Oh! The Wind and the Rain!

Howling winds and drenching rains made for dodgy days for our local farmers, but it seems that the lot of them are pulling on their boots and getting a harvest in for today’s Market in Pacifica.

The Market will open at 2:30 PM as per usual. 

There is no Market in Half Moon Bay this weekend to make way for the Cavalcade of Colossal Curcubits, however, so today’s the day to stock up for the weekend.  The Half Moon Bay market will be back to serve you next weekend, and runs through and including December 19. 

Closing day in Pacifica is December 16th.

A special thanks today to the Farmers Market volunteers from the Pacifica Relay for Life Team and their sponsors, Timberlake-Forrest for coming out every week to help me keep things running smoothly, rain or shine!
Erin Tormey
Coastside Farmers Markets

May to December
In Half Moon Bay @ Shoreline Station
Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm •
In Pacifica @ Rockaway Beach
Wednesdays, 2:30 -6:30pm

Power is down in our part of Montara, and we’ve set up shop at Caffe Lucca on Highway 1, where they still have power and Internet access.

Share your reports of the Great Storm of ‘09 in comments on this topic, or send us your photos and we’ll post them.

In the meantime, keep dry and stay home if you can.

Recently, our family has had the opportunity to experience first-hand the Cabrillo Unified School District’s "no-nits" policy toward head lice.

The policy is broken.  Not only does it impose needless misery and expense on district families, it’s unsupported by scientific, medical or public health evidence.

Under the policy, no child will be admitted to school if there are nits (head lice eggs) present in the child’s hair. While no-nits policies are common among school districts, they are universally opposed by the very public health and medical organizations cited in the district’s policy: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of School Nurses, and California School Nurses Association.

The life cycle of a louse

The good news is that a couple of weekly treatments will kill any lice that hatch before they are mature enough (eight days old) to lay more eggs.

But there are no medications that can remove nits. Nor can hours of combing remove all the nits. Nits have evolved to stay cemented to a person’s hair. They can be tediously removed if they can be found, but only if you inspect every side of every single hair on the child’s head. There is a reason why nit-picking has become a metaphor for the futile pursuit of trivial outcomes.

That is why a no-lice policy is effective and a no-nits policy is no improvement.

The district’s cure is worse than the disease

The district’s no-nits policy causes unnecessarily lost school days. But most of the misery happens at home, away from the school.

The policy almost certainly results lost income and increased expenses for many Coastside families that work two jobs and cannot afford to pay for childcare.

Even more hidden is the unnecessary misery the district’s policy creates for parents and children.

I’ve seen parents discussing ineffective folk remedies, and futilely coming their childrens hair for hours in a vain attempt to remove nits. We have no idea how many have been driven out of desperation to overuse anti-lice medications.

Only the CUSD board can solve this problem

Because the no-nits policy was adopted by the district board last December, only the board can reverse the policy. I spoke to the board meeting Thursday night about why it must reverse the policy and I’m trying to get the board to put this on the agenda of its next meeting. 

Because the board only meets once a month, it’s critical for the board to strike down this prejudicial, punitive, and unscientific policy at its next meeting.

I know that the board is dealing with much weightier matters right now. But this is an opportunity for them to solve a serious district problem quickly and simply.

Follow the link for quotes from the CDC, California Department of Public Health, California School Nurses Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics saying why they oppose this policy.

The Midcoast Community Council and community members will be discussing the recent Grand Jury letter "Who’s Watching MCTV", regarding community access television, on the coastside at their regular meeting on Wednesday.  Community members are encouraged to attend the meeting and bring their questions and concerns.  MCTV management, along with other interested community members, will be present.

Details about the meeting, along with a link to sign up for MCC agenda notification, can be found at the MCC website.

Information and documentation regarding Mid-Coast Community Television can be downloaded from Coastsider.

Threshold 2009 will be holding a "Community Conversation" about housing on the coast scheduled for Thursday, October 15 from 6 to 9pm, at the Train Depot, 110 Higgins Canyon Road, Half Moon Bay.

Bring Your Thoughts, Ideas to a Community Conversation on Housing

Every day, news headlines confirm what we all know ~ housing matters!  In fact, the quality of life in our community is directly linked to how we address the challenge of providing homes to people who work and grow up here. If you live or work in Redwood City, Threshold 2009 invite you to join a Community Conversation on long-term housing solutions in San Mateo County. This is part of an ongoing campaign to welcome all perspectives to the table and build a public voice for housing solutions. This is an opportunity to increase understanding, exchange perspectives, and express your views on county-wide housing choices. 

According to their website: "Threshold 2009 was formed to engage the public on housing issues and options in San Mateo County in order to ensure a better long-term quality of life for all who are affected by our housing choices. "

Register online for this event: http://conversation1015.eventbrite.com/

Potrero Nuevo Farm announces the opening of a Farmstand CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the 2010 growing season. Individuals interested in joining the CSA are invited to a special Open House on Sunday, October 25, from 10am to 4pm at the farm just south of Half Moon Bay.

With a Farmstand CSA, members come to the farm weekly to select fresh produce that is harvested from the fields and stocked in the onsite farmstand. "We want to build a community for people to become connected to the land where their food is grown," states Potrero Nuevo Farm co-owner Bill Laven. "We also want members to know firsthand how food can be grown naturally and sustainably."

Membership for the 2010 growing season (May 15-November 15, 2010) is limited to 25 subscribers and costs $600. Subscription reservations will be taken at the mandatory Members Meeting on Sunday, November 8.

The October 25 Open House and Farm Tour is open to any individuals or families wanting to learn more about the CSA and farm operations. Along with guided tours of the farm, special activities are planned for children (please, no pets) including hayrides, face painting, pumpkin carving, a scavenger hunt, and bobbing for apples.

Grown-ups will enjoy the Farm Tour, composting workshop, goat-milking and cheese-making, and the potluck community picnic lunch.

Interested parties should RSVP by October 19 with name and total number of guests to [email protected].

Potrero Nuevo Farm is located just eight miles south of Half Moon Bay and one mile east of Highway 1 (Cabrillo Highway) at 1045 Tunitas Creek Road.

Potrero Nuevo Farm is committed to sustainable agriculture and fair accessibility to food, environmental education, and ecological land management.  Utilizing a 300-acre farm and wilderness property, Potrero Nuevo Farm supports education programs, provides fresh, naturally grown produce to the community, and donates surplus food to local social service agencies and churches.  The Farmstand CSA supports their larger vision for increasing everyone’s understanding and appreciation of healthy eating and the natural world. For more information, visit www.potreronuevofarm.org.

As a 20 year employee of Cabrillo Unified School District, I got a layoff notice last year when the budget was "only" $480,000 in the red.  We’re looking at a deficit of $2.5 million next year.  Without a parcel tax vote passage, here are some of the realities parents and students will be dealing with next year:

Remove K-3 class size reduction (at a cost of 27 teaching positions).

Cut counselors at Cunha from two to one, and at the High School from three to two.

Close libraries.

Basically, anything outside the classroom will have to go: ELD support classes, electives, sports, fewer school days (4 per week is proposed), etc.

I’m not sure the people of the Coastside realize what we are looking at for next year. It’s going to be quite grim, I’m afraid.

Katharine Weber

If you haven’t had a chance to see Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie, time is running out!  There are only two shows remaining - Friday and Saturday evening at 8pm.
 
The Glass Menagerie is one of Tennessee Williams’ most intimate and heartrending dramas and introduced him as one of the preeminent American playwrights of the 20th century.

See what people are saying:
"We saw The Glass Menagerie Saturday night and were blown away by the production. The cast, and in particular Roxane Ashe, gave spectacular performances. They earned the standing ovation we gave them at the end. The acting was beyond professional and very moving. Get tickets if you can, steal them if you have to, but don’t miss this one. It is really worth all your trouble." - Ron Denchfield, HMB Review TalkAbout
"Glass Menagerie is luminous…this production is like a piece of fine glass: clear, deep, shimmering, treacherously delicate." - Stacy Trevenon, HMB Review
"A captivating performance" - Keith Kreitman, San Mateo Daily Journal

For more information or to buy tickets go to www.coastalrep.com.

Vocalist Paula West’s version of the Great American Songbook goes beyond Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter and the Gershwins. She also draws from favorite contemporary classics by composers from Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. She has transformed such rock songs as the Rolling Stones’ "You Can’t Always Get What You Want," and "The Beat Goes On" by Sonny & Cher.

Paula West – vocals, George Mesterhazy - piano, Ed Cherry – guitar, Pat O’Leary – bass, Rodney Green – drums.