Born in Santa Cruz, Berklee trained and NYC seasoned, contemporary tenor saxman Donnay McCaslin really began to turn heads in 2004 when his solo work with the Maria Schneider Orchestra led to a 2004 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Thanks to the high profile of playing with the Dave Douglas Quintet, McCaslin achieved even wider praise for the incisive twists and purposeful turns of his emotionally charged solos.

Featured at his Bach Society appearance, will be his current jazz-funk fusion CD, Perpetual Motion. In a review of the CD, Scott Corbin of Downbeat Magazine calls McCaslin “…an excitable tenor. He expresses his excitation not by means of volatility or force, rarely in screaming-peaking arcs, but as an irrepressible outpouring of ideas, sometimes flowing with such force that they seem to back up, tripping on each other, then gushing forth giddily”. A new audience in jazz is sure to appreciate the youthful enthusiasm and talent of a Bay Area native on the rise.

Tickets, $35: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/179485
Sunday, September 11, 2011, 4:30
Douglas Beach House on Miramar Beach
307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
650 726-4143, www.bachddsoc.org

Contact: Linda Goetz, 650 726-2020, [email protected]

The Mercury News has a good article by Julia Scott on the gang war brewing on the Coastside – or “Idyllic Half Moon Bay” as the headline writer calls it.

Older gang members reach out to younger kids in middle school and offer them acceptance and a seductive feeling of power and belonging in the most vulnerable period in their young lives, according to sheriff’s Deputy Mike Smyser.

“They don’t have much money. You can take a kid into town and buy him a cheeseburger, and you’ve got a friend,” Smyser said.

Meanwhile, their parents (mostly first-generation farmworkers) are often too distracted catch the warning signs before it’s too late. They work long hours and don’t notice changes in their children, Mendez said.

“Latinos, we have to work a lot, but we don’t really pay attention to the kids. We leave them around too much,” she said.

Smyser has spent 10 years tracking gang activity and juvenile crime as a school resource officer on the San Mateo County coast. He said the shooting was a major wake-up call.

“I’ve seen fights with fists and fights with sticks. But I’ve never seen fights with guns,” he said.

Smyser has counted about 50 Norteños and 40 Sureños on the coast, two rival Mexican-American gangs that originated in the California prison system. They go by local names like Media Luna Norteños, Coastside Locos, and neighborhood-specific gangs like Moonridge Outlaws.

NOTE: We’ve had a lively discussion in the comments on this letter, so we’re moving it to the main column.

I’m not sure I understand this matter completely, but I want to go on record anyway by saying “... This doesn’t make sense for Montara or Moss Beach.”

As a Montara resident, I feel we may wind up paying for HMB’s troubles, and getting cut off from the County because Lehman Brothers nearly bankrupted them. We hardly receive any services here considering the taxes the county collects from us already. This seems like some back room deal that I don’t want be at the table for when that hand gets dealt out.

Anyway, don’t we have a 19 million dollar bond outstanding we’re paying on: What’s going to happen with that?  I think there are 3 seats on the MCC up for grabs. I can’t imagine what the MCC was thinking about, as it seems they have opened a can of worms.  What makes this worse is that it’s left up the Board of Supervisors and not giving the community its due process.

I’m curious as to how MWSD feels about subject?  I’m not sure if I’m on the wrong side of the topic here, so if I am, feel free to enlighten me.  Thank you

New Leaf market is changing its senior discount program, which offers 10% discounts. Beginning October 1, the minimum age will be increased from 62 to 65. But those 62 and older who sign up between now and September 30 will be “grandfathered” into the program.

The program will also be expanded to allow members to donate their discounts to local non-profits supporting seniors.

To sign up, fill out an application at New Leaf and give it to a cashier.

The Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on Wednesday September 7, at 1 pm, to consider proposals to adjust supervisorial district boundaries. The county is required to adjust boundaries following the decennial census to keep the population equal.

Although supervisors must live in “their” districts, they are elected by the county at large.

From the release:

Over the past eight weeks, five different supervisorial boundary adjustment workshop meetings were conducted throughout the county - each in a different location and supervisorial district. These workshops were facilitated by the League of Women Voters and provided residents with an opportunity to make comments and suggestions on the district boundaries.

Wednesday’s public hearing will be led by a committee of the board. Their recommendations will be taken to the full Board at its September 13 meeting.

Farallone View Elementary’s 16th Annual pancake breakfast will be this Saturday. The menu features pancakes, fresh fruit, sausage, coffee or tea and juice.

7:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Farallone View Multi Use Room 1100 Le Conte @ Kanoff, Montara Saturday, September 10th 2011

Adults $5
Child $3
Family $15 (four or more)

Come join the fun and meet other families!

Coastside Land Trust Gallery opens Thursday. The Gallery features photographs of the coastside by Beau Gill, a life-long professional photographer. The subjects of his gallery photographs will be the landscapes, flowers and wildlife seen along the coast.

Thursday, Sept 8, 4:30 - 8:00 788 Main Street, Half Moon Bay Light refreshments will be served.

The sale of all artwork directly benefits the Land Trust’s mission to permanently protect open space along the San Mateo County coast.

The next meeting of the Half Moon Bay Historical Association features a presentation by Farmer John Muller. A longtime Coastside resident, Farmer John will present a history of Coastal agriculture from 1950 to the present.

Farmer John has experienced the evolution of farming, and the survival and demise of various industries. He has a unique perspective on how we arrived to where we are today. He will discuss with us his experiences of the dairy farms on Highway 92, farming in La Honda and San Gregorio, as well as the history of how the oil wells in the 1950’s affected agriculture here.

If anyone can give us a vivid picture of the last 50 years of farming in our community, it’s Farmer John. Mark your calendars, and plan to attend!

The meeting will be Wednesday, September 7, at The Coastside Art Gallery, 330 Main St, in Half Moon Bay. Doors open 5:30. Finger snacks and Beverages. Details: 726-4468