality of life of citizens of Pacifica who are dog guardians (a statistical fact that there are more dogs than children in Pacifica and San Francisco) and bring much needed dollars into our community. The bad news: the extreme environmental dog haters who run Pacifica would never go for it.

DOGS AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL FOR PACIFICA (4mb PDF file - large but worth it!)


reposted by: Rocky Golub and Suzanne Valente

Saturday, November 28, 2009

In the News - Global warming 101


National Geographic News

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming.html








Is global warming happening? Yes. Earth is already showing many signs of worldwide climate change.
Are we causing global warming? • Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution have greatly increased atmospheric concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, all greenhouse gases that help trap heat near Earth's surface. (See an interactive feature on how global warming works.)

• Humans are pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than plants and oceans can absorb it.
• These gases persist in the atmosphere for years, meaning that even if such emissions were eliminated today, it would not immediately stop global warming.




 
 
 
 
 
The consideration and alarm. Some experts point out that natural cycles in Earth's orbit can alter the planet's exposure to sunlight, which may explain the current trend. Earth has indeed experienced warming and cooling cycles roughly every hundred thousand years due to these orbital shifts, but such changes have occurred over the span of several centuries. Today's changes have taken place over the past hundred years or less. Other recent research has suggested that the effects of variations in the sun's output are "negligible" as a factor in warming, but other, more complicated solar mechanisms could possibly play a role.

Other references
Global Warming Facts and Figures, http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/facts_and_figures
UN Global Warming Report, and video (click on Global warming), scroll down http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/climate_change/global_warming_basics/ipcc_report_facts.html

Submitted by Kathy Meeh

Gore's eco-cars won't be built in America


Gore gets $530,000.00 Million to build new eco-fast cars, but , they will not be built in America

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125383160812639013.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories


When Private Industry tries something new and it fails, they close their doors.

When Government tries something new and it fails, we are forced to continue funding it.

Why were Al Gores cars not built in America?

Al Gore comes up with an Idea and my taxes go up.

Submitted by: Kathleen J Rogan

ACORN part of our economic downfall




I tried to paste this to Kathy's stuff on ACORN but don't know how to make it a link.

Editor's Note: Blogger doesn't let you insert workable links into comments.


Submitted by: Lois Rogan

Eco-Fascists Losing Ground. Literally.


Climategate: five Aussie MPs lead the way by resigning in disgust over carbon tax.  Read all about it here.




Submitted by: Kathleen J. Rogan

Acorn Organization








Who is Acorn? Acorn is a collective of community-based organizations advocating for low income and social justice, the largest advocacy umbrella organization in the United States. The ACORN acronym stands for Arkansas Community Organization for Reform Now. ACORN was originally organized "to unite welfare and working people for shared needs and rights" in Arkansas in 1970. Their advocacy has expanded to Canada, Peru, Mexico, Argentina and India, www.acorn.org .


What does Acorn advocate? Acorn advocates for affordable and fair housing, living wages, employer paid sick-days, affordable health care, mortgage lending education and legislation against predatory practices, lower utility rates and moratoriums against shut-offs, better public schools, immigration protection, assists with Gulf Coast Recovery, low or no cost tax filing, voter registration and engagement.

Voter voter registration and other issues:
From Acorn, video (about 5 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdNgMKPV9xQ

From the Rachael Madow TV program Report, video (about 20 minutes) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#33013202

Other sources:
Wikipedia, with lots of internal facts and references. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Community_Organizations_for_Reform_Now

Ballotpedia Organization, with controversial videos. http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/ACORN

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Friday, November 27, 2009

Downed power line traps woman in car


So this is why my power went out this afternoon...

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=7142470

Separated at birth?











SF Public Golf Alliance: Public Meeting on Tuesday


 Dear Members of the Alliance,

I hope everyone is having a great holiday.  The fight to preserve Sharp Park will continue next week with an important public meeting for you to attend.

The Rec & Department's report on Sharp Park will be subject of a public meeting this Tuesday (December 1) at 6:30 p.m., City Hall, Room 278 (item three on the agenda).  This will be a public meeting of the city's Parks, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC). 

PROSAC will hear a description of the Department's report and will hear public comments before voting on whether or not to make a recommendation to the Rec & Park Commission.  As you know, the Department recommended in its report the preservation of the 18-hole Sharp Park Golf Course while expanding the habitat for the frog and snake species.


Come tell PROSAC that you want them to recommend keeping the Alister MacKenzie-designed muni.  The hearing room is small, so be there early.

Thank you very much.

Jeff Phillips


San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, an All-Volunteer Coalition of Golf Supporters
Support the Alliance with a PayPal Donation Today
Become a Fan of the SF Public Golf Alliance on Facebook

How green are you?



http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/


Take the carbon footprint calculator test from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for yourself or your household. Calculate your household or personal CO2 carbon emissions by annual ton, compare with the United States and world average. Enjoy the test for what it is, and keep in mind the almost effortless carbon offset suggestion from TNC is for you to post your credit card number to their eco-education/political website. Their President and chief executive officer, Mark Tercek came directly from his prior eco-investment friendly with Goldman Sachs-- way to go eco-guys!


Fair and balanced: See the Undue Influence organization report http://www.undueinfluence.com/nature_conservancy.htm . Undue Influence another 501 (c) (3) organization seems to be the Yelp of the eco-world. And here's that trail: "The Green Tracking Library" http://www.undueinfluence.com/about_us.htm to http://www.cdfe.org/about-us/ .

Did you see this on Riptide? No.

Submitted by Kathy Meeh

Test your politican stand...

So, you think you know where you stand, politically? Think again.

The result from this short test may surprise you and give you some food
for thought. You'll be asked just 10 questions, carefully think through each question,
and then it instantly tells you where you stand politically.

It shows your position as a red dot on a "political map" so you'll see
exactly where you score.

The most interesting thing about the Quiz is that it goes beyond the
Democrat, Republican, and Independent label.

The Quiz has gotten a lot of praise. The Washington Post said it has
"gained respect as a valid measure of a person's political leanings."

The Fraser Institute said it's "a fast, fun, and accurate assessment of a
person's overall political views."

Your result is your own business.

Click on the link below...
http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html

Submitted by: Jim Wagner

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

California pension follies get better


by John Howard 11/25/09 12:00 AM PST
 
CalPERS' piece of budget woes gaining attention

California's Public Employees' Retirement System may need government employers to foot a larger share of its bill in 2011, a move that would stress state and local budgets at a time when they already face deep cuts. The 1.6 million-member public pension fund, the largest in the country, is expected to require additional money to help it recover from recession-fueled investment losses. But just how much and when have yet to be determined.

Submitted by: Jim Wagner

Happy Thanksgiving - Pass the Civility

By Tom Purcell | November 23rd, 2009 | PERMALINK


It’s bound to happen at Thanksgiving tables across America: A progressive liberal Democrat discovers he’s sitting next to a conservative Republican.

There’s no need for mashed potatoes to fly.

Harry Stein, an author, columnist and contributing editor to the political magazine City Journal, offers advice on how to navigate the situation.

Stein, an erstwhile ’60’s radical who evolved into a conservative, faced a similar dilemma at a dinner party a few years ago.

When the guest next to him discovered his conservative/libertarian thinking, the fellow said loudly, “I can’t believe I’m sitting next to a Republican!”

Read more...

Submitted by: Lois Rogan

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

John "I'll take fries with that" Curtis Gets Unanimously Reappointed by Council as Pacifica's Mosquito Abatement Trustee



LA Times editorial: Jerry Brown's 'secrets' cases

November 18, 2009

Two cases -- one involving ACORN tapes, another of recordings by a former aide -- put the attorney general in a tight spot.

California's attorney general and prospective Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Jerry Brown, is trapped in a political cage from which there will be no easy escape. When it comes to secretly recorded conversations, and a national scandal involving the housing advocacy group ACORN, Brown is going to find himself in trouble no matter what he does.

Brown's office is investigating two conservative filmmakers, James O'Keefe III and Hannah Giles, who last summer posed as a pimp and a prostitute and secretly videotaped employees at ACORN offices giving tax advice that was highly unethical if not illegal. Some of those offices were in California, which forbids secret electronic recordings of "confidential communication." Liberal activists are expecting Brown to throw the book at the filmmakers -- and conservatives are simultaneously pillorying him for a separate incident in which he gave his own spokesman a pass after he appeared to be breaking the same law. Although the controversy might well haunt Brown during his campaign for governor, the two cases are actually very different from a legal standpoint.

Scott Gerber, Brown's former communications director, resigned this month after admitting that he secretly recorded phone conversations with newspaper reporters, including from The Times. The attorney general's office closed its investigation into Gerber last week without filing charges. Its rationale was that no one should expect an on-the-record conversation between a news reporter and a source to be confidential, including the reporter. We strongly agree that that's the way the law should be interpreted, but opinions differ because the phrase "confidential communication" in the law is poorly defined. Brown has rightly called for an independent investigation into Gerber's activities.

Then there's the ACORN case. O'Keefe and Giles did not disclose that they were journalists -- in fact, they disguised themselves as underworld figures -- and entered private offices for consultations on tax matters, while secretly videotaping the proceedings. This couldn't possibly be interpreted as an on-the-record conversation with a reporter. Though we admire the filmmakers' chutzpah and think they performed a worthwhile public service, they certainly appear to have violated state law as it currently stands.

Into this minefield steps Brown, who will infuriate his liberal base if he declines to prosecute O'Keefe and Giles, and will open himself to charges of hypocrisy if he does. Yet the problem isn't of his making -- it stems from a vague and overly restrictive statute, one that the Legislature should revisit next year.

Submitted by: Kathleen Rogan

Bend Over America


Intelligent Debate




What the heck has Jerry Brown ever done for California?


For the record, I don't like JB or MW.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jerry-brown-califs-philosopher-prince-70s-governor/story?id=9144729&page=1


Submitted by: Kathleen Rogan

John Curtis Forcibly Removed From City Council Meeting!



Comparison of Laguna Salada, Rodeo Lagoon, and Pescadero Marsh


The "Destroy" Sharp Park folks have been claiming similarities between Laguna Salada and two nearby lagoons - Rodeo Lagoon in southern Marin, and Pescadero Marsh, south of Half Moon Bay. They've been saying that since the farthest inland parts of  Rodeo and Pescadero are fresh enough to support red-legged frog habitat, that means a restored Laguna Salada would be too.

Here are topographic maps of the three areas being considered. The Laguna Salada topo map is from 1915, and would represent the lagoon if it was "restored" to its pre-golf course state. The map of Rodeo Lagoon is from 1978, and the map of Pescadero Marsh is from 1997, which were the latest I could find.

Look at how Laguna Salada runs along the length of the beach. Then look at how far inland both the Rodeo Lagoon and Pescadero Marsh extend.  Even though Rodeo and Pescadero are classified as brackish,  it's believable that during parts of the year, they both have relatively fresh water well inland. But does anyone familiar with the terrain at Sharp Park really believe the water at the "distant" edge of the lagoon is  far enough away from the ocean to be fresh?

* The red line running down the beach on the map of Pescadero is Highway 1, just to give you an idea of how far inland the marsh runs.

* Even though they aren't permanent features, and therefore aren't shown on the map of Laguna Salada, if you look at the picture of Laguna Salada in Chris Hunter and Bill Drake's Acadia book on Pacifica, you'll see an outlet running between the Laguna and the ocean which facilitates mixing of ocean water with lagoon water.

* Also the maps are not equal scale - the Rodeo and Pescadero maps are equals scale, but the Laguna Salada map was at a much higher scale.  I'm guessing if the Laguna Salada map was the same scale of the other two, Laguna Salada would look about a fourth of the size it does in the map below.









































Monday, November 23, 2009

Political Dodgeball: Councilman Vreeland Practices the 5 Ds . . .



Patches O'Houlihan should have been a political adviser in Pacifica.  Fix Pacifica city council spy Toad Shoutinger reports that Councilman Jim Vreeland was recused from tonight's closed session hearing about the fines at the sewer plant because, according to our city attorney, he "works for the government."  (I assume besides his City Council job).  Hmmmm, so when he travels down to San Luis Obispo to shill for a private enterprise applying for a Coastal Commission permit for a biodiesel plant, for whom does he work then?  According to his testimony before the Coastal Commission, he informed them he was the "Mayor of Pacifica" (and not an employee of the EPA) at least 3 times.

Councilman Vreeland has a notorious history of being absent from controversial votes, but for tonight's performance he has truly practiced the 5 Ds of Political Dodgeball:  Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive . . . and Dodge.

As Sewers Fill, Waste Poisons Waterways

By CHARLES DUHIGG
Published: November 22, 2009

It was drizzling lightly in late October when the midnight shift started at the Owls Head Water Pollution Control Plant, where much of Brooklyn’s sewage is treated.


A few miles away, people were walking home without umbrellas from late dinners. But at Owls Head, a swimming pool’s worth of sewage and wastewater was soon rushing in every second. Warning horns began to blare. A little after 1 a.m., with a harder rain falling, Owls Head reached its capacity and workers started shutting the intake gates.

That caused a rising tide throughout Brooklyn’s sewers, and untreated feces and industrial waste started spilling from emergency relief valves into the Upper New York Bay and Gowanus Canal.

“It happens anytime you get a hard rainfall,” said Bob Connaughton, one the plant’s engineers. “Sometimes all it takes is 20 minutes of rain, and you’ve got overflows across Brooklyn.”

One goal of the Clean Water Act of 1972 was to upgrade the nation’s sewer systems, many of them built more than a century ago, to handle growing populations and increasing runoff of rainwater and waste. During the 1970s and 1980s, Congress distributed more than $60 billion to cities to make sure that what goes into toilets, industrial drains and street grates would not endanger human health.

But despite those upgrades, many sewer systems are still frequently overwhelmed, according to a New York Times analysis of environmental data. As a result, sewage is spilling into waterways.

In the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation’s 25,000 sewage systems — including those in major cities — have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lakes and elsewhere, according to data from state environmental agencies and the Environmental Protection Agency.

But fewer than one in five sewage systems that broke the law were ever fined or otherwise sanctioned by state or federal regulators, the Times analysis shows.

Read more...

Curtis Council Puppeteer Rumor Finally Confirmed

Please note the attendance of City Council as you view the following video:



As you can clearly see, there is no sign of Councilmembers Vreeland and DeJarnatt as Pacifica's A-No. 1 no growth advocate John Curtis speaks at the podium. One would innocently assume that both Vreeland and DeJarnatt had excused absences from this Council meeting and that the three remaining Councilmembers constituted a quorum, thus enabling the meeting to proceed. However, this could not be further from the truth. In actuality, Councilmembers Vreeland and DeJarnatt are slumped down in their respective seats as Puppetmaster Curtis is unable to support them with his strings from behind the stage concurrent with his speaking at the podium. Of special note is that immediately upon conclusion of Mr. Curtis' anti-Peebles rant, both Vreeland and DeJarnatt reassumed their appropriate upright positions at the Council dais. 



posted by: R. Roads

Assemblymember Jerry Hill in Pacifica, Tuesday, November 24 7:30 a.m - 9:30 a.m.


Assemblymember Hill invites community to share ideas over a cup of coffee ‘Java with Jerry’ in Pacifica



When:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Where:
Fog City Java, 580 Crespi Drive, Pacifica


San Mateo, CA - Assemblymember Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, is inviting constituents to have a cup of coffee and discuss their ideas, concerns and legislative proposals affecting the community on Tuesday, November 24.

‘Java with Jerry’ will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at Fog City Java, 580 Crespi Drive, Pacifica.

Constituents are welcome to sit down and stay a while or just drop in for a brief chat. No appointment is necessary.

Coffee will be provided compliments of Assemblymember Hill at no cost to taxpayers.

‘Java with Jerry’ community meetings provide constituents an opportunity to interact directly with Assemblymember Hill.

For more information, please call (650) 349-1900 or access www.assembly.ca.gov/hill.

Politics of NIMBY and land use




By Jonathan Birchall  
November 23, 2009



It is a few years since Tesco, the British supermarket group, had a tricky encounter with a population of burrowing owls in California.

The small endangered birds were cited in a legal challenge to the construction of a huge distribution center east of Los Angeles that now supplies Tesco's U.S. chain of Fresh & Easy grocery stores.

The suit, eventually defeated, was seen as the work not of concerned owl lovers but of an informal alliance between the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and local supermarket businesses -- both threatened by Tesco's U.S. debut.

It is a good example of the local political shenanigans and Machiavellian manipulation that keep the authors of "Nimby Wars" in business.

The book is co-written by Michael Saint, founder of Saint Consulting, which describes itself as a "management consulting firm that specializes in winning zoning and land-use battles for global and national companies" -- an activity that the authors, who all work for Saint, regularly compare in the book to street fighting.

These are the kind of people you call in when it turns out that the local community does not want your new hospital or cellphone tower.

Or if you want to stop Wal-Mart opening near your profitable grocery store.

The authors have produced what amounts to an introductory promotional handbook to the dark arts of land-use politics, which argues that this is a job which requires an expert professional approach.

Do not rely on a lawyer, they say; avoid the local political fixer; forget about public relations.

There is plenty of business to keep Saint busy.

Its research suggests that in North America and in Britain, the NIMBY (not in my backyard) complex has turned into BANANA (build absolutely nowhere anywhere near anything).

Because Lulus (locally unwanted land usages) are decided by local politicians, planning is a question of whether they think giving a project the green light will lose votes.

"The local land-use permitting process is totally political and is thus controlled by those who control the ballot box," the authors write, in what is the central tenet of the book and their consulting firm.

So conduct the battle like a political campaign, they say. If necessary, covertly organize a group of supporters to attend planning meetings.

You must be ready for anything, the authors say. Keeping your own supporters in line may prove to be one of the hardest challenges.

The authors also suggest using aliases to check out planning applications, driving around in a car with local license plates to prevent arousing suspicion, and avoiding the use of local photocopying services.

Such tactics are intriguing. Sadly, the book fails to describe the shenanigans in which the authors have been involved, which makes this book less John Grishamesque and frank than it should have been.

Jonathan Birchall is New York-based correspondent for the Financial Times of London, in which this review first appeared.


Nimby Wars:

The Politics of Land Use

P. Michael Saint, Patrick F. Fox and Robert J. Flavell

Saint University Press: 240 pp, $29.99
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is running for Governor involved in a secret cover up?


San Diego ACORN Scandal





Submitted by: Kathleen Rogan

Dog Park benefit


Community benefit - for future dog park, Thursday, December 3rd  all day


950 Linda Mar Boulevard, Pacifica, CA 94044, (866) 953-4245, menu:  http://www.sporq.com/pacifica/luigisitalianrestaurant/950lindamarblvd

Once again Luigi's Restaurant is helping our community, which is another reason to remember to frequent their Linda Mar neighborhood business if you like their broad range  Italian food menu, comfortable restaurant, take-out or delivery.   This time the benefit is for POOCH (Pacifica Organization of Canine Helpers) in their effort to establish a future Dog Park for this city. 

As we all know city council has no problems finding, writing and manipulating grants for "pet" projects, but when it comes to actually pets they have little to offer other than verbal platitudes, if that.  Similar to other pets, ourselves and other family members dogs do need socialization and exercise. 

Let's help POOCH accomplish their goal, 20% of the Luigi's proceeds you eat will go to POOCH, Thursday, December 3rd all day. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Congratulations, you're accepted to Oxford!


Is there any hope ?
The following questions were set in last year's examination in Swindon , Wiltshire (U.K.) These are genuine answers (from 16 year olds)

Q. Name the four seasons

A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar


Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink

A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large  pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists


Q. How is dew formed

A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire


Q. What causes the tides in the oceans

A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight


Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on

A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed


Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections

A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election


Q. What are steroids

A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs          
(Shoot yourself now , there is little hope)

Q. What happens to your body as you age

A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental


Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty

A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery          
(So true)

Q Name a major disease associated with cigarettes

A. Premature death


Q. What is artificial insemination

A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow


Q. How can you delay milk turning sour

A. Keep it in the cow                                    
(Simple, but brilliant)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen)

A. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U                        
(What the *!!*???)

Q. What is the fibula?

A. A small lie


Q. What does 'varicose' mean?

A. Nearby


Q. What is the most common form of birth control

A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium  
(That would work)

Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section'

A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome


Q. What is a seizure?

A. A Roman Emperor.        
(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit)

Q. What is a terminal illness

A. When you are sick at the airport.      
(Irrefutable)

Q. Give an example of a fungus. What is a characteristic feature?

A. Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and they look like umbrellas


Q. Use the word 'judicious' in a sentence to show you understand its meaning

A. Hands that judicious can be soft as your face.                              
(OMG)

Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?

A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight


Q. What is a turbine?

A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head 


Submitted by: Jim Wagner


Global Warming - A bunch of hot air?


Interesting article... 


Submitted by: Lois Rogan

Sunday, November 22, 2009

First-hand account of 11-19-09 SF Rec and Park meeting re Sharp Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Barbara Arietta
Correspondent - Pacifica Tribune
415-246-0775



In yet another long day's journey into night, many members of the Pacifica Community Coalition to Save Sharp Park Golf Course (PCC), the Sharp Park Golf Club, the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, and the "Restore Sharp Park" movement "took up the gauntlet" and traveled to the meeting chambers of San Francisco's City Hall on Thursday, November 19th, for a public hearing held by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Dept. Board of Commissioners. And, as has been done at previous public meetings, the various representatives from the groups voiced their pleas and concerns, in regards to the fate of both the Sharp Park Golf Course and the habitats of the endangered species that exist at the golf course.

A quick scan of the audience revealed that it wasn't just Pacificans who crowded the hearing room and the adjoining hallways throughout the afternoon and early evening. The somewhat never ending Sharp Park Golf Course debate drew dozens of people to SF City Hall. The hearing room had 78 seats. The crowd spilled into an overflow room down the hall and then into the hallway itself. It appeared that a fair share of San Franciscans were also in attendance, in addition to visitors from other areas.

Environmentalists and golf course supporters, alike, patiently sat through two and a half hours of a full Rec and Parks Dept. Agenda before getting a chance to speak to the issue of the frog and the snake and the golf course. Both sides delivered their points in earnest. "These species are not going to persist if we keep the golf course at this site," said Jeff Miller, spokesperson for Center for Biological Diversity."It's because of the golf course that the habitat is there and that's all the more reason to save Sharp Park Golf Course," said Bo Links, SF golfer and author. "Contrary to current allegations, according to a report just released by the SF RPD on November 4th, Sharp Park Golf course made money last year. Instead of a predicted loss of more than $110,000, it made a profit of $99,142," said a member of the Pacifica Community Coalition To Save Sharp Park Golf Course (PCC).

In one camp there were the environmental activists that wanted the city to close down the course and restore the property to wetlands, thusly shutting off a popular recreational destination for golfers that hosted 54,073 rounds last year. In the other camp there were the golfers, the golf course supporters and its nearby residents who wanted to keep the historic, Alister MacKenzie designed course open.

On November 6, 2009 San Francisco Rec and Parks General Manager, Phil Ginsberg, recommended a plan that called for redesigning some holes and moving the holes closest to the snake habitat. In his letter to the Board of SF Rec and Park Commissioners, Ginsberg stated that the city-owned Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica should be retained as an 18-hole golf course, but that the course be modified to protect the habitat of the federally protected San Francisco Garter Snake and the threatened California Red Legged Frog. He also stated that the  frog and snake could not only co-exist with the golfers, but, at the same time, also flourish in doing so. He reported that he did this in the hope of balancing competing interests, given scarce open space and scarce resources. He revealed that he envisioned a coming together of the environmental community and the golf community, but his recommendations have since been been met with heavy criticism from environmental activists.

The current choices for the Sharp Park land are: 1. restoring the habitat and keeping the 18-hole course; 2. restoring the habitat and reducing the golf course to 9 holes; 3. restoring the habitat and eliminating the golf course entirely.

After hours of hearing impassioned speeches, it appeared that the decision on how to proceed will not come easy for the SF Board of Rec and Park Commissioners. In the end, they opted to delay consideration, pending further community input and scientific review. There will be possibly three more meetings before the Commission votes on their recommendation to the SF Board of Supervisors. The meetings are planned  between now and mid-December. Talk of a desire for a public hearing to be held in Pacifica was mentioned by Rec and Parks Board President Jim Lazarus at the end of the meeting. The date for that potential meeting has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned.

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza: 11/22/63 Memorial





I recently had the opportunity to visit The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza, the Texas School Book Depository from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F Kennedy on November 22, 1963.  The museum offers displays on the lifestyle and the politics of the era, as well as many informative notes about events leading up to the assassination, the ensuing investigation, and the controversy and conspiracies that exist to this day.  Below are some pictures I took of the plaza, the "grassy knoll", and the X that marks the actual spot where JFK was shot.

- JEFFREY W SIMONS


DEALY PLAZA, BOOK DEPOSITORY


GRASSY KNOLL



X MARKS THE SPOT

In the news - Beginning the Holidays

















Submitted by: Kathy Meeh

In the news - California Recycling Program


"California recycling program is on the rocks" article.
 
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2340449.html


Fall-out of the recession on supermarket style recycling centers.   

Text below in two excerpts from article. 

California's recycling program partly has been a victim of its own success, because each redeemed container takes a nickel or dime from funds for subsidies, outreach or operational funds. Redemption rates have risen from 67 percent in 2007 to 74 percent in 2008, and to 85 percent for the first six months of 2009. Meanwhile, beverage sales from January to June were 325 million containers less – about 3 percent – than for the same time span in 2008. Bottom line? Projected revenue has dropped by about $74 million the past year, from $1.15 billion to a projected $1.086 billion. But Chuck Riegle of Tomra (below) said the most painful blow was self-inflicted by the state: Politicians have raided recycling coffers, through loans, to help balance the state budget.

The number of supermarket parking-lot recyclers has grown gradually in recent years to about 2,100. But two of the largest operators, Tomra Pacific and NexCycle, announced the shutdown of about 90 centers recently, laying off more than 100 workers. Tomra, which projects losses of $9 million this year, has joined with two other firms to sue the state, seeking to "stop the dismantling" of the program. Exacerbating problems, the scrap value of aluminum cans has plummeted in the past year, and the market for other containers has struggled.

Submitted by Kathy Meeh


Sharp Park Whack-a-Mole


I added another post summarizing my impressions of the SF Rec and Parks meeting. Some of this overlaps with your post on the meeting (ABC KGO clip) but mostly it focuses on the moving goalposts of those who would destroy the course (CBD/Plater).  You might like the graphic.  Same deal - it is too long - so, if interested cut, paste, use, abuse, edit as you see fit. - mw

SF Recreation & Parks Commission plays whack-a-mole with the Center for Biological Diversity

Still no decision on fate of Sharp Park


KGO TV news report:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/sports/pro/golf&id=7128800




Hear Brent Plater and Jeff Miller respond to the SFRPD commissioned report



updated by: rocky 11-20-2009