Comments by Kevin J. Lansing

Why I’m running for Harbor Commissioner

August 26, 2010

Good luck Sabrina. It’s clear the Harbor Commission needs some new blood.

From this week’s HMB Review:

“Harbor Commissioner Sally Campbell, who has been on the board 18 years….said she would like to see commissioners who initially keep their mouths shut, learn what’s going on, and then, if they have good ideas, wait their turn to talk…”

Having the election is “going to hurt very badly,” Campbell said. “But I can’t say who can and cannot run for election — that’s part of a democracy.”

Ah yes,  nothing beats the extreme arrogance of an 18-year entrenched politician.

Celebrity bartenders support education foundation, Thurs

August 24, 2010

Just curious, but how does one earn the title “celebrity?”

Save The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

August 20, 2010

From the HMB Review 8/20/2010
“County ditches asphalt trail for Fitzgerald”

http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2010/08/20/news/doc4c6c12432f087636013886.txt

Save The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

August 18, 2010

This is another ill-conceived project in a long line of similar projects either conceived or endorsed by County officials (Mirada Surf road and oversized bridge, ugly view-blocking Harbor Village Mall, Big Pave, etc.)

However, I just read a report that the asphalt road in the FMR project is being dropped. Maybe County Parks Official Dave “Pave” Holland realized that this incredibly oversized project is headed for a Coastal Commission appeal unless it is redesigned to be compatible with the surrounding natural environment.

Half Moon Bay police chief leaving to become US Marshal

August 12, 2010

If the HMB City Council had any fiscal sense whatsoever (which they don’t) then they would uae this opportunity to seriously consider contracting out for police services to the County Sheriff’s Department, just like the City of San Carlos recently decided to do.

Instead, our “esteemed” HMB City Council will likely hire another overpaid version of the Chief.

Video: Fireworks free-for-all at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica

July 05, 2010

I wonder what the beach looked like the next day.

Interim Director Jim Eggemeyer appointed County Director of Planning and Building

June 11, 2010

Meet the new boss (Eggemeyer), same as the old boss (LIsa Grote).

Open letter to Planning Director Jim Eggemeyer: We’re losing patience with your secrecy on Big Wave

May 08, 2010

“...realtors AKA the Lex Luthors of Coastal Nogrowthers…”

I think Lex Luthor might be offended by that statement.

Open letter to Planning Director Jim Eggemeyer: We’re losing patience with your secrecy on Big Wave

May 07, 2010

“...I believe they are underway w/ filing an EIR. Granted not to your liking, but legally nonetheless…”

Legally? We’ll see. The history of CEQA is full of examples of inadequate, incomplete, and otherwise flawed EIR’s in which lead agencies (in this case the County) tried to short-cut, subvert, or avoid following the law, only to be held accountable later at much expense to all. And that appears to be exactly what is on track to happen here.

Open letter to Planning Director Jim Eggemeyer: We’re losing patience with your secrecy on Big Wave

April 30, 2010

Kevin Barron:
“...Have any laws/statutes/policies been broken yet? Just curious…”

Well, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires full disclosure and analysis of all environmental impacts of a proposed development project. Any significant impacts must be mitigated to less than significant, or else that is grounds for denial of the project.

Here we have a Trojan Horse project that imposes huge negative impacts on the environment, but where the County, through its typical planning department incompetence and ingrained collusion with developers, is both failing to disclose major environmental impacts and proposing little if anything to mitigate them. Is that a violation of CEQA? You tell us.

Open letter to Planning Director Jim Eggemeyer: We’re losing patience with your secrecy on Big Wave

April 30, 2010

“...This is a poor example of open government…”

Rather, it is an open example of poor government.

Caving in and kowtowing to developers is common in San Mateo County politics

April 17, 2010

“No more wells” does not equal “No building.” And given that there are already houses with failing wells, drilling a bunch more really doesn’t seem like a good idea. Nature is saying that the aquifer is being over-drawn. The Supervisors should listen before it’s too late. 

And finally, the MWSD service district does not cover the entire Midcoast. Notably, the builder meccas of El Granada and Miramar are served by CCWD.

Caving in and kowtowing to developers is common in San Mateo County politics

April 16, 2010

“...No building until the wet weather flow sewer problem is solved…”

In other words, a building moratorium. Zero building. Really? Where does that come from? It certainly is not in any the Coastal Commission’s recommended LCP changes as far as I can see. And as long as we’re talking about “tactics” of debate, how it helpful to just make stuff up?

Caving in and kowtowing to developers is common in San Mateo County politics

April 15, 2010

“...I would like to see a coast that is a model for balancing environmental interests with economic and societal interests…”

That’s what the Coastal Act (and the LCP) is all about—striking a balance between preservation of scarce coastal resources and allowing viable development so that the coastal economy actually works and is sustainable.

Trouble is, after the hard compromises were made and balances struck during the years of recent County Planning Commission hearings, the Board of Supervisors then decided they wanted to compromise the compromise—always moving the balance point in the direction of more development and less coastal protection, all for the benefit of their developer/realtor special interest friends.

Caving in and kowtowing to developers is common in San Mateo County politics

April 14, 2010

If (and when) the Board of Supervisors obey the wishes of their developer/realtor masters, they will reject the proposed LCP changes of the Coastal Commission and thereby waste years of effort and countless taxpayer dollars. If that happens, Rich Gordon should be held personally responsible for failing in his duty to serve the greater good.

Protect our Coastal Communities: LCP update goes to supervisors, Tues

April 11, 2010

The pro-realtor County Planning Staff (Mr. Steve Monowitz) sent out a highly misleading public notice for this hearing. The notice totally misrepresented what the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC’s) recommended changes would mean for the MidCoast.

For example, the County’s misleading notice claims that the CCC’s recommended changes would “Prohibit non-residential and non-Coastal Act priority uses until traffic levels improve.”

In reality, the CCC recommended changes would simply require the demonstration of adequate public infrastructure capacities prior to approval of new development. Doesn’t that make sense? 

Excess new development in the Midcoast absorbs the capacity of limited infrastructure elements (roads, schools, water, and sewer) that have been commonly-financed with other neighboring communities.  The 2006 closure of Devil’s Slide for four months clearly demonstrated that Coastside roadways cannot handle a large increase in traffic coming south from the Midcoast through Half Moon Bay.

But this is exactly the future that the County Board of Supervisors wishes to bring about with a proposed doubling of the number of houses (and cars) in the MidCoast over the next several decades.

The CCC’s recommended changes are in line with what the County’s own Planning Commission recommended. Later, the Supervisors threw out everything and started their own realtor-driven rewrite.

Now the Supervisors are threatening to take their ball and go home by refusing to accept the CCC’s recommended changes, thereby wasting years of effort and countless taxpayer dollars spent on the LCP update process. Dysfunctional local government at its best.

Committee For Green Foothills letter to Planning Commissioners regarding Big Wave Project EIR

March 26, 2010

The County Planning Department has hit a new low. I didn’t think that was possible.

What kind of County planning official thinks it’s ok to let a hand-picked Big Wave board member prepare the responses to the public comments on the Big Wave Draft EIR?

The purpose of the EIR is provide a full and complete analysis of the true environmental effects of the project and propose measures that will mitigate those effects.

A board member of the Big Wave project has an obvious conflict of interest in preparing responses to the many legitimate public comments that are critical of the project.

I really hope somebody takes the County to court over what is guaranteed to be an inadequate and fatally-flawed EIR.

CUSD lays out $2.5 million in school budget cuts

February 26, 2010

No, I’m not suggesting that.

CUSD lays out $2.5 million in school budget cuts

February 26, 2010

“...This is not like the phony-baloney threat we got from Half Moon Bay in their effort to pass AB1991…”

Oh, you mean that bill AB 1991 involving development of new subdivisions (i.e., Beachwood &  Glencree) which had nothing to do with the school board’s mission, but which the pro-development school board went out of their way to endorse anyway?

Download comments on Big Wave’s Draft EIR all at once, or by name

January 23, 2010

The Big Wave DEIR is pathetically inadequate. It needs to be revised substantially and then recirculated. Otherwise the County is subjecting itself to the threat of litigation pursuant to the rules set forth in the California Environmental Qulaity Act (CEQA).

Jeff Peck & Co. should be asking for their money back from the consultant that prepared the inadequate DEIR. But then again maybe the consultant was doing just what they were told to do.

Here’s my top 10 list of comment letters linked above that clearly show how the Big Wave DEIR is fatally flawed.

121 - Montara Water and Sanitary District
169 - California Department of Transporation
185 - Pillar Ridge H.O.A.
193 - Committee for Green Foothills
205 - Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger Law Firm
206 - San Mateo County L.C.P.
209 - Granada Sanitary District
213 - California Coastal Commission
230 - MidCoast Community Council
240 - Surfrider Association

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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.

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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.

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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

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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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