Friday, March 6, 2009

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.6.09: Saltworks development stories...again...

Having won the (nasty) ballot battle last year regarding their proposed development in Redwood City, DMB Associates is bringing their development plans for the former Cargill Saltworks site to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. DMB needs the Commissions approval for development. The development review process in front of the Commission will also allow Save the Bay several more whacks at the project...

More teacher pink slips will be handed out to teachers next week...today's story is about the 20 pink slips to be handed out in the San Carlos Elementary School District...And good timing on the news story about pink slips, San Carlos Elementary School District. You have a ballot measure coming up for a parcel tax...the Daily Journal wants everyone to vote yes on this measure...

If it seems you know more and more people who have been laid off...you probably do. The County's unemployment rate jumped to 7.2 percent last month. This is still less than most/all of the rest of the State...but somehow that doesn't seem as comforting as it once did...

If you yell loud enough, you can get what you want. That is the lesson we are all about to learn in Belmont. I'm positive you remember the story: Belmont closed a traffic lane near Carlmont High School and parents freaked out in front of the City Council and in letters and in phone calls. (Including one person who went a little too far and is being investigated by the police.) Well, hysterically screaming has apparently paid off as Belmont officials prepare to undo what they did. Watch Dog remembers fondly the Profile in Courage quote by the Belmont City Manager about this issue: "...It’s a school zone — for those who think they have a right to get to work faster during that time, they don’t..."

The Palo Alto power outage was not caused by Federal agents raiding the Utility Department headquarters...it was caused by a duck...Speaking of the embattled Utility Department: the plan to raise electric/gas rates and transfer extra money into Palo Alto's general fund has hit a major road-block...namely, commonsense and public outcry...

Menlo Park's Mayor Heyward Robinson will deliver his much anticipated State of the City speech on Tuesday night. No word yet if the speech will be nationally televised...

An ironically timed press release from Assemblymember Hill's 'there out to be a law' contest just came out...the stuff that constituents came up with wasn't so bad, it is just that Jon Mays at the Daily Journal just got through writing his piece blasting Sacramento Legislators for introducing bills and not focusing on problems...like the State Budget...

Speaking of the Daily Journal...what Michelle Durand started this week, the Mercury News Editorial Board picked up. Today, the Merc. editors wrote about Ammiano's Yes We Can(nabis) campaign...

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