Morning News Round-Up -- 5.24.10: May Two-Four

Redwood City will start the environmental review process for the Cargill Saltworks development... this will take years everyone, so we are sure there will be plenty of public meetings to show up and complain...

DMB (the Saltworks' would-be developers) probably wasn't happy when the Mercury News hit their electronic doorsteps on Sunday morning... the Editorial Board wrote: Redwood City salt ponds not the right place for massive development...

DMB won't find this much fun either: There will be a pro/con discussion in Atherton on the project this week on Thursday night hosted by the League of Women Voters. Have fun in the NIMBY capital of the Peninsula DMB...

East Palo Alto is looking for a new City Manager (and soon, we'd bet, a new Police Chief)... there are 8 finalists...

Here's a sign of the times: the San Carlos Arts Commission may be disbanded because the city budget is costing the Arts Commission staffers their jobs...

Along the same lines, workers in the County are about to get cut too...

Monday + Daily Journal = Sue Lempert + Tax Collector/Treasurer

This is very strange: Just as some cities are shying away from red-light cameras (SSF, San Carlos) one is just launching them (Belmont). So make sure you slam on your brakes when you are driving in front of me in Belmont.

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.12.10: Move Your Horse!

The courting of San Carlos police services is in full effect. Redwood City and the Sheriff's Officepresented their credentials to the San Carlos City Council. "We have a really, really fast car..." Redwood City police didn't say... "Oh yeah, well our uniforms have more starch..." The Sheriff's Office didn't say...

Also doing their best to court a local community is the High-Speed Rail Authority... and it isn't going that well if you read this story about a High-Speed Rail presentation in Atherton... Why bother?

From the big trains to the little ones...

Caltrain is in a deep financial hole, and Michael Scanlon was talking about it yesterday to the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce...

If it is the second week in May in California it can only mean one thing... teacher pink slips... there will be a bunch locally. But not in Menlo Park City Schools...

Skyline Stables may be going away to make way for a water storage tank. Thank the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for this one and get your horse to Portola Valley quick...

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.11.10: Union Pacific and Menlo Park, a match made in heaven...

Everyone is trying to get in on the breakup of San Carlos and Belmont's fire department... folks are courting San Carlos to allow them to serve San Carlos... which begs the question: why would any other city think they'll get along with San Carlos when Belmont didn't?

Add a rail company to the list of folks opposing High-Speed Rail... Union Pacific. Union Pacific could set up their anti-High Speed Rail office right in downtown Menlo Park...

Remember the Menlo Park City Schools parcel tax that passed last week? Well, it isn't enough to fix their budget problem... more taxes?

No red-light cameras in San Bruno after all because they won't generate any/enough revenue...

Don't worry though, San Bruno will make up for the money that they won't get from red-light cameras by raising rates on trash...

Morning News Round-Up -- 5.10.10: The Election Starts Today...

Not too many, not too few, but just right... Restaurants in and around San Carlos... good thing someone did a study to tell us this. Of course, those restaurants may soon get their firefighting services from San Mateo after San Carlos breakup with Belmont...

Foster City is also in deep financial poop.

To fight their poopy budget, Menlo Park City Schools just passed a parcel tax last week... now they are putting together a plan to spend it.

Commonsense/peaceful coexistence at Sharp Park? Riptide has an update...

A Gran boulevard? Or just El Camino Real...

The June 8th election starts today, so...

The Daily Journal does a deep dive into the County Community College District's parcel tax on the June 8th ballot...

Sue Lempert does a dive into politics as well with her Daily Journal column: Prop 16, Prop 17, San Carlos financial woes and how Measure U could have helped, a ballot statement (gaffe?) from Richard Guibault, and the Republican fight for the Gubernatorial nomination...

There was another plane crash involving local residents... this time, a Belmont couple was heading for San Carlos. This, plus the East Palo Alto crash and the Sierra Foothills crash...

Watch Dog got a chuckle from this little bit on the Mercury News website on Sunday evening... check out the really, really important "California News"...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.26.10: Big (losing) guns help(?) Whitman...

Meg Whitman = Big Connections... and she showed it on Friday night when Mitt Romney and John McCain showed up at an event in Redwood City. Of course, both of those guys lost their last election, so perhaps she should invite more folks on a winning streak... just a thought.

San Carlos is thinking about jacking up sewer rates... again.

Dave Pine, who serves on the San Mateo Union High School District Board did double duty on the Charter Review Committee. He penned this piece in favor of District elections and it ran on the 21st. We are sorry we missed... thank you for the heads up, loyal Watch Dogger. We agree with you Dave: More democracy!

Congresswoman Jackie Speier has introduced a $1 billion Bay clean-up bill, which is the good news. The bad news? Well, it seems that a $1 billion very local project is often called pork inside the beltway... Don't worry Congresswoman, around the Bay we call that great work.

It seems Atherton will get down to some governing today for a budget session as opposed to politically charged hits against colleagues and settling years-long lawsuits...

Leave it up to Pacifica Riptide to do some reporting that others won't/can't/don't... this time it is about "Pacifica's unfunded pension liability..."

Here's a heartwarming story to start your week: 4 teenagers were stabbed at the Marriot Hotel in San Mateo on Sunday morning. It seems it might have been part of a post-prom-party kerfuffle... Watch Dog remembers when proms were innocent affairs that only involved awkward teenage gropping...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.22.10: District elections?

Mike Nevin (and a bunch of other folks) are defending the status quo when it comes to the County voting for Supervisors at-large... Bruce Balshone at PP Examiner, not so much...

The COWs of Woodside have a view on this too... And the actual Charter Review Committee voted to let voters decide about district elections for Supervisors... get ready for some fireworks...

Speaking of Supervisors (to be?)... April Vargas picks up another endorsement from the Sierra Club...

The Coroner's race heats up... Watch Dog feels weird that we live in a County where the coroner is elected...

San Carlos versus High-Speed Rail... maybe.

It is not a maybe for the San Mateo Union High School District. They do not want an above-ground train near Burlingame High School. Of course, they would probably like an underground 101 as well... but that ship has sailed.

The City of Half Moon Bay will have few staff members soon... that's because the City Council approved layoffs, furloughs, and cuts, oh my...

Atherton joins lots and lots and lots of people (including Menlo Park) in opposing the Cargill Saltworks development... But it hasn't yet been posted on the Town of Atherton blog... yet...

Watch Dog loves the title of this post by Coastsider: Avoid disturbing seabirds during breeding season... Does that mean avoid the nasty birds during your season of love-making? Or, does that mean that you should avoid disturbing the seabirds during their own breeding season...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.19.10: All... weekend... long...

Here's something: Retirement benefits for County of San Mateo retirees (well, managers and attorneys) are being tweaked to help manage the budget deficit... the start of a trend?

It is Monday and Monday is Sue Lempert's day in the Daily Journal. She writes about the Supervisorial seats being elected Countywide and thinks that the status quo is ok... agreeing with former Supervisor Mike Nevin. They both argue that having to run Countywide means more experienced folks get elected... of course, that's all well and good if you think the folks with the most experience are doing a good job...

While we're on it: April Vargas got the County's Democratic Central Committee endorsement for Supervisor. That should be a nice boost for the Coastside Democrat...

There is a new Assistant City Manager in San Mateo... first assignment, playing diplomat between David Lim and Burlingame... just kidding. Good luck kid...

Speaking of David Lim, San Mateo, Burlingame, and the merger of the two police departments... this should give you an idea about how things are proceeding. Here's a quote from Councilmember Lim in Sunday's County Times about the merger: "...It was kind of embarrassing... People would ask me, 'You're our council member, how is this going to work?' And I would shrug my shoulders and say, 'What you read in the newspapers is about what I know.'" That's reassuring...

While we are in San Mateo, Jon Mays might want to head to a meeting tonight to discuss a possible downtown improvement district that would fund downtown San Mateo parking and beautification projects...

Downtown San Carlos has its own issues (?)... too many restaurants? Really? Isn't that what a downtown is supposed to be like?

Dude. 420 in Daly City... all... weekend... long...

Did you know that Dr. Phil is helping State Senator Leland Yee get a bill passed in Sacramento... No word if Oprah or Gail will chime in...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.15.10: The Post Office closes when?

Watch Dog thought a week could go by without a new scandal popping up in Atherton. The Marsala Home/Loan (non)Gate went away. The John John John Johns lawsuit was settled. These were supposed to be quiet times with the new blogorific Town.. but...

The Police Chief has asked the District Attorney's office to look into whether a someone in the Police Department altered the domestic violence police reoprt relative to Jon Buckheit. You remember Buckheit, he is the one that Marsala asked for money from, but more importantly to this story, he is the one that was taken from his home on suspiscion of domestic violence only to be later found factually innocent. Never a dull moment in Atherton... We do have to give props to the Town of Atherton blog - - they are on top of their game and do actually mention this story.

It is now Belmont's move in the Belmont - San Carlos inter-County civil war over fire services... and they aren't saying much... yet. They are also dealing with their own budget mess ($1.3 million)...

In a nod to NIMBYs, some folks on the Peninsula are considering whether or not to join the (Tea Party?) effort to repeal the High-Speed Rail bond... have fun with that..

That's all for today...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.13.10: Divorce proceedings begin...

San Mateo Medical Center is looking into how a rape could happen in its psych unit... sounds like a really good plan. To show how serious they are, Jean Fraser, the County's Health Systems chief penned an OpEd for the Daily Journal...

And it begins... the San Carlos City Council voted to start the divorce proceedings with Belmont over their shared fire department...

San Carlos also voted to discontinue their red-light cameras... ironic, since Belmont started their red-light cameras this week. No wonder these two kids can't get along... (SSF is also thinking about life without red-light camers...)

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Watch Dog's favorite coastside location (aside from Nona's Kitchen) is in deep trouble. There was a big plan to redo the place, but everyone's budget stinks... which means Pigeon Point Lighthouse is in trouble too...

While we are on the coast... a property owner in El Granada beat the Coastal Commission in court. Now a gigantic house can be built... how fun.

Speaking of historic (?) structures in San Mateo County, the Steve Jobs/ Woodside/ iMansion issue still isn't over yet. Jobs has a demolition application in with Woodside officials but they also got a request from a local couple to move the soon-to-be-demolished house to their property... will this ever end?

If you have been waiting for a hookah bar to open in San Bruno because you can't resist the sweet smell of tobacco... think again. San Bruno might be about to ban hookah bars... and a hookah bar without hookah is just a place with lots of cushions and carpets.

Here's something NIMBYs can get behind... there is a plan to install a cell phone tower in Portola Valley (y'know, so cell phones can work when you're riding your horsee)... neighbors are mad...

Thanks to a loyal reader (and the SacBee), we have this PensionMeter to share... we will write more about it later, but it doesn't look particularly good for our County... unless of course you are a current pensioner...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.12.10: John John John Johns goes to Disneyland... on your dime

The John Johns wrongful termination settlement appears final in Atherton. The long, Town nightmare is finally over... interestingly, Johns gets his job back for one day as part of the deal and collects a bunch of cash ($225k)... and we learn that he is going to Disneyland. Impressively,the Town of Atherton blog actually has an update on this topic.

Here we go... it was only a matter of time before legislators on the Peninsula started listening to all the NIMBYs... and Joe Simitian is the first to crack. In the Chronicle's Matier & Ross today, Simitian raises questions and doubt about the financial projections to High-Speed Rail... but reading between the lines, Watch Dog thinks this is really about neighborhood opposition up and down the Peninsula... who's next? Jerry Hill? Paul Fong?

Sue Lempert has a good look at High-Speed Rail issues swirling about in her Monday column in today's Daily Journal...

And to San Carlos...

San Carlos is set to get in on the pot club action... sort of. Nobody has been knocking down the City's gates to open a pot club, but if they do, there will be strict rules about where, when, and how they operate. Watch Dog is sure there will also be a big financial benefit to San Carlos should the potheads move in...

If San Carlos does go down Hope Road, it might be the Redwood City Police Department that keep a close eye on the clubs... that's because Redwood City might put in a bid to be San Carlos' outsourced police department... of course, they'll have to out-bid the Sheriff, who has also put a bid into San Carlos.

That takes care of San Carlos' Police Department, but it is their shared fire service that has people very angry. San Carlos has thought for a long time that Belmont doesn't pay its fair share... and, like all break-ups this isn't going to end well. Belmont Councilmember Coralin Feierbach had this to day in the Daily Journal: "If they go through with this, I for one will never reconsider them again..." To be continued...

This is weird: South San Francisco has had a mini-scandal with their red-light cameras... San Carlos is doing away with their red-light cameras... But Belmont is moving forward to install them. Doing the same thing but expecting a different result...

Daly City is looking to raise fees to address budget challenges... who isn't?

Pacifica is facing some challenging budget times too... and they have a meeting tonight to look at raising fees and taxes. Luckily for all of us, Pacifica Riptide looks at the details, including the "800 pound gorilla in the room" - pensions.

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.23.10: Belmont + Menlo Park = Anti-Redwood City

Belmont is going to join Menlo Park in opposing the Cargill development in Redwood City. Let the games continue...

San Carlos heard the community last night... proving once again that sometimes public budget meetings are a horrible idea...

In a seemingly never-ending political and legal and public relations battle about the former Page Mill Properties properties in East Palo Alto, BRIDGE Housing is now going to hold a series of community meetings to figure out what to do next. Finally, something constructive...

Here's some news to make your Tuesday: 500+ educators got pink slips.

There was a small plane crash at HMB Airport... everyone is alright.

The 2nd Amendment gets an Op-Ed in the Daily Journal, and the beauty of Google Ads are on full display too:

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.12.10: Et tu (candidate) Grocott?

San Carlos Councilmember Bob Grassilli joined Andy Klein, Omar Ahmad, and Randy Royce in turning down some or all of his health benefits and stipend... et tu (candidate) Matt Grocott?

While we are in San Carlos... we learn that the State may be providing fire service to San Carlos in part to save money and in part so that San Carlos and Belmont can stop bickering. Isn't it a long way to travel from Sacramento to San Carlos to put out a fire?

And as two cities look to break up from their public safety marraige, two others are looking to tie the knot: Millbrae and San Bruno may join forces... with their forces. Perhaps Millbrae and San Bruno should talk to San Carlos and Belmont before going all the way...

The Menlo Park City Schools may lay off 12 folks... so if you love Menlo Park City Schools, you should vote yes for their parcel tax on May 4th. If you don't love Menlo Park City Schools, you should probably stay home on May 4th...

From layoffs to library closures... Belmont-Redwood Shores School District is looking to close its libraries to save cash -- who needs books anyway?

Over the objections of NIMBY neighbors, the plans to expand Serra High are moving along nicely. Attention Neighbors: Serra's pool will not screw up your life... now, go back to the High-Speed Rail meetings...

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 -- 3.10.10: Rest in Peace Mr. Haim...

Nothing gets folks worked up like eminent domain... and Caltrain is taking some property in San Bruno for a new station and rail bridges. Watch Dog isn't that worked up about it though...

Let me reconsider... nothing gets folks worked up like parking issues in Menlo Park, and now time restrictions and meters are up for discussion.

And if you are parking in Menlo Park, you better not be smoking...

Budget crunch stories...

• Redwood City Elementary may lose 127 employees...
• Belmont needs to cut $1.3 million from their budget...
• San Carlos City Councilmember Andy Klein paints the grim picture in the Daily Journal of what San Carlos might do to fix their budget.

Yikes. A man was found between two Union Pacific trains dead yesterday in SSF. (No, it was not Corey Haim.)

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.9.10: Sorry about yesterday...

We left you hanging yesterday and we are sorry. There was some news over the weekend. Here's a recap: schools are hurting because of the budget (take your pick), people are mad about High-Speed Rail (take your pick), someone took the stand in a big case (former Belmont Chamber dude)...

Now, onto Tuesday...

A list came out of the lowest performing (failing) schools came out yesterday. It is a list that nobody wanted to be on... but here is who is on the list locally:

• Pescadero Elementary and Middle School (La Honda-Pescadero Unified)
• Costaño Elementary, Edison-Ronald McNair Intermediate, and Stanford New School (Ravenswood City School District)

From failing schools to ones that work... the Commuity College District is moving closer and closer to tax...

San Carlos is considering outsourcing police officers and firefighters. That should be a fun City Council meeting...

From the option of outsourcing the police to this one of sharing the police between Millbrae and San Bruno...

The former Belmont Chamber Chair's trial moves the jury...

There was a house fire in Menlo Park's Sharon Heights neighborhood yesterday and neighbors helped neighbors to get it out, along with Menlo Park Fire Protection folks...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.4.10: Boston Globe covers San Mateo County...

Well, our County's most notorious (alleged) psychiatrist/molester Dr. William Ayres made the front page of a major newspaper yesterday... the Boston Globe. Apparently, Ayres was in practice in Boston in the 60s and Boston Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney are looking for possible victims. This isn't exactly the type of news about our County we like to see on the other side of the Country, but if good comes of it... (Thank you informed Watch Dog out there...)

Speaking of reoccurring stories...

The Sequoia Union High School District does not like Everest Charter School, that is clear. Initially, the District rejected their Charter petition, which was later overturned by the State. Then a battle erupted over Everest's first year facilities, which Sequoia wanted to put on an empty lot in East Palo Alto -- which Everest rejected. Now, Sequoia wants to put Everest on Woodside High School's parking lot, which is not in Redwood City, where Everest would like to be. The battle rages on...

On the same day as that story...

The head of Everest (and Summit), Diane Tavenner, got a statewide award from the California Charter Schools Association. It sounds like they love her, they really, really love her...

Even as the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District passed their parcel tax this year, 100 pink slips will be delivered.

A crime spree in San Carlos! 10 cars were broken in to with stuff stolen on Tuesday night... You missed our car asshole!

Bruce at PP Examiner has a look at the taxes that the County is considering... there are a half dozen possible taxes, for your wallet's information...

Finally, Half Moon Bay is also considering a "fee hike" on sewer rates... that stinks...

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 -- 2.22.10: A Very Luge Monday...

As one local plan crash continues to be investigated... another plane crash with local ties hits the news. This one left from San Carlos and ended in a crash outside of Yosemite. Albert Halluin, a Silicon Valley super lawyer and his fiance died during Friday night's flight.

Onto a lot less serious stuff...

Monday = Sue Lempert in the Daily Journal: Supervisor Mark Church's decision to run for Warren Slocum's soon-to-vacated office means that Church's seat will be open (if Church wins) and folks are lining up -- Dave Pine (San Mateo Union High School District Board), Marc Hershman (former Millbrae Mayor), Gina Papan (Millbrae Council), Ann Keighan (Burlingame Council), etc., etc., etc. Watch Dog is starting the Sue Lempert for Supervisor rumor right here, even though she denies it in her column...

Even though the financing for the Mirabella project in Foster City seems to be slipping away, the Foster City (City) Council seems to be hanging on to the idea and the project... Meanwhile, we can only imagine the good folks at the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District are getting excited about the prospects of the land for a new school...

Here's something new for Atherton... the City Manager and Police Chief are actually meeting with the public on Monday evening. Public outreach? Listening to the public? Being open about how thing run in town? Perhaps there won't be anymore hidden, expensive settlements or illegal fees given back to developers. Perhaps, but not likely...

The County Times wrote on Saturday about a "surprise deficit" that will force cuts in Belmont... how can such a thing be a surprise? Hasn't anyone noticed the global recession in Belmont? Perhaps not...

Not a surprise deficit, but not exactly great either, the County will eliminate 64 unfilled positions. If your resume is in the County hopper, forget about it...

Just as one local School District (Sequoia Union High School District) prepares to say goodbye to their Superintendent (Pat Gemma) another (San Carlos School District) signed their Superintendent (Craig Baker) on through 2012-13...

Instead of hiring employees to do code enforcement work, Redwood City is looking for volunteer snitches... seriously.

Here's a predictable headline from the County Times: High-Speed rail meeting in Menlo Park gets heated. Y'think?

Mountain lion. Portola Valley. Watch your dogs...

For those of you waiting anxiously for the Half Moon Bay "Rock the Block" party in 2010... you might have to wait until 2011, or never. The 2010 Rock the Block celebration got canceled due to lack of sponsors...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.5.10: Right to bear arms?

This is a story the NRA is going to jump all over. An Iraq War vet was attending class at College of San Mateo yesterday. In his car was a rifle and hand-gun that he apparently going to take to a local gun shop for repairs. Of course, that was before he was arrested on charges of felony possession of a firearm on college grounds and possession of a dangerous weapon... As they say, "don't take your guns to town... leave your guns at home..."

As the economy goes, so goes Caltrain ridership, apparently. It is down 9.5 percent during the first half of their fiscal year. We have noticed a lot more empty seats...

You may not ever be able to buy medical marijuana in San Carlos. That's because the City is about to crack down. Damn, and we were looking so forward to a dispensary right downtown. Think about it: Smoke, Eat, Ride Caltrain... that's a pretty good day.

The Daily Journal Editorial Board came out in support of the Burlingame Elementary School District parcel tax today -- Measure B. Didn't the Journal just come out against a parcel tax?

Belmont's City Manager is retiring today. In his place (at least for the next several months) will be a revolving door of top City employees. First up for the corner office? Police Chief Don Mattei.

There was a string of daytime burglaries in Atherton yesterday -- which has been a pattern of late. Stay vigilant Athertonians...

Ironically, on the same day that a crime spree hits Atherton, a proposal was being brought forward about a citizens' oversight committee of the Atherton Police Department...

If you are drinking coffee or eating, stop before you read further:

A sewage spill closed Surfers Beach in El Granada for three days...

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...