Morning News Round-Up -- 2.3.10: No Battle Royale...

Jackie Speier isn't going to leave DC... yet. She announced yesterday that she will not run for Attorney General. Which makes Watch Dog sad because we sort of looked forward to Battle Royale locally that would have ensued...

Remember last week when the County Executive David Boesch sent a stern letter to Deputy Sheriff's union explaining how the union must not understand the economic crisis affecting the County? Well, the union shot back yesterday saying that they did offer salary concessions to the County, but County Administrators (in Boesch's office) never forwarded the union's proposal to the Board of Supervisors...

Menlo Park is about to make national news. Following in Belmont's footsteps, MP is about to enact a pretty far-reaching anti-smoking ordinance. Menlo Park, meet Fox News. Fox News, meet Menlo Park...

San Carlos has a major parks problem... and we aren't talking about the 'to turf or not to turf' issue. They have no money for maintenance and may close some parks, stop mowing lawns, and stop cleaning up graffiti. Welcome taggers...

San Bruno neighbors continued to tell the San Mateo Union School District not to sell the Crestmoor High School site in San Bruno...

Folks in the Burlingame Elementary School District have ballots in their hands for Measure B, renewing a parcel tax for schools. 2/3 of them need to say yes for the tax to get renewed... vote early and often, that's Watch Dog's motto.

Speaking of Burlingame, the Daily Journal's Jon Mays chimes in on the epic, 13 year struggle to get Safeway approved. In the process, he gives us all a pretty good indication of reporter Heather Murtagh's age...

Continuing the big weak for Safeway on the Peninsula, the Menlo Park City Council is allowing Rubio's and Peet's to get outdoor seating in the Safeway plaza...

This is sad, the Half Moon Bay Downtown Business Association is taking a vote on whether to disband. That isn't a very good sign...

Morning News Round-up --10.12.09: Hold onto your hats, people.

San Carlos wants the state to give back money it owes cities ASAP. Get in line, San Carlos, get in line.

ACORN has suspended services at its South San Francisco chapter pending an internal investigation of the national nonprofit organization. That includes services for pimps and prostitutes?

Half Moon Bay pumpkin-growing prodigies step aside…there’s a new sheriff in town and word on the street is that he knows how to put the pump in pumpkin.

Who wants higher taxes in San Mateo? Jerry Hill probably does.

As if times aren’t hard enough..Four people were left homeless after a fire broke out in a San Mateo complex.

Forty firefighters battled another Peninsula blaze, which destroyed 60 percent of an Atherton home (mansion).

And then there were three.

San Mateo County is handing out sandbags to residents who live in flood zone areas. Why? Expect a heavy, heavy storm tonight.

P.S. Don’t wear a hat tomorrow.

Morning News Round-Up -- 8.14.09: Our Gambling Parlor Gem...

The battle over two proposed Off-Track Betting facilities in San Francisco is causing tempers to flare... again. The California Horse Racing Board will make a decision later this morning about the word "radius" -- San Mateo County's claim is that the proposed SF locations breach the radius of San Mateo County's facility. The best part of this story is that Unelected Supervisor Carole Groom calls the OTB parlor in San Mateo "a gem"...

San Mateo County Supervisors had good intentions when they, last year, created a citizens review panel, a group that would investigate misconduct of an elected official. The Supervisors established this ethics group after a San Mateo County Sheriff who was caught two years ago in a Las Vegas brothel during a police raid. (Oops...) The Daily News reports that many of the people identified as potential panel members had no idea they were placed on a list until a reporter called them. That’s because the County has yet to use the panel to investigate any elected officials, including the County Sheriff.

A San Mateo detective shot a man during a drug raid yesterday. And another robbery in San Mateo. Police believe the same person is responsible for all six robberies that have occurred since Aug. 6.

A 27-year-old Redwood City man stabbed his younger brother four times because he was using the computer without permission. He’s been charged with attempted first-degree murder. Motive = Guitar Hero...

Expect the roads to be packed with an extra 340,000 commuters starting Monday. That’s the number of people who are getting screwed by BART starting Monday morning when BART workers plan to start striking. The union announced this Thursday after the BART Board voted to shove a contract down the union’s throat.

But SamTrans will come to the rescue.

SamTrans will route its buses out of BART stations and run a commute-hour shuttle to a temporary transit center where passengers can connect with SF's Muni.

Even with more entertainment and a fireworks show, the 75th annual San Mateo County Fair is expected to be a bit quieter this year. We guess the "stay-cation" craze is dying down...

Fourteen people declared the their candidacy for Palo Alto City Council, where there are five open seats for the November race. Watch Dog can't wait!

Richard Merk, who will conclude his 13th year on the Portola Valley Town Council in December, calls it quits. Known for his politically incorrect questions and attention to detail, Merk says he has no plans to run for re-election because he’s “tired.” (No doubt some folks in Portola Valley feel the same way about Merk... tired.)

Would-be Half Moon Bay City Council candidate Kerri Lake was two sandwiches short of the picnic. The San Mateo County Elections Office disqualified her from the election because her petition has 18 verified signatures of Half Moon Bay residents. She needs 20 to qualify. In an related note, Coastside schools could use more math teachers...

If Congresswoman Jackie Speier learned anything from her Town Hall event Tuesday it’s that she needs a bigger venue. That’s why she is moving her August 23 Coastside event to a larger venue: Farallone View Elementary School in Montara. The time remains the same: Sunday, August 23 at 11:00 a.m.

(very late) Morning News Round-Up – 8.07.09: We're back...

Caltrain CEO Michael Scanlon and Deputy CEO Chuck Harvey played defense in front of their Board of Directors about the horn-y train issue that’s got everyone on the Peninsula all riled up. They said they were sorry for the amplified horns… but it was the only way to meet federal safety requirements quickly.

Remember this duo: Amritpal Singh Dhaliwal and Kulbir Singh Dhaliwal. The San Jose guys made headlines in 2007 when Tatiana, the Siberian tiger fatally shot after the Christmas Day 2007 mauling. The 250-pound animal leapt from her enclosure over a too-short wall, injuring the brothers and killing their friend, Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, of San Jose. They made the news again after Police pulled them over along San Mateo's Peninsula Avenue where they had an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka in their car and smelled of marijuana. They are making quite a name for themselves...

Talk about bad timing. The feds gave CORA, the County’s cash-strapped domestic violence agency, $500,000 just a few days after the agency slashed positions and services thanks to the State budget woes. To make matters worse, the money is earmarked specifically for the agency’s Expanded Transitional Housing Program, which means it can’t rob Paul to pay Peter.

San Mateo Fire officials unveiled designs for the new fire station No. 23’s at a community meeting last night. It’s going to be “roomier” and have accommodations for both men and women. Battalion Chief Mike Borean defended the current station’s shabby quarters, pointing out “There were no women on the force when this fire station was built.” That was in 1951.

Police in Burlingame are shocked and awed at the increasing number of Internet prostitute postings, with the “transactions” (sex for cash) happening too close to home. Police arrested two people Wednesday in a prostitution sting at a local motel. They assure everyone, more arrests are to come. Stay tuned -- and stay off of those ads on Craigslist for a while folks...

Speaking of good detective work. An 11-year-old girl scared off two burglars as they tried to break into her family’s Eichler Highlands home near Belmont. She spotted the two men trying to break in while she was reading. She yelled at the two men, who then ran off.

If you live in Atherton near the Fair Oaks Lane Railroad you won’t be bothered by those deafening Caltrain horns during two weekends this month. Officials announced they will close off that railroad crossing for two weekends for construction work. See if you can find something else train-related to complain about in the interim...

Some things never change… lifelong Coastside resident and elected official Naomi Patridge says she is running for re-election (again) to Half Moon Bay City Council. Along with this young guy...

The Half Moon Bay Review reports that some 138 concerned (more like pissed off) Coastside residents packed Cunha Intermediate School to hear out SamTrans officials about why they plan to cut service and hike fares. Actually, they came to protest the unpopular proposal, which SamTrans claims is due to a $28.4 million deficit.

A panel of California Fish and Game Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve changing the name of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve to Montara State Marine Reserve. According to the Review, part of a broader initiative to expand protections in coastal waters from Half Moon Bay to Mendocino.

East Palo Alto officials are trying to clean up the City’s outdated rent control law. They are on track to place a new law before voters in November, one that will close the “loopholes” in the current rent control code... (and perhaps one that will avoid costly lawsuits that drag on for years?)

Morning News Round-Up – 7.2.09: I forgot day, watch out...

(No kidding, it's I forgot day, see if the boss'll go for it…)

San Mateo’s County Manager, David Boesch, estimates the county could lose $87 million in the State’s anticipated money grab. Technically a “loan” no one expects the State to pay locals back…

“It’s long past time….” San Mateo held district elections for Supervisor according to San Mateo Union High School Trustee Dave Pine in support of the latest shoe from the Grand Jury. (elected) Supervisor Rich Gordon agrees it’s time for voters to choose.

County Supervisor/ABAG President Rose Jacobs Gordon voices an opinion on Grow Smart for the Daily Journal. This time not calling for “allowable” county spending, Jacobs Gibson echoes a report from the Greenbelt Alliance…

Taking a lead from Serbian journalists who visited local courtrooms. Off the Beat’s Michelle Durand visited the courts herself watching the defense get underway in the Dr. William Ayres trial.

In a (soon to be shared) story with our Sister Blog, Watch Dog Silicon Valley... Mountain View’s City Council is ready to do battle with the Feds over Hangar One… Mountain View will (probably) look to Palo Alto and Sunnyvale to join the party.

He’s old (58) and confused according to Troy Henderson’s attorney Jaime Harley. San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Sharon Lee didn’t snort (at least not out loud) instead pointing to numerous other complaints against the Atherton public works director. Trial’s over, Henderson/Harley/Ortiz-Buckley/Lee wait for the jury.

In a surprise move, Menlo Parks community services director, Barbara Santos George quit following months of debate over the city’s child care program. City Manager Glen Rojas said they would hold off on a replacement.

Coastside County Water District Director Jim Larimer is also putting pen to paper with an opinion piece in the Half Moon Bay Review. Drawing a line between no-growth advocates and slave owners, Larimer is bound to generate some interesting controversy.

Speaking of water…

What does $18 million get you? Well, the 24 acre Beachwood property for one but… Oops, no one thought to mention water rights during the Chop Keenan negotiations. Keenan, meanwhile, has an application with the water district to transfer those water rights off Beachwood.

Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier took time out to watch the Half Moon Bay’s Ox Mountain Landfill turn on the methane-energy power generator. The faint of heart can rest assured running the microwave won’t be a stinky job.

Geeks at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory will be able to employ more of the same thanks to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds flowing into Silicon Valley. After letting go 125 SLAC(ers) in 2008 there are 100 available gigs if you meet the braniac quotient.

Palo Alto’s plans for a new library are “woefully inadequate” according to Friends of Palo Alto Libraries. Library Advisory Commissioner Rajesh Mashruwala said downtowns unique demographic (seniors, daytime workers, homeless) causes special challenges. Right, because those folks don’t want books or computers in their libraries…

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.22.09: ChowderMobile

Call it San Mateo County's own mini-bail out program for non-profits. The County is putting $500K together for emergency funding for troubled non-profits. This is good news. The bad news? There are $2.7 million being sought by non-profits...

Foster City Councilmember Pam Frisella writes for the Daily Journal today on the topic of heroes. (Watch Dog started reading it and thought it was about the NBC show... it isn't.) She goes on to talk about the Red Cross Heroes breakfast. One note to Pam that perhaps she could pass on to her colleagues -- a school district in your town is looking for some heroes on the City Council to help find land for a school...

Speaking of the San Mateo-Foster City School District, the report card system for grading students that went into affect this past year will stay in place for next year. Perhaps the School District would like to implement a standards-based report card system for the Foster City City Council as well?

Now here is an idea Watch Dog can get behind: a Sam's Chowder House ChowderMobile! Coming to a high-tech campus near you. They cannot bring you Half Moon Bay views, but they can bring you chowder...

In an (un)related story... a Half Moon Bay fisherman was towed to safety after radioing for assistance on Saturday. It must have been rough out there because later on Saturday, a surfer at Pomponio State Beach went missing. There hasn't been an update yet online about how the search has gone.

In an ongoing theme on Watch Dog, here is your daily dose of La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District news... they named an Interim Superintendent to replace outgoing Superintendent Tim Beard. (We'll leave it to tomorrow's story to talk about lawsuits and fiscal mismanagement...)

The initial Garbage Saga has been covered in great length here on Watch Dog, but the Mini-Garbage Saga in Pacifica opens another chapter today as the Pacifica City Council starts to talk about replacing the beleaguered Coastside Scavenger... (Thanks Riptide...)

Palo Alto Police teamed up with the Sheriff's Marijuana Eradication Team to find (and smoke?) $15 million worth of weed in the foothills last week. Dude... if the weed is grown in Palo Alto, does that mean it costs more?

Watch Dog recently recapped a story about Palo Alto's Alma Plaza project which is hitting some rough times. Greenbrier Homes has pulled out of the mixed-use project but is suing to get back over $5 million in "option fees" back from the project's developer...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.17.09: Good bye Michelle?

Make sure you take a read through yesterday's Watch Dog post about the Civil Grand Jury report on red-light cameras in the County...

Something seems to be wrong with a story that appears in the San Mateo County Times today. The story says that Burlingame residents will see their sewer rates go up by 8 percent. Ok. But then the story says that the rate increase will be on Allied Waste's bills starting in April. The problem is that Allied Waste is the garbage company, not the sewer company. Maybe Watch Dog is wrong...but maybe Christine Morente is wrong...Either way, 8 percent increases in garbage or sewer is a lot. Hold on to your wallets Burlingamers...

The Daily Journal (finally) gets in on the story reported by the Half Moon Bay Review (and written about on Watch Dog San Mateo) about the closure of the Coastside Family Medical Center...

A contentious zoning issue was discussed last night in San Mateo. The issues is whether to "downzone" certain parts of certain neighborhoods...for your land-use geeks, read this story...

Is Michelle Durand leaving town? Say it ain't so...in today's Daily Journal she breaks up with the State of California. The budget mess. The failed leadership. The botched State Government. Michelle is fed up and she isn't taking it anymore...apparently. Please Michelle, let Watch Dog buy you a coffee to talk about the good old days before you leave...

New retailers are opening up in East Palo Alto: Sports Authority, Nordstroms Rack...these are a few of my favorite things...

Palo Alto is going to ban plastic bags at grocery stores...Watch Dog guesses that lobbyist/former Assemblymember Manny Diaz wasn't successful in lobbying for the environmental gurus at the American Chemistry Council...San Jose, are you listening?

The TravelBlog being posted on the Palo Alto Weekly website has been updated. Keith Schuman is in Vietnam. Note to Jay Thorwaldson, updating a blog regularly (like Keith is doing) makes things a lot more interesting...

More bad news from our friends in Half Moon Bay. The Legend of Motorcycle event has been canceled for 2009...(perhaps) to return in 2010.

Once again Assemblymember Jerry Hill is proving himself to be the most strategic politician in the County...he appointed Pacifica's Barbara Arietta to the State Democratic Committee Convention...you'll remember that Hill outmaneuvered State Senator Leland Yee when most of the delegates were selected to the Convention. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Speaking of Pacifica Democrats...on March 21st they will be discussing how Coastside areas get screwed in choosing County Supervisors...(hat tip: Riptide)

You have got to love Atherton. A tech start-up, TechCrunch.com, was going gang-busters and was being run out of the founders home in Atherton. Neighbors freaked out about the traffic (for the 10 employees/interns) and pushed the promising start-up out of town to Palo Alto. Not only did the neighbors cause jobs from being created in Atherton, they pushed them out of the County...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.4.09: The Life of the Wealthy and Influential...

The yearly ritual of pink slips to teachers starts next week. There are generally more pink slips given out than layoffs forthcoming, but the idea of teachers getting pink slips underlines how screwed up California is. Sorry Terminator Schwarzenegger, it's true...The California Teachers Association is marking the day of reckoning with their own website: Pink Friday 09.

One of the inherent inequities in California schools is that wealthier communities are able to privately fundraise while less-well-off Districts struggle in that department. On this front, the Partners in Education organization in Palo Alto is giving the Palo Alto Unified School District a check for $2.57 million this week...

In Belmont, there is a "Chronic flasher on the loose." The headline pretty much says it all...except that he also robbed a woman in a residential parking garage.

Easy come, easy go for Dr. Sang-Ick Chang, the CEO of the San Mateo Medical Center after only 18 months at the helm. While there is PR explanation why he is leaving to go take a lesser post as Chief Medical Offier at the Alameda County Medical Center...but the real reason is hinted at in the story: the County consolidated much of its healthcare functions last year and added a layer of bureaucracy over Dr. Chang's head. Instead of reporting directly to the County Manager, the new set up had Change reporting to Jean Fraser, who reported directly to the County Manager...hence, Change left.

Tonight, the Redwood City Elementary School Distict may/will put a $91 parcel tax measure on the ballot for June. Here is some free campaign help to get this passed: The State is screwed up. They are taking our money. We need more... (You are welcome...)

It is possible that Watch Dog's computer is temporarily screwed up, but it doesn't seem like the Daily Journal has any opinion today. Perhaps the rain has temporarily washed away Jon Mays' edge...

Cool (or scary) new x-ray technology is being rolled out at SFO. The TV version of the story was way cooler than the written version...



Foster City is getting some plastic surgery...sort of. They are replacing some grass fields with some artificial turf. Lest you think this is a move that could be conflict-free -- check out this story from Watch Dog Silicon Valley...

And in some blog news:

• The Palo Alto Weekly is (finally?) giving us all a blogger that (perhaps?) will update more regularly than Jay Thorwaldson...Keith Schuman is a Palo Alto dude who took off when the economy tanked and will be traveling (and blogging) around the world. Stay tuned. We'll track how often he posts...(Of note: Thorwaldson's blog has actually left the Weekly's homepage.)
• PP Examiner gives another look to the 21st Assembly District race with the new addition of Palo Alto's Yoriko Kishimoto. While not giving Watch Dog credit, the PP Examiner does admit that more voters will come from the Santa Clara County section of the District rather than San Mateo -- which is different than PP's first post on this issue. Watch Dog wrote about that same issue a while ago...The PP Examiner also changed its look a bit.
  

And from the Wealthy/Local Influential Folks File...

• A developer wants to build an office/hotel complex at the intersection of Marsh Road and 101 in eastern Menlo Park. How do we know? Well, it was reported in the Almanac. How does the Almanac know? Because the developer, David Bohannon, did a poll and folks got a bit freaked out...
• Speaking of local developers...Half Moon Bay is still trying to figure out how/if to issue a bond to pay its ($18 million) legal settlement to Chop Keenan...
• The advantages of being a Gubernatorial candidate from Atherton...Meg Whitman made a $1,000,000 contribution to her own campaign yesterday. "Writing that check is so much easier than having those pesky fundraisers," Whitman didn't say. "My hand did get tired from writing zeros, however..."

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.25.09: A Truly (Un)Churchillian Round-Up...

Watch Dog mentioned yesterday that we were tired of all the budget cutting/revenue enhancement stories...not because we don't think they are important, just that we are numb to them at this point. Today's list of updates: the City of San Mateo and San Mateo Union High School District.

And the outlook for local governments looks worse moving forward. That's because Warren Slocum, the San Mateo County Assessor, estimates that 40,000 homes that were sold since January 1, 2002 will be reassessed. He thinks 20,000 of them will have dropped in value, meaning local governments will take another tax revenue hit.

To deal with some of these harsh budget decisions, the Daily Journal's Editor Jon Mays suggests consolidating local services. (Watch Dog would point out, however, that sometimes the consolidated services, like garbage, can cause friction between cities and sometimes pit them against one another and the consolidated agency...I'm just saying...)

Also getting into the action of proposing ideas to save our cities' budgets in the Daily Journal -- Edwin Hawkins of the San Mateo County Firefighters Union. He (obviously) thinks that fire departments have too many folks at the top and not enough firefighters on the ground...

Un/Surprisingly, Congresswomen Eshoo and Speier liked (loved!) the President's speech last night. Eshoo called it "Churchillian." (That is a fun word to say...go ahead, say it...)

Now, two stories about Belmont neighbors. (And neither one is about traffic around Carlmont High...)

T-Mobile, put up your cell tower in Belmont...wait, scratch that, reverse it. The Belmont City Council is backtracking on a T-Mobile plan to install a cell tower on Lyon Avenue on a Mid-Peninsula Water District piece of property. Belmont neighbors (NIMBYs) have had their voice heard, it seems...

If active neighbors can stop a cell phone tower from being installed, they can do lots of other stuff too. Neighbors are also going to help clean up/maintain Waterdog Lake in Belmont...(By the way, the rumor that Waterdog Lake is going to be renamed Watch Dog Lake is untrue.)

More trouble with the Palo Alto Police Department. At a meeting last night that was meant to strengthen the relationship between the Police Department and the Community, folks vented and the Interim Police Chief got an earful. Perhaps Chief Johnson's departure was just the tip of the iceberg...

And adding fuel to the fire...A Palo Alto Police Lieutenant ended his moonlighting gig as a "consultant" for Page Mill Properties. Who is running the show in Palo Alto?

A group of (stupid) Fremont teenagers broke into Half Moon Bay High School on Monday night and broke into 34 lockers looking for money to steal. Really? High school lockers. That's where the geniouses thought they'd find lots of cash?

A Riptide writer is pissed about the big, yellow "Apartment Homes" signs sprouting up everywhere...Watch Dog has noticed too. Fight the good fight Riptide.

Watch Dog's primary competition (ha!) the San Francisco Chronicle, is in deep trouble. The Hearst Corp. said that they are looking to sell or close the paper because of the tremendous losses being incurred...

Morning (and weekend) News Round-Up -- 2.9.09: A Taxing Belmont Edition...

Don't say Watch Dog didn't warn you...Belmont is finally getting around to hiking garbage and sewer rates. And the increases are going to be steep. Mostly because they didn't plan for it, Belmont is now facing big garbage rate increases at the same time they are going to have to pay for their share of sewer/storm drain upgrades. Admitting that they haven't planned for the financial hit of the sewer upgrades, Belmont City Manager (amazingly) said, "...for the 35 years this has been operating, we have not been putting away for renovations..." Well, no time like the present Great Recession to start hitting people's pocketbooks...on the garbage rate side, Belmont (amazingly) is running a $600,000 deficit with the garbage company + the new service contract due to go into affect in 2011 = huge rate hikes. It will be a really bad day to be a Belmont City Councilmember when residents finally get these bills in the mail...

Perhaps it is time for Watch Dog to drop a little sewer knowledge: Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, and the West Bay Sanitary District are all part of the South Bayside Systems Authority that handles wastewater and sewer. The system is old and needs upgrades. Upgrades are expensive. Everyone is figuring out what to do to cover these costs. Hence Belmont's new rate increase...and San Carlos's rate increase...et tu Redwood City and West Bay Sanitary?

MediaNews has an investigative report today talking about a cab company that is ripping people off in Burlingame and Millbrae. It includes under-cover reporting...how exciting!

Cities and the County are licking their chops at the stimulus bill compromise that was reportedly hashed out this weekend. One caveat, apparently the difference between the House and the Senate versions of the bill (about a $100 billion difference) comes from school funding and from extension of unemployment -- which would have helped a lot locally. Ever-present Congresswoman Spieir held a public forum on Saturday morning to talk to local folks about the spending/tax-cut package.

But until that money comes gushing into County coffers...

Tomorrow, County Supervisors will be having a 'brainstorming forum' to talk about how to deal with the budget crisis. They will talk about cutting back on overlapping services and streamline how things are done to make dollars last longer. Unlike Sacramento, they make actually have some ideas and implement them...

The "kitten killer" is going to jail for a bit and will be on probation for a long time. Perhaps (hopefully) this will be the last animal cruelty story for a while...

Remember the psychic swindler? Well, she's likely going (back) to jail for bilking old ladies. (Insert your own 'she should have seen it coming' joke here...the Daily Journal did in their headline: San Mateo psychic sees conviction in future.)

Last week the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Mirabella project in Foster City closed. The County Times "Insider" column takes a look a little deeper about the ins and outs of the proposal -- including ideas for schools and senior housing...

A few weeks back, a Menlo College football player was arrested for assaulting another student nearly to death. The assaulted student turns out to be a baseball player and he is now (thankfully) out of the hospital. Benjamin Kain-Williams, one of the men arrested for the assault, has withdrawn from Menlo College...

If you are planning a Coastside trip to Half Moon Bay on February 16th -- that might be a bad idea because of all the road closures. Unless, of course, you are interested in seeing a bike race, then Half Moon Bay will be a great place to be...

Pacifica has hired from within for their Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Department. Michael Perez is taking over the helm after serving 21 years with the City/Town...

South San Francisco is going to hold a job fair for folks who have been laid off from bio-tech companies -- of which there are about 1,500 in the County. This sounds promising. But one question Watch Dog has to ask: Who is hiring these days?

A(nother) violent weekend in East Palo Alto. A man was shot and killed leaving a kids birthday party at the East Palo Alto Senior Center Saturday night. A few hours later, early Sunday morning, a cyclist was shot while pedaling and then got himself to the hospital a few hours later -- he is going to live.

Menlo Park Councilmember Andy Cohen is not only a practicing politician...he is also a practicing artist. His paintings are on view at The Little House activity center.

Following on Councilmember Cohen's art story, we have this: Former San Mateo Mayor Claire Mack has a new book out. Perhaps a new County tagline is in order: San Mateo County, where politics is art...

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.5.09: Bribing Businesses in Belmont Edition...

Belmont is hungry for more businesses. They want to annex the remaining, non-San Carlos parts of the Harbor Industrial Area and reap the tax money that comes with it. They are even willing to bribe/pay the folks there with $5,000 each in expenses related to the annexation...This is the latest in a long, drawn out battle for annexation of the area -- part of which went to San Carlos a bunch of years ago.

If you live in San Carlos, you will be voting on a school parcel tax by mail starting the first week in April and ending the first week in May. $78/parcel/year. If you need an explanation as to why the San Carlos School District needs money, look north and east to the State Capitol...and then look at the failing economy...PP Examiner has a run down of other school-related taxes headed for the May all-mail ballot...

And while we are blasting Sacramento...PP Examiner also reviews the local media's criticism of the Legislature. Specifically, PP Examiner reviews Jerry Hill's ill-timed "there oughta be a law" contest roll-out. (Watch Dog has focused on this contest before in our Bay Area-wide expose...) Anyway, get to work Sacramento folks -- don't worry about new laws...

Another school district budget story...skip to the next story if you are tired of these. Tired not because they aren't important, but they are here everyday. This time, the San Mateo Union High School District is considering a number of measures to close the $5.8 million budget gap, including having employees pay more for healthcare. Perhaps they should look at raising their field-usage fees...just an idea...

All you good folks (and NIMBYs) who were concerned about the Verona Ridge project in San Mateo, the construction on the 34 homes is slowing down considerably and the developers are trying to time the market. With the way things look -- timing the market might take some time...

Another month, another mysterious death in Pacifica -- the second in about three months. This time, Pacifica resident Jeanette Hazel Santos's body was found floating near the Pier. The Coroner will have an official cause of death soon. On the "inside the media" part of this story: the Pacifica Tribune doesn't have the story online yet, the Half Moon Bay Review does, and so does Riptide (via the Chronicle)...

San Mateo County and animal cruelty. So many stories, so little time. The thief/vigilante who stole a pitbull and served 40 days in jail, is out. 19 year old Tyler Hill loves animals so much that he needed to rescue ones that were being mistreated...hence stealing the pitbulls. He has learned his lesson apparently, saying, "What I did was not right...My heart was in the right place, but I could have gone another route to saving the puppies..." 40 days in lock up for a 19 year old tends to teach a pretty good lesson Watch Dog would think...

A funny (online) headline appears in the Half Moon Bay Review: City wants roads paved as part of stimulus. If you've never been to Half Moon Bay -- you may get the wrong picture, (most of) the roads are paved out there...Watch Dog thinks the headline should probably be "re-paved" but who cares?...

Stanford canceled its (widely popular) Community Day. Is this punishment for the push-back they are getting from the City of Palo Alto about their hospital and mall plans...

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.2.09: Love that murky water...

Expect your water to be murky starting Monday…that’s right, murky. All this will start Monday and is part of upgrades to the water delivery system. Watch Dog is absolutely positive that this will be a big, huge issue for residents...in fact, Watch Dog already wrote about this relating to Palo Alto, so I’ll just quote myself from December 12th on this one:

In a story Watch Dog guarantees will come back with a vengeance at some point -- the City of Palo Alto warned residents that they may see a slight change in water quality for a few months because of maintenance issues. What?! I guess a small mention in the Palo Alto Weekly ought to make people feel at ease when murky water comes out of the tap in Palo Alto. Brace yourself Palo Alto City Council -- this will be an issue, even though the work is being done by the San Francisco Public Utlities Commission. In case you are wondering, the water may seem milky or have a slightly different taste...

Ditto this whole thing for everyone in government in San Mateo County. Brace yourself folks…nothing whips people into a frenzy like water that looks or tastes different than it should. Watch Dog will be excepting, and posting, murky water photos for those that wish to send them here.

Foster City has decided to wait to implement garbage rate increases until at least next year. They plan to cover the cost using reserve funds. Watch Dog will report later today (or tomorrow or the next day) on the recent Civil Grand Jury report that looks into ‘pilfering’ of recycling. How does this relate? Well, it seems some cities have been subsidizing their garbage pick-up for residents with revenue from recycling – but that subsidy could become much less because of dropping commodity rates. It's complicated, but stay tuned.

Foster City isn’t the only government agency dealing with garbage and the new proposed contract. A County Committee comprised of Supervisors Rich Gordon and Mark Church recommended Thursday to wait until the final cost of the new proposed contract comes in before making a final decision about a new garbage company. Garbage in San Mateo County just never ceases to produce news…

All this garbage news (and this and this and this and this) brings us to Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays, who does his best to forecast issues that will likely dominate the political landscape in the County this year. Weird that he left out the garbage stuff that has filled so many column inches in his paper (and this blog). On the garbage front this year – cities will be deciding about a new vendor...and new rate increases to cover the new service. And oh yeah, the Civil Grand Jury is also looking into to how a government agency, the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA), doled out the $700+ million contract…so Mr. Mays, perhaps your piece needs a bit of updating…And if Mr. Mays doesn’t believe Watch Dog that residents are paying attention to garbage rates, he should check out his own Letters to the Editor today…

Burlingame has about a $5 million budget shortfall next year. Like every other government agency (except the State of California) they are planning ahead. And like every other government agency (except the State of California) their plans call for cuts in services and “revenue enhancements.” Revenue enhancements are government agency's way to increase fees (and sometimes taxes) without calling them fee hikes or taxes. Some of the enhancements are moving construction and demolition fees to the City’s general fund, increasing the cost of classes (what classes does Burlingame offer?), increasing rent for City building space, and increasing parking and red-light-running fines. Careful when parking in Burlingame next year – they are relying on your bad parking to fill their budget gap…sort of.

Two (reported) gang members pleaded no contest this week to charges stemming from a fight they tried to have with an electrician wearing a red shirt. No kidding. Their gang, the Surenos, hates the Nortenos. The Nortenos wear red. Unfortunately for a couple of electricians working on a McDonalds in Half Moon Bay, they were wearing red as well. The gang members tried to pick a fight and generally caused a ruckus that lasted 45 minutes and ended with the police arriving at the restaurant. Oh yeah, one of the gang members works in the McDonalds…one has to wonder if he has been fired. And don’t McDonalds employees wear red also?

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.29.08: A Crab-less Drunk Driving Season...

Rest easy...the escaped inmate from last week has turned himself in...hopefully they won't put him back in the minimum-security facility in Redwood City this time...

Belmont is about to get some help tracking down tax scofflaws -- by using Notre Dame de Namur University students. Next up, Carlmont High students driving SamTrans buses...

What holiday week would be complete with idiots all over the road...Prior to Chistmas, not a newspaper or television station went without giving an update about how the police would be "out in force" cracking down on drunk drivers...but...

A drunk driver hit a San Mateo fire truck on Chistmas Day. At least they were close to help the man live...he brought the mountain to Muhammed, so to speak...and...

Three very lucky (and stupid) teenagers drove off the road on Highway 1 in Pacifica near Devil's Slide on Sunday and rolled 135 feet down a cliff. According to the story, it was a few rocks that held them up from falling into the ocean. They all lived...hence the luck...the driver appeared to be drunk/stoned...hence the stupid.

In other cheery holiday news, a home robbery near Half Moon Bay netted the thief guns (and Christmas presents...)

Our psychic friend in San Mateo lost her business, according to her landlord at the Laurelwood Shopping Center...to use the same joke again (and again) -- she should have seen this eviction coming...

Dungeness Crab season is usually such a happy time for the crab-loving Watch Dog...but this season is a big bummer for fishermen.

One of the big issues in Foster City is the 15-acre Mirabella project -- at least that's what all the folks in Foster City say. In a Environmental Impact report that will make NIMBYs smile, that development will add noise and traffic to the area. Duh.

Speaking of NIMBYs...the third-rail of County development is coming back again. The idea of developing a part of the unincorporated hillsides in San Mateo are back -- after two decades or so. Perhaps Unelected Supervisor Carol Groom will be a powerful voice for her former (and current) constituents on this?

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.22.08: "Have you ever noticed?" aka Andy Rooney Edition....

A process set for San Mateo City Council appointment for appointing someone for vacating the seat held currently by newly unelected Supervisor-elect Carol Groom. Democracy faces an uphill battle in the County...expect something as undemocratic as this...

If she was really a psychic, she would have had visions of the police arresting her for stealing old ladies' money...but she didn't. A San Mateo County woman faces charges of bilking an old lady for tens of thousands through her psychic/quack practice.

A man was arrested after hours (and with a gun) in Atherton's fancy Holbrook-Palmer Park last week. The story is good read if for no other reason as it provides a view inside an Atherton Police Officer's duty...even in fancy towns, Officers are brave...

To compost or not to compost...that is the question in Palo Alto...well, not exactly. The opposite of compost, in this case, is a park. The City Council is split -- which makes this an interesting thing to follow.

Considering the County Investment Pool lost a ton of dough with Lehman Brothers, it is a wonder that more school Districts aren't following Menlo Park City School District and (considering) pulling their funds from the Pool...

Details about the Pacifica woman's death from last week continue to surface. Watch Dog is no detective, but these stories refer to two former boyfriends and the mother of a former boyfriend with whom the victim lived. The story also talks about an angry phone call right before the victim stepped out of the house to walk it off. She wound up dead on a golf course. Now, in Law and Order, Watch Dog knows that detectives "dump" the phone lines and find out whom she was talking to...I assume they know who the fight was with -- but it isn't in these stories...more to come (hopefully)...You will be (un)surprised to learn that the Pacifica Tribune online still does not anything posted about this story...while Pacifica Riptide does.

also...

...thankfully for Pacifica, someone (Pacifica Riptide) covers local issues in real-time (just like Watch Dog) and is keeping tabs on the proposed biodiesel facility planned for Pacifica...including tracking down insurance certificates and making sure that Pacifica doesn't blow up if they site a biodeisel facility on the coast...thumbs up Riptide...

As their former City Manager makes her new home in Millbrae, Half Moon Bay is going to hire a new interim City Manager...

An inmate escaped from a minimum-security facility in Redwood City on Saturday night. I guess the 59-year-old had some Christmas shopping to do?...

Sue Lempert gets in the (non)Christmas spirit in the Daily Journal and complains about what it is like shopping for kids these days. She starts the piece with a warning that she is going to sound like 60 Minutes Andy Rooney...she's right. If you don't like Andy Rooney, skip this piece. Sorry Sue...

Morning News Round-Up -- 12.17.08: Watch Dog seeking appointment to San Mateo City Council...pretty please?

As reported here yesterday evening, the sitting Board of Supervisors exercised their undemocratic/ Blagojevichoian right and appointed Unelected Supervisor Carol Groom. Like Watch Dog, the Daily Journal is not happy. Their Editorial today is titled: A good appointment, but failed leadership...In (un)related news, Caroline Kennedy would like an appointment too...perhaps the new Board of Supervisors (minus Supervisor Gordon) could hook her up?

Which brings us all to this (soon to be undemocratic) process in the City of San Mateo -- where the City Council will make an appointment until the City's next election in November 2009. Two names are already in the fold -- long-time resident and labor leader Rich Hedges and San Mateo Community Relations Commissioner and deputy DA in Alameda County David Lim.

6 years ago San Bruno Mayor Larry Franzella voted on a BART plan that he shouldn't have because it affected a home he owned near the tracks. Now, he will pay a $9,000 fine for participating in a vote when he had a conflict of interest, according to the ethics watch dogs the FPPC. Oops.

A biodeisel fuel company is still pursuing Pacifica as a place to set up shop -- but they need a bit more time to figure things out. The Pacifica City Council is voting on giving Whole Energy Fuels 6 more months to "come through with the required documents." Like documents that will show the place won't blow up?

Half Moon Bay's City Manager resigned (abruptly) yesterday. Farmer John (Mayor Muller) said that there would be no interruption in city services. Unless, of course, you work for the City Manager -- then expect some interruption...