Mavericks organizers have called off this year’s contest, allowing the window to close with no contest and no extension, reports the Chronicle. This is the third time the contest has been cancelled since it was begun in 1999.

Despite the impending cancellation of this year’s event, a post-contest party, a big-wave documentary and a series of Maverick’s-themed concerts are expected, said Doug Epstein, one of the three principals for the event producer, Mavericks Surf Ventures LLC.

"What we want to do is to say thank you to fans, sponsors, volunteers and all those who put a portion of their lives on hold while waiting for the event," Epstein said Thursday. "We’ll do a celebration, probably a closing ceremony for the surfers. A public party is under discussion."

Epstein said his firm will make a final call on Saturday. But conditions don’t look promising. The North Pacific is a swirl of chaos and southerly swells of summer are expected to arrive next week.

Because the waves were suitable for the event back in December, there is some interest in opening the window in late 2007.

A judge has issued a temporary restraining order on implementation of outsourcing by the Coastside’s two fire boards. The boards are restrained until the judge can hear the firefighters’ case, which will not be until May, reports the County Times.

The writs ask the court to repeal decisions by the two districts’ boards to contract for services with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, and to certify petitions signed by residents who opposed the plan.

Attorneys for the districts and firefighters said they expect Foiles to rule on the writs May 4. The writs and requests for the stay were all filed with the court Thursday.
...
Attorneys for the districts said the petitions were not valid, and that they are glad the matter will be heard soon. "Our opinion is the petition that was circulated was defective," said Jean Savoree, the Half Moon Bay district’s attorney.

The County Times has a good article by Julia Scott on the Coastal Commission’s letters to the county regarding its LCP update [Coastsider’s coverage and pdf’s of letters].  It briefly examines the traffic, flooding, and sewer problems that have been exacerbated by current development.

The county’s plan does not call for widening Highway 1, preferring to rely on public transit, turn lanes and road improvements already in place at key highway intersections.

Supervisor Rich Gordon, who represents the Coast, said that future Boards of Supervisors could decide whether to widen the highway using Measure A funds.

"I respectfully disagree with them," he said of the Coastal Commission staff. "I believe there are activities that we can do that will improve highway flow."
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"We don’t have a lot of growth in the county, and it (the Midcoast) is one place where there are still large, developable lots," said Gordon. "We have to build the infrastructure to the rate of development.

"If we’re unable to do that, development won’t be able to move forward," he added. "You won’t be able to build a home on most of the lots in El Granada without adequate sewer connections."

"Poles, Commercial, Residential"

In this second installment of his video column,  Neil Merrilees: Right Here In the Middle, Neil takes us on a walk down Mirada Road in Miramar and gives us a insightful look at our building codes in action.

The video is available in two formats: A small Flash version for older computers or slower connections, and a larger Quicktime version for newer computers and faster connections. | Quicktime | Flash |

CUSD will hold a final mandatory meeting for all incoming kindergarten parents interested in the Spanish Immersion program on April 10.  This is a last chance for parents to sign up for the fall of the 2007-08 school year.

Deadline for registration is April 13. If there are enough sign ups, there is a very good chance that a third incoming kindergarten class will be added in the fall.

If you’re Interested in learning more about the CUSD Spanish immersion program at Hatch Elementary School, the meeting for parents of incoming kindergarten students will be Tuesday, April 10 at 6:30 pm Hatch School room B-1.

For more information call Denise Phillips at 728-1912.

Julia Scott has a great profile of Farmer of the Year Dee Harley.  Although other women have received the award with the husbands, Harley is the first woman to receive the award herself.  In nine years, Harley’s farm has grown to 200 goats.

Harley’s operation personifies the way forward for local farmers if they want to survive in agriculture, said local flower farmer Stan Pastorino, who has hosted the Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event for nearly a decade.

"The few remaining farmers here have to adapt to the needs of the consumer and not the other way around," he told the crowd of 300 in a lecture that emphasized the benefits of niche crop production and brand self-promotion in a crowded marketplace.

"We have to ask ourselves — are we providing a good product?" continued Pastorino. "Are we willing to change as the market changes? Are we marketing ourselves as well as we possibly can?"

A virus outbreak that has killed three horsed and quarantined several Coastside stables has also caused the cancellation of several horse events in the Bay Area, reports Lisa M. Kreiger in the County Times. Many newspapers across the country have picked up an AP story on the outbreak.

The chain of death is traced back to the Nov. 29 arrival of a shipment of five horses from Germany to New York. An animal headed to California died shortly after arrival. A racehorse at Golden Gate Fields in Albany died in December, forcing a quarantine at all three Bay Area racetracks.

The virus has since caused outbreaks in 10 states, killing expensive race horses, a famous Palm Beach polo pony and several pasture ornaments.

Between 30 and 50 percent of sick horses will die. Those that survive may take up to six months to recover.

No one seems to know how the virus came to the Coastside, but investigators are looking for the trail.

Fishermen gathered for a meeting with the California Department of Fish and Game in Princeton Monday, reports Julia Scott in the County Times. They’re concerned about restrictions the state is placing on fishing off the coast of California.

The first phase focused on the Central Coast region, from Ano Nuevo down to Santa Barbara, and recommended that the California Fish and Game Commission ban or strictly limit fishing in 18 percent of state waters out to 3 miles, or approximately 200 square miles. Of those, 90 square miles would be off-limits to fishermen indefinitely. The commission will vote on the proposal on April 13.

Officials theorized that designated ecosystem habitats, left alone, would eventually replenish themselves and the fish that depend on them.

But fishermen are skeptical about the science and about the impact on their lives. The state is looking for volunteers to serve on regional adviory board, which will pass its findings on to the state next year.

Yes, it’s true. Highway 1, closed for four months by rain damage, will finally open again. The highway has been closed from north of Slide Ranch to the Panoramic Highway near Stinson Beach since November, reports the Marin Independent-Journal.

The two-lane, winding highway provides dramatic views. Running high above the coast, the view of the Pacific from the highway seems endless on a clear day. But during the rainy season, the road takes a pounding, and the earth underneath can wash away.

The storms of late 2005 and early 2006 hit hard in areas between Muir Beach and Stinson Beach, causing parts of Highway 1 to buckle, break off and slide down hillsides. Emergency patches and traffic controls were put in place to make the highway usable.

Since November, the road has been closed to make permanent repairs.

The county will hold a public meeting to discuss its park planning and implementation agenda Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 7 pm at the Harbor House Conference Center in Princeton.  This public meeting will review the priorities discussed at smaller Midcoast community meetings, present a potential sites and costs for recreational facilities, and discuss next steps for setting priorities.

Click the link below to see the summary of recreation needs established at earlier meetings and list of the community members on the planning team. You can also download an Excel file of potential park and recreations sites from a 2003 task force meeting from Coastsider. The public meeting notice includes a great deal of detail [pdf] on ideas discussed at earlier team meetings.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the meeting was on Wednesday night.