The cost of road infrastructure updating - Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is another city securing grants to complete needed road infrastructure projects. Compare this cost to Pacifica replacing San Pedro Bridge,  or possibly the 1.3 mile Highway widening.  The Pacifica  projects as presented appear to be slightly lower cost than replacing the Half Moon Bay Main Street bridge. 

 Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Hoack, 2/17/12". "City eyes $1.2 million contract for bridge repairs".

Cracks in the Main Street bridge, $7.5 million

"A $1.2 million contract to redesign the downtown Main Street Bridge will be considered by the Half Moon Bay City Council on Tuesday. 

City staff is recommending that the council hire URS Corporation of San Francisco to play the role of quarterback for the bridge project, which would be completed by 2015. The hired firm would orchestrate the engineering, permits applications and community outreach for the project.

A designated historic landmark, the Main Street Bridge crossing Pilarcitos Creek was deemed structurally deficient by Caltrans inspectors in 2010. More than 1,500 people are estimated to cross the bridge every day, and news that the bridge was at risk of collapse came as a shock to local residents and merchants.

City officials spent the following months scrambling to find grant money to help pay for a replacement.
In December, city leaders announced they had secured $7.1 million in grants of the estimated $7.5 million price tag for the project. As part of the new contract, the URS Corporation would be required to hold eight public meetings on the bridge projects throughout the construction process."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Patch Story - Principal to Drunk Students: The Party's Over

A Terra Nova High School dance was shut down Friday night after administration officials discovered about 15 students apparently inebriated, with many more possibly under the influence as well.

Some students were denied entry at the door because they had been drinking. Others were rooted out after they’d entered the dance, called the RANT Dance, according to Terra Nova Principal Jonathan Ferrer. Eventually, enough students were found to be under the influence that the dance was called off for safety reasons.

“We didn’t know how many students had been drinking, whether there were as many as 30, or 40 more, and we didn’t know how they might be getting home,” he said. “Students may have been taking other students home and we didn’t want to take that risk.”

Read more...

Submitted by Camden Swita

Pacifica City Council Meeting 2/14/12

I attended the city council meeting the evening of 2/14/12, Valentine's Day.  I set aside personal plans to do so as other folks likely did.

If I understand correctly, the city council itself set this meeting date. The date was set and about 50 people attended but apparently it was too difficult for two members of the city council to attend.  All the folks who had showed up hoping to accomplish something were in essence told that nothing would be accomplished.  This was a slap in the face to all Pacificans.  You set a meeting date and then DO NOT BOTHER TO ATTEND?  If Mr. Vreeland and Mr. DeJarnatt do not care to be on the city council then just say so.  Someone else can do it, no one cares.  This city needs help and by not attending meetings and holding up our processes, absent members are condemning Pacifica to failure at many levels. 

For future meetings, the city council should inform people that the meeting is cancelled due to lack of interest, just as the Valentine's Day meeting was held for no apparent reason. 

Most people at the meeting spoke of wanting to keep our police, fire and city services.  Not one person endorsed using the Sheriff's office for policing.  We like our cops!  They are OUR cops!  The police dispatch center is already gone and evidently response time for our police has been slowed down dramatically.  Imagine the response time if Sheriff's deputies attempt to find some of our streets.  Committees that meet at the police station now need a baby-sitter to watch the lobby.  Excellent planning:  dump the dispatch so now we have to provide a baby-sitter for your meetings?  We have City Hall and the Community Center for meetings -- use them.  Lack of foresight has caused this issue.  

I was disappointed and insulted by our city council and the non-meeting.  Do not try to tell Pacificans about your work when we come to your changed-date meeting and your own members do not care enough to attend.  Everyone they must attend or someone else can do their job. 

We are proud of Pacifica.  It's beautiful and friendly and a bit quirky and it's home. 

The entire populace of Pacifica deserves an apology for the fiasco of the "meeting" held on Valentine's Day evening.  Aside from those present having a chance to voice an opinion, the evening was a joke.  That sort of rudeness from elected officials to their constituents should not be tolerated. 

Submitted by Rebecca Lorenz

Financial Services Task Force Chair Bruce Banco Speaks At Pacifica Democrats on Sat., February 18, 2012

Hot on the heels of the City of Pacifica's Financial Services Task Force January 25th recommendation to the Pacifica City Council for a one-half cent sales tax increase, Bruce Banco, the Task Force's Chair will be the guest speaker at the next Pacifica Democrats monthly breakfast meeting, scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 18, 2012, in the banquet room of the Sharp Park Golf Course Restaurant, located at Hwy 1 and Sharp Park Blvds in Pacifica.

Banco will discuss all activities of the Task Force, including: its goals, objectives, work plan, the development of the financial plan options, the community forum process and, very importantly, the development of the final recommendations/plan for the Pacifica City Council. "I will provide up to date details and status of our final recommendations and the calendar of upcoming events," Banco said.

Banco, a 36 year resident of Pacifica is no stranger to community involvement. In addition to being the Chairperson of the 2011-2012 Financing City Services Task Force, he is President of Pacificans Care, a local 501 (c)(3) non-profit funding source for social service organizations in Pacifica.

Banco is also the First Vice President of the Fog Fest Organizing Group (FFOG), which plans and operates the annual local Fog Fest in Pacifica. Prior to that, Banco was a PB&R Commissioner for twelve years with the City of Pacifica, past President of the Pacifica American Little League and Pacifica Pony-Colt Baseball and has generally been involved in youth sports/recreation activities for over 25 years.

All Pacifica Democrats programs are open to the general public. It is neither necessary to be a Democrat, nor a club member to attend the monthly speaker series presentations. Doors open at 9AM. Seating is between 9AM and 9:30AM. A full breakfast is available for $12; continental for $6 and coffee only for $3. If you have any questions or wish to RSVP for this meeting, please email barietta@hotmail.com or call 415-246-0775.

Submitted by Barbara Arietta

San Carlos Fire protection from Cal Fire, really?

Criticism for excluding Cal Fire from consideration.

From San Mateo Daily Journal/Michelle Durand, 2/16/12. "Grand jury lights into fire choice".

"The full Board of Supervisors should have considered a request by the city of San Carlos to contract fire services and the finance subcommittee that chose not to move the idea forward missed out on roughly $2 million in savings for both, according to the civil grand jury.

The local fire union gave “significant pressure” not to consider the California Department of Forestry and Fire as an outsourcing option, according to the report by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury, but it stops short of concluding that was a primary reason why supervisors Adrienne Tissier and Carole Groom, the two members of the committee, would not take the idea to the entire board. Regardless, San Carlos Mayor Andy Klein called the report issued yesterday validation of prior claims that county officials were influenced by political pressure. Read more. 

Reference - Cal Fire Resource Management.  Cal Fire serves San Luis Obispo County.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Closure of San Mateo County long term care facility

Excerpts from San Mateo County Times/Joshua Melvin, 2/16/12. "San Mateo County supervisors votes to close nursing center; 230 patients to be displaced."  

Supervisors Valentine's Day meeting, swell!

Over tearful pleas and angry protests from staff and residents of San Mateo County's public long-term nursing facility, the board of supervisors voted unanimously voted Tuesday to shutter the center.  The 5-0 vote to not renew the county's lease with the owners of the Burlingame Long Term Care Facility on Trousdale Drive means laying off as many as 200 workers and moving about 230 disabled, elderly or chronically ill residents. The drawdown of workers and patients -- most of whom are low-income Medi-Cal recipients -- will happen during the next 16 months, officials said in the meeting at the Westin Hotel in Millbrae.  ...County officials said they will not close the facility until every patient has been placed in a new home.   ...Commenting briefly, supervisors reiterated their concern about safety and cost. Reductions in state health care subsidies in the form of Medi-Cal would require the county to chip in $9 million from its general fund to keep the doors open. Read the full article and view the 2:05 minute video. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Drain Hetch Hetchy reservoir?

Hetch Hetchy reservoir supplies water for millions of people. Where will they store water? How much would it cost to tear down the dam and restore the valley? Who's paying for it? Will Pacifica's water bill go up to $4.00 a gallon like gasoline? Unbelievable!

 Sacramento Bee/Dan Morain, Senior Editor, 2/15/12. "Will San Francisco vote to drain Hetch Hetchy?"

"Suddenly, the fight to restore Hetch Hetchy is getting interesting. U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren, a Republican, reopened the public discussion about draining the reservoir that supplies water for San Francisco by writing a letter to the Interior Department in December.  Lungren has never much been associated with the environment, but he faces a well-funded Democratic challenger, Ami Bera, in a swing seat this year.On the question of Hetch Hetchy, he finds himself in cahoots with a lawyer who represents California Democrats, a former California Democratic Party executive director, and a longtime Democratic insider. They're all determined to drain and restore Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.   

"Trying to remedy one of the worst environmental travesties in California knows no partisan bounds," Lungren's campaign aide, Rob Stutzman told me with a straight face, more or less.

Lance Olson, the Democratic attorney, is a director of Restore Hetch Hetchy, as is Kathy Bowler, the party's former executive director. Olson, Bowler and Democratic operative Dan Eaton are organizing a reception next Wednesday evening in downtown Sacramento to discuss "our considerable legal and political efforts – including a 2012 ballot initiative in San Francisco" to retore the valley.  A Hetch Hetchy initiative headed for the local San Francisco ballot this November could be a donneybrook. Statewide fights over taxes and capital punishment could pale by comparison. If Lungren wants to join the effort, he no doubt could help sway the dozen or so Republicans who still live in San Francisco."We could use them all," said Eaton, who was chief of staff to Fabian Núñez when Núñez was Assembly speaker, and is offering strategic advice to the coming campaign.

The measure, which would be submitted to the San Francisco city attorney next week, would require the city to embark on a process to put itself "on a path toward reforming San Francisco's 19th century water system … and reversing the damage done to the environment over the last 100 years," said Mike Marshall, executive director of Restore Hetch Hetchy. The bar for placing a measure on the San Francisco ballot is ridiculously low, 9,500 valid signatures. Marshall figures the campaign would cost $500,000, tops. They already have a bona fide celebrity, who narrates a campaign-style video that opens with a majestic shot of Yosemite.

"How would you feel if someone suggested building a dam in Yosemite Valley, flooding a priceless treasure under a giant lake? Well, that's exactly what happened to the Hetch Hetchy Valley.  "This is Harrison Ford inviting you to join in the historic campaign to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Help us return this national treasure to the American people." The action hero narrowly escaped Nazis, snakes and mummies when he played Indiana Jones. But he never had to tangle with the likes of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is among the most formidable opponents of messing with San Francisco's water supply, as I witnessed back in 1987.

As the Reagan administration was drawing to a close, Interior Secretary Donald Hodel leaked his desire to drain Hetch Hetchy to, who else, the New York Times, which gushed about the grand possibilities of restoring wildland 3,000 miles from its Manhattan headquarters. On an autumn day in October 1987, Hodel, wearing cowboy boots and jeans, and then San Francisco Mayor Feinstein, wearing a burgundy-colored dress, squared off atop O'Shaughnessy Dam, with the Hetch Hetchy reservoir as the backdrop. "Yosemite National Park is America's birthright, not any individual city's," Hodel said at the time.  

Then as now, Feinstein questioned how to replace pristine Sierra runoff for the millions of people who depend on it. There also was the matter of bugs. If the reservoir were drained, she warned, Hetch Hetchy Valley would revert to a swamp populated by voracious mosquitoes. Hodel responded that mosquitoes were a problem in the days before DEET. Brave words, spoken by a guy who evidently never has tangled with Yosemite's vicious mosquitoes. Eaton and others are convinced that all those problems can be resolved. Besides, the restoration would be employ thousands of construction workers, and be a legacy for politicians who embrace it. No city in America prides itself on its environmental credentials more than San Francisco. If the initiative goes forward, Hetch Hetchy's defenders could have a hard time explaining to some voters why they shouldn't support a process that would lead to the dismantling of O'Shaughnessy Dam. Lungren would be happy to pitch in if environmentalists need help swaying any Republicans still in San Francisco."   

Reference - Hetch Hetchy Water System, Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency, (BAWSCA).

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Posted by Kathy Meeh

GENERAL PLAN UPDATE NOTICE OF PREPARATION / DEIR and LCP

The City of Pacifica is preparing an update to its General Plan and Local Coastal Plan and has determined that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be necessary pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The City of Pacifica requests your input on how the General Plan and Local Coastal Plan update may affect the environment. More specifically, input is being solicited relative to the scope and content of environmental analysis that is relevant to your individual or agency's statutory/regulatory responsibilities in order to ascertain potential impacts of the proposed project.

Specific proposals and revisions for the Pacifica General Plan and Local Coastal Plan update have not yet been determined. However, your input will be taken into consideration during the formulation of the environmental impacts of the General Plan and Local Coastal Plan to be addressed in the EIR. A description of the proposed project, location map, and preliminary identification of the potential environmental effects are contained in the attached materials.

If your agency is a responsible agency as defined by Section 15381 of the State CEQA Guidelines, your agency will need to use the environmental documents prepared by the City of Pacifica when considering your permit or approval for action.

Due to the time limits mandated by State law, you should submit your comments as soon as possible but no later than March 20, 2012, or 30 days after receipt of this notice per CEQA Guidelines Section 15082(b). Please send your written response, along with the name of your agency contact person, to Elizabeth Claycomb, Management Analyst, City of Pacifica Planning Department, 1800 Francisco Boulevard, Pacifica, California 94044. Responses can also be faxed to Ms. Claycomb at (650) 359-5807 or emailed to claycombe@ci.pacifica.ca.us. 

A public Scoping Meeting will be conducted on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, at the Pacifica Community Center, 540 Crespi Drive in Pacifica.

If you have questions regarding this NOP or the Scoping Meeting, please contact Ms. Claycomb at (650) 738-7361.

General Plan Update Page:

http://www.cityofpacifica.org/depts/planning/general_plan_update_project/default.asp

Notice of Preparation:

http://www.cityofpacifica.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4753

Posted by Steve Sinai

Sheriff takes over Millbrae policing effective March 5, 2012

The San Mateo Daily Journal/Heather Murtagh, 2/15/12. "Sheriff's office set to take over Millbrae police."

"Millbrae’s Police Department is set to close in early March when the Sheriff’s Office takes over after the City Council approved transfer agreements Tuesday evening. In November, the City Council voted to contract for services provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. On Tuesday, the council approved two transfer agreements to make it happen — an agreement with the Millbrae Police Officers’ Association and one with the county about property. The goal is for the county to officially take over service at 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 5.

Councilwoman Nadia Holober was the lone dissenting vote for the transfer of assets. She said she opposed the drop in service the new contract would bring to the city. Vice Mayor Gina Papan disagreed noting the city had previously understaffed the department.

Contracting with the county for police services will save Millbrae an estimate $1.693 million in the first year. Those savings will increase in future years over the five-year contract. The city’s current annual budget for the department is $4.258 million. When the budget is changed to include vehicles, safety equipment, overhead costs and other costs, the annual budget is raised to $7.27 million.

The sheriff’s proposal of $4.56 million includes Millbrae’s own police chief and offers jobs for most employees currently in the department.

Millbrae will be given credit for some equipment while charged for others. Ultimately, the difference is an additional cost to Millbrae of  $26,808, Police Chief Mark Raffaelli wrote in a staff report. Under the agreement with the police officers, employees will receive a one-time $700 allowance for uniforms and an offer of six-month severance pay, about $48,907.30 per employee, for those who are not hired by the county, according to a staff report by City Manager Marcia Raines. The agreement also outlines how vacation, seniority and compensatory time off will be handled."  Read more, unrelated single-use bag ban.

Reference -   City of Millbrae, CA, and general city-data.  Prior 2/14/12 article.

Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City economic health requires expertise, competence, and vision

 From  Pacifica Tribune, letters-to-the-editor, 2/7/12. "The reality check" by Gil Anda.

"Having a Financing City Services Task Force is all well and good. Disclosing salaries in the Tribune is all well and good, too. However, we need to keep in mind that in 2007 the council fired the city's Finance Director and replaced her with the Human Resources Director. A citizen's task force and a Human Resources Director do not equal the expertise of the Finance Director that was fired. No matter how much we 'Oooh and Aaah' over the salaries of our civil servants, we probably don't have any insight, on a professional level, as to what to do about it.  

What impacted me most from the Financing City Services meeting was the graph that showed the downward trajectory of our city's reserve account. After reading past letters stating the need to hang onto various programs, it hit home that if the downward spiral goes downward more than predicted, there may be no option to choose which programs to keep and which to end. There may be no choice as to whether we continue having our own police department or not. If things get bad enough, all our choices could be moot.

The statement that some writers made about Measure L* not being an option is not just wrong, it's in denial. It's a paradigm that has helped to dig the hole that buries us. If we want to be proactive, then we need to keep not only that option but many others open as well. It's time to do more than just cutting city services and raising taxes. 

A good place to start is to balance the planning commission. Several months ago we witnessed the planning commission unanimously approve motions that were made while violating the Brown Act. The one planning commissioner who wasn't present at the meeting, an attorney, later made a comment with words to the effect of, "what's the big deal?" The big deal is that we need commissioners that see the need for economic development, not the need for more parks. We need a planning commission that has a respect for the laws that respect the rights of all, not just the interests of a favored political faction. We need a planning commission that can realize that an expeditious planning process is not just in the best interests of a builder, it's in the best interest of us all." 

* Measure L was the the 2006 mixed-use quarry development proposal vote which barely failed to pass. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

CA average cost of city safety personnel: Police and Firefighters (2010)

Sacramento Bee/Data Center/Phillip Reese, 2/14/12. "updated:  See what California cities pay police, firefighters."

"While their ranks have thinned due to layoffs and the recession, California police offices and firefighters still typically earn far more than most Californians.

California police officers made, on average, $92,976, including overtime, incentive pay and payouts upon retirement during 2010, according to a Bee analysis of data from the state controller's office. Firefighters and engineers earned, on average, $113,882. Average pay for police captains across the state was $147,940; for fire captains, it was $141,525.

Use this database to see the average pay for firefighters, police officers and their supervisors in nearly every California city and county. Updated Feb. 14 with 2010 data."
  
Reference:  State Controller's Office search from the article. "Average pay is calculated using total wages during 2010 subject to Medicare taxes as reported in Box 5 of each employee’s W-2. The amounts listed may include, but are not limited to, wages, overtime, cash payments for vacation and sick leave, and bonus payments."

Pacifica Police/Firefighter comparison, including San Mateo county (city to city).
Pacifica Police: Officer  $114,568, Captain $150,362, Chief $164,287, county.  
Pacifica Fire:  Fire: Officer $98,363, Captain $130,787, county.

Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

No reason to stay in Pacifica

More opinions on staying in Pacifica from our friends at TripAdvisor.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60713-i30-k5156219-Pacifica_CA-San_Francisco_California.html#38731149

Posted by Steve Sinai

Valentine's Day is good for the economy!

From San Mateo Daily News/Nichole Coate, 2/13/12, "Valentine's spirit overwhelms economic mood."

"Despite the gloomy economy, one classic day remains to open wallets as widely as ever. Whether it’s on candy and flowers or a romantic dinner and diamond earrings, people are spending money on Valentine’s Day.

One rose or 12, its the thought.

It’s all about happiness, said San Bruno resident Kelly Furuta as he picked out 12 red roses for his girlfriend yesterday. “It’s something that you really can’t put a price tag on,” he said about the spirit of Valentine’s Day.

12 is better than 1 here.

Business for Valentine’s Day is better than last year at Steiner’s Jewelry in downtown San Mateo, said Manager Tami Ebenhoech. This is despite low sales in the fall and a average Christmas, Ebenhoech said. “We’ve seen a great Valentine’s Day,” said Leslie Rosenberg, co-owner of Carlyle Jewelry in San Mateo.Ebenhoech and Rosenberg said people want to express themselves to their loved ones, now more than ever after Sept. 11, and they don’t want to wait.

San Mateo Florists is one of several area florists experiencing high Valentines Day sales. “We’re extremely busy, and it’s really surprised me,” said Carol Santi, the florist’s bookkeeper. Santi said that although daily business has not fully recovered, and Christmas sales were lower than usual, customers are not hesitating to spend $75 to $100 on flowers for their Valentine. Business is also booming at San Mateo Plaza Florist. Store Manager Sharona Sasounian said that although regular outside orders have remained steady during the past few months, local sales and especially walk-ins have been down about 10 percent. Sasounian said Valentine’s Day sales are about the same every year, regardless of the economy.  “Flowers are flowers, and people will always love them,” she said."  Read more.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Valentines Day - Love for San Mateo Transit District Redi-Wheels

San Mateo Daily Journal, 2/13/12.  Letter-to-the-editor: Spreading the love for Redi-Wheels, by Patricia Smith (San Mateo).

"In acknowledgement of St. Valentine’s Day Feb. 14, please consider this letter a “Love Letter” to all the people who serve at San Mateo County Transit District Redi-Wheels. From all the phone representatives, the dispatchers, the drivers, the office staff, to the advocates and above all, the taxpayers (I am one too) here in San Mateo County, you have saved my life.

Following an injury accident in November 2011, I had nowhere to turn to be able to see physicians, get to the pharmacy, get groceries, go to the bank, still take my college classes - everything we do in our cars.  It is all Redi-Wheels for me now and in the foreseeable future.

Redi-Wheels is the most unbelievable county service you could ever know. Not only have I had rides on weekends, but actually on Christmas Day. The reservationists are kind, the dispatchers are friendly, and the drivers — I love them — they are the “face” of Redi-Wheels. They have even come early “because it is raining.” Thank you — SamTrans and Redi-Wheels. I love you!"

Posted by Kathy Meeh

More California High School students on track for College

Knocking-off college courses before we get there.

 Silicon Valley Mercury News/Sharon Noguchi, 2/13/12. "More California Students taking, passing AP tests."

"The proportion of California's public high school graduates who took Advanced Placement classes and exams increased from 23 percent to 35 percent over a decade, according to a report from the College Board, the organization administering the exam. In addition, more than 90,000 members of California's Class of 2011 -- or 23 percent of the class -- scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school.

That's almost double the number from the Class of 2001, in which only 16 percent scored as high. Exam takers are graded on a 1-to-5 scale, with a 5 being the highest possible score, and many colleges require entering students to have scored at least a 3 on exams to earn college credit. However, despite the significant increase in numbers of students taking and passing AP tests, the numbers lagged among low-income, Latino and African-American students.

Participation in AP classes and exams increased in all three of those groups but not at a rate to close the gap with the overall student body.  AP classes are college-level classes offered in high schools. Exams are administered in 34 subjects. To read the "8th Annual AP Report to the Nation" and the California supplement, go to http://apreport.collegeboard.org."

Reference:  "How is college different from high school?" Altshuler Enhancement Learning Center graph.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

GGNRA "making nice" with the public at Rancho Corral in Montara

From Half Moon Bay review/Lily Bixler, 2/13/12.  Half Moon Bay Review, 2/13/12.

"During a drizzly Saturday morning "soup and cider social," a friendly Australian Shepherd named Sadie wore a t-shirt with a crossed-out gun that read " Don't Tase my Master." Sadie's owners Heidi and Jim Csaain wore similarly subversive messages on shirts made especially for a Saturday morning community gathering at the end of Coral Reef Avenue, a neighborhood entrance to Rancho Corral de Tierra, with National Parks and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. 

No available Chihuahuas*

The meet-up was planned prior to a Jan. 29 incident where a Coastside resident Gary Hesterberg reported being tased by National Park ranger Sarah Cavallaro during a confrontation over walking his dog off-leash. Local dog owners have protested over what they consider excessive force used in the incident. Others have risen to the defense of Cavallaro, saying she acted appropriately given circumstances, given the possibility that Hesterberg provided the ranger with a false name. "We felt the incident that occurred a few weeks ago was out of control and inappropriate," Jim Kain said. "You don't shoot someone in the back when they're walking away." He said he was out at the park Saturday morning to make sure local dog owners keep the rights to walk their dogs at Rancho Corral.

Incident aside, GGNRA's San Mateo County Community Coordinator Christine Carey said, the agency was here to meet and greet the neighbors. As such, the park agency provided information about the property, hot cider and chowders for humans and dog treats for the canines.

Risa Galant, an El Granada resident and the owner of a Pyrenees named Kyle, said she was delighted when GGNRA bought the property, however things haven't gone as she expected. She explained that locals, many of whom have been looking after Rancho Corral over the years, and the national agency are now dealing with "trust issues."  "Showing up and talking is a good step," she said. "They are aware of it and they are choosing to work hard to be (in communication.)"

GGNRA Spokesman Howard Levitt said the process of mending that trust will take time. About a dozen of the 40 or so people present during the Saturday "soup and cider social" were GGNRA officials. They seemed eager to speak with the community.  National Parks is trying to hear from the community about the history of local use of Rancho Corral, Levitt said. GGNRA hopes to plan several more gatherings in coming months around the Midcoast.

"Here I am!"

The taser incident aside, there's been ongoing community frustration over the last year or so about Golden Gate National Recreation Area's purchase of Rancho Corral. Some worry about portal access and what having a new national park will do to the neighborhoods that abut the park. Jennifer Harden, Clipper Ridge resident and owner of a mutt named Ray, said there were, "lots of conversations going on with people in green and those not in green. She was referring to the park officials' forest green uniforms. Harden wondered why the public event Saturday was held at the Corral Reef access to the park. She wants a federal-supported portal from Highway 1 that leads up the trail before GGNRA starts planning events that will impact neighbors in the vicinity. GGNRA needs to de-emphasize the ‘porous boundary' to Rancho until they're ready to manage it," she said. Levitt said GGNRA is trying to find places for people to park and get access to the land that will not impact the neighborhoods. "We're trying to figure that out by working with the community," he said."

*Reference to blog comment, 2/12/12, 2:34pm. The picture, of course,  is that of Sadie, an Australian Sheppard wearing a T-shirt: "Don't tase my  Master".

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Reminder - City Council meeting is Tuesday, 2/14/12, tomorrow night

Link to City Council meeting agenda.

As Planning Commission Liaison Tomas Clifford said  in comments (11:15 am): "The meeting will take place on Tuesday Feb. 14 2012 at 7:00 p.m."  

Let us know if you happen to show-up at city council chambers tonight.  As Chris Fogel said in comments (10:25 am), its confusing. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Mortgage crisis losses - ultimately we all pay

Excerpts from San Francisco Chronicle/Carolyn Lochhead, 2/12/12, "Mortgage crisis losses - who pays?

...They say innocent homeowners are suffering collateral damage as the bust feeds on itself. Foreclosures drive down property values, force more homeowners underwater (where they owe more on the mortgage than the home is worth), damage neighborhoods and slow economic recovery. About 2 million homeowners in California are underwater. The attorneys general settlement, announced Thursday, sets aside $12 billion for about 250,000 homeowners, who are behind on their payments, to reduce the principal on their loans or offer short sales. "If you let the market reach bottom, there's going to be a whole lot of unnecessary human wreckage and community and neighborhood wreckage," said Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Greenlining Institute, a housing advocacy group in Berkeley....

....Mark Goldman, a loan officer and real estate lecturer at San Diego State University, said the median price of bank-owned property in California is about half the price of non-foreclosure sales. "When a bank takes a property back, if you're the next-door neighbor the value of your house is probably going to drop 50 percent," Goldman said.*  "Is it good to pay off somebody's mortgage?" Goldman added. "That's a very unpopular notion. But is it good to put out the fire at a neighbor's house so your house doesn't burn down?"...

....Who bears the loss depends on who ends up holding the bag. "If the homeowner continues to make their mortgage, in effect they're eating it," Jaffee said. "If they default and hand the house back to the bank, it's the bank that eats it, or the investors who purchased the mortgage-backed securities. It's not a mystery."  Read the full article.

*  Note: ".. you're the next-door neighbor the value of your house is probably going to drop 50 percent" comment by Mark Goldman does not sound correct to me for our region.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Research - one public-private partnership in California

Stem-cell research is moving slowly in California.  There are the issues of risk and funding. Government often funds what the private sector cannot, will not, or should not.

Sacramento Bee/David Lesher, 2/12/12. "In the future, scientists tell us, stem cells could make the blind see again, help the crippled to walk again and perhaps cure some of our most debilitating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and AIDS.

Neurospheres forming connections.

It sounds like science fiction. Doctors wouldn't just manage your damaged or deteriorating body parts, as they largely do today. They could actually repair or replace them, perhaps using your own cells. Hundreds of billions of dollars in annual medical care is at stake as well as millions of lives that might be saved or vastly improved.

The good news is that it's not science fiction. Just last month, the only human trial under way in the United States involving embryonic stem cells reported that eyesight was improved for two legally blind women. And in California, where voters approved a $3 billion bond to support stem cell science in 2004, the president of the state's stem cell agency said he is "optimistic" that at least a few California treatments will prove successful in humans in the next five years.

The bad news in the stem cell field is the growing uncertainty about money and the time it will take to complete a cautious and evolving regulatory process - even after "proof" in human trials is achieved.  Those who speculate say that the most advanced stem cell treatments are still probably a decade away from becoming available to patients. And the cost to get them there will far exceed California's $3 billion investment. The hope was that California's bond would jump-start a biotech industry by building the laboratories and seeding early research to a point where private support would take over.

But that point of commercial viability is a moving target as private investors have grown more risk averse and the regulatory path for such radical new therapies is unpredictable. So the biggest question today in the stem cell field is not whether the science will work someday. The big questions are how will we pay for it, how will regulators know when it's ready and when will it happen?  "We are at a time when venture capital doesn't invest as early as it used to," said Larry Goldstein, a leading stem cell scientist at UC San Diego. "So the public has to do it. You may not like the system, but that's the system."  Read more. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Proposed unincorporated San Mateo County tax on visitors

Pacifica did pass a ballot measure (11/10) to increase it's tourist hotel tax from 10% to 12%.  Tax ethics 101:  tax a tourist, they are the "outsiders" who may never return.  

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 2/11/12.  San Mateo County residents in June may be asked to authorize the county to jack up the tax on hotel rooms and to start taxing commercial parking lot and rental car operators.  

"Just kidding, you'll have to pay the tax anyway."

The three tax measures that the Board of Supervisors will review Tuesday would apply only to unincorporated areas, including San Francisco International Airport.

Unless the board expresses reservations, it is scheduled to decide Feb. 28 whether to place the measures on the June primary election ballot. If all three measures are approved, together they would generate almost $13 million in annual revenue for the county.

The supervisors have suggested that the money is needed to help balance the county's budget, which continues to encounter deficits year after year. The county would have faced a $77 million deficit in the 2012-13 fiscal year if it didn't decide to draw heavily from its reserves. And County Manager John Maltbie last month told the board the deficit in the 2016-17 budget is projected at $149 million.

The cost of placing the three measures on the June ballot is estimated at $280,000. One of the measures would increase the Transient Occupancy Tax on hotel rates from 10 to 12 percent. The county currently receives about $1 million a year from that tax and expects to pick up an additional $200,000 annually with the boost.

Help!

The proposed business license fee for operators of commercial parking lots would amount to 8 percent of their gross receipts. The fee would apply to parking facilities in unincorporated areas, including valet parking at restaurants and hotels as well as SFO. They would generate almost $5 million a year, the county estimates. 

The third measure would tax car rental companies at a rate of 2½ percent of their gross receipts, for an annual amount estimated at more than $7.7 million. 

Although the proposed taxes largely would affect tourists, their passage isn't a sure bet. In November 2008, two similar measures pushed by the county were defeated. Measure Q, an 8 percent parking tax measure, was rejected by 52.6 percent of the voters and Measure R, a 2½ percent rental car tax, went down with 52.9 percent opposed."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Pacifica Ross store evacuated over gas leak

Michael Cabanatuan

Saturday, February 11, 2012

 
Pacifica firefighters evacuated a Ross Dress for Less store after a report of a possible explosion that turned out to be a natural gas leak inside the building.

Firefighters arrived at the store at 1410 Linda Mar Blvd. about 8:21 a.m. Saturday and upon entering the building smelled a strong natural gas odor and heard carbon monoxide detectors sounding. They evacuated the building and an adjoining Rite-Aid store and shut down the store's heating system. They also ventilated the building and worked with PG&E to find the source of the gas.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/11/BAA41N6G0F.DTL#ixzz1m9SzBfy2

Posted by Steve Sinai

Financing city services proposed sales tax increase - part 1 of 2

Part 1 of this article re-post deals with the proposed sales tax increase, part 2 deals with the comparative review of highest paid San Mateo county salaries.  

Figuring-out city tax and fee solutions.

Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 2/8/12. "Financing City Services Task Force ponders sunset clause for sales tax increase; reviews county salaries." "The Financing City Services Task Force didn't finalize anything during its meeting last Wednesday, but continued to chip away at the information available from city staff. The members discussed potentially setting an end date to the one-half-cent sales tax increase they recommended City Council approve, but the discussion did not end in a decision.

Meanwhile, the debate continued about whether or not it should be offered to the voters in June.
"I have big reservations about the sales tax in June," said Councilmember Mary Ann Nihart. "It is a Republican primary. We've started a good process. I don't want the police put in the same position the fire department was in -- an either/or position." Other task force members disagreed and said they wanted more time for the city to benefit from the extra revenue, especially with the state cutting back.

City staff provided the task force members with three potential scenarios that would all raise the revenue required to balance the budget. Task force members discussed them all, but did not lean one way or the other toward accepting any of them. A salary freeze and other employee compensation changes are included in each option and are valued at $3.7 million. "We are not contributing to COLA anymore," said director of administrative services Ann Ritzma. "That is a cut. If the cost of vision or health care goes up, that's out of pocket. We cap vacation accruals. They are also contributing to their pensions."

Option A would also eliminate Public Works supervisory positions and increase business license fees, the fireworks tax and implement a towing fee increase. It would apply the temporary occupancy tax (TOT) to vacation rentals, update building permit fees and assess a winterization inspection fee. It calls for the establishment of the one-half-cent sales tax on the June ballot. That option raises $1,338,572.

Option B calls for all the same fee increases that are in Option A, but with the outsourcing of the police department instead of the tax. That option raises $1,782,499.

Option C calls for all the fees in options A and B, but no police outsourcing and no tax, and adds reducing staff for swim team, eliminating funding for the Resource Center, the Visitors Center and Pacifica Community Television. Library hours will be reduced. Staff level will be reduced in the police department. Fees will be increased for swimming, swim team and teen program fees. That option raises $788,018.

Marty Anaya, executive director of Pacifica Community Television, faced with the possibility of losing city funding, asked the city manager to tell him how much revenue Pacifica receives from the cable company and to determine how much would be lost if subscribers are lost due to the cut.

Susan Vellone, representing the Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber is engaged in a campaign to bring more visitors to Pacifica, which is expected to generate additional revenue. City Manager Steve Rhodes said sales tax is up in Pacifica, in part due to the new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market and Walgreens.

The economic development committee continues to meet to come up with ideas, but the next big revenue generator, the Beach Blvd. development, is not expected to be ready until 2016. Any development that could possibly be generated in the Quarry would not be done until 2018, task force member and economic development committee member Sue Vaterlaus said.

Task force members asked city staff to get as much information as possible about how much the county sheriff's office would cost long term to run police services for Pacifica. Representatives from the employee unions expressed their concerns. In the event the county sheriff's office takes over police services, other cities have written into their contracts a guarantee that all employees be hired into the new operation, said union representative Peter Finn. Police evidence technician Melissa Mondragon asked if the city intends to ask the sheriff to absorb all sworn and non-sworn personnel. "Three of our former dispatchers are currently unemployed. We don't want to take any more hits," she said. "We support the half-cent sales tax to protect all the valuable services," said Police Chief Jim Tasa. As the discussion ensued about using the extra sales tax revenue specifically to protect police services, Rhodes said that would change it to a measure requiring a two-thirds majority required to pass. "Also, the state may take something else away between now and then," he said. "There are lots of ways to achieve the goal of hiring everyone, but that will impact our price."

Financing City Services Taskforce Minutes, 2/1/12,  follow-up to the Financing city services Open House, 1/11/12.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Financing city services reviews highest county salaries, part 2 of 2

Part 2 of the financing city services article is  comparative review of highest paid San Mateo county salaries.  Salaries are expressed monthly, so do the math x 12 for these annual salaries.  Does such a "highest paid" city to city comparison within a county mean much of anything?  I don't think so, because city size, conditions, relative general staff cost, etc. are not taken into consideration. 

Deserves the Red Herring award?

Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 2/8/12. "Financing City Services Task Force ponders sunset clause for sales tax increase; reviews county salaries." "How Pacifica salaries stack up to other San Mateo county cities."

Director of Administrative Services Ann Ritzma gave the task force members information about selected jobs in Pacifica and their rate of pay here and in other cities in San Mateo County. She provided data for City Manager, Finance Director/Administrative Services Director, police officer, fire captain, community development director/planning director, maintenance worker and public works director.

The highest paid city manager is Hillsborough/$27,462 per month, followed by Daly City/$27,318, South San Francisco/$26,172, Belmont/$25,561, San Mateo/$24,975, Redwood City/$24,902, Menlo Park/$24,655, Foster City/$23,551, Brisbane/$23,185, Burlingame/$23,100, San Carlos/$22,642, San Bruno/$22,412, Colma/$21,945, Pacifica/$21,288, Half Moon Bay/$20,973, Millbrae/$20,271 and Atherton/$19,561.

The highest paid director of administrative services in the county is Redwood City/$22,566, Hillsborough/$21,760, South San Francisco/$21,700, San Mateo/$20,703, Daly City/$20,686, Menlo Park/$20,607, Atherton/$19,951, San Carlos/$19,773, Millbrae/$19,700, Foster City/$19,268, Brisbane/$19,120, Burlingame/$18,879, Pacifica/$18,836, Belmont/$18,245, San Bruno/$18,157.

The highest paid police officer is in Redwood City earning $16,040 per month, followed by Colma/$14,899, Atherton/$14,794, . Menlo Park/$14,731, San Mateo/$14,551, Belmont/$14,214, South San Francisco/$13,892, Hillsborough/$13,852, Foster City/$13,651, San Bruno/$13,531, Pacifica/$12,689, Daly City/$12,568, Brisbane/$12,515, Burlingame/$12,468, Millbrae/$11,920.

The highest paid fire captain is in South San Francisco earning $16,512 per month, followed by Redwood City/$16,484, Foster City/$15,745, San Mateo/$15,672, San Bruno/$15,525, Menlo Park/$14,455, Daly City/$14,059, Pacifica/$13,958, Brisbane/$13,402, Millbrae/$12,699 and San Carlos/$12,196.

The highest paid community development director/planning director is in Redwood City/$22,243, Daly City/$20,490, Hillsborough/$20,498, Menlo Park/$19,978, Millbrae/$19,700, Foster City/$19,571, San Carlos/$19,410, Pacifica/$19,386, Atherton/$19,002, Brisbane/$18,566, San Bruno/$18,157, Burlingame/$18,115, Belmont/$17,967, Half Moon Bay/$15,468.

The highest paid maintenance worker is in Colma/$10,093, South San Francisco/$8,429, San Carlos/$8,110, Foster City/$8,068, San Mateo/$7,844, Brisbane/$7,723, Daly City/$7,647, Redwood City/$7,577, Atherton/$7,488, Belmont/$7,359, Menlo Park/$7,254, Pacifica/$7,234, San Bruno/$6,845, Millbrae/$6,567.

The highest paid public works director is in Hillsborough/$22,921, Redwood City/$22,245, South San Francisco/$21,377, San Carlos/$21,304, San Mateo/$20,703, Daly City/$20,490, Menlo Park/$20,450, Atherton/$20,352, Millbrae/$19,700, Brisbane/$19,612, Pacifica/$19,577, Foster City/$19,571, San Bruno/$19,225, Belmont/$18,769."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Transportation money, HR-7. Your easy action is needed.

Phone call from Barbara a few minutes ago saying this is NOT a good bill.  And we should oppose it, because it will eliminated public funding for transportation.  Ouch!

Home again on a good highway

I have revised the article. And if you have sent Jackie Speier an email, consider sending another saying you support public funding of transportation, and therefore are against HR-7.  Sorry for the confusion, I must have missed the NOT in the cell phone conversation, and the follow-up title wording of the bill seems misleading. 

Congressional bill HR-7 is coming-up for vote next Tuesday, February 14th.  HR-7  is the "American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012". And, the official title as introduced is:  "To authorize funds for Federal-aid highway, public transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs, and for other purposes."  Guess not!   This bill affects monies our county and city receives from the Federal Government. 

Please take a few minutes to complete the following e-mail form to support Jackie Speier in her effort to represent all of us.

Step 1.  The website email form link.
Step 2.  Who are you?  Your name, address, telephone, email.
Step 3.  Choose the issue:  "Transportation".
Step 4.  Would you like a written response?  "Yes" or "No".  The default listed below is "No".
Step 5.  Message:  Easy suggestions: 
               1) short version:  Please DO NOT support HR-7, Tuesday, 2/14/12.
               2) Long version:  I'm for publicly funded transportation.  For the benefit of our county and city, please DO NOT support the HR-7 vote Tuesday, 2/14/12. 
Step 6.  Click the submit box. That's it, done.  The form email form will acknowledge the message was sent and has been received.

References:  
HR-7 Congressional Bill, and Congressional Budget Office.
Request for action from Barbara Arietta, San Mateo County Transportation Authority/Citizens Advisory Committee (SMCTA/CAC).

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Proposed desalination projects opposed by environmentalists

Not enough rain this year, more than we needed last year.  Population growing outside Pacifica.. Sea level rising.  Where will we get our water?  Part of the answer may be advanced desalination. Desalination  is currently used in dry areas of the United States and in other countries where water is scarce.  

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 2/4/12. "Among many challenges facing the controversial Redwood City Saltworks project, securing water for a community that may have as many as 12,000 homes is high on the list. DMB Pacific Ventures, a new company owned by Arizona-based DMB Associates that wants to develop Saltworks on Cargill's salt flats, has promised not to tap into Redwood City's limited water supply to hydrate the massive 1,436-acre project, which also would include office buildings, stores, schools, playing fields and restored marshlands.

Until recently, DMB has been focusing on a complex maneuver to transfer the rights to 2.7 billion gallons of water a year purchased from a Bakersfield farming collective to a Bay Area water agency for delivery. While the transfer strategy is still "on the table," the company also is examining whether delivering ocean or bay water stripped of salt and other minerals is feasible, said David Smith, DMB Associates' senior vice president. That process is known as desalination. "We're looking at the full universe of options," Smith told The Daily News on Friday.

Desalination eats fishes, solve that.

Although many water agencies and cities are studying desalination as a possible answer to water shortages, Smith acknowledged it's a complicated route. In the North Bay, a proposed desalination plant in San Rafael was successfully challenged in court by environmentalists and others concerned that its potential impact on marine habitat wasn't fully studied.  The Marin Municipal Water District recently appealed the court's ruling that the environmental impact report was inadequate. "And while the city of Santa Cruz is currently doing an environmental study for a desalination plan, opponents are gathering petition signatures to put the project before voters for approval.

Rich Mills, a water use and efficiency expert with the California Department of Water Resources, said environmental concerns about desalination are legitimate, such as the potential for fish and other marine life to be sucked into treatment plants. But desalination is being considered out of necessity, he added. "As the demands for water continue to increase and the development of new water supplies becomes more difficult, we're having to research all alternatives -- conservation, water recycling of municipal waste water, desalination and urban storm water runover recovery and use," Mills said. "These are kind of the less-than-mainstream water resources that are being looked at more carefully now."

A DMB-funded consultant hired by Redwood City to do an environmental study of the Saltworks project began investigating desalination as a feasible option last June, said Blake Lyon, the city's senior planner. Questions such as where a plant would go, how big it might be and whether it should provide water only for Saltworks still have to be answered, he said. "There's also a lot of work that needs to be done on the environmental implications, whether there's political support for it, and the funding aspects," Lyon said. But the research was temporarily shelved in November when DMB Associates asked for a timeout while the developer reviews the most recent round of public comments and possibly revises the project. Smith said the company intends to present a revised plan by "early 2012."

Josh Sonnenfeld, a campaign manager with Oakland-based Save the Bay, said DMB's struggles to secure water for the large-scale community prove the project is impractical. "There's also enormous numbers of questions we have about desalination, the impacts on the bay, the potential costs to residents and the energy it needs." The nonprofit has vigorously opposed the Saltworks development plan and advocated for restoration of the area's natural habitat"  Really, no solution is better?

References: 

Southern California pilot project eco-article, Natural Resources News Service/David Rosenfeld, 1/4/12.

World view. Expensive, but used to off-set critical water shortage, Wikipedia.

"Provide access to clean water" article, National Academy of Engineering.

Posted by Kathy Meeh