Linda Mar high speed chase - suspect apprehended 3 weeks later

Living on the wrong side of the law is a sad story for a man and his family.  Be sure to read the article details on this one.  Also some of you may know "AJ".

Remember the high-speed chase in Linda Mar, about 3:32 am a few weeks back?  The police got their man, and Camden reported the story both times. 

Caught! 

The update, police got their man, multiple charges, 4/17/12.  Paciftica Patch/Camden Swita, 4/17/12.  "SWAT Team Searches Linda Mar Home, Police Arrest Man for Gunshot."  The Pacifica Police Department and Daly City SWAT Team served a search warrant at a residence on Linda Mar Boulevard Thursday.  The search was part of the ongoing investigation...an arrest warrant was obtained for 39-year-old Arthur “AJ” Armstrong..."  Read Article.

The high-speed chase happened about 3:32 am, March 26th. Pacifica Patch/Camden Swita, 3/26/12. "Suspect at large after high-speed chase, gunshots in Linda Mar." "Police gave chase early Friday morning to a man driving a gray Ford Mustang who, after crashing the vehicle into a parked car, fled on foot and may have fired two rounds out of a gun in a back yard before escaping." Read Article.


Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City Councilmember Kim Kardashian, why not?

"I can fix your city."

Why not make Pacifica your hometown Kim?  At least we know you're not an anti-wealth, anti-development environmentalist. 

Los Angeles Times?Paul Thornton, 4/17/12. "Kim Kardashian, mayor of Glendale? Yes, but..."

"The Jewel City may finally get some glitz. Kim Kardashian, famous for whatever it is she does, evidently has her eyes set on the top political post in my hometown, Glendale. Five years from now, she hopes to run for mayor.

Alas, it's impossible for Kardashian to run for mayor of Glendale -- because Glendale doesn't elect a mayor. Its five council members, all of whom serve at-large, each year select one of their colleagues to serve in the city’s top post. So endearing herself to Glendale voters presents only the first hurdle to anyone who hopes to launch her political career in the city."  Read Article.

Reference -  Biography

Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Rotary Plaza Fundraiser

Submitted by Susan Vellone

Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza primed to grow up

John King

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

From the day it opened in 1951, Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza has embodied the evolving landscape of Bay Area suburbs.

It debuted as middle-class shops along new streets, parking lots on all sides. By middle age there were garages and a stylish Nordstrom. Now there's a glistening white Neiman Marcus and a proposed makeover that would make room for not only new shops, but also 200 apartments or condominiums.

The specifics vary across the region, but the punch line is the same. Even as advocates and naysayers quibble about whether suburbs should grow up as well as out, cultural pressures are priming the pump. More people seek urban life but not necessarily the rough edges of a San Francisco or Oakland. Well-located suburbs open to change are poised to see the result.

In Walnut Creek, part of the appeal of this city at the historic crossroads of Contra Costa County is that it took shape before suburbanization became a predictable march of self-contained subdivisions and malls. Downtown is a lazy grid alongside ridges that step up to Mount Diablo; on the perimeter, multifamily housing dating back to the 1970s is shrouded in trees.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/16/BA871O2L7Q.DTL#ixzz1sNBVQpBP

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Lobbied from "Save the Bay" - anything but development "we're for it"

More people moving into the Bay Area need centralized housing, with rail transportation to jobs.

Hypnotised yet?  Just say no to progress. "You will not like the Redwood City Saltworks mixed-use, transit hub project." 

The following email from Save the Bay was sent to me directly, copied to Fix Pacifica. The email includes a link to our blog article re-post, Redwood City Saltworks vs. "kill the project" environmentalists  (Palo Alto Daily News, 4/12/12).

No surprise,  Save the Bay is working against against the proposed Redwood City Saltworks development, a transit hub project including 50% mixed-use, and 50% open space. You may want to view the Saltworks link, and their 5-7 minute information video.  

Public legal information indicates emails are not copyrighted and have less protection than uncopyrighted Letters, so I am sharing this gently pressured "we know who you are" email with you. Environmental organizations and their members seem to share information and work well together. We could all learn from that example.  By working together, we could better protect our community from the umbalanced outcomes of environment first (maybe), humans last (always), however well-intentioned.  

The email (below)
-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Save The Bay
Date:	Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:24:46 -0700
From:	Stephen Knight

Dear Kathy – I saw your blog on the Cargill project story from last week, with the images from the developer.

http://fixpacifica.blogspot.com/2012/04/redwood-city-saltworks-vs-kill-project.html

If you need them in future, we’d be glad to help point you to some other images, such as this one. The SF Chronicle and SJ Mercury News points of view are attached. 

Thank you.-- Stephen Knight, Political Director, Save The Bay, sknight@saveSFbay.org | 510.463-6812 | @saveSFbay. Sip wine and save the Bay at the Uncorked Wine Festival!

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Housing rental market is scarce and expensive in San Jose area

Silicon Valley Mercury News/Pete Carey, 4/16/12  "Bay Area Renters Squeezed in Tight Market."

Guess I can afford to live Pacifica and commute

 

A surge of tech hiring and the aftereffects of the housing crash are filling up apartments in Silicon Valley and pushing renters toward the East Bay, where rents also are rising and vacancies dropping, according to a new housing report.  

Natalie Gonzales has been looking for an apartment or home to rent in the East Bay for six months, and she's ready to give up and stay put in Pacifica. 

"I feel like it's impossible to find a decent place for a good price," she said.   Read article.

Reference -  Silcon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 1/6/11. "San Jose seen as #1 US rental market." "The stage is set for a big bounce in rental pricing during 2011, according to a report Thursday, with San Jose pegged as the top market."  Read article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

COURT HEARING ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTIONS IN SHARP PARK GOLF CASE SET FOR APRIL 20

235 Montgomery St., #400, San Francisco, CA. 94104 * 415-290-5718 * info@sfpublicgolf.com

April 16, 2012

Federal Court Judge Susan Illston will hear oral arguments Friday, April 20 in Federal District Court in San Francisco, on cross-motions for summary judgment brought by the City and County of San Francisco and golf advocates, on one hand, and conservation organizations on the other hand, concerning the future of the 80-year-old Sharp Park municipal golf course.

Built by the legendary golf architect Alister MacKenzie and opened in 1932, Sharp Park is owned by San Francisco, but located in the San Mateo County beachside suburb of Pacifica.

Conservationist groups, led by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club, are seeking summary judgment that golf and maintenance operations at the historic course, are illegally killing legally-protected frogs. Lawyers for City and County of San Francisco and for the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance deny the plaintiffs’ claims, and have filed their own cross-motions for summary judgment. Judge Illston in November, 2011 denied the conservation groups’ motion for a preliminary injunction that would have closed the golf course; among other things, the judge found that the population of California red-legged frogs at the golf course has actually increased over the past 20 years. In view of that finding, the lawyers for the City and the Public Golf Alliance are now arguing that the plaintiffs lack “standing” to bring suit to close the course.

Oral arguments will be conducted in Judge Illston’s courtroom, beginning at 9:00 a.m. in Department 10 of the United States District Court, Northern District of California, located at 450 Golden Gate Ave., Floor 19, San Francisco.

CONTACT: BO LINKS, 415-393-8099, bo@slotelaw.com 

Submitted by Richard Harris


* Blogmaster's note: Here's a little more info from Patch. 
 

 

Letters to the Editor appear to be "fair game" unless copyrighted

Question:   Are Letters to the Editor copyrighted by the newspaper that reproduces them?  Short answer looks like no, and "fair use" rules therefore would not apply unless copyrighted by the author.

I took the whole thing!

Pacifica Tribune, Letters to the Editor and Op-Ed Policy, 11/18/2010. "The opinions and "factual assertions" expressed by columnists & letter writers are theirs alone and not those of the Pacifica Tribune." Read more.

Compare to somewhat less clear (but still clear enough) Silicon Valley Mercury News.   The "Mercury News reserves the right to publish and republish your submission in any form or medium."  Read More. Otherwise, Mercury News Copyright disclosure.

It appears that Letters to the Editor  and Op-Ed articles are not considered copyrighted unless the author holds their own copyright.  I see nothing to the contrary. 

Definition of Op-Ed: "a newspaper page devoted to signed articles by commentators, essayists, humorists, etc., of varying viewpoints".

General Letter information 

Nolo's Intellectual Property Blog, 11/11/09, Letters to the Editor, who owns the Rights?

Rights of Writers, 2/4/11, see Letters-to-the-Editor, #15, and general credit, #16

The Economist, 2011, Letter if copyrighted cannot be reproduced without permission.
Nolo's Fair Use Rule of Copyrighted Material.

US Copyright registration made easy,  and common questions about Copyrighting, Legal Zoom
US Government Copyright Fair Use, 11/09, and  US Government, copyright questions related to filing.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Pacifica Coast Dream Machines April 28-29, 2012, 10AM-4PM, Half Moon Bay Airport

http://www.miramarevents.com/dreammachines/



Submitted by Jim Wagner

Seton Coastside reopens following their hospital flu epidemic

Over 2 weeks 35 live-in Seton Coastside patients contracted the flu, 3 died. 10 staff employees also had the flu.  First case March 16, last case March 30. 

"Not many people die after reaching age 100."

Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 4/12/12. Moss Beach -- "Flu outbreak kills 3 at Seton Coastside, common virus ravages elderly vaccinated patients."  ...“The body doesn’t have as good of an immune response at that age,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, county public health officer. “Even when you give a flu vaccine to someone over the age of 65, they have only a 30 to 50 percent efficacy.” The first case of influenza showed up at Seton on March 16, and the virus continued to spread over the following two weeks. ....Seton officials have received approval this week to fully re-open as normal."   Read more.

Statement by Seton Coastside DCHS Staff, 4/11/12.  "Flu Outbreak Information". "We at Seton Medical Center Coastside want to assure our community that their safety is our priority. We have taken precautionary measures to prevent further spreading of the virus, such as administering anti-viral drugs, actively surveying our patients multiple times a day, limiting visitors and temporarily suspending admitting new residents to our Skilled Nursing Unit. 

The only people affected by the flu were live-in patients (residents) and hospital staff; there was no threat to outpatients in the Seton Coastside emergency department. “Our highest priority is always to ensure our patients receive the safe, high-quality, compassionate care for which Seton Coastside is known,” said Seton Interim CEO Jim Schuessler.  Read more.

Reference - Seton Coastside medical facility.  Recent view of Seton Coastside article - Coast View magazine/Cheryl Sinclair and Mary E. Knippe1, 4/12.

Posted by Kathy Meeh 

New downtown plan for Menlo Park - 9 weeks fast track approval

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 4/14/12. "Menlo Park releases memos explaining how downtown plan to be unveiled Thursday was shaped."

  El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan

"Nearly five years in the making, a plan that will guide the future design and construction of Menlo Park's downtown and El Camino Real corridor will be released next week and put on a nine-week fast track for approval. 

 ..."People are so tired of the empty lots on El Camino Real," Keith said.

...The El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan is scheduled to go to the planning commission on April 30 for review."  Read more.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Parks, Beaches and Recreation Dept. - Sign up for Adventure Camp - Early Bird Discount Ends April 18

Parks, Beaches and Recreation, City of Pacifica
Summer Registration Reminder 2012
Summer registration for classes and camps starts Wednesday, April 18!
Adventure Camp prices go up on April 18! Sign up now to get the discount!
Summer swim registration begins May 29 but you can sign up now for Wet and Wild Water Camp!

Three places to sign up:
1. online at http://activenet.active.com/Pacifica

2. come into the Parks, Beaches and Recreation office at 1810 Francisco Blvd. The office hours are Monday-Thurs. 8:30am to 5pm, Wednesday nights until 7:30pm and Friday 8:30am to 1:30pm. Please note we are closed from 12:30 - 1:30, Mon-Thurs.

3. Sign up at the Brink Pool, 401 Paloma during swim hours. Call the pool at 650-738-7460.

Check out all of our classes at the above website. You can also view a copy of the current PLAY activities guide at that website.

Also, don't miss the City of Pacifica's website for current events. Check it out at: www.cityofpacifica.org/events

As always, if you have any questions, call Parks, Beaches and Recreation at 650-738-7381.

Thank you,
Parks, Beaches and Recreation Staff

Posted by Steve Sinai

Shovel Ready in San Fran: $205,075 to ‘Translocate’ One Shrub from Path of Stimulus Project

By Thomas Cloud

April 12, 2012

(CNSNews.com) -- The government spent at least $205,075 in 2010 to “translocate” a single bush in San Francisco that stood in the path of a $1.045-billion highway-renovation project that was partially funded by the economic stimulus legislation President Barack Obama signed in 2009.

“In October 2009, an ecologist identified a plant growing in a concrete-bound median strip along Doyle Drive in the Presidio as Arctostaphylos franciscana,” the U.S. Department of Interior reported in the Aug. 10, 2010 edition of the Federal Register. “The plant’s location was directly in the footprint of a roadway improvement project designed to upgrade the seismic and structural integrity of the south access to the Golden Gate Bridge.

“The translocation of the Arctostaphylos franciscana plant to an active native plant management area of the Presidio was accomplished, apparently successfully and according to plan, on January 23, 2010,” the Interior Department reported.

The bush—a Franciscan manzanita—was a specimen of a commercially cultivated species of shrub that can be purchased from nurseries for as little as $15.98 per plant. The particular plant in question, however, was discovered in the midst of the City of San Francisco, in the median strip of a highway, and was deemed to be the last example of the species in the “wild.”

Read more...

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Brisbane Elementary School tax passes

Another Elementary School tax passes barely.  Cities seem to understand additional funding is needed.

San Mateo Times/Aaron Kenney, 4/13/12.  "Measure Q passes after all."

"Teachers and administrators throughout the Brisbane School District had hop in their step Friday morning after Measure Q, a parcel tax that will save as many as 11 jobs, eked out a come-from-behind victory Thursday afternoon.

Happy 6th graders:  another day at the "salt mines"

"People are floating a little bit today," said Jolene Heckerman, principal of Lipman Middle School. "A lot of smiles around campus." The $156-per-parcel tax had received 65.7 percentof the votes counted in final election night returns Tuesday, just short of the two-thirds threshold for a tax measure. But on Thursday the county Elections Office released the tally of more than a hundred mail ballots that were turned in at voting precincts, bumping the total to 67.5 percent. "We were on the edge of our seats," Heckerman said. "It would have been nice if it was a clear victory, so we didn't have to worry, but in the end the voters came through for the school district." 

Measure Q will raise roughly $500,000 a year to maintain staff and programs. Eleven district employees, including eight teachers, received pink slips in March. Their jobs are now likely safe, though a decision on their fates will be up to the board of trustees."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

After the crash, pulling the plug on inept leadership

Borowitz Report, 4/14/12.  "North Korea Expelled from Axis of Evil"

Man, that didn't work!

"Just hours after an embarrassing launch of a rocket that crashed to the ground in a little over a minute, North Korea suffered another blow to its prestige as it was expelled from the Axis of Evil.The decision was announced by the presiding Chairman of the Axis of Evil, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cited as the reason for the expulsion North Korea’s evident “lack of evil.”

“There are a lot of evil countries out there, Iran for one, who are trying to terrify the world by developing nuclear weapons,” he said.  “When North Korea launches a so-called ‘rocket’ and it goes about twenty feet before blowing up, that just makes it harder for the rest of us.”
 
A spokesman for the erstwhile evil nation objected strongly to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statement, saying it was  “totally unfair to judge how evil a country is based on one crappy rocket.” For a rogue nation that prides itself on threatening the world community, membership in the Axis of Evil is considered essential, which makes North Korea’s expulsion from the group a particularly damaging setback.

You're out, idiot boy.

“The rocket thing is hurting our credibility, evil-wise, no question about it,” one aide to North Korean President Kim Jong-un said today.  “This afternoon we tried to threaten Japan and it went straight to voicemail.” In a possible sign of newly reduced ambitions, North Korea today hurled a roll of toilet paper over the border at South Korea.  Mr. Ahmadinejad offered no comment about the latest incident on the Korean Peninsula, other than to say, “Really, the whole thing is kind of sad.”

 Alternative account - BBC News/Jonathan Amos, 4/13/12.  "North Korea rocket launch fails." Statue of Kim-Jong-il-sung unvailed and did not blow up.

Note:  the article is a "moral to the story" spoof, and the articles and pictures are ripped-off from public domain.

 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City financial crisis, a necessary fix: wages and benefits

The following article was submitted to the Pacifica Tribune as a Letter-to-the-Editor.  It was submitted last week and the week prior. It was not publish, and there was no return explanation.  We are posting the Letter here as an article. 3rd submission, Pacifica Tribune published this Letter 3/18/12.  

The city is broke thanks to long term city council management

First, I would like to say that I have a deep respect for all City of Pacifica workers, especially Police and Fire. It's not their fault that during the boon years our city officials allowed wages and benefits to rise so much. With our city in a extremely serious financial crisis and possibly facing bankruptcy I'm sure we are planning on some very tough negotiating with all unions including the Police and Fire union contracts going on right now.  

In these hard times more and more cites are imposing 10% + wage cuts on union contracts. These are actual wage cuts, not juggling around money like we did last year.  Stockton, Fresno and San Jose have imposed 9-10% wage cuts when union negotiations broke down. Bakersfield, Merced, Lincoln, Hercules and Half Moon Bay are considering bankruptcy. El Segundo, Costa Mesa, and Monterey Park are considering similar moves. And the list goes on and on. 

The labor board has ruled it legal to impose wage and benefit cuts if the city reaches an impasse with the unions. But the unions are not going to volunteer to make cuts. We have to be tough and demand big cuts.

Union contracts, wages, benefits

Out of balance wages and benefits are the main things causing our financial crisis. Our solution isn't Police outsourcing or increasing taxes or cutting programs for the poor and seniors. Our problem is unrealistic strangling union contracts. Pacifica must drastically reduce these contracts or face certain bankruptcy. This includes dealing with the over 20 million and growing owed to Calpers for pensions. We can no longer afford union contracts that give wages and benefits that very few Pacificans' get themselves.

The time is now. We are in a position of power. No other cities are hiring and they're all cutting jobs, wages and benefits or planning to cut very soon. If the unions don't agree then we need to impose at least 10% in actual wage cuts this year and additional cuts in benefits. Better yet a 1% cut for every $10K in income would be more fair to our lower income employees while substantially cutting employees making 100K and more.

Submitted by Robert Hutchinson

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Focus on structural solutions for Pacifica and today and tomorrow, om...

Sure we can work together.  Elect a pro-economy city council with "guts".

Pacifica Tribune, Letters-to-the-Editor, 4/11/12 "Can we work together?" by BJ Nathanson

"Editor: First, I want to congratulate all regarding our interim Council. We were in an unusual emergency situation, and I think the most reasonable choices were made. As to the issue of not having elected Ms. Jaquith, may I remind you that this is for six months only, and that without her, a lot of business is going to be delayed, to everyone's detriment.

"Broke and stupid, can you hear me now?"

It wouldn't surprise me to find out that just as many people would oppose spending thousands of dollars that we don't have in order to call a special election in June, which would still result in several months of delay. Ms. Jaquith has been on the Council, she has been Mayor, and she has been active in a variety of community groups in this city for many years. I can't think of a better candidate, and I am thankful that she was willing to take this on.

Next, I'd like to address the apparent long-standing nature of politics here (as in many other places). It is adversarial; it can include name-calling, and a lot of complaining. One definition of being crazy is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.

I'd like to present a challenge to all of us Pacificans -- ALL of us. Can we for six months agree to share our ideas constructively, and leave the blame-pointing aside? Just for six months. What do you imagine might come of that? We have got to fix this town together. We can't be enemies; we must be willing to work with each other in order to move forward. What is the problem with that?  Well, I can dream."

Reference - "Om" definition. Merriam-Webster, or  About.com"Yoga".

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Redwood City Saltworks vs. "Kill the project" environmentalists

Redwood City city council under pressure, but Saltworks should do an environmental review.

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 4/12/12.  "Redwood City considers putting Saltworks on November ballot."

"After insisting for more than a year that an environmental review of the controversial Redwood City Saltworks project should run its course before any decisions are made, Redwood City council members may put a measure on the November ballot seeking voters' advice on whether to proceed after all.

The stunning turn of events was triggered by Council Member Rosanne Foust, who near the end of the council's meeting Monday night delivered an impassioned nine-minute speech on the project, which envisions as many as 12,000 homes, several office buildings, schools, play fields and restored wetlands on the Cargill salt flats along San Francisco Bay.  Noting that the council was being "dinged" by the public at every step, Foust said the project is dividing the community and overshadowing every other city effort. A vote to show whether the public is "supportive of any development on that property or whether they're not" would help the council determine whether it's worth the time and money to continue, she said.

Views of the transit hub development concept

In a phone interview Wednesday night, Foust said council members have been either accused of not having the backbone to ignore public criticism and stay the course or ripped by those "who say we're crooks and in the pockets of the developers."  "All of that is so far from the truth," said Foust, who has been advised against voting on the Saltworks project by the California Fair Political Practices Commission because she is president of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association, which has endorsed it.

..Current view - it floods here.....

One potential snag to placing an advisory measure on the ballot is the city's lack of an updated description of what the developer DMB Pacific Ventures proposes to build on the 1,400-acre site. In November, the company withdrew its initial proposal so it can make revisions based in part on public feedback. DMB spokesman Jay Reed said the company doesn't have a timeline for releasing a reworked proposal. He declined to speculate on the implications of voters advising the council to proceed with the project or drop it. 

Amy Ricard, a spokeswoman for Save The Bay, which has long opposed the Saltworks project, said it is "premature" for the organization to comment on the possibility of an advisory vote. Redwood City Manager Robert Bell said he expects the council to decide next month whether to place a Saltworks measure on the November election ballot. In a written statement released by the city Wednesday, Mayor Alicia Aguirre called Saltworks an "unprecendented project" for Redwood City. "Prior to re-engaging in that process, the city council may want to consider whether the revised project is of interest to the community and worthy of further exploration and analysis," Aguirre said."

Reference -  Redwood City Saltworks, a transit hub community with 50% open space, includes a 5 minute concept video.  Related story - Redwood City Patch/Jay Reed (DBM Associates),6/25/11.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Reminder City Budget Meeting tonight 6pm, Wednesday April 11, 2012

Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor.  Or, view on local channel 26, also live feed internet www.pct26.com.  The meeting begins at 6 pm. Yes that's right 6pm.  This is a 1x "all departments" fiscal year 2012-13 General Fund city meeting. General Fund Budget, 63 pages.  Link to original article General Fund Budget meeting, 4/11/12. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Lucasfilm has had enough of Marin County

Oakland Tribune/Nels Johnson/Marin Indedpedent Journal, 4/11/12.  "George Lucas stuns Marin, pulls plug on movie studio project." "

Lucasfilm pulled the plug on its bid to develop the old Grady Ranch on Tuesday, citing bitter opposition from neighbors and regulatory delays, and said it intends to sell the land for a low-income subdivision development. Saying it was withdrawing the project "with great sadness," Lucasfilm added it will build the production studio facilities it needs elsewhere.

Skywalker Ranch, Marin County

The stunning move cheered project foes who called the ranch site near their homes the wrong place for a film production studio with a footprint the size of two football fields. But county officials and business interests were devastated, noting the project promised to energize the Marin economy, providing millions in revenue and hundreds of jobs.

"We have several opportunities to build the production stages in communities that see us as a creative asset, not as an evil empire, and if we are to stay on schedule we must act on those opportunities," Lucasfilm said it a statement headlined, "Lucasfilm pulls building plans out of Marin."

"The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors," the firm owned by billionaire filmmaker George Lucas added. "We love working and living in Marin, but the residents of Lucas Valley have fought this project for 25 years, and enough is enough," Lucasfilm said. "Marin is a bedroom community and is committed to building subdivisions, not business. Many years ago, we tried to stop the Lucas Valley Estates project from being built, but we failed, and we now have a subdivision on our doorstep."

"Hey George, wanna buy a quarry?"

Lucas Valley Estates neighbors were the most vocal opponents of the Lucas project. Lucasfilm said that after years of delays and "no end in sight," the firm plans to build the production studios it needs elsewhere -- and put the Grady Ranch up for sale to developers. Some 232 homes were proposed for the property in 1974, but Lucas blocked residential development when he bought the land. "We plan to sell the Grady property, expecting that the land will revert back to its original use for residential housing," Lucasfilm said. "We hope we will be able to find a developer who will be interested in low-income housing since it is scarce in Marin. If everyone feels that housing is less impactful on the land, then we are hoping that people who need it the most will benefit."

County supervisors approved a master plan for a bigger Lucas project at the Grady Ranch 16 years ago, but it never was built. Revisions to the master plan that reduced the project's impact on the environment were unanimously approved by county planners, but approval by county supervisors was delayed last month following last-minute concerns by state and federal regulatory agencies about the filmmaker's plan for a $50 million to $70 million creek restoration project. Project boosters noted the project's demise was a multimillion dollar blow to Marin's economy and scuttles the prospect of 700 jobs during construction alone, as well as several hundred more high-paying film industry jobs.Read more.

Reference - Lucasfilm, LTD, Related article - Los Angeles Times. Television report - CBS San Francisco, 4/10/12 includes embedded video, 2:19 minutes.

Submitted by Jim Alex

Posted by Kathy Meeh

United Nations Agenda 21 "Sustainable Development" program

Agenda 21, "sustainable development" is defined by the United Nations with goals as follows: "1) Integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in policy-making at international, regional and national levels; 2) Wide-spread adoption of an integrated, cross-sectoral and broadly participatory approach to sustainable development; 3) Measurable progress in the implementation of the goals and targets of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

The accountable multi-year work program. Issues: Poverty eradication, Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development, Sustainable development in a globalizing world, Health and sustainable development, Sustainable development of SIDS, Sustainable development for Africa, Other regional initiatives, Means of implementation, Institutional framework for sustainable development, Gender equality, and Education."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

East Palo Alto adds needed parkland

From the city with too much parkland to East Palo Alto:  "Add the shuttle, and you'll be almost as cool as Pacifica."

Palo Alto Daily News/Bonnie Eslinger, 4/10/12.

 

Cooley Landing Project

"A $5 million state grant will enable East Palo Alto to cover the last phases of Cooley Landing's transformation into a park. "The focus now changes from additional fundraising to execution," Cooley Landing Project Manager Shannon Alford said Monday. "You can only imagine how thrilled we are here at the city. It's not every day you get $5 million."   The state parks grant will cover half of the project's estimated $10 million cost. The rest is to be paid for by $500,000 in city money and a mix of federal, state, nonprofit and foundation funding.

Located at the end of Bay Road, Cooley Landing once was used as a dump site. Today, a $2 million cleanup of the area's toxic soil is almost complete and the city hopes to open its planned 9-acre park this summer.

"We will have picnic areas, a trail system with benches and places for quiet reflection, and a vehicle access roundabout," Alford said. "And we'll have nice native vegetation, drought-tolerant, throughout the park."
Future phases of the park project will involve vehicle access improvements, construction of an outdoor classroom, renovation of a former boathouse into a "nature and education facility" and additional trails with interpretive signs.

The state funding ensures that these elements of Cooley Landing will be completed, Alford said.
The funding was announced by the California Department of Parks and Recreation on March 26, and comes as part of a program to support the creation of new parks and recreation facilities in "critically underserved communities throughout California," according to the state's website.

In San Mateo County, East Palo Alto has the lowest ratio of municipal parks per capita among equally dense cities, with half an acre of parkland per 1,000 residents, according to city documents. The state's recommended standard is three acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Cooley Landing would increase the city's parkland by more than 50 percent. "I am especially looking forward to the new nature education building," East Palo Alto Mayor Laura Martinez said in a written statement. "Families and schoolchildren will benefit tremendously from this beautiful space right on the bay."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Earth Day in Pacifica, April 21, 2012

Pacifica Tribune/author unknown, 4/9/12. "Earth Day projects in Pacifica."

Green Sea Turtle

The Pacifica Beach Coalition invites you to lend a hand throughout Pacifica on Saturday, April 21, in honor of Earth Day. Teams of people and scores of volunteers will garden, plant trees, restore habitat, and pick up litter from Pacifica's beaches, bluffs, creeks, parking lots, streets, and schoolyards between 9 and 11:30 a.m. Individuals can choose from dozens of sites while groups small or large can register in advance and work together and adopt a "Hot Spot Project" in need. Go to www.pacificabeachcoalition.org to view all the locations. 

You can also be Turtley Cool and Take Action by joining us at Linda Mar Beach (south Parking lot) for our Earth Day Celebration! We'll have activities for the whole family, including live performances by Haunted By Heroes, Ian and the Humpbacks and Jim Ocean; featured speakers including Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, Dr Chris Pincetich, and Jackie Speier; and booths including Sea Turtle Restoration project, the Marine Mammal Center, and many more organizations; kids activities; and more. 

This year's Earth Day efforts will be dedicated to the magnificent sea turtle. These ancient sea dwellers have been around since before dinosaurs! Sadly, all seven species of sea turtle are now either critically endangered or threatened. Pollution and plastic debris in the ocean are among the top threats to sea turtles. Help us keep the ocean free of plastic debris this Earth Day by joining the cleanup efforts. Read more.

Related article -  National Geographic Daily News/John Roach, 4/6/10. "Sea Turtles Netted", with pictures. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh 

Humboldt county Lost Coast wilderness

Wishful community model no doubt for some Pacificans.

San Francisco Chronicle/Amy Barnes, 4/8/12. John McAbery carves out a life on the Lost Coast". 

Humboldt County -- Gretchen Bunker laughs from the backseat as the car bumps across a green stretch of windblown hillside. "You can park here. The sign says 'Road Ends,' but we like to say 'Continent Ends.' "
Bunker and her longtime partner, John McAbery, tumble from the car and eagerly collect their walking sticks. McAbery, 67, deftly maneuvers down the steep path leading to his beachfront cabin. He stops to scan the horizon for whale spouts. "This is what I have to look at every day. I've been looking at it for 34 years, and I'm not tired of it yet."

What a great place, no people!

A thick band of ocean and sky wraps around cliffs nearly a thousand feet high. The view extends from Cape Mendocino to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and east to miles of pastureland and wilderness.
Without power or phone, McAbery's cabin in rural Humboldt County rests on the largest stretch of undeveloped Pacific coastline in the continental United States. With the perfect combination of high tide and winter storm, the ocean sloshes under the floorboards and appears at his back door.

Putting his experience as a contractor to use, McAbery built the 288-square-foot cabin himself. "Originally there was a shearing shed here, which is where I lived when I first got here. Me and a million mice and my kids. I gathered all the materials for the cabin off the beach. Old barn, old corrals, poles that used to carry a telegraph line down to the lighthouse. I split all the shakes from logs off the beach. I did it all by hand, no power tools. It was quiet and I took my time and it was just me all alone and little by little I put all the pieces together."

Collecting trash from the beach is an important part of McAbery's daily ritual, "I keep it very clean. About a mile and a half of it on either side of my cabin is as spotless as any beach you'll see in the world." Immersed in his contented solitude, he plants hundreds of native trees each year, listens to NPR on his solar radio and reads lots of books. But mostly he carves. Read more.

Additional - Wikipedia. "Lost Coast", unpopulated rural coastal area off Highway 1 from Rockport to Ferndale,  100 mile "Tour of Humboldt County's Lost Coast, . Lost Coast adventure trip, 12/9/11 camping/ paddling trip video , 3:34 minutes, 


Posted by Kathy Meeh

Recycle Plastic Bags

Pacifica Tribune letters-to-the-editor, 4/3/12. "Plastic Bags" by Jennie Pitsch (San Bruno)

  "Only really dumb sea turtles eat plastic"

"Editor:  Plastic bags are great. Light weight to carry (important for seniors). Can be crunched up for your purse or pocket for use later. Can be recycled at grocery stores and senior centers. I bring my extras to the center. They use them when selling baked goods and when they have rummage sales.

I use them for selling at flea markets. I use them when I donate stuff. Plastic bags are great. Just because people are sloppy and make messes for everyone, we all shouldn't be punished by taking away what is so useful. Plastic bags are a most appreciative invention.

"Dang!"

New manufacturing of old useless bags is the key to a better environment. How come a new company isn't scooping up the freebies and making millions, or should I say, billions? I can' believe no one has ever thought about this."
  
Supporting article - Save The Plastic Bag.com says the above anti-plastic bag sea turtle photo is trickery.  And that the public is being mislead by the assertion that "..small plastics are the direct cause of mortality in sea turtles."

The larger view - Environmental Protection Agency. "Marine Debris Impacts", Conserve Turtles Organization, and Wiki Answers.

Massive problem for the Sea Turtles: Fisheries:  USA New York Times, 9/14/11, World  Discovery News.

Posted by Kathy Meeh