A new pre-game tailgate party will launch at the Friday, October 2 football game at Half Moon Bay High School.

The party will feature barbeque with water and snacks, face painting supported by the High School’s Art Department, pictures taken with the "Cougie" mascot, and music. The party is sponsored by the high school’s Associated Student Council and is free to everyone.

The event is called the "Smokehouse Game," referring to the barbeque. It will be held in the High School’s parking lot from 5-6 PM. The varsity football game against El Camino follows immediately at 6 PM, and all community members at the Smokehouse event are invited to attend. Tickets for the game are $5 at the gate.

"I love having community spirit at our football games, and I hope this event will boost that," said Student Council Executive Board Member, Chris Probert.

"We haven’t done this before and we’re very enthusiastic to see the community turnout at our pre-game party," said Rob Lawrence, the High School’s Activities Director and ASB Advisor.

The Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau, in cooperation with the League of Women Voters (LWV), is putting on a Candidate’s Forum for Half Moon Bay City Council on Thursday, October 1, 2009. It will be held from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Ted Adcock Community Center.

City Council candidates that have been invited are: Allan Alifano, Sofia M. Freer, Dan Handler, Charles T. Hoelzel, Rick Kowalczyk, George Muteff, Namoi Patridge, and Deborah Ruddock.

The chamber has requested questions for the candidates in advance, with a deadline of Sept 20, but says that attendees can also submit questions the night of the Forum.

Police are looking for two men who intentionally drove into a group of raccoons behind the Safeway, killing two, reports the Mercury News:

A large group of raccoons — a "gaze" — congregates at the Safeway at night and in the early morning, he said. They are attracted to the grocery store’s dumpsters, he said, and some employees apparently feed the animals.

"It seems to be a raccoon haven there," O’Malley said. "It’s their version of a McDonald’s."

The car left two dead raccoons behind. O’Malley said other animals may have been injured before retreating.

Witnesses got the car’s license plate numbers and the complaint has been referred to another agency.

Midcoast Community Council and the League of Women Voters are sponsoring a candidate forum for candidates running in for Midcoast boards:

• Coastside Fire Protection District 7:30
• Coastside County Water District   8:30
• Granada Sanitary District   9:00

Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 7:30 pm
Seton Medical Center Coastside
Marine Boulevard & Etheldore, Moss Beach

By Cynthia Jimes, Ph.D.

Shortfalls in meeting child care needs for San Mateo County Coastside families is a growing community concern. The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) recently completed a study to assess parental satisfaction with Coastside child care, including existing challenges and future suggestions for change [Web page for report].

Conducted on behalf of the San Mateo County Office of Education and the San Mateo County Human Services Agency, the study looked at both English and Spanish speaking parents of children ages 0-12 from Montara to Pescadero. Results from this study are based on an analysis of survey and focus group data representing 541 Coastside parents and their 792 children, and include the key findings below.

First, the study found that parents typically use a mix of types of care to meet their needs. This is because for most parents, one type of care does not meet all of their needs, which means that parents must draw on a combination of formal and informal types of child care. The most commonly reported child care arrangements were informal care by parents themselves, by relatives, and by individuals who are not relatives, followed by formal care, which includes infant and toddler, preschool, after elementary school care, and family child care homes. Cost and convenience, as well as concerns about children’s welfare and development were reported as the primary factors influencing parents’ child care choices.

Come celebrate Midcoast Park Lands’ 8th annual Kids’ Day in Quarry Park, on Sunday, October 4, from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Bring the whole family for a kid-friendly celebration in the Meadow – music, crafts, jumping tent, and more!

Come see the new Community Garden with its scarecrows and raised beds – admire the wonderful plants, and get free tips on composting from a Master Gardener.

We will be grilling hot dogs and serving cool lemonade, courtesy of the mighty grillers of the Half Moon Bay Lions Club.  Donations are requested to support the work of maintaining and improving the Park.

Live music by Kitty Rea of Harmony Road at 1 p.m.

Tell your neighbors – let’s make this the best Kids’ Day ever!

The county is hold a workshop to discuss housing issues in the unincorporated areas and to present ideas about housing priorities and needs.

The meeting will be Wednesday, September 30, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Half Moon Village, 9 Bloom Lane, Half Moon Bay. The meetings will be conducted in English and Spanish. The meeting will focus on only San Mateo County’s unincorporated areas. The Housing Element Update will not apply to cities.

According to the county press release:

The meetings will help San Mateo County planners update the County’s Housing Element, a component of the General Plan. State law requires cities and counties to update the Housing Element every five years so local governments can plan to meet the existing and projected housing needs in the community.

State law recognizes the vital role local governments play in the supply and affordability of housing. The law acknowledges that, in order for the private market to adequately address housing needs and demand, local governments must adopt land use plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development.

The State does not require cities and counties to actually build the housing necessary to meet the community’s needs. However, it does require that each community adopt policies and programs to support housing development, as well as provide adequate land at appropriate densities to allow the private and non-profit sectors to meet the housing needs of all economic segments of the community.

San Mateo County’s current Housing Element was adopted in 2003; the County is now updating the Element to cover the period from 2007-2014.

For more information, visit www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/planning/housingelementupdate or call William Gibson or Steve Monowitz, Department of Planning and Building, at 650-363-1816 or 650-363-1855.

We’ve been advised by the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services that Devil’s Slide has been re-opened.

Devil’s Slide will be closed Sunday morning, Sept 27, from 9 until about 11am, so that a car that went 150 over the side can be removed.