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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.12.09: The electric car hum you hear is Tesla leaving town...

Well, there was a good news/bad news Tesla story yesterday which we wrote and commented on. The good news is that the San Carlos-based electric car manufacturer is getting a huge $350 Federal loan to build a manufacturing facility. The bad news is that in early February the New Mexico Business Weekly reported that the company was in "late stage" negotiations to move the (previously slated for San Jose) manufacturing plant there...

San Mateo County history was made yesterday when a 14 year old kid, Vladmir Santos of Redwood City, was the youngest person in the County ever to be charged as an adult. His crimes -- attempted murder and other felonies. The will instill community pride...(In an (un)related and ironically timed story, the County Times profiles the County's juvenile camp program to help young people in trouble with the law...)

But better history was being made yesterday as well. A Burlingame-based law firm is suing the CEOs of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America for lying/misleading investors and paying out huge bonuses as the two companies lost billions (trillions?). San Mateo County's own Super (Hero) Lawyer, Joe Cotchett is spearheading the class action lawsuit...

Surprise, surprise. (NIMBY) Hillside residents in (unincorporated) San Mateo don't want any neighbors...Ticonderoga Partner's San Mateo Highlands project was the on the County Planning Commission's docket last night and people made sure to have their voices heard. The current plans is for 11 homes...but remember, (apparently) the original plan 20 years ago was for 199.

Michelle Durand's "Off the Beat" column today in the Daily Journal talks about the State's gamble on gambling...Michelle offers that the gamble doesn't seem to have paid off, based on the State's new IOU strategy...

Ed McGovern, COME ON DOWN...San Mateo County's busiest (and most successful) political consultant went from consultant to contestant recently on The Price is Right...no kidding...the show hasn't aired yet, however.

Here is a nice piece on the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice that honors Congressman Tom Lantos' legacy...

Palo Alto is considering transferring money from its Utility Department to its General Fund...to the tune of nearly $20 million. And why not? It is a way to get into Palo Alto residents' pocket books without having to raise taxes...just raise electric/water/gas rates...And if robbing rate payers isn't enough...Palo Alto is also considering "altering" their hotel tax to make sure they collect every last penny from visitors too...

1,000 folks showed up on Sunday for a job fair for the soon-to-open Rosewood Hotel in Menlo Park. 75 folks were offered jobs and 125 folks will be called back (like on American Idol?) for interviews...Watch Dog is waiting patiently by the phone...

Just when Half Moon Bay's lawsuit with Chop Keenan dies down, a different lawsuit pops up. This time over the ownership of the Oak Avenue Park. The dispute is between the City's contention that the Oak Avenue Park is City land and the Cypress-by-the-Sea Homeowners Association who believe it is private land...for Half Moon Bay's sake, Watch Dog hopes Joe Cotchett isn't working for the Homeowners Association...

Pacifica Riptide must not read Watch Dog because they go on a mini-rant about capturing methane in landfills and ask why San Mateo County's landfill (Ox Mountain in Half Moon Bay) can't do this. Well, apparently Ox Mountain can and does...we posted about it in our Morning News Round-Up on January 8th.

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.8.09: Animal justice...and an Ox Mountain

Open space and housing. They go together like peanut butter and...mayo. Now, the owner of a bunch of open space in Hillsborough is proposing 25 homes on 48 acres near Crystal Springs Reservoir. Watch Dog is willing to bet a lot of bones that this will raise the hackles of the good folks/NIMBYs in Hillsborough...

Last month there was a spate of animal crimes in San Mateo County -- cat stomping, dog punching, and then the theft of baby pit bulls. Well, justice is being served in the pit bull case. The thief who nabbed 8 pit bulls was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 2 years probation...

The landfill at Ox Mountain in Half Moon Bay is going to be something a bit more than a place to dump trash -- soon, it will be a place that is generating electricity as well. They will be capturing methane to generate electricity starting in "two or three months".

A pervert masseur is facing a bunch of lawsuits claiming unwanted sexual touching in San Mateo. First crooked psychics, now gross masseurs. Who regulates these folks in San Mateo? Perhaps San Mateo needs to appoint a new City Councilmember to straighten things out...quick!

If you have a Christmas tree in your home and you want to get rid of it, there is a right was to do it and a wrong way to do it. Here is the right way...and the wrong way is dumping it on my front lawn like last year...

Half Moon Bay needs an interim City Manager -- but the City Council couldn't decide on who that person would be. So, the search for someone to temporarily replace the permanent person is still going on...imagine what will happen when the Half Moon Bay City Council has to decide on a permanent person -- it could take months...

Again scooping the paper newspaper, (online paper) Pacifica Riptide has a report about a possible sales tax hike in Pacifica that came before the Financing City Services Task Force. The money from the new $.01 sales tax increase would go to the Fire District Assessment and could be on the ballot in June 2009. Thank you Riptide for keeping us all in the loop.