Morning News Round-Up -- 5.27.10: San Mateo is the new Ohio...

The Menlo Park City Council had a nice conversation about the Bohannon "Menlo Gateway" project on Tuesday night. (Admit it, you were there...) But two Councilmembers, Kelly Fergusson and Andy Cohen, are not buying what Menlo Gateway is selling and it is making Councilmember Heyward Robinson "uncomfortable" that the two aren't supporting it. He's probably uncomfortable because Menlo Gateway is huge, and in the future if the project is hated, Robinson will be the one who voted for it... except he hedged his bets and abstained last night.

The Civil Grand Jury says that consolidation of fire fighting services could save money for local communities. Thanks Civil Grand Jury, everyone is already on the case (San Mateo/ Foster City, Coastside, etc., etc.)

Which leads us to our daily dose of pointing out the screw ups of others... the San Mateo/ Foster City fire merger is so important that it has to appear on the homepage of the County Times twice...


100+ layoffs coming to a school district near you -- that is, if you live in the Redwood City School District...

Friends and farmers celebrated Jack Olsen's life yesterday at his funeral.


Fresh off the Mercury News endorsement this week, Rich Gordon gets the Will Oremus treatment...

Steve Poizner will be holding a town hall meeting today at noon at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Don't all jump for joy at once... try to contain your excitement. Whitman is in town tomorrow at Graniterock in Redwood City. Apparently San Mateo County is now Ohio.

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.25.10: 2-40-2 Head line Bold herej head line bold goes here and here's more headling bold jyg

San Mateo County loves LOVES trying to consolidate things... trash, water, sewer, police, fire... and now the San Mateo Fire Chief Dan Belville is also going to be the Fire Chief in Foster City. Why pay two dudes when you can pay half a salary? That seems to be the thinking... and it may just be tip of the San Mateo/Foster City Fire Department iceberg...

The former Hillsdale High student who planned to pipe bomb the school last year was indicted by a grand jury Friday. Alex Youshock now awaits psychiatric evaluations about whether he is fit to stand trial...

Caltrain's spokesman Mark Simon writes a piece for the Daily Journal today about electrification... and he uses the word "diminishment," which looks funny.

Yesterday there was a story about how Belmont just launched their red-light cameras, and today there is a story about how Burlingame is abandoning theirs. Does Belmont not pay attention?

A two-pronged bond approach will be hitting voters in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District this November. One for the elementary schools and one for Ralston Middle.

Some of you were probably at the big Stanford Hospital/ Palo Alto public meeting last night at the Palo Alto City Council... well, it is a busy week for the NIMBY set because tonight there is a big public meeting on the Bohannon "Menlo Gateway" project...

Finally, does pointing out the Merc's technical difficulties ever get old? (Remember the re-launched County Times?) Watch Dog doesn't think so... this was a headline for a breaking news story last night:

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.3.10: CaliJersey, the home of the Garbage Saga...

Could this be the end of the Garbage Saga in San Mateo County? First, the South Bayside Waste Management Authority, the mouthfully-named organization that oversees much of the garbage collection and recycling in the County has changed its name to RethinkWaste. Second, we learn that the transition between the old company (Allied Waste) and the new company (Recology) will be fast-tracked to this summer, rather than next January -- sort of. The new carts will start this summer, but Recology's collection of them won't start until January. Confusing much?

Perhaps a new garbage saga is brewing... the County Times has a piece about "illegal trash dumpers" who put stuff in front of other folks homes...

Caltrain is in deep, deep financial doody. On Thursday, they are going to declare a "fiscal emergency" which helps them cut service quickly and avoid all the screaming and yelling at public meetings... or at least concentrate the screaming and yelling to a few public meetings...

Speaking of financial problems... the County is still trying to get millions of dollars of jet fuel sales tax, but an appellate court judge said they have to appeal to the Board of Equalization, not a regular court. (It would help to yell and scream at Oakland too...)

The Esplanade Apartments in Pacifica have been evacuated... can we really call this "news" anymore?

Lee Duboc is going ot the City Clerk... sort of. The petition to qualify a pension reform measure for November. The City Clerk will now start counting...

While we are in Menlo Park, the Bohannon project will be heard by the Planning Commission in Menlo Park. NIMBY alert... NIMBY alert...

Sue Lempert gets her day in the Daily Journal today and coins a new term: "Calijersey"... and it isn't good...

A day without NIMBYs is a day without sunshine... today it is Daly City and cell phone towers...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.14.10: iMansion friends...

Menlo Park onced loved the Bohannon project and especially the money that will come from it... but it may not be smooth sailing after all for Mr. Bohannon

based on the tone of a meeting this week.

Speaking of unpopular developments: The iMansion gets another friend... the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust for Historic Preservation should not expect their Steve Jobs' check this year...

San Carlos will mandate businesses recycle starting next January... While that doesn't sound groundbreaking, it really seems to be. San Carlos Councilmember Matt Grocott voted against it, he hates recycling. (Just kidding MG.)

A woman fell into an open manhole on Stanford's campus yesterday. No word if Senator Simitian is a looking to pass a "no texting while walking" law...

A woman in San Mateo has been voted as "Exhalted Ruler"... and we aren't talking about the Klan. Rather, that's the hightest position in the Elks Lodge in San Mateo. Congrats Jeanne Atno... cool hat...

The Daily Journal Editorial Board gets its third bite at the apple with the Medical Center. The rapes caused the Editorial Board to write last Friday, the Medical Center chief wrote yesterday, and the Editorial Board writes again today to give props to the Medical Center chief who wrote yesterday...

Daly City mobile home residents vs. mobile park owner will face off in federal court... that should be fun.

Here we go... Senator Leland Yee is dumpster diving (sort of) to get to the bottom of the Sarah Palin speech as CSU Stanislaus. You go Leland...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.8.10: Home/Loan Gate fizzles...

Ah, Atherton. What would we do without you? County politics would all be about budget and the 21st Assembly District race. But with you, Atherton, my love, we have a scandal, a witch-hunt, and finally a resolution... for now. The Home/Loan Gate involving Atherton Councilmember Charles Marsala will go forward no more, but not without another divisive Council meeting, backstabbing, and an even more divided Council than before. But, Marsala is keeping his gig... unless his opponents can find another thing to throw at him.

Here's something: Peter Carpenter, an Atherton resident, is asking the Sequoia Union High School District to rescind its appointment of James Lianides as Superintendent citing open government violations... expect this to cost taxpayers money, and perhaps Lianides his new gig. We'll see...

County elections by district or not by district, that is still the question (and a possible civil rights lawsuit). It was also the discussion last night at the County Charter Review Committee...

Unions are fighting back in Menlo Park (against Lee Duboc...)... they are claiming the proposed pension reform measure being planned for November ballots is improper... we'll see. This follows plans in Palo Alto for firefighters to have a measure on the ballot and for the Gilroy City Council to fight firefighters on the ballot... unions and cities going to ballot to curb (or not) costs. A new Silicon Valley trend...

Elsewhere in Menlo Park, the City Council is all smiles about the big Bohannon deal. Of course, it comes with $1 million+ in annual revenue to MP... that probably doesn't hurt the Bohannon cause much...

Here's a heartwarming story: an employee at Mid-Pen Housing Coalition was stealing money from needy applicants. A special place in hell awaits...

Bruce at the PP Examiner looks into Redwood City's grapple with filling in the Bay for housing (and lots and lots of money)...

To round-out the housing stories... Chris Mohr of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County penned an Op-Ed about how we need more housing at all income levels in San Mateo County...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.7.10: An Atherton Blog... Yippee!

Oh no. Earlier in the week we learned about a man who raped a woman in the County's psych unit... it turns out it wasn't the first time such an insident occurred. We said the story had lawsuit written all over it, now it seems to have scandal written all over it...

Jon Mays at the Daily Journal writes about the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in San Mateo is up for sale... again. Perhaps it would be a great Daily Journal Headquarters building...

The irony of this story is rich: the Town of Atherton has launched a blog to keep residents informed... informed of all the lawsuits they settle? Or informed about the latest political backstabbing on the Town Council? Or perhaps informed about the next anti-High-Speed Rail actions the Town is taking... At least they didn't spend any money to create the free blog... on the other hand, they didn't do much design work either. Watch Dog loves the fact that the "Comments" are turned off on the blog -- probably because the Town of Atherton knows that it would quickly get out of control... (Watch Dog predicts a 3 month time frame before this becomes a political issue in Atherton...)

Here's a non-shocking story: Residents crowd Menlo Park meeting on Bohannon project... Wait, Menlo Park residents have something to say?

Also not shocking, Burlingame (and everyone else) has massive budget problems... $3.1 million in Burlingame.

Also, also not shocking: "Peninsulans plan to bombard high-speed rail authority with letters, emails." Yes, Peninsulans, because what everyone government agency loves is to get bombarded with complaints...

Also, also, also not shocking, Half Moon Bay has budget problems and may seek a sales-tax hike...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.17.10: Ayres Watch...

Well, here's something new: Dr. William Ayres the (alleged) child-molesting child pyschologist may not be mentally fit to stand trail again... These folks will not be pleased...

Recently, the proposed Kmart site development in San Mateo and how $1.7 million in "neighborhood improvements" was in the news... well, it is in the news again and questions are being asked... and not the type of questions that will make this project a reality either...

Millbrae Councilmember Gina Papan has some logical (?) ideas about High Speed Rail...

David Bohannon has done another poll about his massive Menlo Park project... guess what it says? That people love the Bohannon project...

You know times are tough when robbers start steeling pizzas... but that's what happened in Redwood City on Monday.

A different robbery in Redwood City is in the news this morning too... a robber tried to rob a police officers' home -- and the police officer caught him. Dumb.

The Citizens of Woodside track down mountain lions... or at least sighting of mountain lions.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.24.10: What do Gilligan and Jerry Hill have in common?

Just sit right back...

Nothing is more fun than a conversation about High Speed Rail and the Peninsula... so Jon Mays in the Daily Journal fills us in on a three hour tour Assemblymember Jerry Hill provided to Curt Pringle the Chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority...

A three hour tour... A three hour tour...

Expect High Speed Rail to be a topic of conversation tonight as the Redwood City Woodside Democratic Club hosts a debate among the three candidates for Ira Ruskin's seat in the State Assembly...

Many, many local, Countywide elections are on the horizon (Slocum, Buffington, the Coroner...) And the County Superintendent's race. Anne Campbell, the Superintedent at the Portola Valley School District threw her hat in the ring yesterday... no other hats have been thrown in yet. Perhaps Ira Ruskin has a hat he'd like to throw in?

The ballots are being tallied in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District parcel tax election... and things seem to be going well, but it is as close as it could possibly get... 66.7. This will help make recent pink slips null and void...

If you absolutely love smoking and love Foster City parks... you better find a new place to light up. The City of Foster City is considering a smoking ban in its parks. Imagine you live in an apartment in Belmont and love hanging out in Foster City parks and you love to smoke? You'd be screwed...

A long, long time ago, (last May) the Belmont Chamber of Commerce Board President was arrested and charged with molestation of his ex-girlfriend's daughter. He has pleaded not guilty and the trial (jury selection actually) has begun...

But pink slips are coming to San Bruno... 10 slips to be exact.

San Carlos may make it mandatory for businesses to recycle... and the Chamber of Commerce supports it.

The massive Bohannon Project in Menlo Park has hit a City Council delay... instead of this week, the Council will discuss it in April, giving NIMBYs plenty of time to organize...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.14.10: Grocott + Horsley + Vargas + Stogner + Hickey = Good Fun...

Politics makes people do crazy things... just ask Matt Grocott. He announced that he is jumping into the Supervisorial race to replace Supervisor Rich Gordon. The field is already crowded with seasoned (and well-moneyed) candidates, including: Don Horsley, April Vargas, Michael Stogner, David Mineta, and Jack Hickey. What's one more dude in the race, at least that's what Councilmember Grocott must be thinking. In Watch Dog's amatuer political analysis, the more people in the race that better it is for April Vargas... but that's just us.

Speaking of crazy things... yesterday there was a story about Assemblymember Jerry Hill's 'yes' vote on a recreational marijuana bill that he heard in Committee. That same Daily Journal story had this quote from Susan Manheimer, who is the head of the California Police Chiefs Association and our Sheriff, criticizing the vote: "It is unconscionable that the state would try to balance its budget by approving the use of mind-altering substance..." Well, ironically, yesterday Watch Dog received an email from Nate Solov, Assemblymember Hill's press guy, with this title: Hill receives Outstanding Legislator of 2009 Recognition from State Sheriff's Association... good timing Nate.

The Bohannon Project in Menlo Park has been well-researched... and not just in the architectural way. If you remember way back when the story started, Mr. Bohannon was doing polling. Now he's doing focus groups. And it is the wide knowledge about this polling and focus grouping that has two MP Councilmembers (Kelly Ferguson/Andy Cohen) concerned that Mr. Bohannon may be fixing to go to the ballot for a divisive election to get his plans through...

The Freedom Train will stop in San Mateo on Monday during the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. This Freedom Train ride is not without controversy this year... for details, read Watch Dog Silicon Valley's version -- or the Mercury News' version. (Hint: It involves the San Jose Police Officers' Association sponsorship...)

The lawsuit San Mateo Councilmember (former Police Lieutenant) Robert Ross and the City of San Mateo filed against a driver who hit Ross while he was in a police-issued vehicle has been settled...

Someone is robbing traveling jewelers in San Mateo County. Yesterday's heist was of a New York-based jeweler who was at the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza in Burlingame. Welcome to San Mateo County...

This story has been around for a while, but now is back on the front burner: a possible merger of fire protection services between Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae, and San Bruno. (The BurHillMillBruno Fire District?) What could go wrong? After all, shared fire departments make Belmont and San Carlos so much happier than going it along...

The from the Environmental Protection Agency for their methane capture efforts. Congrats to the Ox.

Morning News Round-Up -- 11.18.09: Ayres Watch is Back...

Williams Ayres, William Ayres, William Ayres... it is back in the news. The new defense attorney wants the names of the jurors from the mistrial... apparently this isn't that unusual, but probably won't be much fun for those old jurors... Remember, you can get all the latest and greatest at William Ayres Watchdog...

Speaking of (alleged) local crimes...

The shootee in the Skyline College shooting (and presumably the shooter) will face gun charges...

And this... the Menlo Park Police are looking at a "person of interest" in the fatal hit-and-run of a first grader last week.

And to fight these crimes...

Daly City is getting a new Police Chief from San Jose. The going is tough in San Jose -- and the tough are heading north (apparently)... Watch Dog is hoping that the Daly City City Council doesn't cut the guys salary if they start to disagree with his actions...

Nothing sets people off (apparently) than thinking about selling land that belongs to a school district. That's the predicament that the San Mateo Union High School District finds itself as it looks at plans to sell Peninsula High School's campus...

If you were expecting a change in the Half Moon Bay horses-on-beach policy, you got all you needed to know in The Review's headline: 'Status quo' for horse riders...

Here is a non-shocker... the debate about the big Menlo Park project dubbed "the Bohannon Project" is "touchy"...

Speaking of touchy... When it comes to Atherton, we know from history that small-town politics can get ugly. Tonight, the Atherton Council will talk about repealing the "road impact fee" that developers pay when they are doing construction. Expect fire works, nasty words, and perhaps a hit to Atherton's budget...

Morning News Round-Up -- 10.1.09: Bucking the Recession Repercussions...

Yesterday, Watch Dog relaunched the Recession Repercussions... well, bucking that trend is Kohl's. They opened their new downtown Millbrae store yesterday... thank you Kohl's.

To trench or elevate, that is the question... sort of. Those are two options for two stretches of High-Speed Rail through the Peninsula. Watch Dog will bet all of our bones that NIMBYs will be dissatisfied with either option... heck, they are pissed about Caltrain's horns.

Dude. Medical marijuana could be making its way to SSF. Awesome.

A Redwood City candidates forum happened last night. For those that are able to stay awake through such things heard about development, High-Speed Rail, the budget, and a (possible) new jail...

And if that wasn't enough excitement for the chronically bored, perhaps a Foster City Council candidates debate was...

And if the Redwood City and Foster City candidate fora (plural of forum) got you excited, you should head over the hill tonight for a Half Moon Bay Council candidates forum...

Michelle Durand is "Off the Beat" today in the Daily Journal... way off the beat. She's getting a pedicure and discussing too-familiar small talk that insults...

Watch Dog loves the controversy brewing in Menlo Park over the Bohannon "Gateway" project. Major local developer (David Bohannon) versus former City Councilmember (Paul Collacchi).

Bruce at PP Examiner puts in his two cents about the Daly City home inspection issue: Daly City Council Buckles to Realtors. Tell us how you really feel Bruce...

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.20.09: County Fair = Scotch Egg

The saga that will never end... East Palo Alto’s biggest landlord is suing East Palo Alto and San Mateo County’s chief election officer over a rent control ordinance city voters are expected to vote on in November. Page Mill Properties claims East Palo Alto officials violated the Brown Act by discussing the ordinance in closed sessions and that the city didn’t regard how a rent control ordinance would impact the environment.

This saga won't end either... A Menlo Park resident has sued the California High-Speed Rail Authority and Caltrain, attempting to thwart plans to run high-speed trains along Caltrain's Peninsula corridor.

A (unemployed?) Pacifica man admitted he was just bored when called Caltrain and claimed there was a bomb on board. How fun!

With the State budget mess behind them, Senators Joe Simitian and Leland Yee and Assemblymembers Ira Ruskin and Jerry Hill are back in the Capitol working hard on cementing their legislative legacies. That includes state university reform, smoking at hospitals, greenhouse gas emissions, and renewable energy, etc., etc., etc.

Daily Journal columnist Michelle Durand pooh-poohs organic, healthy food at the San Mateo County Fair. She astutely notes: “You don’t go to the fair to research the slow food movement or hunt for the ripest nectarine. You go to the fair to eat stuff your health — and your conscious — wouldn’t let you get away with the other 364 days of the year.” Stuff like this...

A Sonora woman faces a maximum of three years in prison after pleading no contest to a series of Peninsula bank holdups, a prosecutor said. The woman was charged with that crime because her fingerprints were found on the demand note he used in one of the stickups, prosecutors said. Very CSI: San Mateo...

Foster City Mayor John Kiramis’ decision not to seek re-election this year will allow a newcomer onto the council after November’s election. Two seats are up for grabs on the Foster City Council, including incumbent Councilwoman Pam Frisella’s seat, who is seeking re-election. Four other have jumped in the race. Just some advice to all candidates: be ready to answer the schools versus city question... a lot.

Eight people are vying for two open seats on the Sequoia Union High School District's Board, which means this election will have some healthy debate over pressing issues in the school district, including charter schools (Everest) and budget cuts.

Palo Alto students are smarter than the average bear...

The developer of the "Menlo Gateway" (Bohannon) real estate development project doesn’t like to use the word “massive” when describing his project. But there is no other word for a project that’s 120 feet, 950,000 square feet. That doesn’t count the 760,000 to 820,000 square feet in parking garages. Oh, and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District would have to buy a new ladder truck to reach its summit.

A 103-year-old Dorothy Bolton had one birthday wish this summer… that’s for Menlo Park to fix the cracks and potholes on her street, Bay Laurel Drive. She wrote a letter on her 103rd birthday, signed by the party's attendees, urging the city to repair her street. I guess it will be hard for the Menlo Park City Council to tell Ms. Bolton that she'll have to wait a year until the economy turns around...

Even Atherton is having to share the pain. It used to be free to erect advertising banners in the city for ice cream socials at the library or lacrosse camps at Holbrook-Palmer Park, for instance. Now it’s going to cost the advertising organization $387. "$387! But I live on the wrong side of the tracks in Atherton..."

A 17-year-old Half Moon Bay resident tested positive for swine flu. Just in time for school to start next week.

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.29.09: Conflicted NIMBYs and Saving the Plastic Bag...

This will be little solace to William Ayres' victims: Apparently the jury was leaning toward a conviction. (Does that mean they didn't have the conviction to convict...) They were deadlocked at 11-1, according to a juror. A bit of news in today's story is that Prosecutor Melissa McKowanw will likely retry Dr. Ayres. Williams Ayres Watchdog has all the details...

If you live in San Mateo County, you have heard the Caltrain horn blasts. Well, they might be doing something about it -- but they aren't going to make everyone happy. That's because Caltrain really can't win. When they have quiet horns, people are concerned about safety. When they have loud horns, people are concerned about noise. Watch Dog likes the loud horns. We think it speaks to the romantic notion of train travel...

In Foster City, it seems not a day goes by when there isn't something in the news about either the battle between the San Mateo-Foster City School District and the City or about the skate park not happening (yet). Today, it is the skate park's day in the limelight. But these two issues are now being looked at in the larger context of the City's budget as they begin to define what are "essential services"... Just a Watch Dog hunch: Schools and Skate Parks will not be two of the essential services for the Foster City City Council.

Election Journal 2009 goes in depth about the race for the San Mateo Union High School District Board this November. Six candidates, including three incumbents, for three open seats... fireworks!

The Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays takes us on a journey through his inbox... if you want to jam his email box too, he gives out his email address...

You may have noticed that the Governor signed the budget yesterday. Now the real panic in local government sets in... Coastside school districts are worried, so is everyone else.

If you care about the future of San Mateo, you should care about the (dry, boring) process to revamp its General Plan.

But if you live in Redwood City and you care about getting a massage, you can forget about it. The City Council rejected the planned massage parlor on Woodside Road (near Cypress Street). This story has no happy ending for the folks who wanted to open the parlor.

Trouble in paradise: The "deal" to preserve some of Woodside's Jackling House (that Steve Jobs wants to rip down) doesn't measure up, according to some preservationists. Of course, another preservationist actually cut the deal with Jobs and the Town of Woodside, so this is getting pretty confusing, even for Watch Dog. (Especially confusing because our window into Woodside, the blog Citizens of Woodside, has been quiet on the subject lately...)

Menlo Park NIMBYs have a busy schedule today: SamTrans is hosting a community meeting about service reductions and cuts in MP and the Menlo Gateway/ Bohannon project is due to be discussed at a separate location. We poke fun, but what if someone is concerned about SamTrans cuts AND the Bohannon project? Where to go then? I'm glad you asked. SamTrans folks can also go to a public meeting in Half Moon Bay on August 6th... Plus, you can grab dinner before (or after) at Cetrella that way.

The plastic bag war has been settled, for now, in Palo Alto. The City can't implement the bag ban without an environmental review. Incredibly, the group that brought suit against Palo Alto is called SaveThePlasticBag.com. There are somethings worth saving, like baby seals and the rain forest, but who would have thought that a plastic bag would be worth a "save"? I mean, aside from these folks and this guy -- being followed by Watch Dog Silicon Valley.

HP employees got an interesting welcome to work yesterday: Greenpeace was protesting at their facility. (Ironically) They are concerned about plastics in HP products. Perhaps Greenpeace should protest SaveThePlasticBag.com headquarters next. Here is a map.

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.3.09: A good news/bad news type of day...

Here is a good news, bad news story, depending on your point of view. Good news if you need to take summer school in San Mateo Union High School, that's because the bad news is that the summer school is cut because of bad budget times in San Mateo Union High School.

Another good news, bad news story, this time from Caltrain. The good news is that weekend service will continued, but the bad news is that fairs are going up and some trains are getting cut mid-week.

And this one is just bad news... the Redwood City Elementary School District had a parcel tax on the ballot earlier this week. It lost. Expect big cuts in Redwood City Elementary School District.

The bad news: a man was car-jacked, robbed, and beaten in Redwood City. The good news: six folks were arrested in connection to this incident.

This issue is a long-time coming, the Petaluma teacher that was set up by his students to meet a "teenage" girl, was sentenced to two years in State prison.

Ironically, State prisons were in the news yesterday, and not in a good way. State parks and State beaches were also in the news, not in a good way. Prisons, parks, and beaches are on the chopping block because the Governor didn't leave any State stone unturned yesterday in a 12 minute speech...

Menlo Park is about to have a battle about parking spaces at MP's Civic Center area. A new gymnasium will make the parking more crowded, meaning library patrons will have trouble getting a space... expect this battle to continue. Folks love their parking spaces in MP, if you don't believe Watch Dog, we can only assume you haven't been grabbing an outside coffee in MP when a parking space battle erupts...

Developer David Bohannon is doing outreach meetings for his Menlo Park hotel-office project. Our guess is the outreach meetings will be "on-message" -- because the last time we wrote about this, Bohannon was doing polling.

The San Francisco Chronicle must read Watch Dog... because they just wrote a story about the Half Moon Bay Bail-Out Bill... welcome to the story Mr./Ms. Chronicle...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.14.09: Artificial turf grows, after 10 years...

Garbage Saga Alert: The San Carlos City Council did its best to punt making a decision on who should be the recycling contractor for the South Bayside Waste Management Authority starting in 2011. Seemingly, they are leaving it up to their City Staff to decide...that is some kind of leadership in San Carlos...Why make a decision for yourself when you can blame City Staff when everything goes haywire? At least the Board of Supervisors made a decision for Hudson Baylor over South Bay Recycling...

And as one (Garbage) Saga heats up (again) -- another one seems to be winding down. It looks like (after 10 years) the Highlands Park fields will become artificial turf...

The Daily Journal breaks down State Proposition 1A and what it means for San Mateo County (aside from higher taxes, of course)...

Speaking of taxes:

San Bruno is seeking to raise the hotel tax there by 2 percent in order to raise an additional $270K per year. Of course, they will need to win a 2/3 election to get that done and they are eyeing the November 2009 ballot.

and more taxes...

Tonight, Millbrae will look at ways to renew a fire assessment to fill in a budget gap of $1.7 million.

Pro-Bridge and Anti-Bridge folks are lining up in Menlo Park. The issue is whether or not to rebuild the pedestrian bridge between Belle Haven and Flood Triangle neighborhoods...this issue is (obviously) not about a bridge, but about a lot of other stuff. (Hint: It is the same stuff that makes Everest Charter School folks upset that the Sequoia Union High School District wants to put them in East Palo Alto.)

A dude got arrested for having a pot farm in his San Bruno home. Now he'll have another home for a year...the San Mateo County jail. Bringing up the obvious question: Who will take care of his plants when he's gone?

The well-researched Bohannon project in Menlo Park will begin with a series of public meetings over the next 10 months. That should be fun...

The previously announced field hearing with Congressman Barney Frank (and the Dynamic Duo of Eshoo and Speier) has been canceled/postponed for this week. The idea was to have Frank visit San Mateo County and hear testimony about how Lehman Brother screwed over local governments.

Finally, Pacifica Riptide reports that Sharp Park Golf Course makes money -- which will be a poke in the eye to the Imperial Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi. Yesterday, Watch Dog asked Sue Lempert to make this her cause. But we are now thinking that this is an issue for Assemblymember Jerry Hill. Please Jerry...pretty please. Stand up for Pacifica...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.19.09: Supervisor Rich Gordon a candidate for Assembly...officially

If you read Watch Dog or PP Examiner or the Palo Alto Weekly or the Almanac, then this won't come as a surprise...Supervisor Rich Gordon is running for State Assembly next year. He made it official yesterday. Watch Dog can't wait for this race. Gordon is officially in. Palo Alto's Yoriko Kishimoto and Community College District Trustee Hal Plotkin (also from Palo Alto) are in the race as well. Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson is unofficially in the race at this point too. This is going to be a good one...As discussed previously, the District is split pretty evenly between San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties -- making this a double the pleasure double the fun type of race for the Watch Dog Network...

San Carlos Elementary School District got an unexpected surprise recently...nearly 70 more kindergartners signed up for next year's school year than expected. Expecting about 333, just over 400 little ones want into the Charter School district.

And while San Carlos Elementary School District is dealing with a rush of Kindergartners, the San Mateo-Foster City School District is working with the City of Foster City to find land and build some new facilities for the future influx of students...

The Daily Journal's Michelle Durand hasn't left yet...perhaps she wants to take Watch Dog up on our offer for coffee? She is Off the Beat today and writing about plastic bag bans (and pornography and smoking)...

Watch Dog remembers this story fondly. Here is what (allegedly) happened: An employee at an Indian restaurant (Mr. Singh) was ripping people's credit card numbers, Mr. Singh gave the credit card numbers to a middle man (Mr. Barkley), and Mr. Barkley would bring them to Safeway to buy stuff from Mrs. Singh, who worked there. Mr. Barkley just pleaded not guilty yesterday on 12 felony counts...

Dave Bohannon is a developer who has land and wants to build a big project in Menlo Park. To gauge support for his project, Mr. Bohannon conducted a poll of Menlo Park residents to see if they would support his $300 million plan. Unfortunately for Mr. Bohannon, news of the poll leaked out a while ago and now Menlo Park officials are forced to let everyone know that they will not give much credence to the poll results. That's an expensive oops for Mr. Bohannon...

The County Times' John Horgan gives us the 411 on the hugely popular Adult Education programs in the County and how budget cuts are having a major (negative) impact.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the big Peet's fire in downtown Menlo Park on Tuesday morning. One thing we all know is that it may take months for the affected stores (Peet's and Calla boutique) to reopen...

You have got to admire Rod Diridon. He loves walking into the lion's den to pitch High-Speed Rail. He was at it once again in Palo Alto at the Palo Alto Rotary Club meeting at Ming's. His speech came just as Palo Alto is asking the High-Speed Rail Authority to study underground tracks through the Peninsula...a dollar short and day late?

Former Menlo Park Mayor Lee Duboc is a thorn in the side of the Menlo Park City Council...perhaps that's why she wasn't invited to a breakfast with current and former Mayors and Councilmembers? Keep at it Lee, we like reading your stuff...

It looks like the County of San Mateo was helping keep the Coastside Family Medical Center afloat for a while before its eventual closure this month. The clinic was asking for more taxpayer money and the County just couldn't stomach it...

As if Half Moon Bay didn't have enough bad news these days (Coastside Family Medical closing, $18 million owed to a developer, cutting City employees, Coastside School District taking hits) Moon News will close its doors in April...

It is good to know that someone is watching the Woodside COWncil these days...check out Citizens of Woodside for a pun-filled round-up...

Finally, there is a story today in the Almanac with the headline: Hundreds apply for Charter Schools. Watch Dog is working on a bit about this story, thanks to some interested Watch Dogs following this closely...if you have any information about Everest/Summit or have a view, email me...