Celebrity bartenders support education foundation, Thurs

Press releaseposted by Barry Parr  on Mon, Aug 23 at 09:03 am in  Events   Schools
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What questions do you have for the Harbor Commission and CUSD candidates?


We have very competitive races for both the Cabrillo Unified School District (five candidates for three positions) and Harbor District (five candidates for two positions) boards this year. Also, only one incumbent is running in each race. There is an genuine opportunity to make a real difference in the makeup of each board.

We’re taking reader recommendations for questions they want Coastsider to ask the candidates.

What questions do you want to see the candidates answer?

CUSD taking applications for parcel tax Oversight Committee

posted by Barry Parr  on Sat, Aug 14 at 05:39 pm in  Schools
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The Cabrillo Unified School District is now taking applications for district residents interested in serving on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee. The deadline is Friday, Sept 3.

The committee will report to the public at least once a year on whether the parcel tax funds are being spent in a way that’s consistent with the ballot language.

The committee consist of at least seven members, including:

  • one representative of the local business community
  • one person active in a senior citizens’ organization
  • one member from each of the two represented bargaining units
  • three additional “at large appointees” as selected by the Board of Trustees, at least one of whom shall have a child enrolled in the District. 

You can download the application and committee bylaws from Coastsider.

Video: How did they pass the parcel tax this time?


 

Darin Boville

Going Coastal with Neil Merrilees: Neil interviews Chris Dobbrow, co-chair of the measure E campaign—the first school parcel tax to pass in over a decade. Original video on Montara Fog

 

Follow the link for Neil’s interview with Measure E co-chair Nadia Bledsoe.

...there's more after the jump.

Application forms now available for Measure E parcel tax exemptions

Press releaseposted by Barry Parr  on Wed, Jun 16 at 09:00 am in  Schools
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Application forms for Coastside property owners who are 65 years of age or older and/or who own contiguous parcels of property within the boundaries of the Cabrillo Unified School District have until June 30, 2010 to apply for the Senior Citizen Exemption and/or the Contiguous Property Exemption in the aftermath of the successful Measure E parcel tax election that was held on June 8th.
 
Applications forms are available online at http://www.cabrillo.k12.ca.us/ or at the front desk of the Cabrillo Unified School District Office located at 498 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay.  Property owners may direct questions about the application process to Melissa Keefe at the District Office at (650) 712-7123 or call 1-800-273-5167.
 
Approved applications will need to be renewed on an annual basis for the duration of the term of the parcel tax—five years.
 
Special workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 23 in the Ted Adcock Senior Center Sun Room (537 Kelly Avenue) beginning at 10:00 a.m. to distribute application forms, assist residents in completing the forms, and answer questions related to the exemption process:
 
10:00-11:00:  Senior Citizen Exemption Workshop

11:00-Noon:  Contiguous Property Exemption Workshop

Video: Superintendent Rob Gaskill explains the need for Measure E



Video courtesy of Montara Fog

School Superintendent Rob Gaskill sat down with Neil Merrilees to talk about Measure E, the proposed Parcel tax to fund the local school district, and to inaugurate Neil’s new show, Going Coastal with Neil Merrilees.

In this half hour video Gaskill explains the thinking behind the parcel tax ballot measure and makes his case why residents—both those with kids and without—should vote for it.

Video: Student videos in support of Measure E


 

 

If you’re still undecided about how to vote on Measure E or even whether to vote at all, I encourage you to view these videos that were largely written, produced and directed by coastside students.  Along with teachers, councilors, librarians & support staff; coastside students will be the most severely impacted by the proposed cuts if Measure E does not succeed. 

Help protect coastside schools & students and vote Yes on Measure E on June 8th.  These videos are now live on YouTube…please share freely. 

Education: Measure E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQtyiryhMJo.

Yes on Measure E - Protect Small Class Sizes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k77jRbRKZOM

Yes on Measure E - Pink Slip Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqpznQKGEUE

Coastsider endorses Measure E

Editorialposted by Barry Parr  on Thu, May 20 at 02:20 pm in  Government   Schools
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I don’t know about you, but my high school counselor was an idiot.

But I also know from personal experience that the counselors in Coastside schools do great work for the students they serve. I know this from the experience of our two children who attended HMBHS and Cunha. I also know it from the dozens of students who spoke poignantly to the Cabrillo Unified School District governing board, begging them to preserve the district’s counselors.

If Measure E fails, all counselors will be eliminated at Half Moon Bay High School and Cunha Intermediate School. Life will go on as usual, but unknown numbers of Coastside teens will suffer as a result. Their parents will lose a direct link to the school.

My daughter has a particularly awesome second grade teacher. That teacher and many others may be laid off next year, because if Measure E fails the district will eliminate class size reductions in elementary school.

A couple dozen of this year’s first graders and their parents will have no idea what they’re missing if she’s not here. They will continue to soldier on, but they will be in much more crowded classrooms.

My kids tell me that the high school library is a refuge and a welcome place for many students.  They credit one person with this: high school librarian Brian Gerber.  If Measure E fails, the high school librarian will be gone.

The district will cut maintenance, groundskeeping, athletics funding, and more. If Measure E fails, the district will have to cut $2.5 million from its budget.

The district has announced it has reached an agreement with the teachers’ union that could save hundreds of thousands of dollars. This could be used to mitigate some of these cuts, but this year’s budget uses half a million dollars in one-time stimulus funds for ongoing operations.  If Measure E fails, even more essential services will be cut in 2011. I don’t know how they’ll do it.

Don’t vote against Measure E—or fail to vote at all—because you don’t like the school board. You’ll get an opportunity to vote against the incumbent board members in November. Don’t take it out on the district’s students.

You can’t sit this one out. This is a tough election in which to propose a new tax.  Republicans have a couple of big primaries on the ballot and they’re going to be turning out in large numbers.

If you care about the future public education in the Coastside, please show up and vote yes on Measure E.

Coastside Mothers’ Club Preschool Open House, Saturday, Apr 24

Letterposted by Alisa MacDonnell  on Tue, Apr 13 at 10:19 pm in  Events   Schools
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The Coastside Mothers’ Club presents its 16th annual Preschool Open House hosting 15 Coastside preschools from Half Moon Bay to Montara.  The preschools will be open for tours on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

The Preschool Open House 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. This event is open to the public and free of charge as a community service to all Coastside residents.  Children are welcome. 

The Preschool Open House program will include:

...there's more after the jump.

“Unsinkable Molly Brown” is looking for a videographer Sunday

Letterposted by Cheri Parr  on Sat, Mar 27 at 05:10 pm in  Schools
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The cast and crew of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” is looking for someone to record their final performance on Sunday afternoon. If you’re able to help, please call Cheri at 650.576.8991, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Poetry Night at HMB Library, Fri, Sept 10

Letter by Joe Toschik on Wed, Sep 1 at 07:41 pm • 0 comments; click to add your own

Everyone is invited to a night of poetry at Half Moon Bay Library on Friday, September 10th at 7:00PM.  Join us as we celebrate the participants in our 13th annual Teen Poetry Contest.

Read more...

A ballot measure to increase HMB sales tax?

Letter by Bob Poole on Mon, Aug 30 at 01:43 pm • 4 comments; click to add your own

What insanity is this? Raise the sales tax by 1% and drive even more shoppers over the hill. I think that this will kill Main Street shopping for good. Rather than save Half Moon Bay from bankruptcy, I expect it will create a ghost town. Just my opinion.

Read more...

Pacifica DUI checkpoint

Letter by Tim Payne on Fri, Aug 27 at 10:50 pm • 3 comments; click to add your own

I want to start by saying that I think DUI checkpoints are great. They remove dangerous elements from our roadways. What I didn’t like today was being asked to show my drivers license at one tonight.

Under normal circumstances if I commit an infraction and get pulled over I fully understand why I would have to show my papers to an officer in the course of being ticketed. Tonight I was asked to show my papers just because I was on the road. It irked me. I wanted to know if this was legal and

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African Hybrid Cat (Savannah) Roaming in Montara

Letter by Margot Lowry on Mon, Aug 23 at 09:14 am • 3 comments; click to add your own

In the past month my housecat has been severely sliced up twice.  I wondered if a bobcat and he now had overlapping territories.  Then yesterday afternoon I found this hybrid cat, (I believe it is a Savannah cat which is a hybrid between a Serval and a housecat) just outside my front door. 

The cat has a blue collar with a bell attached.  No normal cat could stand a chance against him.  Triple check your chicken enclosures and do not leave windows open.  I read in Coastsider someone in

Read more...

Earlier letters

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A Zen Gift
All About Me Retreats
AM 1710 Neighborhood Radio, Half Moon Bay
Annette Merriman, Alain Pinel Realtors
Center for Personal Growth
Coastside Children’s Programs
Coastside Horse Council
Coastside Net, Half Moon Bay
Coastside Pediatrics, Half Moon Bay
Coastside Stuff, T-shirts & apparel, Half Moon Bay
COGL Communications, El Granada
Colquhoun Glass Works, El Granada
Custom Cabinet Refacing, Half Moon Bay
Darin Boville, Montara
Del Mar Properties
EJ Services, Espresso Machine Repair, Pacifica
Ellen Silva Creative Services, El Granada
Gruber Construction
Harbor Vista, vacation home, Half Moon bay
HMB Library, Half Moon Bay
KCD Construction, Half Moon Bay
Marian Bennett, Coldwell Banker, Half Moon Bay
Michael & Kathy Rain, Coastal Real Estate, Montara
Montara Beach Coalition
Montara Dog Blog
Montara.com, Montara
Moonside Bakery and Cafe, Half Moon
Next Step English, Half Moon Bay
Pacifica Gardens, Pacifica
Pacifica Riptide, Pacifica
Patricia McKowen Consulting, Half Moon Bay
Pillar Ridge Manufactured Home Community, Moss Beach
Pragmatos
Pt. Montara Lighthouse Hostel, Montara
Regan Daniels, Photographer
Robertson, Bell & Fisher, Coldwell Banker, Half Moon Bay
Rubber Nation Crafts, Half Moon Bay
San Gregorio Store, San Gregorio
San Mateo - SF Counties Cooperative Extension
San Mateo County Resource Conservation District
Spring Mountain Gallery, Half Moon Bay
Sustainable San Mateo County
The Coast Road
Weddings by the Sea, Half Moon Bay
Wendy Pine Florals, Floral Design, Half Moon Bay
Wild Bay Area Photography

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