Fall ballot, JUHSD board asks voters to renew facilities bond tax

Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 8/7/12. "JUHSD board passes resolution to ask voters to reauthorize bonds in November election."

.... The board members decided to proceed with the bond reauthorization in November because if a decision were delayed, repairs and upgrades to current projects would not be built for at least five years. Because of the inability to issue the remaining bonds, the district's project manager has shelved all plans for the future. Nothing is being designed or drawn.

Gap:  bonds are cash locked

Problem:  housing tax down

In 2006, the Measure N bond measure passed with 70.2 percent in favor. The voters authorized $136.9 million to be issued to modernize the district's schools. There is $41.9 million remaining authorized, but not issued because of the tax limit of $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. The value of homes in San Mateo County has declined since 2008. Scott* said that excludes JUHSD from issuing the $41.9 million, There are about 100 other school districts in the state in the same situation. 

Scott* recommended asking voters to reauthorize the $41.9 million. It would require a 55 percent pass rate. The JUHSD would receive funding immediately. Taxpayers would repay an additional $11.83 per $100,000 assessed valuation, but save $300 million in interest, Scott *estimated.  Read Article.

Note:  Dale Scott of  Dale Scott and Company is a bond consultant. Voters will be polled in advance of the ballot measure.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Did Pacifica forget to fix Linda Mar Boulevard, or no money

Pacifica Tribune/Letters to the Editor, 8/7/12.  "Deteriorating streets" Stan Steuart

Future of Linda Mar Boulevard?

"Editor:  I have been a resident of Pacifica for the last 12 years and in the Linda Mar area for the last eight specifically. I use Linda Mar Boulevard regularly to and from the beach and to do my shopping. Am I the only one who has noticed the deteriorating road surface of Linda Mar Boulevard between Highway 1 and Oddstad Boulevard especially in the eastbound direction? Several telephone calls to CalTrans have gone unanswered or dismissed. 

The cost of gas is already high and with escalating costs of car repairs due to inferior road conditions today, I'm surprised that others are not complaining about this heavily traveled commuter artery. A large portion of Terra Nova Boulevard has been resurfaced within the last year. When will it be our turn?"

Comment: Stan, you're not the only one complaining about Linda Mar Boulevard. Everyone I know who lives in Linda Mar/Park Pacifica area has mention this road deterioration.  Think this is a city road expense, CalTrans should have advised.  

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City Council meeting, Monday, August 13, 2012

Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor.  Or, view on local channel 26, also live internet feed, pct26.com.  The meeting begins at 7pm, or shortly there following.  City Council updates on City website. 

 Goal planting

City Council Agenda, 8/16/12, 64 pages, Consent Calendar  Item 1 amendment only, 4 pages.   Public Hearing  Item 7, 72 pages.

A.    Closed session, 5:30 pm - Union negotiation conference, Ann Ritzma negotiator. Battalion Chiefs, Teamsters local 856; Pacifica Fire Fighers, local 2400.  Pacifica Police Officers Association, Police Supervisors Association, Police Management 350. Miscellaneous Teamsters, local 856.  

B.    Open session (7:00 pm)

Consent Calendar (pass through)
1.     Approval of cash disbursements.
2.     Approval of Minutes (meeting of  7/23/12).  
3.     Approve continuation of Local Emergency. 

4.     Award contract to Wildan Financial Services:  comprehensive user fee and charges rate study not to exceed $19,880, Cost Allocation Study not to exceed $7,800.

5.      Approve Palmetto Avenue Street Agreement, amendment #2, Tanaka Design Group engineering, $2,500, Fund 22. 

6.      Resolution approving Spindrift Theater Roof Improvement Agreement with the Rotary Club of Pacifica. Waive building permit fees.

Special presentation - California right to know genetically engineered food act (Pamm Larry).

Public hearing

7.     Single family dwelling with second unit, 900 Rosita Road.  1) Mitigated negative declaration, 2) site permit and use permit, 3) General Plan Amendment.  There is a also an appeal on this project.

8.     Discuss Ralph M. Brown Act.  Continue to voluntarily comply, or suspend some provisions.

9.     Letter of intent to retrofit city facilities for energy efficient lighting, engineering study $13,000.  

10.   Consideration of a Creek Protection ordinance.

11.   Consider comments letter to the Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan for the San Francisco Littoral Cell.

12.   Refinance 2001B wastewater bonds at 3.06% interest. Borrow an additional $2,570,000 for plant improvements, to total $6,500,000.  

13.   Adopt city council Goals and Direction, confirm priorities of top projects.

Adjourn

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Chevron refinery fire in Richmond

Gasoline prices are going up, some jobs will be interrupted, air quality sucks, some people had respiratory problems; and it seems the Sierra Club would prefer to eliminate the plant. 

"A fire at Chevron Corp. (CVX)’s Richmond oil refinery in California pushed gasoline prices higher today as it disrupted fuel output at the state’s third-largest crude- processing plant. 

Richmond refinery fire started Monday, 8/6/12, 6:15 pm

Chevron’s 240,000-barrel-a-day refinery shut its only crude unit after the fire yesterday, Heather Kulp, a Richmond-based spokeswoman for Chevron, said today. The fire is out, she said, and the plant is maintaining a small controlled burn at the crude unit to relieve pressure. Other units are operating at unknown levels, Kulp said.

These increases will be passed along to retail pumps at California and gas stations as far north as Seattle,” Bob van der Valk, a petroleum industry analyst in Terry, Montana, said in an e-mail. He said BP Plc (BP/)’s Cherry Point refinery in Washington took four months to reach full operation after a fire in February."  "Bloomberg Businessweek"/Lynn Doan and Dan Murtaugh, 8/7/12. "Chevron Refinery fire pushes California gasoline prices higher."  Read Article.

"This refinery is the third largest in California and plays a crucial part in the surrounding economy, providing around 1,000 jobs to the Bay Area. The fire began from a crude distillation unit (CDU), which breaks down oil for other units in the refinery. CDUs can take months to repair, during which operations in the refinery are limited. Any disruption in production will not only affect the surrounding town’s economy, but could raise the cost of fuel across the country. California is known for their super-clean specifications, which will definitely put a wrench in any quick recovery that Chevron might hope for.  Bostlnno (News from Boston), /Kristen Desmarais 8/7/12, "Chevron fire erupts in California, finally contained." Read Article.

Richmond refinery fire Tuesday, 8/7/12, about 1:30 pm.

....  "Environmental group the Sierra Club's statement reflected more concern. 'No one should have to live downwind of a dangerous oil refinery," said a statement attributed to Sierra Club Environmental Justice and Community Partnerships Director Leslie Fields."Our thoughts are with the families living near the Chevron facility who must now contend with the aftermath and long-term health consequences of breathing in smoke filled with dangerous particulate matter, soot and cancer-causing toxins like sulfur compounds. These explosions and the massive toxic cloud hanging over their community and homes are only a part of the pattern of operation at Chevron’s Richmond facility, and Chevron should be held to account'." San Francisco Business Times/Lindsay Riddell, 8/7/12.  Read Article.

Related -  New York Daily News/The Associated Press, 8/7/12,  good article with two pictures near the plant.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Basic home protection from burglars

A reminder is good for us all, I guess.

San Mateo County Times/Joshua Melvin, 8/6/12. "How to protect your home from burglars"

And don't let them take the coffee maker

"Bay Area cities have clocked double-digit jumps in home burglaries during the first half of 2012. Police agencies offered common-sense advice on avoiding being a victim of a burglary:

Lock doors and windows.

Call police if you see someone or something suspicious.

Get a burglar alarm or use it if you already have one.

Trim back hedges and vegetation near doors and windows.

Record serial numbers of expensive items and take photos of them.

Put items like jewelry in a safety deposit box.

 Install tracking apps on smart phones and tablet computers." 

 
Related -  And for the truly paranoid  from a retail mome insurance website.  Here's another ad, at least this one is a funny 8 frame slideshow.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Young adults without legal status may sign-up for work permits

Effective August 15, 2012, Bay Area young people (ages 16-31) without legal status are eligible for legal work permits. Many of these young people immigrated here as small children with parents or relatives who are, or were, undocumented.  The legal work status permits are a temporary two (2) year band-aid. Meantime, hopefully US Congress will enact humane immigration reform.   

Register, then we  know who you are

Some of these young people say they are uneasy about registering for a work permit, because the government will know where to find them. Of course, most  were students in our  public school system. What a way to live! 

Silicon Valley Mercury News/Matt O'Brien, 8/6/12.  "65,000 Bay Area immigrants could benefit from deportation policy, study states."  "As the Obama administration readies for a rush of applications from young illegal immigrants seeking work permits, a new study predicts one of the largest contingents will come from the Bay Area, perhaps more than from all of Arizona. And while the majority of the applicants here and across the country were born in Mexico, the Bay Area also has a large number of Asian immigrant youths who are likely to benefit from the new policy.

More than 46,000 Bay Area immigrants who are younger than 31 and were brought to the country illegally when they were children could immediately qualify for two-year, renewable work permits and protection from being deported. Another 19,000 here are children younger than 15 who could benefit when they grow older, according to the estimates by the Immigration Policy Center, an advocacy and research group based in Washington, D.C. .... California as a whole has about 30 percent of all potential beneficiaries. Nationwide, the policy center joins other researchers in saying nearly 1 million could immediately qualify when the policy takes effect Aug. 15, but the center is the first to make regional estimates.

.... "These are people who basically have lived here all their lives who are American but they don't have their papers," she said. The relief directive won't grant legal residency or citizenship but will permit the youths to work legally and will protect them from being deported."   Read Article.

Reference -  Migration Information Institute/Carola Balbuena and Jeanne Batalova/US in focus. "...roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants residing across the nationAs of January 2010... an estimated 12.6 million green card holders resided in the United States, about 8.1 million of whom were eligible to naturalize as citizens."

Reference -  Immigration laws. .."...over 50% of the illegal immigrants in the United States are from Mexico, with over 20% of all illegal immigrants hailing from other Latin American countries. ....Asian countries representing for the third largest figure, being only 13% of illegal immigrant population.  ....  the majority of the population of illegal immigrants is concentrated in the state of California. ....nearly three million illegal immigrants reside in California.
Referemce -  Homeland Security/Latest legal and illegal immigration statistics, 11/2/11

Related factoid article - My Daily Complaint, 7/11/12. 48% of New York City small service businesses are immigrant owned, (statistics from the fiscal policy institute).

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Pacifica home sale sewer lateral inspection is mandatory

Replacement of a failing sewer lateral is required by city ordinance.

"Beginning Wednesday (August 1), the City of Pacifica initiated a review of home sale closings for compliance with the city’s mandatory point-of-sale sewer lateral inspection ordinance. Failure to comply with the ordinance – which went into effect on January 1 of this year – can result in a $10,000 per day fine.

Just one more thing to do...

“Unfortunately, the city has discovered many transactions have closed without obtaining the required certificate of compliance for the sewer lateral,” according to Brian K. Martinez Sr., Collection System Manager for Pacifica.

Martinez noted that when the failure to comply is discovered, the city sends a letter granting a 30 day window within which a plan must be submitted for and the certificate obtained. If this does not occur, the (up to) $10,000 per day fine and other administrative penalties can take effect.

“Plus we’ve had a number of instances where agents have waited until the day escrow closes to contact us about the sewer lateral inspection,” Martinez explained. “That’s unfortunately been another factor that’s led to this review of transactions.” SAMCAR is assisting the City of Pacifica with notifications and outreach to ensure REALTORS® remain aware of the mandatory point-of-sale sewer lateral inspection.  

In negotiations with SAMCAR, Martinez asked that if any REALTOR® has any questions regarding this or any other ordinances that involve the Sanitary Sewer System, to please contact him directly. His contact information is: Brian K. Martinez Sr./Collection System Manager/City of Pacifica/(650) 738-4669/Fax-(650) 355-5721/martinezb@ci.pacifica.ca.us

This information has also been transmitted to the San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Santa Clara County Associations of REALTORS®."

Paul Stewart  GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, (650) 696-8209 | paul@samcar.org
850 Woodside Way, San Mateo, California 94401, www.samcar.org  |  www.facebook.com/samcar.fans 

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Santa Clara County and San Jose considering local taxes

Aka:  Cities and counties spend our tax money to promote taxes. There's a consultant for that. 

Silicon Valley Mercury News/Tracy Seipel and John Woolfolk, 8/6/12.  "Santa Clara County, San Jose city leaders set to decide on sales tax measures."

Yummy taxes, both 1/2 cent, and 1/8 cent

"On Tuesday, both the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the San Jose City Council will debate separate tax proposals, against the backdrop of a shaky national economy that has a lot of voters feeling like Puentes does. The supervisors are expected to approve their measure, sending it to the November ballot, but the City Council is more closely divided and it could go either way.

....  County supervisors plan to seek a one-eighth-cent sales tax to pay for such things as law enforcement, hospital emergency room   If passed, the tax would raise an additional $458 million over its 10-year life span. It would also send the county's sales tax rate to 8.5 percent, tying it for third highest in the state. And that doesn't even include Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed quarter-cent sales tax measure that would be on the same ballot. services, health care for low-income children, housing for homeless, programs to help students stay in school, and job creation.

....  Meanwhile, in San Jose, the city manager has recommended a 15-year, half-cent sales tax. A shorter-lived or smaller quarter-cent tax polls better, but even that has iffy chances of passing. Still, the city manager's office said the estimated $28 million to $32 million a year in new revenue from a quarter-cent tax wouldn't go far enough to cover the needs of a city forced to deeply cut services after a decade of budget deficits.  A half-cent tax would deliver an estimated $56 million to $64 million a year to restore cuts in services to libraries, parks, police and fire protection and road maintenance, the manager's office said.

San Jose resident and real estate broker Fred Hibbert said he'd be more inclined to vote for both the city and county sales taxes if their life spans were two to five years. Anything beyond that he calls "ridiculous," because it doesn't force local governments to become more efficient."   Read Article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Local Fall elections, the Half Moon Bay coastal view

Half Moon Bay Review/Sara Hayden, 8/2/12.  "Local elections take shape."

Eco-NIMBY dream, peak hour commuters from Half Moon Bay

"A series of Coastside political contests set for the November ballot are beginning to take shape. Elected offices will be up for grabs on school boards, the Half Moon Bay City Council and on other prominent local bodies. Now, two weeks into the filing period, several prospective newcomers and most incumbents have taken out papers and indicated they will be candidates this time around.

.... The San Mateo County Harbor Commission could be the most competitive race in the area, with five candidates having already taken out papers. Newcomer Brandon Kwan of Moss Beach and returning candidate Sabrina Brennan have indicated they will try to unseat one of the three incumbents up for re-election. Current harbor board members Pietro Parravano, Leo Padreddii and Will Holsinger are all expected to run again." 

Note:  At the Highway 1 public meeting in Pacifica last year, visiting Moss Beach Eco-NIMBY Sabrina Brennan opposed our city highway 1 widening improvement, because Pacificans should "ride their bicycles to work."  Some of you who cannot or do not ride bicycles, and currently drive over the hill to work or for other reasons, might find that contribution to the traffic solution shall we say inconvenient if not impossible.  Read Article. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Leadership qualities: wisdom from Tom Jackson

Politicians let your voice and vision be honest, sincere, unencumbered, and clear.

Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 8/1/12.  "Tom's analysis" by Little Tommy Jackson

"Editor; this poor old earth of ours has gone through many transitions. Some of them have been for the better, yet others have led us on giant steps back into the sand traps of time. With the massive increases in our worlds population we are quickly approaching the "Standing Room Only" plateau.

To keep everyone stirred up while making matters worse, there are far too many Self Proclaimed political theorists who continue leaving skid marks in front of Good Judgement.

Dr. Evil likes Tommy Jackson too.

To help in making total confusion unanimous, these self appointed political harbingers continue spinning their wheels in a mud hole filed with political jargon; from there they continue with a hot patched mentality to expound on their politically motivated problem solving perplexities.

They are the same N.I.M.B.Y.'s who drop trading stamps into a church poor box while they are taking out change. I equate all Political Pundits, along with their over inflated lobbyists to either a blindfolded cat running loose in a fish market; or a pooch that chases parked cars.

Along with the population explosion, I find more and more days quickly turning into an "In your face day." Some days I feel like I am the windshield, while on other days I feel like I am the bug. I realize that I am but one crackling voice in a world where billions of voices are loudly clamoring for needed changes. I also realize that there are those who would complain even if they were to be hanged with a scratchy rope. As for myself I lack any sort of leadership qualities, and this alone should clearly qualify me to run for office.

That little soft spot on the top of our heads when we are born? Well mine never completely closed; so I wear a black Stetson to conceal and to protect it against low flying birds and self proclaimed political analysts. I am forever thankful that elephants don't fly (yet ). In conclusion, it takes a better memory to lie than it takes to tell the truth. "Je pense donc suis" meaning " I think, therefore I am... ( I think )."

Note:  Look for cartoon commentary by Tom Jackson in the Pacifica Tribune print newspaper, an exclusive which may not be found anywhere else. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Unincorporated San Mateo County may try a soda tax

Tax to improve health, or just to fatten revenue?  Don't tell Pacifica about this one.

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 8/3/12.  "San Mateo County sipping on the thought of a soda tax."

Most dentists agree no soda tax if its diet

Don't blame me for your fat

"With reduction of sugary beverages as the goal, San Mateo County officials are floating the idea of pushing for a "soda tax" in unincorporated areas similar to one voters in Richmond are being asked to approve this November. 

In May, the county's health department posted a poll on its website asking "Do you think a tax on soda would help reduce obesity?" It was linked to a 1,138-word explanation under the title, "A soda tax could help stop us from pouring on the pounds."  

....  She underscored that a soda tax was an idea, not a proposal.  ....The American Beverage Association responded with a statement that said that such taxes are "discriminatory" and "misguided" and would not "have a meaningful impact on obesity." 

....  The idea of a soda tax has not come before the Board of Supervisors, said county spokesman Marshall Wilson." Read Article. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Midcoast Council seeks highway 1 improvement and development

Midcoast  fixing our highway and our economy

Half Moon Bay Review/Sara Hayden, 8/2/12.  "The long road, highway 1 planning has been in works for over a century."

"The Midcoast Community Council finalized its draft of an action plan that outlines possible improvements for safety and mobility along Highway 1. The draft now goes to the county Board of Supervisors for consideration.

Design suggestions, which can be found at www.midcoastcommunitycouncil.org, include suggestions for medians, traffic circulation, parking, pedestrian safety, bikeways and trails.

Pacifican waiting for the ocean to cover his feet

Some of these various projects would be funded with a government grant in the short term. In the future, however, the MCC hopes to promote more extensive projects in Montara, Moss Beach and El Granada." Read Article.

Note:  There is a highway 1 history summary from 1887 through 2012 in this article.     

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Planning Commission meeting cancelled Monday, August 6, 2012

Planning what, a barbecue?

 Get over it, there are no development issues in Pacifica. 

 

City of "Scenic Pacifica"  Planning meeting notice as follows:.

"Notice is hereby given that the regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission of August 6, 2012 has been CANCELLED." 


Posted by Kathy Meeh

Summer Olympics, 2012 - Super Saturday today 8/4/12

CNN wire staff, 8/4/12. " Five things to watch at the Olympics on Saturday"

Last week men's trampoline event  (Yasuhiro Ueyama of Japan)

136 pictures with brief description.  The article includes three embedded videos:  1) Showbiz new celebrities, Gabby Douglas  4:21 minutes, engaging;  2) Piers Morgan interview with Ryan Lochte, 1::10 minutes, boring; 3) Olympic week in review, 1:42 minutes, dull. 

(CNN) -- "Track and field competition revs up on Saturday, but not before swimmers -- among them, the most decorated Olympian of all time -- make one final splash in the pool. Here are five things to look for Saturday at the 2012 London Games:  1) Swimming: Phelps to cap historic Olympic career, 2) Track and field: World's fastest men and women burst out of the blocks, 3) Men's basketball: Can Lithuania contain Team USA, 4) Badminton: After disqualifications, competition comes to close, 5) Tennis: Serena and Sharapova square off on Centre Court."   Read artice, view pictures, and video.

Related update -CNN/Laura Smith Spark, 8/4/12.  "Olympic athletes go for gold in 'Super Saturday' medal bonanza."  "Olympic athletes and spectators are set for the biggest day of action yet at the London 2012 Games, with 25 gold medals up for grabs in 11 different sports on what has been dubbed 'Super Saturday'."  Many more articles about the Summer Olympics are attached to this article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Caltrain, successful public transportation and innovation

The Daily Journal (San Mateo), Staff Report, 8/3/12. "Caltrain ridership hits high."

Caltrain pictures

"Caltrain’s ridership in June reached 50,000 riders a day for the first time in the railroad’s 150-year history, the agency announced yesterday.  An average of 50,390 riders took Caltrain on weekdays in June. The total number of riders in June was 1,319,404, an increase of nearly 11 percent over June 2011 and also a ridership record. June also marked 23 straight months of ridership increases.


Farebox revenue is also up more than $10 million or 22.1 percent higher than last year, according to Caltrain. .... “It took courage on behalf of the board, hard work by staff and patience from our riders to achieve this success,” Caltrain Chief Executive Office Mike Scanlon wrote in a statement. “But as gratifying as this is, we are still facing a formidable challenge in 2014.”  .... Despite increased ridership, Caltrain does not have a dedicated funding source and has relied on one-time funds in recent years to meet its operating budget.

In 2004, Caltrain introduced its baby bullet service and ridership increased 17 percent less than six months after its launch.  Although ridership dipped in 2008 with the economic recession and the accompanying job loss, it has increased steadily since then. The increase has been in spite of fare increases and service cuts.

Caltrain was just awarded nearly $700 million to electrify its system to be compatible with the state’s high-speed rail project. Caltrain could be electrified as soon as 2019."  Read Article. 

Reference -  San Mateo County Transit District (SMCTD).  "Caltrain provides commuter rail service along the San Francisco Peninsula, through the South Bay to San Jose and Gilroy."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Ghetto lite Linda Mar

Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 8/1/12.  "Clean up your act" by Mark Kneeley

Could pull them

A few weeds, big deal

"Editor:  Wow, I thought things were looking better on streets like Peralta, Linda Mar Boulevard and Terra Nova Boulevard, just to mention a few streets in what is Linda Mar. I was back in town last week and had occasion to really look at my beautiful little ocean town.  

 Or,  hire these guys

What an embarrassing sight: to see so many unkept, downright "welcome to the ghetto" homes. There is no excuse for tall weeds, exposed garbage, broken appliances, ice chests and old broken vehicles.

Please do not blame the economy. It costs nothing to bend over and pull weeds. It is free to have broken appliances recycled. It is free to wash your windows and put away garbage. It is sad to see so many pitiful hovels dotting our streets here in our beautiful valley.

Come on, folks, you know who you are. If you won't do it yourselves, please think of your neighbors who would surely appreciate your consideration and effort to restore beauty to their neighborhood."

 Posted by Kathy Meeh

San Francisco Bay Area regional labor and sales tax outlook

Beacon Economics, 8/2/12,  Summer Edition 2012.

Labor Market.  "Much like the neighboring South Bay/Silicon Valley region, the San Francisco Metropolitan District (MD) has been among the leading regions in California’s labor market recovery. .... Education and Health employment, another sector contributing heavily to the overall state recovery, has also done well in the San Francisco region over the last year... 

Bright Bay Area economic outlook by 2015

....  Beacon Economics is forecasting steady growth for San Francisco employment in the quarters and years to come, with total nonfarm employment reaching its pre-recession peak by the end of 2014 and the unemployment rate falling below 6% by the middle of 2015."

Sales Tax.  In the first quarter of 2012, taxable sales levels in the San Francisco MD passed their pre-recession peak, set in the second quarter of 2008, and now stand at all-time record high levels. On a year-over-year basis, taxable sales have grown 10.7% since the first quarter of 2011, reinforcing the region’s leading role in the state’s broader economic recovery, not just the labor market.

....  Beacon Economics is forecasting taxable sales levels in the San Francisco MD to grow at a 10% annualized rate for the remainder of 2012. In 2013-2014 taxable sales growth will likely slow to the 3-4% range as the economy transitions from recovery to sustained growth, and then speed up slightly in 2016 and beyond to the 5%-6% range, which is in line with the region’s long run taxable sales growth over the last two decades."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City of San Jose is hiring, primarily police

San Jose Community Mercury News/Carol Rosen, correspondent, 8/2/12.  "San Jose is starting to hire again, with police topping the list."

San Jose City Data

"Since July 2011, when San Jose's deficit meant layoffs of police officers, radio dispatchers, code inspectors and other employees, residents have been complaining about increases in burglaries, car thefts, property problems and stolen mail.  That scenario appears about to change as the city increases its hiring in a number of areas.

A recent notice on San Jose's website touts the city's hiring. Since July 1 its employment department has added 19 jobs and is about to invite prospective police officers to its first academy since July 2009.

On Aug. 6, the department will hold a meeting to make a final determination of up to 60 potential officers for the September academy, which will last six months. The city continues to recruit prospective officers for a March academy as well, says Sarah Nunes, the city's employment division manager.

In addition, the department's recruiting division has been searching through different sources for recruits, including newspaper and movie theater ads. In addition to last year's layoffs, there has been significant attrition as officers retire or resign."  Read Article.

Reference -  City of San Jose.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

San Bernardino files chapter 9 bankruptcy early

Bloomberg/Politics/Steven Church, Dawn McCarty and Michael Bathon, 8/2/12.  "San Bernardino, California, Files Chapter 9 Bankruptcy. 

File chapter 9 bankruptcy early
San Bernardino got that part right

"San Bernardino officials sped up the timing of the bankruptcy filing because they were concerned that some creditors may take legal action against the city, Mayor Patrick J. Morris said yesterday in a phone interview. Under Chapter 9, all court cases and other legal actions against the city will be halted until the bankruptcy case is over.  “All of our vital service bills will continue to be paid,” Morris said. “We are going to keep our city services running.”

San Bernardino has reduced its workforce by 20 percent in the past four years and negotiated labor cuts valued at about $10 million annually, according to a June 26 budget analysis posted on its website. One of the main problems is the high cost of the city’s union contracts, particularly for police and fire service, City Councilman Fred Shorett said in a phone interview.

The city faced insolvency because of accounting errors, deficit spending, pension and debt costs, and lack of revenue growth, according to the June 26 report. As property values plunged as part of the housing crisis, the city’s tax revenue fell also. In 2008, the city’s general fund, which is used to pay for most of its basic services, like police and fire protection, peaked with $133 million in revenue. This fiscal year, which started July 1, the fund will bring in $120 million in revenue. The preliminary budget calls for spending of $166.2 million, leaving the city short by about $46 million, according to a July 23 budget document."   Read Article.

Related Fix Pacifica reprint articles - Another CA city files chapter 9 bankruptcy, San Bernardino, 7/13/12, and San Bernardino bankruptcy, the back story, 7/17/12.

Submitted by Jim Alex 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Obstructing quarry development is a 30 year "state of denial"

Time to  move on Peter, and allow a qualified developer to develop the quarry property with or without housing units.   Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 8/1/12,  printed page 11A, not included in the electronic version.

Take the ride?  88 acres economic potential

"To Lie or not to Lie" by Gil Anda 

"The way I understood it, when Elaine Larsen called the promise of developing the quarry a lie, she was speaking metaphorically. She wasn’t calling anyone a liar, per se. Unfortunately this prompted the Nixon-like response (I am not a liar) from Peter Loeb. My feeling is that Peter Loeb is sincere in his beliefs, therefore not lying. However, the question now is, are his beliefs accurate?

It’s been three decades since and the promises made since are now proven empty. At this point I don’t think Peter Loeb is lying, however I think he is in denial. Contrary to what he stated in his letter, there have been a significant number of attempts to come up with ‘visitor-serving’ projects, some of these were ill conceived and destined never to get off the ground.  

What about our habitat?

The most promising and comprehensively planned visitor serving proposal was the project offered by Andres Duany and Don Peebles.  Ironically, Peter Loeb and his friends campaigned aggressively to defeat this proposal, which leaves us where we are today. In essence his argument was a chant, ‘355 houses’. However, if he doesn’t get that residential housing plays an important role in supporting commercial development, visitor serving or otherwise, he will continue to defeat the only viable solutions out of this mess. Provided that we have the good fortune to have any other proposal in our future.

And that’s the problem with making our critical decisions subject to a vote by ‘the people’. It sounds democratic, but the reality is that it is impractical. The founding fathers saw that if you made every decision subject to popular vote, the result would be a government subject to paralysis. That’s why we have a legislative, executive and judicial branch in our federal government. But I digress." 

Related articles - Fix Pacifica reprint, Pacifica Tribune letters-to-the-editor, 8/1/12:  "Quarry wars" by Connie Menefee, and "Big lie" by Peter Loeb.

Submitted by Gil Anda 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Quarry development opportunity smashed

 Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 8/1/12.  Quarry wars by Connie Menefee

"Editor, as a 20-year veteran of the Quarry Wars, I'm incredulous at Peter Loeb's phoney outrage at Elaine Larsen's editorial in the July 18 Tribune, in which she described the "brilliant anti-development move" that ultimately doomed any development of the quarry property. Ms. Larsen's editorial was spot-on. No apology to Mr. Loeb warranted. In fact, me thinks the gentleman doth protest too much.

Photo by Bob Pilgrim. Quarry 6 years ago, same today.

I attended every Don Peebles/Andres Duany (the latter being the visionary New Urbanism planner, architect and designer of distinguished "community revitalization projects"-- Google him and weep!) charrette and meeting, culminating in the Peebles/ Loeb Great Debate.  

Mr. Loeb's disingenuous revisionist history notwithstanding, he was unmistakably a chief propagator of a scare-tactics disinformation campaign calculated to defeat any and all future quarry development. The notion that Loeb and friends were willing to "work with" a developer to create "just the right project" is flat-out fiction.  

With the state's dissolution of redevelopment agencies, development of Pacifica's "crown jewel" is now forever lost. Mission accomplished, Peter."

****

Peter Loeb Reference - See Fix Pacifica reprint, Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-editor, Peter Loeb, "Big lie", 8/1/12.   Note:  No on quarry development campaign, 2006. about:  Isn't that man at group right Peter Loeb?

Andres Duany Reference - Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (D PZ.com, 6 visuals. "With over 30 years in the practice of architecture and urban planning, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company has earned an international reputation creating over 300 projects for a wide range of built environments in the United States and abroad. The work of the firm spans the design spectrum and across a number of disciplines, residences to master planning and regional planning, from conducting academic research to drafting municipal codes."
A conversation with Andres Duany. "Andrés Duany and his partner, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, are undoubtedly among the most influential architects in the world today. " 
Andres Duany Related article -  The Atlantic, 5/18/10, "The man who reinvented the city".  Architect Magazine, 1/3/1, "Control the masses."  UM School of Architecture, "Heterodoxia Architectonica Video, 38 minutes.
Other videos exist on you tube, look for them. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Eco-NIMBY city councilmembers were always pro-development, sure

Pacifica Tribune Letters-to-the-Editor, 8/1/12.  "Big lie" by Peter Loeb

Anti-environmentalists hate development

"Editor:  In your "From the E&P" column, you said, "Let's not fight every single thing that could generate income. Hey, City Council, this isn't a popularity contest. You need to vote for what's right for all of us, not just the guy next door to the development who doesn't want his view of the ocean obscured. Be leaders. There will ALWAYS be someone who asks you to vote no. Tell them NO. Do what's right. If you don't, I say we should vote you out."

Apparently you have bought the Big Lie that the local anti-environmentalists are pushing. They want people to believe that Pacifica City Councils have been saying "No" to development when in fact the evidence is exactly the opposite. Can you name any projects that have come before the Council that were NOT eventually approved? How many are there? How about zero?

Environmentalists promote a robust economy 

There was a comment on Pacifica Patch that "Over the course of ten years, the only new commercial structure I can think of that was built in Pacifica was the auto parts store in Pacific Manor." This is an example of how the lie is perpetuated. In response, Planning Commissioner Tom Clifford listed a number of commercial structures that have been approved and built. These include the Surf Spot, Walgreens, Fresh & Easy (and the upgrade of Pedro Point Shopping Center), the Beach Resort, two commercial buildings on Oceana, and a mixed use building on Palmetto. There are other projects that have been approved but not built. There are none that have been disapproved.

 Eco-Nimby environment came up again

You strongly imply that unnamed City Council members have opposed projects because the guy next door to the development doesn't want his view of the ocean obscured. You even say that Council members who do that should be voted out. Who are they? Which ones should be voted out? How about no one? Your editorial keeps alive the false myth that Council members have done this. Has any project ultimately been denied because of some complaint from neighbors? Haven't they all been approved? Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three residential projects in recent years that neighbors opposed, but the City Council ultimately approved all of them.

Neighbors have the right to appeal and the City Council is legally required to hear the appeal. Are you saying that the City Council should not give the neighbors' concerns any consideration? Are you advocating that all development should be approved and all concerns about the impacts of development should be ignored, regardless of how legitimate the issues are? Just "Tell them NO" no matter what? That's appalling."

Reference Pacifica Tribune articles reprinted on Fix Pacifica - "Lets connect the dots why Pacifica is not succeeding financially." by Elaine Larsen.   "Not a lie" by Peter Loeb".

Recent related Pacifica Tribune articles reprinted on Fix Pacifica  - "Differences of opinion in Pacifica" by Paul Slavin.   "Environment and economy" by Gil Anda.  Our environment should be our economy" by Samuel Casillas.

Related - Cat wins shell game video, 56 seconds.

Submitted by Jim Alex 

Posted by Kathy Meeh