Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.16.08: Jerry's Seat and Garbage...what else is new?...

The Jerry Hill Seat-Filling Party started yesterday and continues today. The pool of applicants is down to 10 (one guy dropped out). Carol Groom is still the favorite, but her and 9 others made their case yesterday to the Board of Supervisors who will decide what to do today. Will they choose an undemocratic, 2-year appointment that gives the appointee a Supervisorial seat for a decade or will they choose a special election that costs $1.6 million but proves that we live a democracy? Watch Dog has a view on this...can you tell what it is?

Garbage. Enough said...well, not really. It was Burlingame's turn last night to blast/distrust the SBWMA, the joint powers authority that handles the County's garbage contracts. Burlingame was slated to review the proposed new contract, but instead questioned the SBWMA's actual operating budget (up $1.2 million in 2 years), the cost of the proposed contract (the recommended vendor came in above the incumbent), and if a $64 million renovation to the recycling center was necessary (some believe $20 million would do). The Burlingame City Council also wanted to know the status of the Civil Grand Jury investigation. It doesn't look good for the Burlingame/SBWMA relationship -- which must have Jesus Nava, Burlingame's Finance Director looking for interesting quotes to voice his discontent...remember this gem when Nava described the escalating costs of the proposed SBWMA facility as: "...a burr under my saddle..."

Longtime Millbrae Elementary School District Board member John Lynch passed away Sunday after "58 years in education"...

Mimicking the Sequioa Union High School District, the San Carlos Elementary School District is looking to cut $800K from their budget.

The San Mateo Union High School District wants to get its money out now from Lehman Brothers before the stock hits zero (or pennies). Why? Because if it hits rock bottom, "we're kind of screwed" -- according to Trustee Stephen Rogers...that sounds right.

The Daily Journal's Michelle Durand chimes in on the run of animal cruelty cases in San Mateo. Interestingly, the dog beater (as opposed to the cat stomper) is on the lamb.

Unrelated to animal cruelty, the DA is charging two folks for stalking two professors who research animals at UCSF but live in San Mateo -- the stalkers are anti-animal-research activists...

Palo Alto is launching a racial "action plan" to try to recover from the former Police Chief's racist "action plan"...

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