Despite what it described as a tough budget year, the Midpeninsula Open Space District (MROSD) has increased the salary of its general manager, Craig Britton by 11.4 percent to $165,420, retroactive to March. In a harshly-worded unbylined article, the Merc says,

Hassett, who owns Palo Alto Hardware and Ocean Shore Hardware in Half Moon Bay, said the raise reflects merit pay for a job well done. Still, he said, Britton makes less than other similar public officials, citing a study the district did.

Trouble is, the only two parks managers in the survey who made more than Britton have much larger departments. East Bay Regional Parks General Manager Pat O’Brien makes $167,316, for example. While Britton manages 80 employees and a $23 million budget, O’Brien has 677 employees and a $130 million budget. Same story for San Jose’s city parks department, where Director Sara Hensley makes $173,000, and has 736 employees and a $149 million budget.

Even U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein makes less: $158,100 a year.

Manhattan Beach City Councilman Jim Aldinger has resigned from the Coastal Commission.  He had failed to disclose a decade-old public intoxication charge and a 1998 temporary restraining order. He resigned in a letter to state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, on Thursday. Perata had demanded his resignation last month for his failure to disclose the incidents in his application for the position.

Local officials, including the Half Moon Bay City Council, as well as the Sierra Club and Sheriff Don Horsley, have written to the governor in support of a bill that would allow county supervisors to place a one-eight percent sales tax on a future ballot. The smallest increase now permitted is a quarter percent, reports the Examiner.

Advocates estimate the tax could raise $13 to $16 million a year for parks and recreation. The county Parks Department says that $90 million worth of upgrades are needed.

Ginny McShane is vice president of the Point Montara Fire Protection District board and is a candidate for reelection in November. Coastsider welcomes responses and letters from other candidates for the board.

The Point Montara Fire Protection District and the Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District have hired Robert Olson and Associates (ROA) to consult on preparing a Consolidation Application to be sent to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), in San Mateo County.

In the LAFCo process, the fire districts will hold a series of study sessions open to the public. The Consolidation application will include the current fiscal conditions of both districts,  financial projections of a consolidated district, recommendations for cost savings, a recommended capital replacement schedule, and fire district governance models.

Study sessions and committee meetings will be open to the public and properly noticed according to the Brown Act.  A consolidation application will be developed, and sent to LAFCo.

LAFCo than considers the application. If the application is approved, time is set aside for a protest hearing.  During this protest period, citizens can collect signatures to force a vote. Ultimately, the LAFCo executive officer shall make a finding about the protests submitted which will result in either a termination, an order to hold an election, or an order to find annexation complete.

As you can see, this process is comprehensive and includes everyone. Consolidation has the support of the firefighters’ union and both fire boards.

Geographically, the Coastside is separated from other fire service providers.  The Consolidation of these two districts would provide a single fire agency.

Please attend these meetings.  Your input is very important. Preparations are being made to televise these meetings on Channel 6.

Congratulations to the incoming Midcoast Community Council members! Because only four candidates have filed for four open positions as of the extended deadline on Wednesday, there will be no election for MCC. The following candidates will take the open offices:

• Geoffrey Davis (Non-Partisan Office -Computer Systems Engineer) Declaration filed 8/11, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Gael Erickson (Non-Partisan Office -Appointed Incumbent) 242 Francisco St, El Granada, 94018 (res.); Po Box 2905 , El Granada, 94018 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 726-4416 (day); Declaration filed 8/10, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Terri Green (Non-Partisan Office -Businesswoman) P.O. Box 370818, Montara, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; Declaration filed 7/27, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Kathryn Slater-Carter (Non-Partisan Office -Incumbent) Po Box 370321 , Montara, Ca, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 728-5449 (day); (650) 728-5449 (eve); Declaration filed 8/10, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

The County Times takes a look at the race for Half Moon Bay City Council.  It contains no surprises for those of you who have been following the race closely, but if not, it’s a good introduction to who’s running and where they stand.

Thursday, a superior court judge ordered the city of Half Moon Bay to release some of the documents demanded by the Cypress Cove Townhomes Association.

In the city’s press release, City Attorney Adam Lindgren maintains that the court erred in its application of attorney-client privilege.  According to Lindgren, the most significant document in the case, a partially redacted (blacked-out) version of the property due diligence report, could have been released sooner had the suit not been filed.  The law says that if documents are released after a suit is filed that the defendant must pay the plaintiff’s attorney costs.

The City Council will meet in closed session at 7:00pm Tuesday before the regular City Council meeting to decide whether it will release the documents or appeal the Court’s decision.

Click "read more" to see the city’s press release.

Wednesday’s editorial in the Half Moon Bay Review reminds me of physicist Wolfgang Pauli’s famous assessment of a scientific paper: "It’s not even wrong".

Our hapless editorialist opens by describing a local political fundraiser and saying that no laws were broken there. But the author does fret because the guest of honor was California Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan, saying "Section 84308 [of California’s Political Reform Act] notes that state officers, including Coastal Commissioners, shall not "direct" anyone to contribute more than $250 to anyone with a matter currently pending before the state."

Well, no, that’s not what the law says. The law actually says that the donor—and not the recipient—should not have a financial interest in any matter pending before the state.

The editorial then veers off into a long digression on the (very real) evils of ex parte communication. But it fails to note that no ex parte communication took place at the event. Or that Sara Wan is the only coastal commissioner who refuses all ex parte communications—a fact she mentioned in her presentation to the group.

The next to the last paragraph betrays what all the sound and fury is about: "The fault here is not his [Half Moon Bay City Council member Mike Ferreira’s]. He is simply raising money and awareness for his campaign."  That’s right, Ferreira’s not at fault.  But he’s mentioned three times by name. Supposed bad girl Sara Wan is mentioned once.

The editorial concludes with the sheerest of nonsense. "Coastal Commissioners should steer clear of local politics in every instance". How is this possible when half the commissioners are required by law to be local elected officials?

This is an interesting document. We’re wringing our hands about a legal appearance at a legal event at which unethical behavior was actively discouraged. Meanwhile an elected official who’s not at fault is forgiven for things he didn’t do. And we conclude with a recommendation that defies the laws of physics and the state of California.

This is not the first time the Review has served up a disingenuous or conveniently inaccurate editorial that condemns the city council with innuendo. Auric Goldfinger said it best: "There is a saying in Chicago, Mr. Bond: ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action’."

There will be no election for the Granada Sanitary District board. All three incumbents and no challengers have filed by the initial deadline.

Two Coastside boards—HMB Fire Protection District and Midcoast Community Council—continue to be open for new candidates until Wednesday, August 17, in addition to the Half Moon Bay City Council. Friday was the initial deadline for candidates to file their paperwork. If an incumbent fails to file, the deadline is extended.

Two incumbents—Paul Perkovic and Karen Wilson—have not filed for the Midcoast Community Council. There are now four candidates for four open positions.

Neither incumbent has filed for the Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District board.  Three candidates have filed for the two open positions.

On the last possible day, both incumbents (Chris Mickelson and Ev Ascher) and one challenger (former CCWD director Jim Marsh) have filed for the Coastside County Water District.

 

• Ev Ascher (NonPartisan Office Incumbent) 114 Cypress Point Rd, Half Moon Bay, 94019 (res.); Declaration filed 8/12, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• James Marsh (NonPartisan Office Engineer) [email protected]; (650) 7262824 (day); Declaration filed 8/12, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Chris R. Mickelsen (NonPartisan Office Director Coastside County Water District) P.O. Box 3234, Half Moon Bay, 94019 (mail); [email protected]; Declaration filed 8/12, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Gael Erickson (Non-Partisan Office -Appointed Incumbent) 242 Francisco St, El Granada, 94018 (res.); Po Box 2905 , El Granada, 94018 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 726-4416 (day); (650) 726-4416 (eve);  Declaration filed 8/10, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Ric Lohman (Non-Partisan Office -Appointed Incumbent) 420 1st Ave, El Granada, 94018 (res.); [email protected]; (650) 759-7969 (day); (650) 726-9607 (eve);  Declaration filed 8/10, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Leonard Woren (Non-Partisan Office -Software Developer - Incumbent) [email protected]; (650) 726-9647 (day);  Declaration filed 8/11, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Gary Burke (Non-Partisan Office -Retired Business Executive) 421 Greenbrier Rd, Half Moon Bay, 94019 (res.); [email protected]; (650) 726-3638 (day); (650) 303-7144 (eve);  Declaration filed 8/11

 

• Lane Wm. Lees (Non-Partisan Office -Businessman/ Retired Firefighter) 651 Poplar St, Half Moon Bay, 94019 (res.); [email protected];  Declaration filed 8/11, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• G. Ronald Taborski (NonPartisan Office Businessman) 483 Winged Foot Rd, Half Moon Bay, 94019 (res.); [email protected]; (650) 7262565 (day); Declaration filed 8/12, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Geoffrey Davis (Non-Partisan Office -Computer Systems Engineer) Declaration filed 8/11, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Gael Erickson (Non-Partisan Office -Appointed Incumbent) 242 Francisco St, El Granada, 94018 (res.); Po Box 2905 , El Granada, 94018 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 726-4416 (day); Declaration filed 8/10

 

• Terri Green (Non-Partisan Office -Businesswoman) P.O. Box 370818, Montara, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; Declaration filed 7/27, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Kathryn Slater-Carter (Non-Partisan Office -Incumbent) Po Box 370321 , Montara, Ca, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 728-5449 (day); (650) 728-5449 (eve); Declaration filed 8/10

• Jim Harvey (NonPartisan Office Incumbent)P O Box 165 , Montara, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 7231891 (day); (650) 7283665 (eve); Declaration filed 8/09, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Paul Perkovic (NonPartisan Office Incumbent)Declaration filed 8/08, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Bob Ptacek (NonPartisan Office Incumbent)PO Box 371119, Montara, 94037 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 7282271 (day); Declaration filed 8/08 , All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Peggy Ruse (Non-Partisan Office -Business Consultant) 400 California Ave, Moss Beach, 94038 (res.); [email protected]; Declaration filed 7/28, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

• Bruce MacKimmie (Non-Partisan Office -Incumbent) P O Box 975 , Moss Beach, 94038 (mail); [email protected]; (650) 728-5806 (day); (650) 728-5806 (eve); Declaration filed 7/27, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Alexander King (Non-Partisan Office -Fireman) Declaration filed 7/25, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Vince Williams (Non-Partisan Office -Engineer) 741 Etheldore St, Moss Beach, 94038 (res.); [email protected]; (650) 563-9530 (day); Declaration filed 8/02, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

 

• Ginny McShane (Non-Partisan Office -Director, Point Montara Fire Protection District) 723 Etheldore St, Moss Beach, 94038 (res.); [email protected]; (650) 728-3130 (day); Declaration filed 8/03, All papers filed, candidate qualified.

Half Moon Bay City Council member Toni Taylor will not be running for reelection. She didn’t file her papers before the deadline at 5pm Friday. Four years ago, Taylor was the top vote-getter in the City Council election, with 20.5% of the votes, followed by Grady and Ferreira. Because an incumbent is not running for reelection, the filing deadline will be extended until Wednesday, August 17.

Half Moon Bay City Council members Jim Grady and Mike Ferreira filed their paperwork, along with George Muteff, Bonnie McClung, Naomi Patridge, and Steve Skinner.

Peter Bodnar, who took out papers last week, has not returned them, but now has a few more days to file.

• Mike Ferreira
• Jim Grady
• George Muteff
• Bonnie McClung
• Naomi Patridge
• Steve Skinner

• Peter Bodnar