Friday’s football game at Half Moon Bay High versus Sequoia High School was marked by a number of ugly incidents that led to police escorting the beleaguered visitors out of the school as a group, reports the Daily Journal.

Sequoia High School left Half Moon Bay victorious Friday night, beating the Cougars 20-17. But the victory wasn’t so sweet with accusations of Cougar players using racial and homophobic slurs at Sequoia players; four naked youth storming the field; and eggs thrown at Cherokee cheerleaders and fans. Police had to escort Sequoia parents, players and fans from the game.

Sequoia parents and officials were not amused and there is some discussion of asking that the remaining game to be cancelled and for the two schools not to play each other again.
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Near the end of game, after police officers walked away from the visitors side, eggs were thrown from outside the stadium at Sequoia cheerleaders and fans in the final minutes of the game, said one Sequoia parent who preferred not to be named. Parents and cheerleaders were hit with eggs.
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Sequoia Teacher Ron Gordon attended his son’s water polo game earlier this year to hear vulgar words and homophobic phrases used by Half Moon Bay students and players. The coach dealt with the situation, [Half Moon Bay High athletic director Matt] Ballard said.

A Sequoia coach claims in the story that rocks were thrown on the Sequoia team’s bus once the team was aboard.

We just received a link to this YouTube video from the folks at Mavericks.

Meanwhile, KCBS is floating speculation that Mavericks could start extra early this year:

"There are a lot of different factors that go into that and we’re not prepared just yet to make any formal announcements, but we are taking a hard look at opening the window earlier this year than we ever have," said Mavericks Surf Ventures CEO Keir Beidling. "In the past we have had the window in mid-December to March and January to March and mid-January to April, so it really has bounced around a bit."

John and Eda Muller’s Daylight Farms will be among the recipients of the first annual Agriculture Water Quality Alliance 2007 Conservation Awards from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The awards will honor six California farms based on their "innovation, community leadership, and exceptional strides in farm water quality protection.", reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

The common-sense technique is one of several changes the Mullers made five years ago to protect their soil, use less water, and keep their labor costs down.

These include the use of an evenly-distributed "drip" irrigation system in the place of sprinklers, which are less precise and can get blown in the wrong direction. John Muller says the more efficient drip system has helped his farm save 65 percent of its typical water volume and cut down on labor costs.

On Sunday, the Mullers gathered the last of the drip tape from their zucchini patch. Next week, they’ll plant cover crops at the site of their pumpkin field on Highway 1.

"The cover crop is very old-fashioned," said Muller. "It is saving the soil from running off in the long term — and it makes us feel that we’redoing the right thing on our fields again."

There’s more detail on these techniques in the County Times story.

Whomever has been "selectively culling" my "Merrilees for midcoast" Signs out on Hwy 1, and in the neighborhoods in Moss Beach, Please make sure they are recycled.  They are Plastic, and were bought with the intention of being recycled, not thrown away.  Dump them in the dead of night in my front yard (160 Marine Blvd) and I’ll take care of them.  Dirty tricks are expected, but don’t trash the environment.

Thanks,
Neil

Today is election day, with seats contested in the Half Moon Bay and Point Montara Fire Protection Districts, Midcoast Community Council, and Montara Water and Sanitary District. The election in the Coastside County Water District election is virtually uncontested, and the Half Moon Bay City Council election is literally uncontested.

Local races can seem confusing and insignificant, but it’s important that you show up and vote. Take a minute to review our election coverage.

We’ve posted our recommendations for Montara Water and Sanitary, and the Point Montara (Montara and Moss Beach) and HMB (HMB and El Granada) Fire Protection Districts, as well as recommendations from two major political action committees. We’re making no recommendation in the Midcoast Community Council race, but there are plenty of MCC candidates worthy of your vote.

Regardless of who you choose, get out and vote.  Your vote counts more in these local elections than anywhere else.

Story and video by Darin Boville, used with permission of Montara Fog

Concerned coastside parents may have read the articles in the Half Moon Bay Review and the San Francisco Chronicle. Surely all of them heard the news: Farallone View is in "program improvement."

Sounds like good news at first—some sort of award, perhaps?—but instead it is a state of disgrace in the eyes of the Federal Government, imposed by the failure of Farallone View to meet certain Federal standards. Further down that road wait the threats of staff replacement, government takeover….it sounds bad. Very bad.

But, shortly after the bad news was published for all the community to see, something happened that wasn’t reported: Farallone View was removed from the list of schools in program improvement. That little detail didn’t seem worth mentioning by the traditional press, I guess.

Catherine Werdel, the new principal at Farallone View, explains the story to us in this video, shot on October 2nd at out local PTA meeting. She goes over the data, shows the progress of each of the various subgroups, and outlines the testing goals that have been handed down by the higher powers for future years.

(A word to viewers with children in other Bay-area schools: Note Werdel’s clear-headed, professional presentation. Note her comfort with data and the fact that she clearly knows what she is talking about. Note her sincerity. You can’t have her. She’s ours.)

One of the most interesting aspects of the presentation are the scores of the various subgroups—and an explanation of what the statistical category "English Language Learner" really means.

Watch the video. Tell other parents.

The two political action committees—representing the polar opposites of the Coastside politics—have made their endorsements.

The League for Coastside Protection represents environmentalism and upholding the California Coastal Act on the Coastside. They define their mission as "supporting those who uphold the spirit and substance of the California Coastal Act. We work to elect responsible public officials who will preserve and enhance the quality of life on the coast for residents and visitors, protecting the coastside environment, agriculture and fisheries."

Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District

• Jerry Donovan
• Bert Silva
• Ron Taborski

Midcoast Community Council

• Deborah Lardie
• Neil Merrilees
• Leonard Woren

Montara Water and Sanitary District

• Scott Boyd
• Kathryn Slater-Carter

Put Community First is a PAC representing development, property rights, and growth interests. In their endorsements, they say: "PUT COMMUNITY FIRST! is a Coastside Political Action Committee that supports candidates who believe that Coastsiders’ quality of life can be enhanced by continuous improvements to necessary infrastructure, environmental stewardship, development of our local economy, and transparent, responsive government."

County Coastside Water District

• Jim Larimer
• Ken Coverdell
• Bob Feldman

Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District

• Greg Hosfeldt
• Jerry Donovan
• Doug Mackintosh

Midcoast Community Council

• Neil Merrilees

Montara Water and Sanitary District

• Richard Bulan

Pt Montara Fire Protection District

• Christopher Cilia

Look at them there, all lined up, waiting to have their portrait taken. Sort of amazing, huh?

The night before Halloween Jennifer and I went again to the Witches’ House—this time with a still camera. Our mission was to capture, in detail, each of the intricate pumpkin carvings that would be scattered throughout the yard the next night.

It is one thing to see the pumpkins in person—a not to be missed experience—but it is hard to really spend time with the pumpkins in the press of the crowd on Halloween night. With these photographs, though, you can take your time. And please do. Admire all of the detail and subtleties.

The panoramic group shot above is a fun way to see them all at once but it is also special for another reason. The middle exposure made at a few minutes after 8:00 pm—the shutter was open during the recent earthquake. Surprisingly the image is blur-free. I guess the ground, the camera, and the pumpkins were all moving together.

Photographs by Darin Boville, used with permission of Montara Fog.

Do you love the seashore?

Volunteer naturalists share the wonders of Fitzgerald Maine Reserve with school groups and the general public. As a volunteer you will be helping to protect our rich, unique intertidal environment and inspiring our visitors’ imaginations and understanding. Being a volunteer naturalist is an exciting and rewarding experience.

Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve will be offering volunteer naturalist training classes in January 2008. Please visit www.fitzgeraldreserve.org or call 650 728-5917 to register or for more information.  We can arrange a tour of the reserve and demonstrate what it is like to be a docent. Volunteer opportunities are available on weekdays or weekends.  Weekday volunteers lead tours for school groups.  Weekend volunteers can also lead tours or interact with visitors by identifying creatures and sharing the wonders of the tidepools.

Training consists of seven Saturdays plus six additional hours spent at the reserve with a mentor.  Instruction covers marine biology , ecology and interpretive strategies.  Classes start January 5, 2008.  Each class will be 9:00am to 2:00 pm.  Volunteers must be physically capable to navigate the rocks and reef, and be over 17 years old. Please register by Dec. 1, 2007

EDITOR’S NOTE: this is a very cool opportunity. Fitzgerald is my favorite place on the Coastside.