CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated Charlie Hall’s vote count.

In the final tally for the see-saw Granada Sanitary District vote count, incumbent Leonard Woren won the third seat by a margin of ten votes, or 0.3% of the total.

Write-in candidate Charlie Hall received 153 vote by mail votes, 1 in early voting, 126 on election day, for a total of 280 (8.42%).

Learn more about Sharp Park lagoon ecology, the beautiful and almost extinct San Francisco Garter Snake and its primary prey species, the endangered California Red-Legged frog.  Discuss the future of Sharp Park.
WHEN: Sunday, November 15, 3pm
WHERE: MEET AT THE MORI POINT MOOSE LODGE GATE
776 Bradford Way , just off Highway 1, PACIFICA
TRIP LEADS: Peter Baye, Ecologist
Brent Plater, Executive Director of Wild Equity Institute
and friends!

—The Appetizer—
Betty Boop and Felix the Cat animations.
  —The Main Event —
Three Comic Silent Film Masterpieces from Buster Keaton

Three of Buster Keaton’s greatest silent films from the 1920s:  Whether playing a lovesick cowboy, a confused bodyguard, or a newlywed husband trying to build a house, each 20-minute film showcases Keaton’s comic genius as well as his gift for physical comedy.

The films also feature musical scores by Grammy Award-winning guitarist Bill Frisell, who was inspired to create them while watching Keaton’s movies with his young son.

* THE HIGH SIGN -  Keaton is hired as both the bodyguard and the assassin for the same man!  "There’s really no need to explain in detail the unbelievable plot line. This physical comedy is the closest you’ll ever come to seeing human beings act in real time to what would become the clear domain of animators some years later… You won’t believe your eyes." Clark Richards, The Internet Movie Database

* ONE WEEK -  A newlywed Keaton and wife attempt to build, furnish, and settle into a build-it-yourself-dream-home.  The instructions say you can build it in a week. Unfortunately, they have been provided with the wrong set of instructions.

* GO WEST - Is this Keaton’s only sentimental movie, or is it a joke about the devoted cow-eyed leading ladies featured in so many other silent films?  Keaton tries his luck as a cowboy and falls for a pretty little Holstein cow named Brown Eyes. Human girls may let him down, but Brown Eyes dotes on his every move. 

* MUSIC BY GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING GUITARIST BILL FRISELL -  "Watched this with my son, who is two-and-half years old, and he really flipped for it. I think there’s something really special about how instrumental music bypasses a lot of our language oriented logic, and I saw that perfectly in my son’s giggling, delighted reaction. ...  There’s a spark that emerges in this collaboration (between Keaton and Frisell)." Dennis Cook, JamBase Magazine. 

Friday Nov. 13, at 8:00
$6.00 suggested donation ($3.00 for kids)
Community United Methodist Church Sanctuary
777 Miramontes; Half Moon Bay

More info and a trailer at: www.HMBFilm.org

Award winning SF composer, arranger, educator and bassist, listed in the 2009 Downbeat Critics Poll. Shelby’s Jazz Orchestra will perform new music from their “MLK” jazz oratorio, an original composition inspired by the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and music from their recently commissioned piece “Calvin Jones Suite” based on work by Chicago painter and muralist Calvin Jones, as well as compositions by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

November 15, 2009 – 4:30, $35

Reservations:  [email protected]

Douglas Beach House on Miramar Beach
307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay, CA  94019
650 726-4143, www.bachddsoc.org
 
Contact:   Linda Goetz, 650 726-2020, [email protected]

Following Monday’s count of provisional, mail-in and paper ballots, Leonard Woren has pulled ahead of Lisa McCaffrey for the third seat on the Granada Sanitary District board of Directors. Woren now leads by six votes, or 0.2%.

The vote count will not be final until next week.

As a regular reader of Coastsider, I saw the recent postings, but did not pay close attention to what was actually being proposed.

However, after spending some time learning something about the project in front of the Post Office, I’m now taking a more proactive approach at learning about the project and its potential benefits and flaws.

On initial review, it appears to be a poor project on several levels. 

The size of the project leaps out as being entirely inappropriate for the Moss Beach area. Not to mention the apparent lack of water and sewer permits to service the complex.

And I find it odd that such a project should be proposed at this point in the economic cycle. Granted, in 2-3 years when the proposed project is completed, we could be in a very different climate. I would hate for something like this to be constructed and sit empty for years as the glut in real estate (especially commercial) unwinds.

So again, thanks for all who are bringing the needed information to the community.

The public comment period ends on December 22, 2009, so I encourage everyone who has concerns to learn, decide, and act.

Updated election results were posted Thursday evening, November 5, on the official San Mateo County Elections web site, ShapeTheFuture. http://racetracker.shapethefuture.org/election_results.aspx?contest_id=248

Based on results for Granada Sanitary District (GSD) reported thus far, it appears write-in candidate Charlie Hall will most likely end up with between 339 and 377 votes, placing sixth after the five official candidates.

Results for GSD are based on 1,126 ballots counted (out of 4,089 eligible voters), which represents about a 28% turnout - very low in comparison to most elections. Approximately 60% of total ballots throughout San Mateo County were Vote by Mail ballots, either returned by mail prior to Election Day or turned in at polling places. This percentage is similar to results for Half Moon Bay and Midcoast precincts, including those voting on the GSD race.

It is clear that there were two slates of candidates for GSD in this election, Gael Erickson, Ric Lohman, and Leonard Woren as the incumbents, and Bill Griffis and Lisa McCaffrey as official candidates, plus Charlie Hall as a write-in, as the challengers. The Half Moon Bay Review, on October 21, endorsed a cross-slate mix of Erickson, Lohman, and Hall. By the time of the Review’s endorsement, Vote by Mail ballots had been available more than two weeks, so early voters would not have been influenced by the Review’s endorsement.

On Election Day, about 59% of the ballots supported the GSD incumbents; Vote by Mail ballots appear to be only slightly lower in supporting the incumbents. Apparently some voters followed the Review’s endorsement, and wrote in Charlie Hall in place of voting for Leonard Woren, while still supporting Gael Erickson and Ric Lohman. It seems likely that some voters selected Ric Lohman as the best known of the candidates, but also voted for the two challengers on the ballot. Other mixes are possible but probably fairly rare.

After considering all the factors, my prediction is that Charlie Hall will end up with about 358 write-in votes, plus or minus 5%. That would be in the range from 339 to 377 votes. This is not enough to put him ahead of even the weakest candidate on the ballot, Bill Griffis, who currently has 392 votes. It is mathematically possible for Charlie Hall to do better, but extremely unlikely that he will finish in the top three.

This is just an educated guess, of course. It will be interesting to see the final results. Anyone else want to hazard their best guess?

As a person with allergies from many chemical agents, and a concerned parent and citizen, I am writing to decry the use of heavy pesticides in the fields south of the townhouse community on South Main Street. I keep my workplace windows open to minimize indoor air pollution. Imagine my surprise when, upon opening the windows on a beautiful, sunny day early last week, my nose and lungs were assaulted by the smell of heavy pesticides coming from the area just north of the theater and fire station.

There are many families with children living in this immediate area, as well as several communities of seniors. Chemical pesticides are a known irritant and carcinogen.  I have not been aware of their use in Half Moon Bay in recent years. It would be great to have Coastsider investigate this story. I’d be interested in learning who owns the fields and exactly what types of pesticides are being used. They appeared to be in a gaseous or liquid form, because the odor was pervasive and remained in the air throughout the week. It was mitigated by a bit by Friday’s rain.

Sande Anfang
Half Moon Bay

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is holding a public hearing Nov. 12 regarding the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve’s master plan.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
7:00 p.m.
MROSD Administrative Office
330 Distel Circle
Los Altos, CA. 94022 (map)
 

At the hearing, Open Space District staff will present the master plan focusing on the two public use options developed for the preserve. The public will again have an opportunity to comment on the plan, as they have at two previous public hearings held in May and June. The Open Space District’s board of directors is expected to vote for a preferred public use option and tentatively approve the master plan. Once the board takes these actions, an environmental review will be conducted and released for public comment in early 2010.  Final adoption of the master plan will occur during a public meeting at a later date.