The city of Half Moon Bay is working on a planning process with graduate students from the planning program from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

They’re conducting an online survey to gather information about behavior in and attitudes toward downtown Half Moon Bay.

It’s not clear how they expect to get useful results from a online survey without sampling respondents, but if you have an opinion about downtown, you should answer the survey and get your voice in the mix.

On Saturday, April 23, 2011, The Visionary Edge will present a sneak preview screening of Earthwork by director Chris Ordal.

Earthwork is the true story of real-life crop artist Stan Herd (played by 2011 Oscar nominee and Spirit Award Winner for “Winter’s Bone” John Hawkes, in his first starring role), told through a single episode of his life. In 1994, Stan traveled from Kansas to New York City and risked everything to create a massive environmental artwork on land owned by Donald Trump. The multi-acre piece was made from soil, rock, plants and vegetation near an underground railway tunnel. Stan recruited a number of homeless individuals living in the tunnel as his crew. Over the months it took to complete the earthwork, Stan dealt with the difficulties of bringing his unique, rural art form to an urban canvas and the many costs exacted upon his life. In an effort to show his unique perspective to a larger audience, Stan unexpectedly encountered the true meaning of his art and it’s ultimate, lasting rewards.

Shot almost entirely in rural Kansas (with a one-day shoot in New York City) on a minimal budget, Earthwork is Chris Ordal’s feature film debut. Ordal, a University of Kansas alum, was taken by Stan Herd’s dedication to his temporary art and found it the perfect story to tell through film, a permanent art form. “It was important to me that my first feature capture a story that needed to be told via the cinema. Stan Herd’s art is temporary, eventually returning to the earth after it has lived its life. Earthwork is an attempt to share the beauty and truth that Stan creates with an audience through a medium that can last forever. Stan has to get people into a helicopter or a tall building in order for them to see his work, so getting his art on the big screen finally allows audiences to experience his art and discover his incredible story.” The filmmakers were very determined to exemplify the spirit of Stan Herd throughout production, and thanks to an amazing and supportive crew, Earthwork was a production as “green” as the story it told.

Babysitting will be provided for the film with a 24 hour advance reservation. Call 650-207-3440. Doors open at 7:00pm, film at 7:30pm, Saturday April 23, 2011 at the Ted Adcock Community Center, 535 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay. Suggested donation is $12 advance, $16 door. No one turned away for lack of funds. Call 650-207-3440 for information and tickets.

The County Times talks briefly to folks on both sides of the appeal of Big Wave , and says that “The Coastal Commission will likely hear the appeal at its meeting May 11-13 in Santa Rosa, ... If the Coastal Commission determines that the appeal raises substantial issues, it will schedule a separate hearing on all aspects of the project, initiating a process that could take up to 6 or 8 months.”

“Environmental organizations are sympathetic to the need for housing of people at all economic levels, including people with disabilities,” Mike Ferreira, head of conservation for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, said in a statement Monday afternoon. “But this location could not be worse for this vulnerable population.” [...]

Supporters say the countywide lack of housing for adults with disabilities, particularly on the Coastside, makes a compelling case for building a communal care center where residents can live and work. [...]

The Granada Sanitary District and the Montara Water and Sanitary District were also expected to file an appeal by 5pm Tuesday, the appeals deadline.

UPDATE: You can download the appeals from the five organizations, Montara Water and Sanitary District, and Granada Sanitary District from Coastsider.

Five organizations that have opposed the Big Wave office and residential development in near Pillar Point Marsh have filed an appeal with the California Coastal Commission. The appeal raises a number of issues.

... the project’s location within the mapped Tsunami Hazard Area, next to an active earthquake fault, and on sandy soils that are highly susceptible to violent shaking, liquefaction, sand boils, differential settlement, and other earthquake hazards.  The environmentally sensitive Pillar Point Marsh, home to a wide diversity of species, including the California red-legged frog, could be impacted by the project, particularly by inadequate stormwater drainage systems and overflows from its wastewater system.  The project is of further concern as it proposes to use an on-site well and sewage treatment system, as it would bypass the public utility systems and could create impacts to the marsh if inadequately managed.

The organizations are Committee for Green Foothills, Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, San Mateo County Chapter, Pillar Ridge Homeowners Association, and San Mateo County League for Coastside Protection.

Click to read the press release

DUI, public intoxication, ID theft, and this:

Deputies received a call of a possible kidnapping and rape. Deputies contacted the victim who told them that she was kidnapped in San Francisco and taken to the area of Higgins Purisma Creek Road. The male subjects then stopped and told her to get out of the vehicle. She ran from the area and flagged down a passing vehicle who called 9-1-1. She had scrapes and abrasions and was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. San Francisco PD was contacted and responded to take over the investigation since it started in their jurisdiction.

The League of Women Voters Candidates Forum for Board of Supervisors will be held April 20, from 7 to 8:30pm at the San Mateo Public Library in the Oak Room, 55 W 3rd Ave, San Mateo.

Yet another quake SE of Pacifica registering a 1.2 at approximately 3:28 PM.

Link for recent earthquakes

http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/Quakes/quakes0.html