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 [email protected]

NOTE: Tickets are still available for tonight and Sunday’s final peformance.

In case you haven’t notice, there is a miracle taking place in Half Moon Bay.  This particular miracle is the Spring Musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” at Half Moon Bay High School. Now before I go any further, here is my disclaimer and notice of full disclosure.  My daughter Victoria plays the lead, Molly Brown.  I am biased, in favor of and enormously proud of the work she and her classmates have done. That being said, if you want a completely unbiased view – go this weekend.  You’ll be glad you did!

The spring musical is not produced by the school, a senior drama class, or even a school drama club.  The spring musical, now in its 24th year running, is produced entirely through the efforts of community volunteers.   Each year, over 50 adult volunteers and of course, the entire cast and crew, come together to put on a professional musical production, replete with custom made costumes, choreography, props and sets built from the ground up, and a live orchestra.  

Shoeless, spunky and full of dreams, young Molly Tobin (Victoria Ortiz) is the only daughter of an Irish immigrant in Hannibal, Missouri.  She strikes out on her own landing in Leadville, a tiny mining down in the Colorado Rockies where she meets lucky prospector “Leadville” Johnny Brown, (Ryan Dill).  Refusing to let love get in the way of her dreams, Molly first refuses to marry Johnny, but once she gives in they strike gold and Molly is on her way to Denver.

The Denver elite, the sacred 36, lead by society maven Gladys McGlone, (Katy Walker is perfectly cast in this role) are not about to accept Molly Brown. Her chase for acceptance takes her to the clubs of Monte Carlo, where she wins the hearts of royalty, but loses Johnny. After realizing that it’s Johnny she wants, Molly sets sail on the “unsinkable” Titanic.  But, as we now know, it will take more than an iceberg to stop Molly Brown.

The production is newcomer Patti Appel’s first at the high school, after confidently stepping into the vacancy left by beloved director Jim Ward.  Appel didn’t miss a beat, ably leading the cast and crew while adding her own brand of magic.  Student stage manager Kathryn Nassar, in her first year with the musical, ably guided the crew in over 10 full stage changes. 

In the lead role, Victoria Ortiz perfectly captures Molly’s joy for life and unbreakable spirit.  Equally deft in both comedic scenes, and those small contemplative moments, Ms. Ortiz has come a long way since her first performance in Grease.  The standout scene of the show, “Beautiful People of Denver; Are You Sure?” brings the first act to a uproarious close with Ms. Ortiz leading the cast in a hallelujah-inspiring high point that got the audience clapping along. Her key take away from the show? “Don’t ever forget who you are and where you come from. If you were born with a strong spirit and unsinkable nature, don’t let any amount of judgment or harsh words change that. True friends and family will accept and love that part about you, even if it means you set three hundred thousand dollars on fire from time to time!

Half Moon Bay High School’s production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown closes this weekend. It’s still possible to get tickets, $15 for adults, $10 for students, at Bay Books or at the door.

Full Disclosure: Our daughter, Victoria Ortiz, is Molly Brown and she’s awesome.

This Sunday, March 28th, in a David vs. Goliath face-off, a group of children and concerned citizens will be gathering in a Pacifica, California neighborhood for a book recycling and fundraising effort to save 11 century old palm trees from being cut down by PG&E. Kids 4 Change, a non-profit children’s group which performs charitable services and funding, voted unanimously to make saving the palms their current cause.  They will be rallying Sunday with other children and adults to raise awareness about the fate of the trees they love.

The trees, Canary Island Palms, were planted in this urban forest, circa 1906, more than 50 years before the city was incorporated.  Stunning in appearance with large fronds that drape majestically from the crown, the trees are threatened not by disease but by poor urban planning.  Though they are only one third of the way through their estimated 300 year lifespan, on Tuesday night, Pacifica’s Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Commission voted to allow PG&E to kill the first 3 of these trees because the city does not have the money to move the utility poles or underground the wires which are at risk of becoming a safety hazard.  The core issue is that the trees have now grown close enough to PG&E’s high voltage lines to present a fire and electrocution hazard.  Citizens have argued that this was a foreseeable consequence of placing lines directly above these trees, which have, naturally, grown taller.  As of now, PG&E is not willing to fund environmentally friendly solutions such as redirecting lines, extending poles, or undergrounding the wires

In the past 50 years, hundreds of trees have been removed from the rarefied tree-laden neighborhood of Vallemar, many of which were sick, or at the end of their lifespans.  Now the remaining healthy palms are at risk only because PG&E placed power lines directly in their line of growth, and the severe trimming required would kill them.  Concerned citizens and Kids 4 Change are now joining with a local non-profit, the Vallemar Conservators, which has been working for decades to save and replace the lost grandeur, has been working hard to raise awareness of this situation in hopes of finding a solution other than removal of the trees.

Anyone who is interested in tree conservation is invited to join Kids 4 Change and the Conservators on Palm Sunday, March 28, for the kick-off event, from 12-2pm at the corner of Reina del Mar and Nataqua in Pacifica, where kids and adults will gather, collecting donations of books and money for the cause.  The book sale will take place on April 17th, in the same neighborhood, and all proceeds will go towards saving the trees.

To learn more about the palm crisis go to http://www.vallemarpalms.com.  And to donate or learn more about Kids 4 Change please visit their website http://www.kids4change.org   All monies raised between now and April 17th will go to saving the palm trees.

I attended the Planning Commission meeting yesterday.

During the meeting Jim Eggemeyer, County Planning Director informed the Planning Commissioners that the Big Wave Project developers are "collaborating" with the Planning Department by responding to 245 public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) themselves.  Eggemeyer also said that the Big Wave Project developers are unable to continue funding the environmental consultants (CAJA).

The Planning Commission Site Visit will be Monday, April 26 at 3:30pm

The Planning Commission Hearing is April 28th at 6:30pm at HMB High School.

Link to Area29 letter hand delivered to the Planning Commission yesterday: http://www.thepelicaneye.com/2010/03/big-wave-project-eir-shenanigans.html

Link to Darin Boville’s Planning Commission meeting article: http://www.montarafog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=519:county-planning-department-recommends-that-big-wave-help-complete-its-own-environmental-evaluation-&catid=1:latest-news

This "collaborative" approach may cast doubt on the credibility and transparency of the EIR process.

March 24, 2010

David Bomberger, Chair and
Members of the Planning Commission

Re:  Big Wave Environmental Impact Report

Dear Chair Bomberger and Members of the Commission,

I learned last week that the Big Wave proponents have refused to pay the additional costs for the EIR consultants to prepare the responses to comments on the Draft EIR for the Big Wave project.

In response to this stonewalling, the county is allowing the Applicant’s engineer, Mr. Scott Holmes, to prepare responses to comments on the DEIR, which County Planning, Environmental Health, Public Works, and other relevant staff will then “peer review” before issuing the Final EIR. 

This decision flies in the face of the County’s long-standing policy of not allowing applicants and their consultants to prepare EIR’s or responses to public comments. Staff ‘s “peer review” of the applicant’s responses does not cure the fundamental problem of transparency and independence of this document.

The Big Wave project is highly controversial.  There were 245 comments received by the County by the December 24, 2009 deadline.  Many of these were substantive and questioned the adequacy of the DEIR’s analysis and lack of crucial information on geology, hydrology, drainage, visual impacts, traffic, safety, as well as the wisdom of allowing a residential project for a vulnerable population in an area subject to seismic hazards, tsunami hazards,, airport hazards, incompatibility with the zoning, among other issues.  People labored long and hard on reviewing the 2200 pages of the DEIR, and commenting on it, which was especially challenging due to the deadline of December 24, 2009, at 5:00 pm.

There is no question that Mr. Holmes has a bias in favor of the project.  He has much more than an economic interest – he is a parent of a disabled adult, and is on the board of the Big Wave non-profit.  He has donated his time – thousands of hours – to this project.  He has conceived of many of the features and is committed to making the project “green”.  He has a tremendous stake in its outcome – his child’s future is involved.  I have a lot of sympathy for the cause, but the ends do not justify the means.  In fact, this decision goes against the best interest of the project proponents, and taints the credibility of the EIR.

At the heart of the EIR process is the assurance to an apprehensive public that all potential environmental effects of a project have been identified, analyzed, and mitigated, and that any action taken by the County reflects the independent judgment of County decision-makers.

I urge your Commission to do whatever you can to ensure that the established process for EIR preparation and approval is followed.

Thank you for consideration of these comments.

Sincerely,
Lennie Roberts, Legislative Advocate

Are you interested in gardens that are water-wise and low maintenance, attractive to humans as well as birds and butterflies? Visit them on the Bay Area’s 8th annual Going Native Garden Tour on Sunday, April 18, from 10am to 4pm. This is a free, self-guided tour of home gardens landscaped with California native plants.

This year’s tour offers over 65 gardens for viewing - from townhome lots to 1-acre plots, from newly planted gardens to established ones. You won’t have to go far to see one: the gardens are located throughout the Santa Clara Valley and the Peninsula. Visit as many gardens as you like - for inspiration and ideas and for pictures (with owner’s permission). Native plants will be available for purchase at select gardens. Many gardens will feature talks on native plant gardening.

What’s special about California native plants? They are adapted to our soil and climate, and are easy to care for. Many of our native plants are naturally water-wise and drought tolerant. They support a wide variety of wildlife that has co-evolved with them, and their distinctive look and elegant beauty gives your garden a sense of place that is uniquely Californian.

The self-guided tour is open to all. Admission is free; registration is required at www.gngt.org before April 18, 12 noon, or until the tour reaches capacity. Space is limited; register early to ensure a place. For more information, email [email protected].

The tour is organized entirely by volunteers. Volunteers receive a t-shirt with original art and invitations to visit native gardens throughout the year. To volunteer, visit www.gngt.org and click on “Volunteer Registration”. Knowledge of native plant gardening is a plus but not required to volunteer.

The Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary advisory board will hold its next meeting in Point Reyes.  The agenda is after the jump.

Coastal Rep has its own version of March Madness going on!  And we wanted to let you in on the happenings…
 
It’s Italia restaurant is doing a great community building celebration by hosting Celebrity Bartending Nights to support coastside organizations. Thursday, March 25 from 5pm to 9pm, celebrity bartender Mo Fowell, Retired Vice President of Operations, San Francisco 49ers will be serving to benefit Coastal Repertory Theatre.  Stop by, have a drink, talk with Mo, and celebrate the gift of live theatre on the coast!  Thank you It’s Italia and Mo! 
Go to http://itsitaliarestaurant.com/celebrity.html for more information!
Friday, March 26 at 8pm marks the opening of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs. Join us for opening night and a post-show Gala celebration, with tasty treats, champagne toast and the friendship and fun of the Coastal Rep family. 
For more information and to buy tickets, go to www.coastalrep.com. 
With sincere appreciation for your patronage - Coastal Repertory Theatre

CORRECTION: We’ve been informed by a herpetologist that there appears to be a single dorsal stripe from the back of the head on at least one of the snakes.  This would indicate that they are garter snakes—probably Western terrestrial garter snakes.