One southbound lane of the Great Highway south of Sloat Blvd has been closed due to erosion of the bluffs by winter waves, reports the Chronicle:

In 1994, storms took out 30 to 40 feet of the bluff. Then in 1999, after a particularly nasty El Niño winter, engineers opted to build a barrier out of sand dredged from the shipping channel outside the Golden Gate. About 300,000 cubic yards of sand have been dumped offshore every summer since. The "sacrificial barriers give the ocean something to chew on rather than the bluff," Filice said. [...]

City officials are working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service to come up with a long-range plan to deal with the erosion.

Some meteorologists say that the winter may yet get rainier, reports the Sacramento Bee in a story accompanied by a map which seems to tell a different story altogether:

"I’m not wringing my hands terribly much," said Tim Barnett, a climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.

"Odds are good to see some pretty good storms later in the winter," he said. "How much rain, nobody can really tell you. All I can tell you is, it will be in the upper third of all the wet years."

John Monteverdi, a professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University, said he expects El Niño to begin showing its hand in California next week.

"There are lots of indications that a pattern shift is about to occur," he said.

A crucial point is that El Niño typically doesn’t deliver its punch until later in the winter. So it’s too early to fear a fourth drought year.

"I don’t expect a whopper," said Maury Roos, a hydrologist at the California Department of Water Resources. However, he added, "I’m optimistic we will wind up getting a fairly decent January and February, probably above average."

However, the National Weather Service seems a little diffident on whether the Northern California will see more rain. We seem to be between zones of higher and lower precipitation, and this is what is shown on the Sac Bee’s map:

For the contiguous United States, potential El Niño impacts include above-average precipitation for the southern tier of the country, with below-average precipitation in the Pacific Northwest and in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys.

Last night at a special MCC meeting is was announced that Lisa Grote resigned from her position as San Mateo County Community Planning Director.

I emailed Rich Gordon’s office this morning with the following questions:

What date did the planning director resign and who is the acting director? 

What is the process for hiring a new director and how long will the process take?

This information will be updated later today:
http://www.thepelicaneye.com/2010/01/lisa-grote-planning-director-turns-in.html

Sabrina Brennan
http://www.thepelicaneye.com/

Updated, with information from Supervisor Rich Gordon’s office:

"The Community Development Director, Lisa Grote, has accepted an opportunity with the City of San Mateo. She will conclude her work with our County on Friday, January 22nd. The County Manager expects to announce next week what plans will be for the near-term and the process for recruiting her replacement."

At the Cabrillo Education Foundation’s Starlight Soiree, have a great evening while supporting Coastside schools. At the Harbor Village Galleria in Princeton-by-the-Sea, Saturday, January 23, from 7 to 11pm, you can sample small bites from the following restaurants and enjoy a glass of fine wine or brewery beer

• B Street Restaurant
• Blue Sky Cafe
• Cafe Gibraltar/Chez Shea
• Cameron’s
• Cetrella
• Crab Landing
• Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
• It’s Italia
• Ketch Joanne
• La Costanera
• Mezza Luna
• Miramar Beach Restaurant
• Moonside Bakery
• Moss Beach Distillery
• Mullins Bar & Grill
• Sam’s Chowder House

Help the Cabrillo Education Foundation build the Immediate Use Fund which benefits all local public schools.

Tickets: Tickets purchased in advance are $50 each or $90 for a couple, tickets for teachers are $25 each or $45 for a couple. Tickets purchased at the door will be full price. Tickets can be purchased starting the first week of January at: Alifano Technologies Retail store, Mainstreet Goldworks and on our website: www.CEFfund.org

A earthquake 6 miles northeast of Milpitas shook the Coastisde at 10:09am today. We’ve felt several light aftershocks here Montara.

A possible mountain lion was seen in the bluffs above the Pillar Ridge Manufactured Home Community in Moss Beach at about 4pm, according to the County Sheriff.

There was some talk that the Mavericks big wave surf contest would take place Friday. That’s off the table, but there are hopes for next week, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

No vote was taken on the swell bound for the break off Half Moon Bay on Friday, according to Darren Brilhart, the liason to the 24 surfers and alternates invited to compete in the big wave contest. Brilhart said the swell isn’t expected to meet the minimum criteria of 20-foot waves, on average. However, he said two more potential swells are on the contest radar.

"Another [swell] due to hit Sunday could potentially hit the criteria—though at the moment it’s not," Brilhart said Tuesday. "An even larger swell is hitting next Wednesday. It could hit the criteria."

The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) today announced that its Manager John “Jack” F. Foley III will be retiring in May 2010 with 7 years of service to SAM, bringing his 45-year career in public service to an end. The Board of Directors has launched a state-wide search to find a successor. 

“Jack and our team have accomplished a great deal over the past seven years. SAM has improved its collection system, its plant performance and has been recognized for excellence in safety and in financial reporting during Jack’s tenure,” said Marina Fraser, SAM Vice-Chair. “Under his leadership, we’ve made tremendous strides with our Recycled Water Program.  We’ve already begun to take steps in the transition and I am looking forward to a successful recruitment and hiring of a Manager who can continue SAM’s positive progress,” added Fraser.  

Foley, who joined SAM in May 2003, said, “This is an excellent time for this transition as SAM is performing so well right now. I am confident that the new manager will bring steadfast energy, skillful leadership and fresh ideas to SAM’s continued service on the Coastside.” Foley will continue at SAM through April 2010 to ensure a smooth transition. 

About Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM)

SAM is a public agency created to meet the wastewater collection and treatment services requirements of each community within its three member agency boundaries. The City of Half Moon Bay, Granada Sanitary District, and Montara Water and Sanitary District formed SAM in a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (JPA) on February 3, 1976. SAM’s service area includes a population of approximately 22,000 people.

What are the real costs of saving blufftop real estate from natural erosion?

As the bluffs continue to erode under the apartment buildings in Pacifica, the potential futility and cost to the public of armoring the coastside becomes more clear.

Engineers have come up with some potential solutions to erosion that is threatening several Pacifica apartment buildings, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

These will likely include a plan to stitch the top of the bluff together by installing a series of long "nails," or steel rods, deep inside the bluff, securing them in place with industrial-sized applications of grout, and then stretching a long concrete wall across the outside of the bluff that would be camouflaged to look like the natural face of the cliff. In addition, O’Connor wants to permanently protect the bottom of the cliff with a thick steel retaining wall sunk 30 feet into the beach. It would extend five or six feet above the beach, preventing the ocean from undermining the boulders already there. [...]

Neither [Esplanade co-owner Farshid] Samsami nor his wife returned calls Tuesday. Considering the cost of the boulders was estimated at $400,000, a long-term fix could easily surpass $1 million, although costs will be shared among the owners of all four buildings if they agree to a partnership.

"They can’t just leave it unrepaired because it’s going to threaten the neighbors and the road. They do have some responsibility to prevent this from impinging on others," O’Connor said.

Just before Christmas, Scott wrote an excellent summary of the issues involved in saving land and buildings that would wind up under water if nature were allowed to run its course.

June Morrall, Coastside author and historian is dead at the age of 62. June was a resident of El Granada.

June had published three books, "Half Moon Bay Memories: The Coastside’s Colorful Past" and "The Coburn Mystery", an historical account of murder and mayhem in Pescadero, and "Princeton-by-the-Sea", a history of the community. June had just finished her fourth book, on the history of Moss Beach, which is to be published by Arcadia Publishing in April.

June also wrote about Coastside history on her websites Half Moon Bay Memories, Pescadero Memories, and Princeton-by-the-Sea Memories, where she wrote "June Morrall has lived on the Coastside for almost 40 years. According to those in the know, it will take another ten years before she will be considered an authentic ‘local.’"

June wrote and produced The Mystery of Half Moon Bay [free download at archive.org], a one-hour historical documentary for KCSM-TV.

In the early 1980s, June worked in Time Magazine’s San Francisco bureau—initially as an office manager/photo editor, later as a stringer. She was also a stringer for Newsweek. She wrote "Other Times", a historical column for the San Mateo County Times.

During World War II, June’s family fled Berlin for Shanghai where they lived for nine years.

June can be seen in this video from KCBS explaining the history of Pillar Point [at about 1:30].

June lived with Burt Blumert died March 30, 2009.

The San Mateo County Coroner has not confirmed the date of death, but a relative reported finding her body on Monday.