Morning News Round-Up -- 2.2.10: Ground-Hog Fundraising Reports...

Cut-throat local politics make blogs a lot more interesting to read... sorry, we have to say it. Sowhen Congresswoman Jackie Speier's name popped up as a possible candidate for Attorney General, not only did the Attorney General's race get a lot more exciting, but the real action is going to happen if she decideds to give up her seat... then the local political scene becomes very interesting: Simitian? Yee? Hill? Lempert?...

Bruce at the PP Examiner looks into all the incarnations of what might happen if Speier jumps...

There was a big, 2009 year-end political filing due yesterday which had candidates all over the place scrambling to get their stuff in. In the huge primary battle for the Democratic nomination for the 21 Assembly seat (the one Ira Ruskin will be leaving) -- race newcomer Josh Becker kicked everyone's ass in fundraising and has the most cash on hand going into the new year, over $200k+ to be exact. San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon has $133k+ on hand and Palo Alto City Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto has just over $100k to work with... of course, Kishimoto put in $40k of her own money this period, so she is being way outpaced on the fundraising side of the campaign. Becker is new to the race so his fundraising has been impressive...

Yay! Safeway in Burlingame! The plans got approved by the City Council last night. Can you believe it?

And while NIMBYs take a hit in Burlingame, they are getting their voices heard about the "transit village" plans in San Carlos.

Speaking of NIMBYs and Safeway... Safeway's plans to have a few outdoor seats in Menlo Park is going to be heard on the City Council because one resident sent a hand-written note objecting to the plan...

And what would a week be without another story about how DMB Associates plans to bring water into the the Cargill Salt Flats development in Redwood City? Put it this way, it sounds pretty complicated, feasible, but complicated...

Morning News Round-Up -- 7.22.09: the Everest/Sequoia chess match continues...

The Everest Charter School versus Sequoia Union High School District chess match took an interesting turn this week. There has been the battle about where Everest would open. Sequoia wants to put Everest on a plot in East Palo Alto. Everest doesn't want to be on the EPA site. So, Everest began the work to move into an office building in Redwood City. The School District countered by raising environmental issues about the site Everest wanted. Well, the pendulum has swung, perhaps permanently, into Everest's direction. They have change the Redwood City site where they want to open school on August 24th, and it seems that may be their new home -- no matter what Sequoia does. Checkmate?

A State budget deal is done, as you have probably read and heard. But the budget includes a huge money grab from local governments. Well, local governments are mad and they aren't going to take it anymore. (Or at least they don't want to take it anymore...) Schools are also concerned with what the budget means for them because of "deferrals" and "mid-year cuts"... Local beaches are set to be cut also...

Pacifica Riptide has an idea about how to avoid the State stealing money from local government, to fund schools, and to avoid closing State beaches... Repeal Prop 13. (Their idea, not Watch Dog's.)

Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays gets in on the State budget action too and calls the budget deal "evidence of ailing state..."

If this wasn't an obvious headline: Jail site options drawing concern. Watch Dog is shocked. SHOCKED! Actually, not so much. We predicted some pretty harsh reactions to the County Sheriff's jail-siting public meetings.

For all you High-Speed Rail NIMBYs who are upset that there has been a slow down in public meetings over the summer to hog the microphone, here is your chance. Congresswoman Eshoo and State Senator Joe Simitian will be hosting a town hall meeting on Saturday in Menlo Park.

And if the NIMBY's in Menlo Park can't wait until Saturday, there will be a public meeting tomorrow night about the "Menlo Gateway" project, a.k.a. the Bohannon project.

SSF is the latest city to consider hiking its hotel tax. Belmont already considered, and dropped, that idea, but Burlingame's hotel tax is now officially on the ballot in November.

Here is something we can probably all agree on: fewer sewage overflows that lead pollute the Bay. This is a result of a lawsuit recently settled by the Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District.

$7 million worth of heroin was seized in East Palo Alto on Tuesday. That's good news...