Comments Archive

That is so sad about the dog.  My condolences go out to him.  What is with some of the drivers around here?  Some are great, but some blow through stop signs as if they somehow necessitate a car to actually speed up and yet others must…

Whoosh. Count Kevin among those who wishes the physical realities of our material world weren’t so....

I wish you correct, Deborah, but unfortunately it is true.  Go to Table ES-1 in the Executive Summary of GGNRA’s Draft Dog Management Plan/EIS. It plainly states that GGNRA’s preferred alternative for “New Lands” (that’s…

This is NOT TRUE- the headline is misleading and inflammatory.  Dogs are to be on a leash in the park....

“the cornucopians show no waking up from the notion all the stuff ever-increasing numbers of people need for their lives will magically come from somewhere.” No magic, we were just told we’ll just keep taking from the top 2%. Adn those…

“Public employee pensions are a problem, but I’m not sure we’ve determined what kind or how large a problem they are. “ There are global-warming naysayers, and that seems like a public pension nayquote. Barry, the facts/figures/forecasts/etc…

Carl: I think we are in total agreement.  I certainly am not going to defend dogs and their owners behaving badly.  Like I said in the last paragraph of my first comment, one solution might be to identify discrete areas where dogs are allowed…

Bill, Every year or two those of us who walk Montara Mountain in McNee Ranch SP almost every day do casual counts of dogs on-leash and off-leash. But, first, even with the large number of people with dogs, most (easily more than half) of those using the…

Kevin, Not hypocritical at all!  I have long been of an advocate for off leash dog walking while respecting others in the area who may not care to interact with an off leash dog.  See my leash protocol on the dog blog <http://www.montaradogs.com/Site/Leash_Protocol.html>. …

In April of 2008 I formed Montara Dog Group and put up a web site, http://www.montaradogs.com, primarily to encourage dog owners to leash their dogs” Um Bill? I find it ironic, or (pinky against lips a la Dr Evil) hypocritical, that you’ve…

“Carl, ... I don’t know where you came up with the statistic that fewer than half of dog owners are following leash laws, but that sounds low to me.” ... “More people walk their dogs on Montara trails than hikers, bikers and equestrians…

There’s a map of the affected area in this San Mateo County Times article: http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_17162970 The land extends to the El Granada Highlands neighborhood. If you access Rancho trails from the end of Almeria, Coral…

Can anyone point me to a map of the entire area of concern here? I am familiar with the north of Montara area, but not how far south it extends to or in El Granada,where I live and usually walk my dog. I have to agree with your comments Bill, and would…

Carl, I do not know how the feds came up with the decision to ban dogs from Rancho.  The “Dog Management Plan/EIS” was developed for Pacifica, San Francisco and Marin.  It seems like they arbitrarily decided to hold Rancho to a higher…

Bill, If more dog owners were responsible in places like McNee Ranch State Park and on local beaches (and thanks to the half or fewer who are), following leash laws and picking up after their dogs, do you suppose the feds might have developed a different…

Look at the pension deals state legislators,  other elected officials at the state level, and top appointed bureaucrats get. And the high-paying job gravy train they are on—Crane exemplifying this. You expect sensible laws and regulations for…

So, if $13 million translated into 48 hypothetical state park closures, can we say the $6.5 million to be spent by the state on acquisition of Little Basin, to say nothing of the addition money need for ongoing overhead on the piece, could translate into…

$6.5 million for a developed parcel that will require expensive ongoing maintenance beyond what POST will cover from a state parks agency faced with closing many dozens of existing parks due to the current budget crisis? Where will the money come from?…

Public employee pensions are a problem, but I’m not sure we’ve determined what kind or how large a problem they are. However, they are a convenient focus of rage. But it would be a mistake to think that this is a single problem. The state’s…

I’m sure we’ll hear over and over that it’s a revenue problem as well ranting about disclosure on the safety of the investments, not an annuitized spending. and ya’ll know where to get the “revenue” from… CalPers…

The Examiner also had a blog entry on this change. http://www.examiner.com/horse-in-san-francisco/end-of-the-dog-and-pony-show-on-the-rancho-corral-de-tierra In the area immediately north of Montara, most of the walkers have dogs....

I haven’t actually been able to eat there yet, but….  I went there this weekend when my mother and her husband were visiting from the East Coast.  We went there around 4:15PM.  I asked if they had anything vegetarian when we…

Thanks for posting this. I’ve also been impressed with Tim Kensit of Kensit Plumbing, 650.400.5219, who has helped me out numerous times....

Brenda and I went back for a second visit for lunch this time. I give it a solid 4 stars (maybe a bit more).  My original dinner review was only 3 stars due to some execution flaws.  Today’s execution was flawless and the food was top…

I was out of the area until after dark.  Is that the (red) truck cab visible below and above the middle of the trailer?  If so, I wonder what the sports car looked like. I thought that I saw SR 1 open before 6 pm, but when I went back with my…

Hi Barry, The traffic cam is: http://76.191.159.116/CgiStart?page=Single&Language=0 There is a link to it from the bottom of the CoastSider’s page. Kathy from therainteam sent me an email stating there had been an issue with it and should be…

>When I think of California comfort food the image i get is diverse ethnic food Maybe the name should be american comfort food, that is the image of American food—-Meat. Nah, those of us whom are “comfortable” in California like exactly…

>>I’ll try it at some point but I love Gibraltar and think it’s the best we’ve got on the Coast. Nopw tell us something we don’t know ;-) Shame they aren’t in New Flava’s crib…...

Lauren: What’s the address of the camera you’re asking about?  I’ll see if I can get you an answer....

BTW to also be fair .... I got a very forthright response to my 3 star Yelp review from one of the owners.  He welcomed my feedback and apologized for the problems we encountered and talked honestly about how they were working on on the quality control. …

We talked to the owners about not featuring seafood and vegie dishes. They said they just wanted to keep the menu simple for a few weeks to start, but they would be adding these dishes as specials in a few weeks....

Martha, Thanks for asking. I have had a few new sign ups but could use more especially from the Montara area (Le Conte street portal). GGNRA site: http://www.nps.gov/goga/rcdt.htm...

We wanted to give them a try but , the menu was heavy on the meats. I don’t think you should call your self Cal. comfort food it you’re not offering at least three seafood items and a couple strong veggie.When I think of California comfort…

Hi Bill, Have you received responses to this? I am unaware of this—thanks - Martha...

@Gail: Certainly no offense taken. :)...

While the overall rating of a restaurant on Yelp can be helpful, it doesn’t tell the whole story. I have read two-star ratings given by people who were angry because they showed up late for their reservation and couldn’t be accommodated to…

This place has real potential but they still have some kinks to work out.  We just had dinner here and overall I’d give it a very good rating but no more.  Most of the food was quite good but they burned one of the poltenta cakes that…

Barry may have a point. The comments posted on Yelp were mighty peculiar. Aside from the similarity between them (many seemed to mention the same menu items and the prix fixe menu, and many used very similar language), there were comments like these:…

Sorry, Bob—I didn’t phrase that clearly. I really just meant that I think Gibraltar is superlative—truthfully one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area—and it has been my favorite local place for years. I love the ambience…

I’m saying Yelp is no longer as reliable as it used to be. I stand by that assessment. I also said the voting patterns “suggested” a less than critical pool of reviewers. That’s more likely than a dozen random Yelpers being floored…

I am amazed at your logic Gail. You haven’t tried it, but you are willing to believe that it can’t be equal or better than Gibraltar. Maybe your are right, but don’t you think you should try it first? Just as Barry, not having tried…

I’ll try it at some point but I love Gibraltar and think it’s the best we’ve got on the Coast....

Again, the beach isn’t the problem. It’s the overengineered design of the project, which involved unnecessary digging away at the bluff on either side of the stairs. (Not that this was an entirely natural situation, anyway—note the iceplant…

Glad to hear it. I intend to give them another chance as well. —DavidV...

Take 2, lunch today, still excellent on all counts. People at nearby tables were also remarking how much they enjoyed their meals....

Note the drainage pipe and waterfall next to the staircase. A mud slide covered the lower steps during one of the recent storms.  The soil has been removed and access is fine for now.  Chunks of bluff below the end of the pipe are on the beach. …

I’ve updated Len’s comment with some photos he emailed to me....

The storm water drainage problem has not been resolved.  I imagine it will take time and more money before the County implements a solution.  Hopefully this will be on top of the priority list for 2011....

On a low tide visit to the stairs and beach on January 4, the access to the stairs appeared in good order. https://coastsider.com/images/uploads/2010/fmrstairserosion_len1.jpg https://coastsider.com/images/uploads/2010/fmrstairserosion_len2.jpg ...

I still use Yelp all the time, but these days I tend to take their ratings with a grain of salt.  Eleven five star reviews out of twelve in the first week is surprising and suggests a less than critical pool of reviewers. I’m looking forward…

As Pacifica cliff crumbles, city scrambles for plan B “The owner of Lands End Apartments at 100 Esplanade wants to build a massive sea wall to deflect the waves, a proposal that has received a lukewarm response from the California Coastal Commission.…

native trees fall in storms. telephone poles fall in storms. !@#! happens in storms. we have potholes the size of craters and we expect someone is going to spearhead the creation of the “invasive species” management committee....

Good point. I’ve certainly seen the seasonal change on the stairs at Montara State Beach....

No biggie. Sand is washed off our beaches in the winter and redeposited in the summer. The degree to which this happens depends partially on the number and size/intensity of winter storms. No rigid artificial structures built onto beaches can be tuned…

Hmm… On Yelp 11 out of 11 commenters gave it 5 star ratings....

Funny, we went yesterday and found it entirely unremarkable. To each their own. —DavidV...

“When will we wake up and start managing all of these exotic invasive species?” REACTIVE> When it falls into your bedroom one night or PROACTIVE> When the permitting process and neighborhood hypocritical “audubonic outrage”…

When will we wake up and start managing all of these exotic invasive species?...

Given the mismanagement, misallocation, and waste in various departments, why would anyone in San Mateo County believe the “lack of funding” line. For just one recent example, ask yourself how much in county funds was spent helping the private…

As you say, “Like the millions of paper ballots found from specific counties in the back of ______ and ____ and hidden in _____ and ______ weeks and months after elections.” You’re right: paper ballots leave physical and other evidence,…

The excuse for paper ballot shortages at the polls is lack of funding. Democracy doesn’t come cheap. If we want it, we’ll have to pay for it....

>>but the issues that Dan raised are unique to electronic ballots.  No Barry, actually they are not, and I don’t have the time to Google 137 instances across paper ballots, but I’d assume those with sense and recollection of electoral…

Martie: I forwarded your recipe request to Erin.  Here’s what she says: Oh, Dear! Now my secret will be out - and that is this:  I don’t cook with recipes.  I just fling things together in a somewhat willy-nilly fashion based…

There are certainly problems with paper ballots, but the issues that Dan raised are unique to electronic ballots.  While paper ballots aren’t immune to fraud, electronic voting raises the prospect of undetectable and unauditable fraud becoming…

Dan… the points you bring to bear have existed for hundreds of years in the “paper-based” format, as well. Besides, there is FAR more corruption outside of the ballot box in the election process. P.S. - so very anti-environmental of…

Sabrina, You’ve just demonstrated why I have *never* voted on an electronic voting machine, and I never will.  I always, *always* request a paper ballot. Why would anyone choose to use a voting system that   - is so easily hacked  …

“Long lines at the polls lead to voters leaving without voting and this undermines American democracy.” Maybe if 3/4 of the voters educated themselves on the candidates/initiatives BEFORE they saunter up to the ballot box, and not spend 40…

The December 22, 2010 meeting of the Midcoast Community Council is canceled due to lack of a quorum....

Director McShane, I wish I had heard before hand that CFPD was going to discuss safety plans for the Maverick last Friday. Was it opened to the public? Is there a published plan that one could review? Is it on the web (I hope)? I, for one, was disappointed…

Agreed!  I love the Coastside Farmers’ Markets, and I sure miss them in the off season.  Thanks for another great year, Erin!...

After Measure T, it wasn’t Caltrans’ prerogative, Leonard. If our urban environmentalists didn’t roll over for two tunnels instead of one and for an overall tunnel project twice as big and at least twice as expensive as it needed to…

I attended The Mavericks Surf Contest meeting at the Coastside Fire Protection District on Friday December 17th at 10am. All agency(s) personnel were present to discuss each agency’s jurisdiction, mission during the Maverick’s Contest, special…

CalTrans doesn’t like small projects.  The original tunnel project proposal was too small for them.  When they were forced into it, they made it bigger. Bill’s suggestion merits investigation....

Oh - and thank you for all your enormous work to give us 2 fabulous Farmer’s Markets -YOU ROCK!!!  Hope you get a bit of a break ‘til next Spring!  Martie...

Hey Erin - how about sharing the squash curry recipe and I’ll be happy to throw in some dried apricots! Martie...

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It always amazes me how CalTran has to cut such a wide swath through the natural terrain. But since this is already done maybe they can use it as a parking lot for the GGNRA Rancho Corral de Tierra north portal…

It’ll be interesting to see if these “new kids on the block” are more responsible than the (minority of) renegades who cut unauthorized trails through native vegetation in the state park on Montara Mountain, creating large erosion gullies…

First, let me say that the Maverick Surf Contest is a unique asset to our coastal community and I would like to see it continue. But it needs to be better organized for the safety and convenience of both the local residents and coast side visitors. Last…

Very excited to see these lands move into public hands. Especially encouraged in seeing the new kids on the block, Mt Bike Riders being welcomed. I’ll be at the MCC mtng to hear these plans as they unfold. Great job POST for purchasing these coastal…

The process so far and this decision should be instructive to those earnestly involved in the issue who have arrived on the coastside within the last 10 to 15 years. Plodding from one fixed, pre-determined ciunty government decision to the next is how…

I’m not talking about the Big Wave in particular, but the mindset that sees open space as “unimproved” and prefers landscaping to natural vegetation.  Having said that, Princeton will soon have a 5pm rush hour that will be reminiscent…

A desire to replicate Newport Beach… really? Newport: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode;=&q=Newport+Beach,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.617464,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq;=&hnear=Newport+Beach,+Orange,+California&ll=33.633416,-117.92244&spn=0.024619,0.038581&t=h&z=15…

I would have phrased it differently: A desire to emulate Newport Beach in Half Moon Bay. I’m tired of testimony that begins with the speaker saying how much they love the natural environment of the Coastside before plumping for some boneheaded megaproject.…

“ignorance, apathy, and the desire for a self-centered yuppie lifestyle” classic....

“...The only danger here is NIMBY…” Actually, the only danger here is ignorance, apathy, and the desire for a self-centered yuppie lifestyle, i.e., people moving to an area because of its perceived natural beauty and uniqueness, but…

Thanks Susan! I love living here.  Ginny...

Hi Michaele, Credits for the original song are included at the end. Susan...

Kevin, your questions are answered in the County’s zoning ordinance Section 6326.2 Tsunami Inundation Area Criteria which does not allow schools, hospitals, nursing homes, or other buildings or development used primarily by children or physically…

The video tribute is very nicely done, but I didn’t see the names of the composers in the credits (I could have missed this). The song, originally called “Old Cape Cod”, was written by Claire Rothrock, Milton Yakus and Allan Jeffrey…

Q. Curious if this is such a dangerous area, why do we allow ANY development there, moreover be freaking out that everyone in the zone is not mitigating the danger? Why is this only being brought up because of this project? This rhetoric is about anti-big…

In justifying their new 4-tier rate structure MWSD compares it to neighboring water districts in Pacifica and HMB.  Apparently ignored is the fact that those districts only apply their tiered rates to residential single-family customers, not apartment…

Mr. Byers’s presentation was enlightening. He predicted nine ways in which Big Wave opponents would attempt to block the EIR.  This was hardly prescient, since that just showed he had read the public comments. Then he failed to refute any of…

I’ve uploaded Lee’s spreadsheet to: https://coastsider.com/images/uploads/2010/WaterRate-MWD-11-20-2010-rev1.xls...

I send along a spreadsheet that shows the monthly water bill for the new proposed water rates. Check a few values to ensure I didn’t make a programming error. For my family, when we had 3 teenagers and 2 adults, the water usage was 10 to 13 HCF…

The project’s attorney made a speech in which he both belittled and slandered Coastside residents. His theme was “How to Block an EIR”. He should also have mentioned a key strategy in getting an EIR approved. 1. Intentionally disc the…

Big Wave Project SLIDSHOW: http://slidesha.re/bqBqip...

Representing the community to the county on issues like Big Wave is what the MCC is chartered to do.  Several members of the MCC know as much about the project as anyone in San Mateo County, including the County’s planning staff, and certainly…

Isn’t there more ‘productive’ and actual ‘actionable’ outcomes that the MCC can generate, other than spinning wheels to opine on Big Wave? Work on getting crosswalks for kids in Moss Beach, and so forth… MCC is starting…

Given the current glut of commercial office space available in urban centers with close proximity to public transit it appears the Big Wave developers are running the County and the taxpaying public through an exercise in futility....

I just read all (okay, so I admit, I scanned a few and skipped some of the incredibly repetitious attachments)the comments.  Regardless of where one’s sympathies lie, it’s quite remarkable that the Bldg Dept. is recommending approval…