Coastside fire departments are facing a severe staffing shortage, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.  More firefighters are leaving as the districts prepare for contracting with CalFire (formerly the California Department of Forestry), and the districts have not been hiring for positions that will be outsourced under the new contract. The staffing crisis could become a financial crisis as the districts find more-expensive ways to fill the gap.

But the Half Moon Bay fire department is hemorrhaging firefighters — only 22 firefighters and captains remain on staff, down from 31 in fiscal year 2006-2007, according to Half Moon Bay Fire Chief Paul Cole. Three firefighters are out on disability as well.

...

A preliminary estimate put the cost of filling one fire station with three state employees a day at approximately $1.1 million a year, according to Cole. He said the fire district may decide to take action on the offer this summer, especially since the other option is more overtime.

The instrumental quartet of Bay Area natives performs dynamic music improvisations with distinctive melodies driven by urban flavors of jazz, funk, latin, and hip-hop that move the Times 4 audience to feel dance in their bones.  Dancing second set. Lincoln Adler, sax; Kevin Lofton Bass, guitar; Maurice Miles, drums; and Greg Sankovich, keyboard.

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society
307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay, CA  94019
$30.  Tickets at the door.
Doors Open at 3 PM, Music from 4:30 to 7:30 PM, with intermission.

With reference to the recent article in the HMB Review, I am concerned about the proposed changes along the POST property, affectionately known as "the bluff", north of Pillar Point.  If the proposed changes occur, then we will be losing one of the best places on the coastside to roam freely and to witness nature in action. 

Does Leland Yee  [pdf] or anyone else really believe that "informal trails on Pillar Point Bluff are exacerbating severe erosion on the property’s cliffsides…"? If you’ve ever had the pleasure of standing on the beach below those cliffs, then you’ve probably observed the constant rain of rock fragments from the bluff.  This *is not* the result of people strolling along the bluff’s edge; it *is* the result of a dynamic geological setting.  The bluff is both cut and bounded by active faults along the western edge of the San Andreas fault system, and the bluff will continue to erode and rain debris for as long as the deformation continues, and probably for long after.  We cannot change that.

What concerns me is the rush to close trails and to limit access for reasons that are beyond our control.  Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for restoring native habitat and I support the ongoing eradication of the Pampas Grass on the bluff top, and I appreciate the fact that FMR rangers actually tend to the people that bring dogs onto that precious stretch of beach.

Let’s just be mindful of the fact that the geography of the bluff has been and continues to be shaped by forces bigger than ourselves and also that it’s pretty cool to be able to actually witness those slow and inexorable forces in action (landslides both small and large, the constant rain of sediment off the bluff, the seasonal movement of sand on the beaches, etc.).  If we take it upon ourselves to stabilize these naturally unstable slopes, then we *will be* altering the property’s "critical natural habitat"—and nobody wants that…do they?

Sincerely, 

Richard Whitmarsh
El Granada

"A Common Fear"

What’s the first thing you think of when you imagine yourself out on the ocean in a thin, plastic kayak and sealed in with a taunt spray skirt? If you are like me you think about capsizing—you think about drowning.

In Kenny’s second video column, "A Common Fear,"  he tackles head-on a deep-seated worry that often goes unmentioned, especially by beginners.

Kenny’s special guest is John Lull, a kayaking expert (and a local resident), who is the author of a standard text in the field, Seakayaking: Safety & Rescue.

The video is available in two formats: A small Flash version for older computers or slower connections, and a larger Quicktime version for newer computers and faster connections. | Quicktime | Flash |

WHITE RAINBOW (92 mins)

The story of four remarkable women who struggle to overcome the stigma and brutal reality of widowhood in modern India.  The protagonist Priya, is an educated and affluent young widow. Despondent, alone and desperate, she seeks solace in Vrindavan, the "city of widows." There she meets three women who become her best friends.  Roop has spent 30 years making her way in this temple town. She knows all the town’s dirty secrets. Her own mother-in-law tragically disfigured gentle Mala. Local Panda priests forced young Deepti into a life of depravity.

These four women form a deep bond and through their friendship begin to discover a way to take charge of their own fate. However, their journey is not without adversity and tragedy from a system dominated by men who prosper from the exploitation of India’s most disenfranchised citizens.

Short:  THE DANISH POET (15 mins)

Winner of the 2006 Oscar as best animated short. This film deals with heady questions such as:

• Can we trace the chain of events that lead to our birth? 
• Is our existence just coincidence? 
• Do little things matter?

To find the answers we follow Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, on a holiday to Norway to meet the famous writer Sigrid Undset. As Kasper’s quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things.

Filmmakers Linda and Dharan Mandrayar will attend to present and discuss the film with the audience.

For more info and a streaming clip of the feature film see: http://www.HMBFilm.org

Friday, May 25, 8 p.m.
Community Methodist Sanctuary
777 Miramontes, Half Moon Bay 8 p.m
Corner of Johnston & Miramontes.
$6.00
 
Screening is jointly sponsored by the Half Moon Bay Branch of the AAUW (American Association of University Women) and the Coastside Film Society.

The holding of events on Main Street continues to be a double edged sword. On the one hand, the local charities, the fundings for which for years have been throttled by a number of legislative and local hammerlocks, need every cent they can get in order to meet their goals. On the other hand, every time the Main Street business community has been massaged into thinking that these events are what is needed to bring more lifeblood into its sagging corpse, what it ultimately winds up doing is further alienating the very residential population it looks to, whenever the weather is bad or the Slide goes out.

What message are we continuing to send when these events, both, dip into the incomes of an already struggling small business population, and two, leave the streets crawling with a number of drunken teenagers at closing time? It’s sad to think that, as a local community, the only way we can get people to assemble for a worthwhile purpose is to have alcohol available, and yet the powers that be will all tell you that so much of the money is made on the sale of alcohol.

The data from the 2005 Business Survey already pointed out that the only event that was worth its salt (from a business owners perspective) was the "Night of Lights", yet here we are again having the business owners take another bath while they are told that events such as this will increase their exposure. Sorry, but the Survey results didn’t bear that out.

The event holders should just send someone named Vinnie around carrying a violin case and "squeeze" the store owners for the desired amount, because, when it’s all over, I’d be surprised if what was taken in for charity wasn’t close to what the downtown area lost in business that day (less, of course, the "handling fees"). It makes one wonder if the only reason that Main Street has been continually abused is because there isn’t anywhere else locally that could host a crowd that size for that price, which for all practical purposes, is nothing.

Slowly but surely, we continue to see more businesses closed during these events as, one by one, they eventually realize the futility of trying to do business when people just want an excuse to drink in public.

The reasons for this are probably many, but the number of complaints of garbage, urination, damage, theft, etc., frequent during many of these events, seem to have been lessened somewhat during the "Night of Lights", perhaps by some overwhelming feeling of seasonal spirit. Who knows? Five percent of the 2005 Survey respondents noted that the "Night of Lights" was more successful than the Pumpkin Festival in both foot traffic and resultant sales, and that the Rock the Block event was clearly the big loser AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST, and yet, here we are again.

It would seem far more constructive in the long run to design events that promoted family values and community involvement rather than have to get everyone sloshed in order to open up their wallets; events that embrace families eating together with friends, chowder & seafood dinners, spaghetti & meatballs, whatever, and where wine or beer was only available, if at all, while you were seated at one of the many tables running in two rows down the center of the street on one block only. In between music sets, the charity group(s) would be able to speak about the importance of their work and its serving as a barometer for the preservation of the community.

There are already very successful family oriented fundraising models within the community that don’t require holding the small business owners hostage during their events. Why can’t we do something more like that?

Frank Long
Half Moon Bay

Tuesday, the Half Moon Bay City Council took up a couple of hot issues: the recent anonymous/pseudonymous appeals and the discharge of firearms within the city limits.

The city council changed the law so that appeals must be made in the appellant's real name and that only city residents or property owners can make appeals. This item was not on the council's published agenda, because it was enacted as so-called a "urgency ordinance". The justification was what city attorney Adam Lindgren called "preservation of public peace, health, or safety" -- which was threatened by the increased workload in City Hall. During the public comment, developer Keet Nerhan's attorney said he wanted to to make sure that false identities could not be used, so that he can investigate and challenge appellants' motives, which some people might think is a pretty good reason for allowing anonymous complaints. City attorney Lindgren recommended that, after enacting the urgency ordinance, the city council enact a regular ordinance with full notice, public discussion, and multiple readings.

Don't miss the discussion of the dog-shooting in Half Moon Bay. The first speaker, Jim Larimer, after his initial confusion about the issue before the city council, says that the city council should not pass any laws regarding unlawful discharge of firearms out of deference to people's deeply held beliefs about property rights and the second amendment. Also take a look at the documents provided by the city attorney, which says that it's legal to discharge a firearm in the city of Half Moon Bay to protect your property.

• Proclamations and presentations | Quicktime | Flash |
• Oral communications | Quicktime | Flash |
• City Council reports | Quicktime | Flash |
• Staff reports | Quicktime | Flash |
• Consent calendar | Quicktime | Flash |
• Administrative CDP's | Quicktime | Flash | Docs
• Appeal of planning commission approval at 684 Terrace Ave | Quicktime | Flash | Docs
• CDP for borings at 311 Church St | Quicktime | Flash | Docs
• Final EIR for Carnoustie development (Ocean Colony) | Quicktime | Flash | Docs
• Information on Discharge of Firearms Within City Limits | Quicktime | Flash | Docs
• Urgency Ordinance: Forbidding anonymous appeals | Quicktime | Flash |

An anonymous tipster is causing havoc in Half Moon Bay City Hall, reports the County Times.

In April, the city began receiving a flurry of building appeals from two people operating under the assumed names Robert LeBaron, Nancy LeBaron and David Meir (sometimes spelled Meier). A series of accompanying letters, faxed from untraceable sources, shows the appellants claim to be a couple living in Half Moon Bay under a different name. The appeals were sent from two different Half Moon Bay post of- fice boxes with no accompanying phone number. Fees forthe appeals were sent as anonymous money orders from stores like Safeway.

The letters — which have grown increasingly belligerent over time — also demonstrate an uncanny ability to listen in to conversations at City Hall.

"My friends at Half Moon Bay tell me you had your review today. Hope it went well," wrote "David Meier" in a comment addressed to City Manager Marcia Raines in a letter dated May 8. Raines had indeed just received an employee review the previous afternoon.
...
Even without an address or a valid name to go by, the anonymous senders succeeded in appealing one case all the way to the City Council — a zoning issue for a single-family home the Council was scheduled to hear last night.

And they brought a legitimate problem with a sign at the new Popeye’s Chicken to the attention of the planning commission. Meanwhile, City Hall is tightening security. 

Coastsider has also received information from the anonymous tipster.

Affordable Housing Week [pdf] is May 12-19.  In Half Moon Bay, Lesley Gardens is holding an open house on Saturday. 

Come stop by anytime between 11am-2pm on Saturday, May 19, to see the site and to learn more about how affordable housing benefits our entire community.  A delicious BBQ lunch will be provided; ongoing tours of the building and residential units will be offered as well.  At noon, a short program will feature remarks by local officials, resident testimonials, and the Coastside premiere of a short documentary by National Image Works about affordable housing in San Mateo County.  This event is co-sponsored by the Lesley Foundation and the San Mateo County Department of Housing.  RSVPs are appreciated; please contact Dorcas Cheng-Tozun at 650.802.5040 or [email protected] to RSVP or for additional information.