The city of Half Moon Bay is stonewalling its residents and the rest of the state on AB1991.

Half Moon Bay Review editor Clay Lambert has blogged that he’s having a hard time getting his calls returned by City Hall. I’ve made several calls to City Manager Marcia Raines since the settlement was announced, asking about envrionmental reviews of the Glencree property, but have never heard from her.

How can the community get its questions answered about AB1991? You’re only allowed to get its predigested spin, such as its most recent letter disputing the Coastal Commission’s arguments from Coastsider. The city will not talk to you.

Thursday, the city held a telephone press conference attempting to dispute the Coastal Commission’s negative assessment of AB1991 [click for MP3 recording].

The city’s spin machine was working overtime this afternoon. A number of folks, including myself, tried to get a question to Mayor Bonnie McClung, but access was so tightly controlled that only three reporters were able to ask a mere four questions. It was more like a George W. Bush White House press conference than a real Q&A about an important issue in our community.

Two of those four questions went unanswered. You can listen to Orrick attorney/flack Lanny Davis fail to deliver the details of a lawsuit which he claimed invalidated the Coastal Commission’s assertion that the inclusion of Glencree was arbitrary. And hear Mayor McClung fail to tell us the city’s cost for lobbying for AB1991.

At the end, Mr. Davis ran out the clock by describing the settlement as a deal which cannot be undone, but failed to mention who cut the deal and why it was structured the way it was.

No further questions were taken.

Kevin J. Lansing is former Chair and member of Half Moon Bay Planning Commission

Editor’s note: I was on the city’s conference call today. I’ll post some more information on the call later tonight.

Earlier today, Half Moon Bay City officials held a conference call to dispense some spin about AB 1991, a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Gene Mullin.

This poorly-conceived bill seeks to abrogate several widely-supported state environmental laws for the purpose of facilitating a sweetheart deal that will make millions for wealthy developer Charles “Chop” Keenan.

The California Coastal Commission has unanimously expressed opposition to AB 1991, as have numerous statewide environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, and the California Audubon Society.

During the conference call, the City’ s hired lawyer/lobbyist Lanny Davis kept saying that AB 1991 would “set no precedent” and is a “one-off bill.” That is, of course, until the next opportunistic Assemblymember decides to sponsor his own pet bill to exempt his or her own pet locality from statewide environmental laws. Note to Mr. Davis: We’re not that naive.

Below are some questions that City officials should have been required to answer but unfortunately they were not. Only representatives of the media were allowed to ask questions.

1. The City’s press release describes AB 1991 as a “Rescue Bill.” Is the City Council claiming that the City will essentially “die” (i.e., go bankrupt) if AB 1991 is not passed?

2. The settlement agreement provides for a payment of $18 million to the developer if AB 1991 does not pass. Due diligence would have required the City Council to analyze the City’s financial ability to pay $18 million (say, via a bond) before agreeing to that figure. Is the City Council now claiming that the $18 million payment, if triggered, would send the City into bankruptcy?

3. Can the City Council release the financial analysis that shows it fulfilled its duty of due diligence before agreeing to the $18 million figure?

4. The announcement of the press conference states “City officials will also discuss why AB 1991 is crucial to public safety in Half Moon Bay.” The City currently spends about $5 million per year on Police Services out of a total annual budget of about $10 million. Spending on Police Services has doubled over the last five years or so. Is the City Council attempting to exploit AB 1991 in an effort to compensate for poor fiscal management, i.e., excessive growth of public safety salaries and benefits along the lines of the City of Vallejo ?

5. Given that the recent LAFCo municipal service review stated that significant cost savings could be obtained by contracting out a portion of City Police Services to the County, is the City Council being truthful when it claims that AB 1991 is crucial for public safety?

6.  How much has the City spent up to this point in lobbying efforts to get AB 1991 passed (including payments to consultants)? How much has the City budgeted for future lobbying efforts? Will the City Council agree to release a full accounting of these lobbying expenses to the public?

7. AB 1991 would facilitate a Beachwood/Glencree development of 129 houses. The traffic impacts would combine with those from the nearby 63 houses previously approved via the Ailanto settlement. The cumulative traffic impacts from these developments has never been studied. How is the public’s interest being served by exempting a project of this size from the standard environmental review that is required by the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act?

I have just received word from a contact in the County Airports department that to mark the start of Dream Machines this Sunday, at 10 AM there will be a LOUD blast from an air horn.  I asked, “how long?” He didn’t know but he emphasized loud.

“Should a film console us with its own brilliance when it aims to discomfort us with its content?” Kenneth Baker San Francisco Chronicle

Jennifer Baichwal’s gorgeous documentary about Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky and his attempt to document modern industrialization gone amuck in China and other hypergrowth hotspots.  Burtynsky is a master at finding beauty in dangerous industrial vistas. The opening tracking shot through the Chinese factory where 23,000 employees make most of the world’s iron is itself worth the admission price.

The film makes no attempt to scare the audience with statistics and charts. Instead Director Jennifer Baichwal chose to follow Burtynsky as he travels the world looking for mind blowing industrial vistas he can capture on film. Burtynsky throws in an occasional comment about his subjects, but for the most part he lets the images and the words of the people behind the images do all the talking.  It’s clear that the workers depicted in the film are profoundly grateful for the jobs that have lifted them out of poverty. At the same time they are fully cognizant and deeply concerned about the impact this rampant industrialization is having on the world they are going to pass on to their children.

Jenny Lau, an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema at San Francisco State and a member of the Script Committee of the Beijing Olympics will introduce the film and lead the post screening discussion.

More info and a streaming clip at: www.HMBFilm.org

Copies of “A SEAL’S LIFE” are still available
The Film Society still has copies of last month’s film, A Seal’s Life, for sale on DVD at the bargain price of $15.00.  You can pick one up at this month’s screening or send a check made out to the “Coastside Film Society” to PO Box 94037-0588 and the Film Society will mail you a copy.

Fri. April 25, 2008, 7:30 pm
Methodist Sanctuary, 777 Miramontes, Half Moon Bay (corner of Johnston)
$6.00 for adults

REMINDER: Jerry Hill is this Friday night

We are opening our home for people who want to meet the Democratic candidates for Gene Mullin’s 19th Assembly District seat. Our home is at 2098 Touraine Lane, Frenchman’s Creek, Half Moon Bay. RVSP, so we’ll have some idea of the number of attendees.

• Richard Holober—Friday, March 14, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.


• Gina Papan—Friday, March 21, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.


• Jerry Hill—April 25, 2008. At 7:00 P.M.

Dream Machines returns to Half Moon Bay Airport on Sunday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Half Moon Bay Airport. The show benefits the Coastside Adult Day Health Center in Half Moon Bay.

Headline attractions scheduled to appear include thrilling, high-flying freestyle Motocross exhibitions by HiRise FMX; military aviation wonders “Heavenly Body”—a historic B-25 Bomber from World War II, P-51 Mustangs, Hawker Seafury British Fighter, P-40 “Flying Tiger”, and YAK Russian fighters; Max Loffgren’s POW/MIA ‘55 Chevy dragster, built as a tribute to the 3,500+ American servicemen and women listed of prisoners of war or missing in action from the Vietnam War; AAA Greenlight Initiative “Green Machines” display of clean technology/alternative fuel vehicles; Stanford’s Solar Race Car “Equinox”; the Blastolene Brothers extreme, mega-modified machines; ace aerobatics pilot Eddie Andreini; and “World Record Wonderland” headed by record-setting dragster “The Flying Fortress”—the world’s fastest non-supercharged, front engine slingshot dragster and the lightning fast, super sleek BuddFab Motorcycle Streamliner.

NOTE: All candidates are always welcome to submit statements to Coastsider.

I’ve been critical of MCTV’s policies about copyright and its management for the past few weeks, but I’ve decided to do something about it.

Last Friday, shortly after I learned nominations for the board were about to close, I nominated myself, as well as Darin Boville and Scott Boyd for the three open positions on the MCTV board.

Things have been crazy over the last week preparing for this, but we’re excited to be running for the board.

I’m going to be writing more how MCTV can be improved and the election process, but for now, I’ll leave you with what we wrote for our campaign brochure. Please leave questions and comments below and we’ll be happy to address them. What would you like to see from MCTV?

Why we’re running

MCTV has accomplished a lot in 20 years, but we need to find new ways to use Channel 6 as more video moves to the Web. MCTV’s new website is a long overdue step in the right direction, but much remains to be done to bring it up to date. At the same time, MCTV needs to open Channel 6 to new programming ideas and more engagement with the Coastside community.

Barry, Scott, Darin are uniquely qualified to accomplish this mission. Individually, they have created the Coastside’s first local websites (montara.org, sanmateo.org), first government websites (MWSD, MCC), first breaking news Web site (Coastsider.com), first videos from the Devil’s Slide closure (Darin Boville), and the Coastside’s first video website (MontaraFog.com).

* Open MCTV to the community with a membership drive, fundraising, and grants to support new community projects.

* Open our schedule with more prime-time access for original programming and new video produced by Coastsiders.

* Open minds by encouraging our viewers to communicate on Channel 6 and on our website.

* Open our door to members and viewers with regular business hours, answering the phone during business hours, and public board meetings that are cablecast on Channel 6.

* Open government meetings to greater public scrutiny by allowing fair use of our videos for use by the public.

Nine Coastside Preschools will be open to the public on April 26 at Coastside Mothers’ Club 14th annual preschool open house hosting nine Coastside preschools from Half Moon Bay to Montara.  The preschools will be open for tours on Saturday, April 26, 2008 from 10am to 1pm.

This year’s open house will feature a kick-off event “School Selection:  What to Look for?” This short briefing will be held from 9:00am – 10:00am and lead by a local educator who has visited over 200 classrooms.  This session will offer families criteria to consider in evaluating preschools and will provide participants with a five-minute observation tool to use during the open house tours.  RSVP required for this kick-off event, contact: Karen Hoffman, 728-7953.  Location to be determined.

The preschool open house that follows, from 10:00am – 1:00pm, is a great opportunity for interested families to meet directors and teachers, discuss curriculum, daily schedules, and other program information, pick up enrollment forms and inquire about waiting lists.  No RSVP is required for the open house tours.  Attendees may visit any preschool on the list at their leisure during open house hours.

Both events are open to the public, free of charge, as a community service to all Coastside residents.  Children are welcome. 

Caltrans has set up one-way traffic control on Devil’s Slide from 8am until noon Sunday morning for “roadwork”.

After noon, you should confirm the status of Highway 1 at 511.org.