The County Times has a good summary of the Half Moon Bay city council’s threatened dissolution if its proposed 1% sales tax increase is rejected by voters. The full article is well worth reading.

“The council has done everything in its power to keep the city whole,” [city county member John] Muller said. “If it doesn’t pass, we could seriously not be in business much longer.” [...]

City Manager Michael Dolder admits disincorporation is one of the options on the table now. The City Council already cut $900,000 from the current budget—including half its employees—and imposed furloughs on those who remain. Some of the cuts were needed to pay for the Beachwood lawsuit settlement, a $15 million burden the city will shoulder in bond payments for the next 20 years.

Despite those efforts, the city will finish the current fiscal year with a deficit north of $500,000. And tourist dollars, the city’s economic mainstay, aren’t likely to flow in anytime soon.[...]

Although the law lays out a clear procedure for disincorporation, including public meetings and a final majority vote by residents, it’s unclear how it could work from a practical standpoint, said Martha Poyatos, executive director of the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” she said.

One thing is certain: disincorporation is not a bailout. The county would lay claim to revenues, including Half Moon Bay’s property taxes, sales taxes and hotel taxes, but not its liabilities. Today’s Half Moon Bay residents would be required to assume the debt burden of Beachwood bond payments, which would likely be added as a lien on their properties, according to Assistant County Controller Bob Adler.

Disincorporation: how would it work?

• A City Council, school district, special district or group of residents can initiate disincorporation with the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCo, by presenting a petition signed by 25 percent of voters.
• LAFCo would then hold public hearings and choose whether to affirm the proposal with conditions or deny it.
• A special election would be held, in which a majority of voters have to approve the terms of disincorporation.
• The county Board of Supervisors would work with LAFCo and the city on disposition of the city’s assets.
• Note: Disincorporation proceedings can be subject to legal challenges.

Pacifica police are warning the public about a great white shark seen attacking a sea lion near Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, reports the AP. The shark was spotted about 200 yards offshore about 1pm on Monday.

[Pacifica police Capt. Fernando] Realyvasquez said a surfer in the water at the time saw a large amount of blood in the water as the shark thrashed about with the sea lion in its mouth.

Witnesses estimated the shark was anywhere from 18 to 25 feet long. After the sighting, two men in a small boat drove up and down the beach warning swimmers to get out of the water.

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?

Neil’s guest is Matt Grocott, the San Carlos councilman who ran this year for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. Matt didn’t make it to the run-off but he did manage to obtain almost every newspaper endorsement in the County. (The Half Moon Bay Review was one of two newspapers which did not endorse Grocott). Matt talks about the race, his views on planning and his vision for the coast. The video runs about twenty minutes.

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