Repost from NPR: by RICHARD GONZALES

As the national economy slowly recovers from the 2008 Wall Street meltdown, San Mateo County, Calif., is still grappling with the fallout. The county lost more than 150 million dollars when Lehman Brothers went under. That loss, combined with California’s overall economic crisis, has forced San Mateo to make deep cuts in spending and personnel. 

Link to PODCAST: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125914096

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

Not long before Washington Mutual was seized by federal regulators, the investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, and that collapse is still playing out on main streets across the country. Exhibit A: California’s San Mateo County. Among local governments, it was the single biggest loser when Lehman fell apart.

More than a year and a half later, San Mateo officials are still trying to get some of their money back. NPR’s Richard Gonzales reports.
(Soundbite of train)

RICHARD GONZALES: The train that carries commuters between San Francisco and San Jose runs right through one of California’s most diverse regions, San Mateo County, where Richard Gordon is a supervisor.

Mr. RICHARD GORDON: (Supervisor, San Mateo County) We have an agricultural zone on our coastal area. We have the San Francisco International Airport in our county. We are home to biotech and hi-tech. And we’re also diverse in terms of the people who live here. We go from extreme poverty to extreme wealth.

The Coastside Mothers’ Club presents its 16th annual Preschool Open House hosting 15 Coastside preschools from Half Moon Bay to Montara.  The preschools will be open for tours on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

The Preschool Open House is a great opportunity for interested families to meet directors and teachers, discuss curriculum, daily schedules and other program information, pick up enrollment forms and inquire about waiting lists.  No RSVP is required for the open house tours.  Attendees may visit any preschool on the list at their leisure during open house hours. This event is open to the public and free of charge as a community service to all Coastside residents.  Children are welcome. 

The Preschool Open House program will include:

A friend and I want to photograph wildflowers and was wondering where there is an abundance of them on the coast right now? Any suggestions? We are both mobile and a hike is doable. Thanks

Here is a sample letter based on, and consistent with, the MCC’s previous letter for those that would like to comment individually.

Please note that you will want to email, fax or hand deliver your comments on or before tomorrow, April 13, at 9:30 am at which time the Board of Supervisors will hear from the public whether or not to accept the Coastal Commission’s modifications.

President Rich Gordon          
FAX:  363-1856    
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Mark Church        
FAX:  368-3012    
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Carole Groom        
FAX: 366-6762    
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson    
FAX: 366-6720    
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Adrienne Tissier        
FAX: 701-0564    
Email: [email protected]

—————————————

April 9, 2010

President Rich Gordon and Members,
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
400 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94063

Re:  Board of Supervisors Meeting of April 13, 2010, Item 11:  Consideration of the Midcoast Local Coastal Program (LCP) Update

Dear President Gordon and Members of the Board,

As a resident of the Midcoast,I appreciate the Board of Supervisors keeping the public involved over the past ten years and urge the board to accept the Coastal Commission’s suggested modifications to the Midcoast LCP Update.

I have the following additional specific comments based on the March 29, 2010 Staff Report:

a. Growth Rate

SMC Building and Planning Department acknowledges that “…over the past five years (2004-2008), an average of 38 units have been approved annually.” In light of this fact, and the strain on resources already pushing road and highway infrastructure beyond their limits, I do not find a compelling basis for raising the growth rate beyond the CCC’s proposed 40 unit limits.

I do not support SMC Building and Planning Department’s request for “deletion of the requirement that second units document an affordable sale or rental price in order to be exempt from the growth limit.” The argument that “…second units can be assumed to be affordable due to limits on their size, and because documenting and monitoring the affordability of second units places unnecessary administrative demands and challenges on limited staff resources” falls flat because the County has not yet accounted for the number of existing second units, permitted and unpermitted. While these future units may be affordable, they still create infrastructure demands that must be met.

b. Private Wells

I support the Coastal Commission staff recommendation for a temporary moratorium on private wells in the urban area extending from Miramar through Montara. Half Moon Bay does not allow new private wells to be drilled for residential development. The Midcoast Ground Water Study, Phase II shows that all of our aquifers are at risk from saltwater intrusion and overdraft from the 946 wells that have been drilled since 1989. There are over 1,000 if we count those that existed previous to 1989. Families dependent on wells have no guarantee from the County that their water supply is reliable. I recommend that the County work with Coastside County Water District and Montara Water and Sanitary District to create a sustainable supply to meet all the planning needs at buildout.

How many new houses can be developed on wells existing on undeveloped lots? What effect will these wells have on coastal resources and the aquifers once they start drawing water from the aquifers?

c. Public Works Capacities

I disagree with the County Staff’s assertion that “the need to ensure that public works projects do not generate growth that will result in significant adverse impacts or that conflicts with the County’s land use plans can be effectively addressed through the environmental review and permitting process.” Case in point would be the lack of limitations put on the Coastal Development Permit for the El Granada Water Transmission Pipeline for Coastside County Water District. It took the Coastal Commission many years of hard work to create CDP conditions that allowed CCWD to have its gravity fed pipeline and not induce growth from it. I recommend that each special district not expand beyond its current service area and that the LCP Update tables be modified to detail the number of connections and capacity allowed for each category of service allowed for buildout. Each CDP for public works expansion should follow the model created by Coastal Commission staff in the El Granada Water Transmission Pile Line CDP.

d. Prioritizing Service Capacities for Affordable Housing

I disagree with County staff’s assertion that “CCC staff changes which delete this additional set aside, and that revise the table to give existing priorities for affordable housing lower standing than Coastal Act priorities, are neither necessary nor appropriate.” The CCC changes are both necessary and appropriate, especially in light increasing traffic congestion, lack of adequate park facilities, trails, water supply, and storm drainage systems.

Under the County staff’s own admission, it will assume that second units fall under the affordable housing designation and yet it has no knowledge of how many second units exist. Further, the County added 227 affordable housing units to the coastside inventory and has yet to include them in it. Perhaps one or more of the other three affordable PUD’s can be reexamined with attention paid to ESHA resources and reduced in size. In short, the CCC’s proposed changes here are well placed and should not be revisited.

e. Lot Retirement

I oppose County Staff’s assertion that “CCC staff revise the lot retirement requirement so that it will only apply to land divisions that create five or more new parcels” Here again, County Staff is engineering an unnecessary and unwise way to increase development and the resulting traffic problems when both the LCP and its own policies specifically discourage subdivisions. The Update accounted for quite few substandard lots that would not have been allowed to be developed when the LCP was initially adopted. Not allowing further subdivision of lots deemed to not have been subdivided according to Abernathy and Witt will reduce the need to expand urban infrastructure services the lot retirement policy would be best served by rejecting the County Staff’s developer-friendly proposed loophole.

f. Rezoning of Bypass Lands

I recognize County Staff’s assertion that “… determining the rights-of-way that need to be reserved to provide access to private property, delineating areas needed by CalTrans for staging and maintenance purposes, and differentiating between areas that provide good opportunities for recreation and open space preservation and those that make sense for infill development” as those that are in “our mutual best interests” is disingenuous at best.

Preserving development rights at the expense of open space may be in the interests of some, but is not in the best interest of residents of the Midcoast who enjoy the open space afforded by this naturally scenic landscape, nor in the interest of the County, which should be seeking to create parks and play areas for the growing population to serve at buildout. CalTrans’ staging and maintenance needs do not rise to a superior claim on those lands trumping the broad policy favoring the preservation of open space that serves as the foundation of the LCP to create a state resource for residents and visitors alike.

3. “Grandfather Provision”

I find fault with the County’s current grandfather provision as it relates to the County’s own efforts to “streamline” a proposed major new development, the Big Wave Project, to fall under this grandfather provision. The County should not be allowed to usher in a project with projected future development timeline of up to 15 years (assuming no further legal challenges or delays which would add to this timeframe) under a grandfather clause in existence today. This would be inherently unfair as it would place developments completed many years ahead of Big Wave, for example, under more stringent requirements than a major development that will not be completed for many years to follow. The grandfather provision should be found inapplicable and patently unfair and I request that the County heed the Coastal Commission recommendations.

At several points county staff has noted the financial limitations that limit the ability to monitor conditions regarding affordable housing and other county interests. Many of the Midcoast’s unmet infrastructure needs are those that the County is responsible for. As San Mateo County is not structured to meet the urban demands of this community, it seems unwise for it to be allowing development that creates even greater infrastructure needs and environmental deficits. I hope that keeping the growth at its present rate will allow San Mateo County the opportunity to find solutions for the traffic congestion, lack of parks and trails, and underdeveloped storm water systems.

I recommend that the decisions on these issues be made with the interests of residents and visitors as the priority.

Sincerely Yours,

[Your Name Here]

Author and journalist Martha Engber will be giving a free lecture titled "Globalization of the Reading World: Shrinking Boundaries, Expanding Hearts" at 4 p.m. Sat., April 17, at Ink Spell Books, 500 Purissima St., Half Moon Bay.

Engber will also be reading from and signing copies of her literary novel, "The Wind Thief," a story about a petty thief from India who meets a strange young woman in the Sahara Desert.

A Pushcart Prize nominee, Engber is also the author of "Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up" and has had an essay published in the recently-released anthology "Contemporary American Women: Our Defining Moments."

She’s interviewed former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos, actress Marlo Thomas and other celebrities for such publications as the Chicago Tribune and Inside Karate Magazine. She’s had a play produced in Hollywood and fiction published in Watchword, the Berkeley Fiction Review, Iconoclast and other literary magazines.

Quarry Park Community Garden in El Granada will be hosting a Honey Bee Workshop Sunday April 18th at 12:30 in the afternoon. Guest Speakers will be Gary Butler and Teri, both very knowlegeable about these fascinating insects..As gardeners we all can help. Every patch of pesticide-free flowers is a bee banquet and enough patches can make a real difference to the health of local bees. Its a beautiful system: We give the bees good food, and they give us good food back to us!

So please stop by the garden and bring the kids, it really is fascinting and the bees our very important in the future of our food.. See you there!

From Committee for Green Foothills:

At long last, after 10 years, the Update of the Local Coastal Program (LCP) for the San Mateo Midcoast, which guides local implementation of the Coastal Act, has reached its final step. 

In December, 2009, the Coastal Commission approved the Update, subject to modifications that are necessary to bring the plan into conformity with the Coastal Act.  This Tuesday, April 13, at 9:30 am, the Board of Supervisors will hear from the public whether or not to accept the Coastal Commission’s modifications. Please urge the Board of Supervisors to accept the suggested modifications, without further delay.

This is a critical time to speak up for maintaining the community character of the Midcoast communities of Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Miramar, and Princeton, and for protecting important open space and coastal resources.

Why this is important

The LCP encourages sound land management and resource protection in the face of growing population pressures on the San Mateo County Coast.  Strong LCP policies will help guide land use decisions that will ensure the livability and sustainability of our coastal communities.

What’s happening

After two years of review and analysis, the Coastal Commission unanimously approved the Midcoast LCP Amendments, subject to 72 suggested modifications to ensure that the LCP policies are consistent with the Coastal Act.  The modifications require that new development does not adversely impact coastal resources and/or public access to and along the shore, and will better protect community character and open space.

Committee for Green Foothills strongly supports the Coastal Commission’s suggested modifications that would reduce the growth rate to 40 residential units per year, prohibit new private drinking water wells in areas served by public water agencies, require traffic mitigation plans for major new developments including retirement of lots for new land divisions, and help transfer Caltrans surplus Devil’s Slide Bypass lands to the county for a future Linear Park and Trail.

CGF’s letter to the Board of Supervisors, which includes more specific recommendations, can be found here: http://www.greenfoothills.org/blog/2010/04/cgf-letter-to-san-mateo-county.html

You can see the County Planning Staff Report here: http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/bos.dir/BosAgendas/agendas2010/CurrentAgenda/20100413_m_11.htm

What you can do

Please attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 13 at 9:30 and speak up for coastal protection.  If you can’t attend their meeting, fax a brief letter or email the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.  Urge the Board to accept the Coastal Commission’s suggested modifications.

Letters need to be received by the end of Monday, April 12.

President Rich Gordon                
FAX:  363-1856      
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Mark Church              
FAX:  368-3012      
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Carole Groom              
FAX: 366-6762      
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson        
FAX: 366-6720      
Email: [email protected]

Supervisor Adrienne Tissier            
FAX: 701-0564      
Email: [email protected]

Thanks for speaking up for the coast.  Your voice does make a difference!

Terence, Blanchard, New Orleans trumpeter, arranger and Golden Globe-nominated Spike Lee firm score composer who combines a love for the music of his native New Orleans with modern hard bop and a spirit of innovation. His latest CD, "Choices," came out this past Fall.

Terence Blanchard - trumpet, Brice Winston – Sax, Fabian Almazan – Piano, Michael Olatuja – Bass, Kendrick Scott- Drums

Many Americans have heard Terence Blanchard’s music, even if they don’t know it — he’s scored many of Spike Lee’s films since the early ‘90s. But only a relative few have connected Blanchard the movie composer with Blanchard the acclaimed jazz trumpeter. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers <>, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz. He was an integral figure in the 1980s jazz resurgence having recorded several award-winning albums and having performed with the jazz elite. He is known as a straight-ahead artist in the hard bop

tradition but has recently utilized an African-fusion style of playing that makes him unique from other trumpeters on the performance circuit. His trumpet can be heard on nearly fifty film scores; more than forty bear his unmistakable compositional style. Since 2000, Blanchard has served as Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He lives in the Garden District of New Orleans with his wife and four children.

Reservations: [email protected]

April 11, 2010 – 4:30, $40
Douglas Beach House on Miramar Beach
307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
650 726-4143, http://www.bachddsoc.org/

Saturday April 10, The Visionary Edge will present a screening of Woven Songs of the Amazon. New Mexico filmmaker, Anna Stevens, will join us to talk about the film and perhaps give a demonstration of the icaros, the sacred healing songs of the Peruvian Shipibo tribe.

Anna is the founder of Green Spider Films which gives indigenous peoples of the world a voice through film, to honor their spirits and wisdom and work with them to bring their traditions, healing knowledge, and understanding of nature to the world. Says Anna “By showing what is worth preserving, rather than concentrating on what is being lost, we strive to aid in preserving indigenous peoples, their cultures and environments during these times of great challenge and global change. GSF has a high ethic of filmmaking. We draw from a pool of talented and professional crew from around the world, and we strive to live up to our reputation for producing meaningful and beautiful, quality work.”

Woven Songs of the Amazon is a documentary film about the ancient Shipibo tradition of song patterns. The Shipibo are one of fourteen indigenous tribes living deep within the Amazon basin of Peru. Throughout history they have recorded their songs, or icaros, in a unique system of elaborate geometric designs that correlate and interact directly with the natural world. Very little is known about the connection between the icaros and the patterns that appear on everything from their textiles to their pottery, jewelry, and even body art. Woven Songs of the Amazon tells the story of this rich, colorful and ancient cultural tradition that is rapidly being lost, and the efforts by one family to preserve, protect and keep the vast knowledge of the icaros and the song patterns alive. The film focuses on Herlinda, a Shipibo elder, carrier of the song pattern tradition and the matriarch of her village. Through interviews, demonstrations, personal accounts, Shipibo mythology and beautiful footage of the Peruvian Amazon and the Shipibo people, the film shows the origin of the song patterns, what they are, how they are used, and the Shipibos’ struggle in preserving it and passing it down to the younger generations as the western world continually encroaches, threatening their culture.

Saturday, April 10th. Doors will open at 7:00pm, event begins at 7:30. Community United Methodist Church, 777 Miramontes Street (at Johnston), HMB. Suggested donation $10 advance, $15 door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Call 650-207-3440 for information and reservations. Babysitting will be provided for $5 per child for the evening with a 24 hour advance reservation. Call 650-207-3440.

With the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (RCD) we held a lively networking meeting on promoting geotourism on the Coastside.

What’s geotourism?
Look here:
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/about_geotourism.html

The panels were interesting, and it was great to learn about the good things that are going on now. Thank you panelists.
For a report on the meeting:
http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2010/03/31/news/doc4bb399eed4ba1843792751.txt

To keep the momentum going, I’ve started a Ning social netword devoted to Coastal Geotourism.
You can find it here:
http://coastalsanmateogeotourism.ning.com/
It’s easy to use, and your participation is going to keep it all interesting and moving. I’m hoping we get some good brainstorming and debates going. Right now on the table we have discussions on a new coastal vistor’s center (why not in the empty Red Ginger restaurant?), and we’re making a wish list of what we’d like to see happen to promote Geotourism. (How about a weekend beach shuttle?)

In about two weeks I’d like to start organizing another meeting. In the meeting.  The goal of that meeting will be to prioritize concerns, and then act.

I feel genuinely optimistic about the potential of our problem solving abilities. Doe this look good to you? If it does, please sign up.
If for some reason you can’t do that through the website, just email me at [email protected], and I’ll invite you.
Simple?
Yes!