Morning News Round-Up -- 5.14.10: Where to put that hitching post?

The developers who want to build on the Salt Flats in Redwood City released a poll yesterday that showed that folks in Redwood City support development on the Salt Flats in Redwood City. What else would it show?

Belmont is setting itself up for some budgetary unrest... while Belmont cuts some services and some spending, firefighters are getting a raise as they spend down fire department reserves as they "quit" San Carlos...

Redwood City School District finally has a contract with its teachers. It has (only) taken a year...

Cabrillo Unified (on the coast) has a new deal with their unions too... but coastside the deal is "unspecified"... which must be very reassuring to taxpayers footing the bill.

Also on the education front, we get this headline announcing the Academic Performance Index results for the County: Test scores show most Santa Clara, San Mateo counties students reaching state goal... as if "most" is the goal. You can find your neighborhood school's listing here...

Some Daily Journal political endorsements for you this morning: Yes on Measure G - the Community College Parcel Tax... and Unelected Supervisor Carole Groom's mission to drop the "unelected" title is supported by Jon Mays and friends...

The day-time home break-in spree is still going on in San Bruno. police would like your help if you know anything...

And while folks in San Bruno (and Redwood City School District and SamTrans and the Community College District) deal with real challenging issues, the good folks in Portola Valley are deciding about where to site a new hitching post... seriously.

Finally, the Burlingame Voice chimes in on something other than High-Speed Rail... this time on test scores and teachers' unions...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.11.10: San Carlos' Hurt Locker...

The Daily Journal's Reporters' Notebook catches up with what Watch Dog wrote about on Monday: that Hurt Locker Director Kathryn Bigelow's connection to San Carlos...

The budget mess locally continues...

• Redwood City Elementary School District plans for 140 layoffs...
• The Community College District will seek a parcel tax for its budget woes on the June ballot...
• Cabrillo Unified School District is planning for 100 pink slips...

The Coroner identified the victim of the hanging on the UP train...

Bruce Balshone at the PP Examiner looks into politics in Pacifica... always a fascinating topic... Pacifica and Atherton may be the most politically interesting places in San Mateo County.

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.2.09: Rest assured...Riley is safe

Take THAT economic downturn. A 'new' auto dealership will open in Burlingame this week. Putnam Subaru is opening a Burlingame dealership on California Drive. Good luck Mr. and Mrs. Putnam...

In other dealership news...Menlo Park's Planning Commission will hear about a plan to put 110,000 square feet of office and retail in on El Camino Real where the Cadillac dealership used to be (before everyone started driving SUVs...)

As if the Sequoia Union High School District versus Everest Charter School weren't difficult enough for the School District, the economic downturn has also caused the District to issue 19 pink slips...and we thought Pink Friday was weeks ago...

And some good school news...the Cabrillo Unified School District is set to receive $700,000 of Federal stimulus money.

Riley got out...he's safe...Watch Dog hates to read about our friends (and Michelle Durand's dog) getting out of the yard...

County Supervisors approved $500,000 in emergency funding for local non-profits this week. A little late for the Coastside Family Health Center, however...

The County Times John Horgan offers a 'solution' the debris at Bay Meadows...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.13.09: Happy Pink Friday (the 13th)...

Just as the financial world comes to a complete collapse and local governments are pinching pennies (and taxing residents) the Garbage Saga takes another (very) expensive turn. The magic number of 8 cities (and agencies) has been reached to finance the $65 million "...glorified trash can..." Watch Dog still anxiously awaits the Civil Grand Jury report about how the entire Garbage Saga was handled by the South Bayside Waste Management Authority...

Just when the County is getting ready to get some Federal stimulus money (the Feds giveth) -- the County will have to pay up $6.8 million to the Feds for inflating the bed count at the public hospital (the Feds taketh away)...nothing fraudulent was (apparently) done...

Speaking of hospitals and money...a former employee of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health pleaded no contest to embezzling over $350K from the Foundation...stealing from sick kids -- she'll be a real popular person in prison...

One of Jerry Hill's 22 bills he introduced in his first 100 days in office is an effort to help off-track betting facilities make more money... This includes the San Mateo County Event Center OTB...

A big shake up in the local (and worldwide) biotech/pharma industry. Genentech and Roche are getting married...

There are no suspects in the bomb-scare from Palo Alto on Tuesday near the Jewish day school...

The California High Speed Rail Authority is strapped for cash...perhaps because they have been spending every waking hour coddling the NIMBYs in Menlo Park, Atherton, and Palo Alto...that's expensive work...

Half Moon Bay's Cabrillo Unified School District Board is looking at trimming $840K from its budget...just in time for today's Pink Friday...

A man wandered onto 280 yesterday and was struck and killed...yikes...

The PP Examiner gets back into the blogosphere to chime in on the shenanigans in Daly City with the City Clerk's 50% pay cut...welcome back PP...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.23.09: One Positive Economic Story (seriously)...

We'll start this damp day with a bright 'bucking the trend' story. A new Michael's is opening up in Colma's Serra Shopping Center. A new store opening up in this economy deserves everyone's praise. So, when they open on March 8th, please stop by and pick up your scrap-booking supplies and silk flowers...

If Michael's is the good economic news, here comes the bad...

"Mid-year budget adjustments" is government agency-speak for cutting some services and/or implementing some financial slight-of-hand. San Carlos will be considering these 'adjustments' tonight. They have a bit more wiggle room than other cities, apparently, thanks to a capital fund that is supposed to go to infrastructure. This year, it may go to operating expenses. Don't forget, San Carlos is also one of the cities with big sewer and garbage bills hanging over their heads...

and...

The Cabrillo Unified School District will hold a budget (cutting) session this week.

and...

Half Moon Bay's Ritz-Carlton makes it into the Chronicle's Matier & Ross column today -- and not in a good way. Folks have been canceling their trips to the HMB Ritz, which means the Ritz needs fewer employees and HMB is receiving less taxes. Farmer John even pulls a big-paper quote, referencing Willie Brown...

and...

San Mateo is looking at new revenue (taxes) and service cuts to close a budget gap.

Now, onto some things that aren't as depressing...

There are (hopefully) a few budget bright spots on the horizon, especially for local school districts and local roads...Ladys and Gentlemen, in introduce you to the Federal stimulus package...

If fees and taxes are going to be raised, one downtown Burlingame business owner would at least like to have the money spent on improving business by way of a Downtown Business Improvement District...

Cell phone towers and Belmont go to together like peanut butter and Salmonella...a recent decision by the Belmont City Council to site a cell tower in the Belmont hills has (surprise!) neighbors very concerned...

Peninsula folks who don't like the plans for high speed rail up and down the County (and Palo Alto) are getting together, hoping they can shout against the wind louder together than separately...

In a stunning show of newspaper journalism, the Almanac started a story about new folks joining the Peninsula Open Space Trust with this:

"Below is a Feb. 13 press release from the Peninsula Open Space Trust regarding Donna Dubinsky of Portola Valley and Mark Wan of Woodside."

Thank you Almanac reporters and editors for at least admitting it...

Finally, a (rare) must read for all (political) Watch Dogs...

You must read Sue Lempert's column in the Daily Journal today. She breaks down the upcoming political battles for County Supervisor when Mark Church and Rich Gordon head on to (potentially) greener pastures. Here is the short version:

• Mark Church's Seat -- The Contenders (so far): Millbrae's Marc Hershman, Millbrae's Gina Papan, San Mateo Union's Dave Pine, Burlingame's Terry Nagel.
• Rich Gordon's Seat - The Contenders (so far): former Sheriff Don Horsley, coastside activist/organizer April Vargas
  

What is interesting about Lempert's piece is that she talks about how deep the San Mateo County political bench is and how competitive these races may be...perhaps if she threw her weight behind a special election to replace Jerry Hill we would have had a competitive race for that seat too...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.16.09: (Soggy) Bike Race Edition...

Today is a big day in San Mateo County. The Amgen Tour of California will be riding north to south in our (soggy) County today. Riptide is ready. The Half Moon Bay Review is ready too. Unfortunately for Lance Armstrong, someone stole some of his bikes this weekend...

San Carlos is considering a sales tax increase...in addition to the proposed State sales tax increase...and the increased garbage rates...and sewer rates...and the parcel tax being put on the ballot by the San Carlos Elementary School District. Watch Dog isn't saying that all these things are bad...just the timing.

Keeping with the theme, San Mateo is considering a bunch of new fees/taxes to close their budget gap. Including getting your car out of the impound lot. We'll have to park the Watch Dog Mobile a little more carefully...

The guy who robbed the gas station and sexual assaulted the gas station employee was arrested last week and may spend the rest of his life (or 60 to 70 years) in jail...the gas station crime was the latest in a crime spree committed by Sione Motuapuaka.

Speier on the stimulus package...hint: she likes it...

Speaking of the stimulus package: Sue Lempert (in the Daily Journal) gets in on the high-speed rail discussion and what types of "shovel-ready" projects could happen in the County based on the Federal stimulus package...

There was a public meeting last week in Palo Alto to discuss redevelopment of the California Avenue and Fry's Electronics area of Palo Alto. To say the meeting didn't go well is an understatement. There was almost a fist fight. The police had to be called. Now, public hearings themselves will likely get a public hearing to institute new rules of decorum...

Half Moon Bay had a 6 hour meeting on Friday to discuss personnel issues in the City...how much fun must that have been...I guess it takes the focus off the City's (crazy) spending on Sacramento lobbyists...

The Cabrillo School District is also talking about personnel...in the next two years they are going to have to lay some folks off...

For readers who frequent Pacifica, Riptide promises to get to the bottom of the stench in that sometimes rears its head there...you go Riptide!

Palo Alto Unified's Superintendent Kevin Skelly is feeling the pain for saying some kids (African-American/Latino) can’t compete with other kids (white/Asian). Merc. columnist Patty Fisher gave him a sympathetic hearing over the weekend saying, “I fear, however, that in his effort to mend fences and keep his job, he has abandoned the straight talk and joined the feel-good chorus.” Skelly apologized saying "As I have listened, reflected, and learned, I can understand why people would feel this way. And I am sorry that I gave this impression. We are committed to excellence for all our students, no matter their background." This issue has started a big debate on the Palo Alto Weekly's comment's page...(but not as big as this issue did...)