Take a chance, make a guess. Who runs, who doesn't? Who's the darkhorse? Who will be the surprise candidate/winner this year?
Filing period is right around the corner.
So far the field is shaping up like this:
Maryann Nihart: incumbent, VA nurse.
Karen Ervin: school board member, Genentech cancer researcher.
Mike O'Neill: school board member, realtor.
Sue Vellone: small business owner, Chamber president: 2011. Rotary president 2012
Victor Spanos: Daly City staffer, economic development committee member.
Rich Campbell: planning commissioner, federal government attorney.
Gary J. Mondfrans: used clothing store owner, SF police dispatcher.
And waiting on the sidelines,
Tom Clifford: contractor, planning commissioner.
Make a wager. Do we have a full field? Are the gates going to fill more at the start?
Jim Wagner
O'Neill and Ervin. Thank you Jesus. Smart, pragmatic, problem-solvers with big ticket/big problem experience.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Campbell hand picked by Vreeland to be his "attack monkey"?
ReplyDeletePicked by who?
ReplyDeleteSue Vellone all the way.
ReplyDeleteVelone and O'Neill I believe want to move this city away from insolvency and towards a stable tax base.
ReplyDeleteCampbell was the guy who tried to brush off the Planning Commission Brown Act violation by saying it was a minor issue, and that the complaints were politically motivated.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the infamous "peanut butter sandwitch throwing" incident at a board meeting for the school district that Campbell was responsible for? If that's true, no way!
ReplyDeleteErvin is tax happy. Vellone or O'Neil. Smart. Experienced.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a real dog fight. O'Neill and Ervin clearly look like the best qualified to deal with what's coming our way. Couldn't care less about the Brown Act drama but anybody but Campbell for that 3rd seat.
ReplyDeleteExpect a big part of the community to rally around Campbell, sandwich-tosser, or not. Lots of organized support.
ReplyDeleteO'Neill, Ervin, Vellone, Nihart and from the darkside, Campbell, fighting for 3 seats. As usual, math will be important. There's still time for someone else to jump in.
ReplyDeleteWhat will each city council candidate actively work to accomplish for this city?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the specific accountable goals of each candidate? How does each candidate intend to accomplish their stated goals?
What is the vision each candidate sees for this city-- the vision that they actively intend to support and work toward?
"Campbell was the guy who tried to brush off the Planning Commission Brown Act violation.." Steve Sinai 5:12 pm.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he was not present at that meeting, Campbell was the Planning Commission Chairman at that time. And as an attorney himself, it would seem Campbell would desire to adhere to a higher standard of regulatory compliance. Yet, Campbell's follow-up comments that the Brown Act violations were "a minor issue, and that the complaints were politically motivated" was a real leadership disappointment.
That entire Planning Commission meeting seemed to include multiple Brown Act violations. Ultimately the meeting was voided, and corrective action was taken. The corrective action included an instructive Brown Act meeting with follow-up reading, conducted by our city attorney and one other attorney. Remedies were approved, reviewed and signed-off by County legal (the DA's office).
So Campbell is part of a renegade, law breaking, cabal! Perfect council material. Just like we've had for the last 20 years. Add a good pitching arm (lefty or righty) and Schlesinger better watch out at the podium!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you see as Pacifica's biggest issue?
ReplyDeleteWhat will you do to fix it?
If they inject anything about the environment shit can em.
brilliant
ReplyDeleteoh yes hutch that'll work
ReplyDeleteCampbell is an attorney for the EPA.That ought to work out just fine with "our ecology is our economy" councilmember Digre. What a team. An alleged sandwitch-throwing law-discounting EPA attorney and Sue!
ReplyDeleteOh I forgot Mary Ann. But she's pretty much a shoe in.
ReplyDeleteIs this a blog for haters of environmentalists?
ReplyDeleteCampbell was the guy who insulted the entire school board during measure L debates.
ReplyDeleteVey bad for Pacifica.
Very good for frogs, snakes and bankruptcy.
He's Vreeland's mini-me.
No this isn't Anon 552.
ReplyDeleteWe're just tiered of environmental radicals holding up any and all progress in this town for 30 years. Thanks to them we're heading towards bankruptcy.
So it's environmental radicals who are the cause of our fiscal difficulties. I thought it was supposed to be bloated pensions. And the unions. Oh, and the city council too.
ReplyDeleteanon736 I'm with you. Let's go no farther than the least scary reason for our municipal meltdown.
ReplyDeleteIt's enough to get the pendulum swinging. Some new faces to preside over the bankruptcy would be nice.
Anyone who can actually toss a peanut butter sandwich at a school board meeting gets my vote. It's the stuff of legends. Can't wait to see what he lets fly at a council meeting. This next bunch
ReplyDeletewill be nothing but pallbearers anyhow.
anon@10:21 pay attention, ok?Before noon it's pensions, Wall Street, the housing bubble. After the siesta and cocktail hour it's enviro radicals+Obama+Vreeland followed by enviro radicals+Obama, followed by enviro radicals, and
ReplyDeletefinally followed by Todd Bray. Got it?
#446, Shoo! Unless you mean to kick her over the goal post and into office. Which I doubt.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 10:46 PM,
ReplyDeleteGot it!!! Very funny/clever.
One of the Anon's listed a bunch of reasons for our fiscal meltdown. You are right on every account. However, every single one of those you listed has as its foundation the radical no growth policies put in place in the 80's, codified,and made into policy. Curtis, Hall, Bohner and the rest are directly responsible for this mess, pure and simple. Now they have offered up their prodigal son, Campbell, to continue their legacy. They are anxious to maintain the status quo of no. If anyone listened to Campbell on the planning commission meetings they would realize that he sounds like a young Curtis. If that's what this town wants, so be it, but be prepared for our city to disappear and our affairs run from Redwood City. That may not prove so bad after the last 30 years of Curtisville.
ReplyDeleteUh oh, the hippies are getting cranky. Knaw on some organic rocks from the quarry, you'll feel better. Lady hippies, try a little hair dye, it will do wonders for your mood. Guys, try a trim once in a while, the 60's & 70's are calling.
ReplyDeleteWell Anon's 10:21 & 10:46 Pacifica is particularly lucky to not only be suffering from strangling public unions and dwindling property taxes like most other Ca cities, but we are also blessed with a contingent of folks who have blocked almost all development and progress for quite some time. Aren't we special.
ReplyDeleteI can't keep track of who to blame without a program
ReplyDeleteAgree Anon 859. If these no growth old hippies went to local barbers and beauty salons we would be thriving.
ReplyDeleteIt's those damn hippies fault. Get a haircut!
ReplyDeleteanon859 With a couple valuable clues from you, I've figured out how to easily spot those damned hippies. They're the ones who still have their hair. And, Jeez, they're all around us. Back to the bunker kids.
ReplyDeleteWe are forever in your debt, sir/madam.
Anon@725 Damn, you very eloquently paint a scary picture. Quite stirring. We're just lucky they didn't take over the USA. That was close. Eternal vigilance.
ReplyDeleteAnon 725 and others, You're right. A walk down memory lane can help us understand what went wrong and reassure us we were powerless. Personally, I'd like to blame old Mrs. Rutherford. She was our cafeteria monitor in 3rd grade and made me finish my little carton of milk everyday even though I was lactose intolerant (undiagnosed at the time). It's haunted me for decades. Career misfires, messy divorces, wobbly finances, those kids, and then buying a home in effing Pacifica. I know you'll understand when I say it's all her fault.
ReplyDeleteSome here have tried to deny one of the main reasons we're in this mess is because of overly generous union contacts. Hard to deny that anymore now that almost every city is blaming them too.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was the housing market crash that reduced revenues making it impossible for cities to pay inflated salaries and pensions.
And it didn't help that Pacifica lags far behind the rest of the county for new housing and tax revenue. Yes the farting NIMBY hippies caused that one.
So you say anon 518, but massive amounts of housing and urban development took place in Stockton and San Bernadino and Vallejo and it didn't save them. Guess they had no nimby hippies out there and something else went wrong.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you 110% that bloated union contracts negotiated during the boom times, and as in Pacifica, even after the boom went bust--and particularly the pensions therein-- will sink many more cities. We ain't seen nothin' yet.
No amount of housing development can save a government that continually overspends and hopes that the sheeple will vote for tax increases. While simultaneously lies about; the pension liabilities, fleeing families to other states, democratic officials making the whole state of california a sanctuary state (welcome, here is your welfare check) fed gov, state gov asking for more money from all towns and cities. Yeah, so go ahead and build your outlet and house. Save the Day! Idiots.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of housing development can save any local government. The numbers simply don't work.
ReplyDeleteThis is not Stockton. The housing market really collapsed there. We are on the Peninsula. One of the most desirable places to live in the nation. Ergo the highest home prices.
ReplyDeleteSo let's look at if the Quarry had been built with 375 housing units. Let's say each one is appraised at $500,000 conservatively. That's almost 2 million a year in taxes. Thaat's not counting sewer fees and other assessments, jobs created, increased business for local economy and so on.
And that was just ONE proposed project.
ANON said "No amount of housing development can save any local government. The numbers simply don't work."
ReplyDeleteWhere do you think most of the money for our 20 million $ budget comes from? Here with people paying $5000 plus in taxes the numbers absolutely add up.
Anon @ 11:26 AM Pacifica only gets to keep 11% of all that property tax. So the number you used, $5000, Pacifica only gets $550 of that. So no, the numbers don't add up.
ReplyDeleteMr Mcbray, you are aware property taxes are where we get most of our $20 million budget?
ReplyDeleteFunny how all those $500 checks add up isn't it.
And like I said there's also sewer fees, added business sales taxes from more citizens and jobs.
BTW did you ever get a job? Maybe if the Quarry passed you'd have one. But no, you and your crew of no new housing are chronic opposers of anything and everything. Do you really think you're helping? Me thinks not.
Pacifica's not buying your crap anymore.
The crap is in confusing the fact that much of the city budget comes from property taxes with the fact that new housing development will not solve our fiscal problems. Anyone who thinks that new housing development in Pacifica will greatly increase our tax revenues over the cost of providing city services doesn't understand simple math.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, if the quarry had been built with a huge number of houses, all our worries would be over.
ReplyDelete"Pacifica only gets to keep 11% of all that property tax.." Todd Bray, 12:04pm.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the 17% of property taxes that comes from San Mateo county. That 17% amounts to 39% of Pacifica's general fund budget. See the 5/31/12 article, which includes direct references to the county and the 2011-12 General Fund spreadsheet. And with additional population, there is business activity, jobs, funding to support city infrastructure, plus sales taxes.
However, 17% tax funding which supports 39% of the city's general fund budget indicates to me something is wrong. That something wrong is inadequate city economic planning. In this instance, 2.3% x inadequate revenue available to provide for the good of the city and its people.
Of 20 San Mateo County cities, Pacifica spends the least per capita on its citizens. This comment was made by Councilmember Nihart at a city council meeting a few months ago. Five years ago I made a similar study, and my findings were the same. Of course with city infrastructure deterioration, the funding inadequacy compounds over time. So here we are, this city needs more cash and economic balance to sustain itself and to progress.
We are not the Peninsula. We're funky seaside, not on the transit corridors, not many jobs here, no shopping because all of it's just over the hill. We have proximity to jobs and some nice views. That's it. And we've always been something of a housing bargain if you work in SF. And now in this new world we are discovering, oh so slowly, what those other failed-cities discovered. All that lovely building requires services, expensive services. When the people who live and work in those buildings or visit us start to lose their jobs, lose their homes, lose their businesses, spend less, lose a third or more of their personal wealth then they contribute less revenue for those cities but the need and expense for the services continues full tilt. The dominos fall. Along the way we eventually notice that all those public employee contracts and those killer pensions are now way too generous for our reduced circumstances. You think? IMHO, just like Vallejo, Stockton, San Berdoo and all the others to come, we have no realistic chance of changing things fast enough or smart enough to avoid bankruptcy. I doubt we will even find the leadership to outsource the cops despite the fact that it might buy us the years it will take for any type of recovery to begin here. Failing that, we may as well get that Chapter 9 started. Beat the crowds and file before the unions exert their awesome power in the courts.
ReplyDelete"The crap is in confusing the fact that much of the city budget comes from property taxes with the fact that new housing development will not solve our fiscal problems."
ReplyDeleteI'm not hearing anyone advocating for lots of housing development. The need is for commercial development, although if mixed-use is part of it, that's fine with me.
I call bul&*^%%.
ReplyDeleteShow me one study that shows new housing in San Mateo County costs more in services than than the taxes it generates.
I've seen the studies you guys quote. Some little town in the mid west. This is just another failed attempt to justify their anti-development ideology.
Anon 1113 is right. This is not Stockton or Vallejo. Pacifica's home prices are much higher. Even little Pacifica has higher appraised home prices than most of the country because of our location. And that translates into much higher taxes.
amen and go to premiumoutlets.com
ReplyDeleteOutlets in the quarry or ? and about 10 more senior citizen places
scattered around town
and a robust national economy to give people confidence again
lose the housing idea
anon113 you gotta be a realtor.
ReplyDeletewe don't have the huge mess stockton or san bernardino has because we didn't build so many homes but pacifica homes down 35% is a big problem to Pacifica home owners. maybe not to someone just selling them but to the average homeowner here it's huge.
we need more businesses and jobs and how about some new apts? lots of people either can't or won't buy.
Used to be much higher prices,still have higher taxes and assessments Hutch and we're stuck with much higher cost of services. And we're still broke. Any other ideas?
ReplyDeleteAppears that the enviros have only one candidate so far. They never flood the field and they know how to organize a strong campaign but they need one more candidate to announce. Big fields favor incumbents. There's only one this incumbent time. Where's that other candidate?
ReplyDeleteWe are on the verge of bankruptcy so let us sell our sleepy town to the highest bidder or any bidder for that matter. The chamber of commerce wil be ecstatic thinking of all the escrows they will be closing.
ReplyDeleteLet the happiness begin.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:46, what does escrow closings have to do with the chamber? I checked and there are no real estate agents on the board of directors.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:46, me thinks you are a bit daft! If you are trying to make a point that you are clueless, bravo, mission accomplished.
ReplyDeleteanon @ 10;46 is make A point, that the Chamber Board
ReplyDeleteis not the Chamber Membership.
@ Anon 529, you said "we don't have the huge mess stockton or san bernardino has because we didn't build so many homes"
ReplyDeleteTell that to san francisco and the rest of the Peninsula cities who out built Pacifica 10-1. There's a difference between building and over building,
It's all about location baby.
yeah baby but not this location
ReplyDeleteSorry you're wrong.
ReplyDeletePacifica is in a great location. We live in one of the most expensive areas in the country for housing and while Pacifica may not have the highest in the county, we are far from the lowest. And over 4 times as high as Stockton or Vallejo
Median Home Prices
Pacifica $477
Brisbane $449
Broadmoor $440
San Bruno $486
SSF $466
E Palo Alto $261
Vallejo $140
Stockton $120
Is Bray trying to make a point that is remotely rational here "the Chamber Board
ReplyDeleteis not the Chamber Membership"? It seems the chamber membership has more representation with this board than they've had in 10 years. Is that what bothers you?
That's one ugly list of communities.
ReplyDeleteI think what people are not getting is the fact that the federal gov and state gov will be taking more money from the towns and cities. You ain't seen nothing yet. That is why any kind of development at this point won't help Pacifica that much. At this time the whole country is in a economic crisis.
ReplyDeleteA premium outlet mall in the quarry would help Pacifica.
ReplyDeleteanon@710 I think you're absolutely right. We are screwed and we refuse to see it. It could take CA a decade or more to climb out of this hole. Lots of changes coming for us. We're going to evolve.
ReplyDeleteSinai is right. A premium outlet mall would help. Destination retail. Upscale stores only, no dollar junk. Market group tours through SF hotels, vistor guides, etc., include some lunch spots. Jobs and steady tax revenue. You can check out Premiumoutlets.com for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWell past time to stop with the 'if only' stuff. Where are the deal makers?