Comments Archive

“Apparently the Chamber of Commerce thinks that somehow this project is going to be the magic bullet that turns HMB into a tourist Mecca that enriches all local businesses. “ How so? I haven’t seen them claim that. But I’m not…

That’s a bit of a sensational caption, don’t you think? A bit more information provided 3 days earlier on Montara fog: http://www.montarafog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=673:mysterious-ship-off-mavericks&catid=1:latest-news…

Who’s paying for this giant unnecessary project anyway?  Taxpayers no doubt. Apparently the Chamber of Commerce thinks that somehow this project is going to be the magic bullet that turns HMB into a tourist Mecca that enriches all local businesses....

The problem of Navy sonar and whales has been an issue for years. http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2002/07/54077 Black helicopters and so-called chemtrails are an entirely different sort of thing....

“rumored to have been involved in the secret high energy sonar experiments that were believed to kill porpoises and whales” were there “black helicopters” hovering about, as well as mysterious contrails?...

If you can’t attend the meeting, submit comments in opposition to the Planning Commission at:  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)/*= 0)out += unescape(l[i].replace(/^\s\s*/, '&#'));while (--j >= 0)if (el[j].getAttribute('data-eeEncEmail_boXgiKckAg'))el[j].innerHTML…

I haven’t seen much mention of the recent earthquake induced Tsunami in Indonesia. Some folks are in denial. “It can’t happen here” Suzy? Suzy Creamcheese?...

“Spoken like a true entrenched Old Guard politician who is used to running the City without any opposition.” Right on Kevin. It is the old guard who keep getting cycled in and out of the city council who got the city into this whole mess in…

...Muller [said] “We don’t lose many elections.” Spoken like a true entrenched Old Guard politician who is used to running the City without any opposition. They could have delayed hiring a new Police Chief when the old one left, thereby saving…

Jude, thanks.  I corrected it....

Barry I appreciate your comments and agree with you. But I am a bit confused by the reference to the 1/2 cent sales tax. Measure K asked for a 1% increase. On another note, as one who attended the meeting, my compliments on your reporting of the meeting.…

I totally agree with you Barry. I don’t think anyone really wants an half cent sales tax increase but it was more of a lesser of two evils at this point. At least with the half cent tax we HMB citizens could quantify what that would mean to our…

I’m surprised that the city’s residents will find what’s about to happen preferable to a 1 cent sales tax. I know HMB has its share of anti-government nihilists—and I think the city might be better off outsourcing its cops—but…

“City Council member were clearly stunned by the measure’s defeat.” Just shows how out of touch they are with the community....

I saw more termite swarmers out tonight on Sunshine Valley....

https://nfs.webconnex.com/davidquimby...

The 227 homes at Pillar Ridge are part of the district.  Though a well water plant was built here 20 years ago, we still depend on MWSD for backup when our system is down, and would really prefer to turn the whole thing over to MWSD.  With our…

I do not plan on voting for a harbor commissioner who will have taxpayers pay for their health insurance.  That is both an unusual practice and an enormous expense to taxpayers. Listen carefully to the video and you can see which candidates feel…

I live on Farallone Ave and we’ve had squirrels visiting us here for 3 or 4 years.  There are 2 and sometimes 3 squirrels that come around and rest on the top our fence and chase each other around the trees. It makes for a great park-like setting. …

Forty years ago,when we lived in the Beach House,to the South of the Stairs,the thought of increasing access to the Beach would have been the last thing we would have wanted.however the last 6 or 7 years my knees have been so bad,I coundn’t make…

I live in the Pillar Point Mobile Home park in a location against the bluffs. We’ve had two grey squirrels as regular visitors to our yard for the last several months. Sorry Lisa :)...

The statement about the deadline for submission of Big Wave comments to the Planning Commission needs clarification.  The November 10 deadline is only to insure that comments are included in a print copy of comments that will be prepared by the planning…

Has Orange Fever hit the Planning Commission?...

We moved here in 1999 and I definitely noticed the lack of squirrels (I grew up in the Midwest, where they are _everywhere_). In the past year or so we’ve definitely started to see them. One who lives on our property actually throws branches down…

I’ve been a Coastsider since 1983 and was surprised to see squirrels down at Point Lobos about 15 years ago. Then about 10 years ago, they started showing up near the very top of the El Granada Highlands. At first, sightings were very rare, but…

Years ago, I used to take the bus from Redwood City to Palo Alto.  There is a field that you cross when going to University Avenue.  When entering that field, I saw that it was overrun with squirrels of all colors - red, gray, black, and even…

Saw a grey squirrel in my neighbor’s plum tree a few weeks ago.  It’s the first squirrel of any kind I’ve ever seen on the coast.  In Moss Beach....

Naughty squirrels in Woodside robbed the vegetables,  flower heads, and even ate all the new shoots of the ornamental bamboo.  I was thrilled they weren’t here in Moss Beach when I moved here in ‘97.  Hope they don’t come…

Regarding the area at the top of the staircase with the signs, what do the money-sloshing designers of this project have against natural surfaces?...

Not to take concern away from the sham that is being perpetrated with county assistance (as usual), but this is the sort of thing that should be filed (along with support for paved roads and wide bridges in the place of trails, etc.) for reference the…

Neighbor Bruce, When we first moved here over 10 years ago and I recall never seeing any squirrels on the coast. Then I started seeing a few in the back parts of Montara. But lately I have seen them closer to main st....

http://www.food.com/recipe/squirrel-stew-like-grandma-made-76112...

Hmmm, interesting.  I guess the raccoons are too busy hanging around here in MB with the skunks to bother with Montara’s gray squirrels!...

Of course, the Coastside was pretty much treeless a hundred years ago—and is still surrounded by wide swath of chaparral.  But you’d think the squirrels would have followed the people and their trees....

Bruce and Deb, squirrels over the years have adapted to a more urban environment (think fuzzy rats) where larger vermin like raccoons, opossums, and skunks have been eliminated. There have always been squirrels on the coastside but larger animals have…

Grey squirrels were part of the landscape in Redwood City, where I lived for almost 30 years. However, I grew up in Pacifica, and never saw them there.  3 years ago, I saw two grey squirrels in Pacifica, which was as surprising as seeing deer in…

In order for the Planning Commission to deny a project, it typically has to be clear to them that there is substantial community support for following the law....

The planning department staff firmly believe that their job is “to assist applicants in getting their projects approved.”  And just in case I wasn’t sure about that, a few years ago a planner looked me in the eye and told me so,…

So many people I’ve spoken to agree the project is not a good thing, but they are afraid to speak up for fear of being characterized as against the developmentally disabled.  The result is the public hearings are skewed towards project approval. …

Very funny. I hope that it convinces a few more people to take action. Can it be submitted it as a comment on the final EIR? :)...

Hilarious. The part about the HMB City Council is perfect....

The County planning staff is owned and operated by the realtor/developer lobby, as is the County Board of Supervisors. The County Planning Commission has a bit more integrity, so perhaps they will do the right thing and not approve a project that grossly…

Thanks for taking a look.  Local judges include Eric Shapira, Clifford Hunt, Marc Hershon, Pamela Eakins and Hester Schell. Ann Thomas will chime in from Pacifica, and poet Ethel Mays hails from San Francisco.  Film producer Debbie Brubaker…

Very informative flyer for the public hearing, except it makes the Wellness Center parcel look the same size as the Office Park which is about 3 times as big (5 acres vs. 14 acres)....

If the public seems less prepared than the developers and their supporters, now you know why....

Anyone familiar with the Princeton area can see that the roads cannot handle the level of traffic estimated for the office park.  The the Final EIR “papers over” this with future traffic studies to be conducted after the buildings are…

No matter how big a project is, in my 3 decades of experience with these things (13 years in Southern California and 16 years here), every developer says that making their project smaller isn’t economically feasible. I understand why Lisa enhanced…

So, Measure E wasn’t about funds needed for education after all?...

Wow, great work, everyone!  Thank you for making the Coastside a nicer place....

The proposed 20-yr Development Agreement states the application to develop was submitted to the County in October 2005.  At two introductory public meetings the project was presented as 2-story office buildings, 156,000 sq.ft.  Building permit…

The developer says the front row of office buildings is 2-story, 36 ft tall, and the back 4 buildings will be 3-story, 46 ft. tall.  Note that the 2-story warehouse to the north of Pillar Ridge Community is just 23 ft tall....

I had just assumed that (almost) nobody was paying it…...

I wonder if people realize that the Cabrillo Adult School was completely eliminated at the end of term last June. The Coastside Chorale, which has been singing for 50 years, was part of this cut, which eliminated two modestly-paid jobs (including mine.)…

Oh, I don’t think it was at all punitive, that’s not being fair to the Board. CUSD is in desperate straits, financially-speaking, and they were just doing what they could to keep programs within the schools funded. Now that they have a little…

I’m glad to see the district is no longer trying to soak the Cub Scouts, which provide an important activity for Farallone View families. The rate hike always seemed punitive. This is especially important in the unincorporated Midcoast, where we…

>>What exactly is big pave?<< Here’s a video prepared for the earlier version of the Big Wave plan. The details have changed but the essence is still the same: http://www.montarafog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=368…

Big Wave Project—housing for 50 developmentally disabled adults and office park (225,000 sq.ft, 50 ft tall) for 850 employees on Airport St....

What exactly is big pave?...

Re the Office Park story poles—it’s not clear what the existing poles represent because the County’s NOP notice says the project is still four 3-story buildings, but the 10/27 hearing agenda says the office park is now 8 buildings, with…

The plant restoration project at Pigeon Point Light Station is amazing. The non-native iceplant was planted and left to spread many years ago. Gradually, it smothered the native plants and eliminated or compromised habitat for native birds, mammals, reptiles…

I want one too! Where does he sleep? My cats sleep on the bed…He looks like a bed-hog!...

My gosh, can you believe this? They plan to use an office park to subsidize the “wellness center.”  An office park back in those quiet, narrow streets off Highway 1 will generate a massive stream of car traffic every day on streets that…

Speaking for myself only, I had a positive reaction to the donation of Glencree to the City! With the City’s ownership of these two parcels and the public process that will ensue about development, our community has a great opportunity to do 2 things…

Ray, I don’t have any interest in having this argument again. But that’s one messed-up chronology you’ve got there. To put it another way, Judge Walker found that the “taking” was in the old guard city hall creating the wetlands,…

Water’s a funny thing to price. Without it, your home is worthless, but we get agitated about price increases in fractions of a penny per gallon. Ideally, our water prices should encourage conservation while supporting maintenance and development…

we all know that the property was intended to be developed on once it was sold to keenan, only later to be revoked due to the lcp that hmb had to enact. The idea that it was even considered a wetland was of course due to the no-growth faction that resided…

This has been argued to death for years, but there is reason to believe that the ground was wet long before then. Ken King and John Muller don’t agree on much, but they both agree that the property was wet long before that, based on personal experience.…

actually they are both not really considered wetlands until the runoff water was diverted to this area, sigh. It is really dis-heartening that us hmb residents of today are paying for such bad decisions of a council some 15 - 20 years ago. It would be…

They should have donated it to the Coastside Land Trust. Whatever. Now there is one owner of giant wetland dominated parcel. Another Wavecrest waiting to happen....

We’ve seen them near our house in ELG, too. Lots of dead ones caught in cobwebs, too....

As I drove over to Seton Coastside Medical Center, I was puzzled “Why hold a candidates forum here?” As I listened to the candidates, I started out simply trying to identify the best qualified person. On the Supervisor candidates I wound up…

I’d like to hear someone propose some rate structure which encourages conservation without someone else complaining that it’s unfair.  I don’t think that such a structure is possible.  Vince may be correct, in which case the…

We had a lot of confusion here as well. We use Limited Basic (we only need the cable modem but if you turn off Limited Basic they actually INCREASE your internet access rates. Keeps their subscriber numbers up) and the comcast rep @ newleaf said “No…

I don’t think our water and sewer system should be in the business of incentivizing social policy, whether it is how many children families have, a house is being over occupied by unrelated adults, a retired couple reduces their carbon footprint…

Barry you are not the first one to bring up the fairness of basing the charge on the number of people per household. So stating the reason for the proposed new rate tiers is to help promote conservation seems a little absurd. People can conserve by limiting…

I suggest your discussion about water rates needs to be illustrated with some graphs. I was upset about El Granada water rates and I found it helped me a great deal to see the simple lines of a graph. Here is an Excel type spreadsheet that I developed…

Is it possible (or fair) to base the rate on the number of people in a household? I’m confused by your second observation, and I’ll bet I’m not the only one.  It might be a good idea to lay out the proposed changes and your proposed…

Thank you!  I’ll keep this in mind, since I was one of many on the coast who did not receive a guide in the mail last time around. Has anyone out there received theirs yet?...

Link to Smart Voter website: http://www.smartvoter.org/...

Link to Smart Voter website: http://www.smartvoter.org/...

It never occurred to me that the nitwits would have updated 94019 but not 94018.  But considering that Comcast thought that their El Granada office was in HMB, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised… OTOH, it seems that 94018 has now been silently…

So on a final note, Leonard, Your TiVo guy’s suggestion to run setup with another ZIP worked out great for me.  I’m in EG so I picked 94019 and it worked perfectly.  Thanks for sharing that suggestion....

Thanks Barry and Darin; this is a great help for voters! Go Giants! Ginny...

Larry, I offer a word of caution based on my own experience with Comcast and their customer service.  My experience has been that Comcast bundles and re-bundles their service moving channels from one tier of pricing to another.  So if you’ve…

Thanks to Darin for all his hard work!...

The problem is that the previous channel lineup had nothing on channel 27, so the channel lineup that comcast provides which TiVo picks up and distributes to their DVRs didn’t include it, and TiVo is a closed system like the intro to the Outer Limits—they…

It definitely doesn’t seem right that the MCTV would not be available as an analog channel.  In Pacifica, the analog channels go up to ~30, so PCTV is included. We got a cable box and DTA for free, but that’s probably because we have…

Waaaa! Lordy Woren… just switch to satellite, or get a library card....

Leonard, I was able to re-run the TiVo setup last evening in an attempt to get the correct channel lineup.  While I did not have time to run through all channels this morning, a spot check of things returned accurate results. During this process…

As always, Darin provides the best video coverage of Coastside events....

I’m pretty sure that this is outside the authority of the local governments these days.  You’ll need to take it up with the state. Comcast has been working on that for years. We’ve been Comcast/satellite/broadcast-free for two years…

A truly historic coastside event!...

As has been the case for the past few years, Montara Fog will also film the forums and will publish the results the day after. The videos of the forum, broken down by individual question to make viewing easier, will be available 24/7 online at no charge.…

Here’s a video of the Devil’s Slide Tunnel breakthrough 10/1/10 from a wide perspective:    http://coastsidevideo.com/news/pages/CoastsideVideo-News-101001—Devils-Slide-Tunnel-Breakthrough-768x.html...

Regarding the music, the Caltrans Public Information person saw the comments here and emailed the following to me: I saw a few people on the Coastsider site discussing the music I chose for the event.  You’re right, “The Great Escape”…

Awesome photos Cheri!...

How nice to see the photographs of this extraordinary accomplishment.  Sincerely, Ginny McShane...

I asked the head engineer about how thick the remaining rock the machine was digging through - he indicated that it was about a foot or so.  There appeared to be a concrete type material applied to the rock surface the audience was looking at. …

Definitely the theme from The Great Escape. The familiar part kicks in at about 0:25 on this clip....

I’ve got about an hour and half of video if someone wants to get it from me on a DVD and do whatever processing is required to put it online somewhere.  Then everyone can listen to all the speechifying, some of which was actually good. …