Morning News Round-Up -- 5.18.10: Garbage Saga, The Original, Continues...

Ah, we thought the original Garbage Saga had ended and was giving way to the new Garbage Saga II in Pacifica... actually, Menlo Park and Atherton are asking questions about the original Garbage Saga and those two towns are pissed about it. (What aren't they pissed about though...) You see, the current garbage company, Allied Waste, signed a contract with Teamsters that extends beyond Allied Waste's contract with Peninsula cities... and it is pretty generous. Of course, Allied Waste won't be on the hook to pay it, and really, the new company that will take over in January, Recology, won't be on the hook either, garbage customers will be. Which puts the overseer of the garbage companies, Kevin McCarthy in a tough spot explaining things:

"On the face of it, it doesn't seem unreasonable. Certainly, I think we would have liked to have seen a shorter term. To say it's awkward to have a lame-duck service provider negotiating future agreements ... well, it's a very awkward situation."

What?!

There is no way you have forgotten about the series of sexual assaults at the County's psych ward perpetrated by patients on other patients... well, investigators are going to look to see if employees could have done something to prevent these attacks. Y'think? The psych unit isgetting another night nurse and security officer to help make things a bit more secure. Sounds like that move is a bit overdue...

A new housing proposal in San Mateo will be 50 percent affordable housing units developed in partnership between the Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition and Palo Alto Partners...

SSF Unified may go to the ballot in November for a bond measure... which bucks the trend of school districts going for parcel taxes. Bonds can't be used for operating expenses, just for bricks and mortar...

Dude... the Blue Heaven Collective, a medical-marijuana dispensary, was denied its license by the County. To be continued... no doubt.

Burlingame Voice shows that it knows and cares about something other than High-Speed Rail as they dive into the ongoing negotiations between Burlingame and their Police Department over pension and benefits. The Voice also shows they have a very good sense of humor, calling yesterday's piece: Friends with Benefits... (If you don't know what this funny, you are not hip at all...)

The Tour of California rolls through the Bay Area today and tomorrow... So shave your legs and head out...

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.1.10: http://mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county

To start March 2010, we have to comment on the change that happened over the weekend on the San Mateo County Times website. They actually have their own website, and now it is obvious that they are the same paper as the Mercury News. Also, instead of saying "Oakland Tribune" on the top of their homepage, it actually says San Mateo County Times. Kudos to all those busy web developers... and their bosses who got the go-ahead to change things up... Oh yeah, and they got their own URL, http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county

DMB's water rights that they intend to use if the Saltworks project ever goes through in Redwood City gets the microscope treatment today. The headline: "Redwood City Saltworks developer poised to become major Bay Area water baron" pretty much says it all. The story hints that Redwood City might be tempted to approve the DMB proposal in the salt flats because the City needs the water that could come with it...

Speaking of controversial... High-Speed Rail on the Peninsula. A big report is coming out in April and everyone is figuring out how to oppose it... like hiring lobbyists or having public meetings...

You don't think people are crazy about schools in Belmont? How about camping out for Kindergarten... we get camping out for Miley Syrus tickets, but Kindergarten?

In the land of constant elections, Burlingame voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return their ballot on the parcel tax measure for the Burlingame School District.

The former Belmont Chamber of Commerce president's molestation trial has begun. For the Belmont Chamber, this trial flies in the face of the old adage that any coverage in the news is good news...

The San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer is now also the head the California Police Chiefs Association...

It is Sue Lempert Monday in the Daily Journal. She looks at the sale of the Crestmoor High School site calling it deja vu... she also talks about all the local races happening, like for Coroner...

And onto Recession news...

• New water rates are coming to Foster City. The new rates will save you money if you save water and cost you lots if use lots...
• SSF Unified is looking at raising taxes, cutting offerings and jobs, or all of that...
• Teachers may be laid off in the Menlo Park City School District. That ought to go over well with Menlo Parkians... and ought to push them to vote yes on the upcoming parcel tax.

Cool stuff about the tsunami that (thankfully) wasn't on Coastsider...

To end today's Round-Up, we go to Pacifica Riptide... Riptide does some reporting today (and perhaps provides some opposition research for the Josh Becker/ Yoriko Kishimoto camps)... it seems Supervisor Rich Gordon has missed half of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority meetings in the past year... oops.

Morning News Round-Up -- 2.12.10: When the going gets tough...

Mavericks Saturday... Now we see what the delay was. The organizers probably wanted the combination of big waves and a weekend...

Pat Gemma is retiring... and you might too if you were him. He is the Superintendent at the Sequoia Union High School District. He is probably exhausted from fighting the Charter Schools in his District and constant cuts... But there are some real long timers getting out of the action: Buffington, Slocum, Gemma... when the going gets tough...

Well, some of the tough try to get elected to a different office... like Supervisor Mark Church, who officially threw his hat into the ring for Slocum's office.

South San Francisco Unified has a little problem on their hands... Administrators are due to receive raises and teachers are none too pleased...

The Daily Journal advocates that some school districts team up to spread resources around better... good luck with that idea.

The COWs of Woodside wrote up the City Council meeting in January -- or you could take an Ambien...

Morning News Round-Up -- 4.23.09: Food Stamps to the Economic Rescue...

You know the economy is bad when this is the headline of a Daily Journal story: Food stamps provide financial boon...

Apparently the economic boon that food stamps are providing aren't enough to stave off 5-10% cuts from the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department however...

And food stamp boon is also not enough to calm folks anger of the proposed business license tax in Palo Alto...Palo Alto leaders are now going to "slow down plans" for the new tax...

Speaking of quelling anger...Assemblymember Jerry "The Bearded One" Hill is hosting a Town Hall on High-Speed Rail. That should be all kinds of NIMBY fun for the family...the Town Hall is in Belmont at 7 p.m. tonight.

A "virtual charter school" (whatever that is) will (likely) be voted down by the SSF Unified School District tonight. In Watch Dog's ongoing attempt at humor, we are letting folks know that World B. Free is not the petitioner for the Free World U Charter School...

"Off the Beat," Michelle Durand gives high-praise to Gale, the Wonder Woman of the Daily Journal.

The Right Wing Tea Party that happened last week in San Mateo is getting blasted for some anti-semitic stuff on posters. It sounds like the McCain/Palin rallies of October 2008 are re-igniting...Our State Senator Leland Yee is leading the anti-Tea Party charge...you go Leland.

Some crime news...

• Remember the woman who crashed into a house in her car in Foster City in February? (We made a joke about the snow on the roads...) She won't be charged.
• The mother of a teenage girl had sex with a 14 year old boy. This happened in San Bruno last year. The woman is being charged with a bunch of crimes, obviously.
  

It isn't part of the Garbage Saga, but Menlo-Atherton High School students are dumping stuff on the lawn to show how much everyone wastes...Happy (Smelly) Earth Day...How long before Lindenwood neighbors in Atherton start complaining about this?