Morning News Round-Up -- 10.22.08

Supervisor Jerry Hill at it again. You'll remember Jerry Hill's dust-up with Kevin McCarthy, the guy that oversees the County's garbage contract. Now, Jerry Hill is asking County Treasurer Lee Buffington to explain how the county investment pool works (or doesn't work)...here is an idea for all you Watch Dog readers -- like Henry Paulson's repeated trips to Capitol Hill, why not have Buffington attend Board meetings of all the agencies that lost money. Not that the whole thing is Buffington's fault -- but transparency never hurt anyone.

Here is the latest (partial) update about which schools lost what in this fiasco.

Take a piece of advice...vote early (but not often). There are more voters now than there have ever been in San Mateo County -- 381,000, up from 368,410 four years ago. (Hint to campaigns: reach out to those 10,000+ new voters...they are going to vote this time)
For more information about all things San Mateo County and voting -- visit this blog.

Slumping home sales, dropping home prices. Money quote: "San Mateo County is just starting to feel the brunt of it..." Thank you Mr. Craighead, director of the San Mateo County Association of Realtors.

San Mateo Union High Schools are going green, not with envy, but with environmental upgrades. Thanks to voters passing Measure M, a $298 million bond in 2006.

Mr. South San Francisco, the late Joe Fernekes, is about to get a building named after him. Judging from this story, and word on the street, this is well-deserved.

The Daily Journal comes out with its endorsement for President. Obama. Surprised? My guess is that nobody is surprised. What is surprising, at least to Watch Dog, is that it sounds like Bill Clinton wrote it. It says really compelling things about McCain. It also says some compelling things about Obama -- but also uses the terms "lofty words," "cause for concern," and "much to learn about foreign policy." But it seems the Clinton/Obama rift is something that both families are joking about these days. If you have a moment, take a look at this. At the 1:45 mark they start making light of it all...




You remember this story about Palo Alto picking a new garbage company and the rate increase coming down the pike. Well, there is a healthy discussion of this matter happening on Palo Alto Online's comment section. It seems the folks on the comment section represent the anti-rate increase/anti-Council crowd.

Menlo Park approved the NorCal garbage contract -- with one dissenting vote. The saga continues...and continues...The MP City Council pushed off a decision on the new facility whose cost has "...ballooned from $41.5 million in April to $65.5 million..."

Burlingame History Museum opening at Caltrain station. For more information about the Burlingame Historical Society, visit here.

Coastside's Kings Mountain Elementary School is going solar -- 1.3-kilowatts to be specific.

You remember Watch Dog's complaint about Editors of papers not updating their blogs -- that means you Jay Thorwaldson...well, no such complaint from here to Clay Lembert, the Editor of the HMB Review. He calls out a school board candidate this week for some underhanded campaign tricks. If only Thorwaldson did the same kind of blogging, people might be interested.