If you’re reading this, you’ve already been invited to a potluck picnic at Pt. Montara Lighthouse Hostel Sunday July 4th 1pm till 5pm.  Please bring a dessert, salad, or side-dish. The picnic is sponsored by, Montara Water & Sanitary District, Montara Moss Beach Water Improvement Association, and Hostelling International - Pt. Montara Lighthouse Hostel.  RSVP’s can be addressed to 728-3545 or

The San Mateo Times profiles the Sonrisas Community Dental Clinic. Sonrisas just opened a third operating room with a donation from the Nurserymen’s Exchange. Sonrisas has served nearly 2,000 low-income patients in its three years of operation.

The Monterey Herald has an interesting interview with the brother of the missing Relentless skipper, fisherman John Pennisi. He says the fishing boat was inside shipping lanes where there is constant danger of collision with vastly larger cargo ships and liners. The Coast Guard is actively investigating what ships would have been in the area when the Relentless went missing. The story features good quotes from fishermen who work those waters about the dangers of collision.

I dropped by Fiesta in the Park, the big benefit party for Moss Beach Park, at around noon today.  The music was great, the food was tasty, and all ages seemed to be having a good time.

I was also gratified to see the size of the crowd that turned out for this community event.

The Coast Guard called off the search for the missing boat Tuesday night and the two men aboard have been declared missing, according to the San Mateo Times. The men have been identified as Dave Pennisi, a commercial fisherman out of Monterey, and Mike Odom, who lived and worked on the boat.

A fishing boat, on a charter trip, has been missing off Half Moon Bay since a distress signal was received at 4:22 am on Monday.  The boat, according to the Mercury News, is based at Moss Landing, but docked at Pillar Point Harbor for four years before moving last year. The Daily Review reports that the Coast Guard is using two helicopters, a C-130 plane and an 87-foot patrol boat in the search.

The identity of the vessel and its passengers is being withheld pending notification of the families. 

Coastsider’s navigation bar now features a list of weblogs by coastside residents. The only requirement for inclusion is that the blog should be updated from time to time and that it have some local connection. Some of these sites are not all that local in content, but have enough about their authors’ personal lives that they have a coastside flavor.

I’m hoping that our readers know of more or that I’ll inspire some coastsiders to start their own blogs. 

A pedestrian was struck and killed near the Half Moon Bay Airport Saturday, around 9:54 p.m., at Airport Road and Los Banos Avenue [Map], by a vehicle driven by Tammy Houston of Half Moon Bay. Houston, who left the scene to call for help, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Question for our readers: I thought pretty hard before carrying this story. It’s newsworthy, but I’m not sure I’m prepared to record every traffic death or every body washed up on coastside shores. I’d be interested in whether you want to see this coverage on Coastsider. Let me know what you think.

Seven year old Maria Perez was struck by an RV near Hatch Elementary School, at the intersection of Pilarcitos and Kelly Ave [Yahoo Map] on Thursday at 8am.  Perez, seriously injured, was taken to San Mateo County General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The Chronicle says that although the driver apparently stopped at the crosswalk, the design of this intersection may be partially at fault:

Residents have complained about the area along Kelly Avenue near Highway 1 and Pilarcitos Avenue, saying the combination of vehicle congestion and high foot-traffic use—with students walking to and from Hatch Elementary and Cunha Intermediate School—was a dangerous mix.
...
Cabrillo Unified School District Board Member Dwight Wilson said the accident probably will renew debate on possible crossing guards or police supervision for Kelly Avenue. He said the district considered organizing crossing guards two years ago when it stopped busing but dropped the issue because of funding and liability concerns.

Visit the intersection. Kelly at this location is clearly more suited as an access road to Highway 1 than it is for pedestrians.

Donations for the family can be sent to:

Perez Family
c/o Hatch School
490 Miramontes Avenue
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Twenty people who live on boats in Pillar Point Harbor were evacuated Tueday night when a thousand gallons of gas were spilled in Pillar Point Harbor Tuesday night, according to The San Mateo County Times. The gas spilled from the fuel dock on the main pier.