Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has appointed Santa Cruz County Supervisor Mark Stone and Oceanside City Councilmember Esther Sanchez to California’s Coastal Commission.

The San Diego Union Tribune has a short profile of Esther Sanchez:

Sanchez, an attorney, has served on the Oceanside City Council since 2000. She also has worked on the planning group for a major regional habitat conservation plan and supported other environmental protection efforts.

"In ensuring development projects are consistent with the vision Californians have for their beloved coastline, the Coastal Commission should listen closely to, and be reflective of, the communities it serves," Sanchez said. "I will do my best to be a voice for all Californians in guiding responsible planning of our coast."

The Mercury News profiles Stone:

Stone, a resident of Scotts Valley, has served on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors since 2003. Previously, he was a trustee for the Scotts Valley Unified School District and maintained a private law practice. He is married with two children.

As a supervisor, Stone has always been cautious of new development and supportive of environmental programs. He was one of the leading proponents of the county’s new Commission on the Environment, a panel that has begun to address such issues as climate change and water conservation.

Stone says he sees these global issues becoming an increasing priority for the state, citing a demand for energy projects and desalination plants along the coastline.

"California is taking some different directions in respect to planning, and the Coastal Commission needs to be a part of that," he said. ...

Stone replaces 12-year incumbent Dave Potter, a Monterey County supervisor, whose last re-appointment was strongly opposed by the environmental community.

Potter’s 2007 commission vote in support of the Pebble Beach Co.‘s expansion plans are held up by environmentalists as evidence of his pro-development agenda. Potter has also received low marks in the Sierra Club’s annual scorecard.

Potter, though, says he leaves behind a legacy of fair and balanced judgment on coastal issues.

There is more about Stone and Potter at the Monterey County Herald.

For the County Times, Julia Scott interviewed six of eight candidates for the the Half Moon Bay City Council.  It’s a good place to start in understanding the field, but by no means complete.

Here are some sample quotes from a much longer story:

Deborah Ruddock: "I just could no longer sit by and watch what has happened in the past four years. The current council has demonstrated a lack of coherent vision for Half Moon Bay, and I think it’s time for a change of leadership," she said.

George Muteff: "It seems as though we’ve found a way to step in buckets — we can’t afford to step in any more buckets," said Muteff. "Maybe we can find some way to offset that debt, which we’re going to be paying for the next 30 years."

Rick Kowalczyk: "I really feel like we’re at a crossroads. We could be burdened with further debt. People have asked me whether we can get out of this and I think we can. The path we take to get out of this moment will dictate what we want our community to be."

Dan Handler: "The Beachwood debacle involved ideological decision-making rather than firmly grounded, reality-based decision-making," said Handler. "The people who live here on the coast live here for a reason — and to make decisions that go against your own self-interest, it’s dangerous to our lifestyle."

Sofia Freer: "We do need to maximize the value of that property, but we need to do it in a realistic way," said Freer, who has served on the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. "They’re pursuing the same kind of process that landed us in the this situation. Moving forward, I don’t think we can afford to make similar mistakes."

Allan Alifano: "Sometimes it’s a hard town to do things in. We’re all here for same goals. I think we sometimes forget that and tend to disagree."

Scott was unable to get Naomi Patridge or Charles Hoelzel to return her calls.

UPDATE: If you want to get in, you may need to show up early. We’re told that right-wing radio station KSFO is telling anti-reform protesters to get there at 9:30.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier is moving her August 23 Coastside event to a larger venue: Farallone View Elementary School in Montara. The time remains the same:  Sunday, August 23 at 11:00 am.

The Congresswoman’s office writes: "This event is for residents of the 12th Congressional District.  Attendees from other areas will be admitted if space allows."

"More than 12,000 people joined in on our telephone town hall on Tuesday and I am not surprised," Speier said in a press release.  "Unfortunately, a number of my constituents who tried to call in were blocked because the system was over-loaded by people from outside the district - even outside California - who were given the number by national websites and bloggers."

The original event was intended to cover a wide array of issues.  It was to be held at the Cypress Meadows Conference Center - which holds less than 150 - and included a tour of the nearby Fitzgerald Marine Preserve.  That event will be rescheduled at a later date. 

If you aren’t able to be at the clinic on September 8 or 9 to collect your medical records, this info will be helpful.

According to Jim Seeman, Administrative Manager to the trustee, the trustee’s office is "requiring that patients pick up their own records, but in the case of that being impossible, we are willing to FedEx the records to the address of record in the name of the patient. We must request a fee of $25 to cover costs. Once we receive the record request and the mailing fee, we will send the records out, please allow 2 weeks for turn around".

This doesn’t work for us because our address of record is our post office box, and Fed Ex doesn’t ship to P.O. boxes. I asked if they would send them via US mail to our P.O. box, which is the address on our records, and Mr. Seeman replied "I would think we would be able to accommodate the delivery to your PO Box. I believe you are not the only patient in this situation."

I am awaiting word on whether they will assess an extra fee for sending by US mail, but thought I’d get this out there in case others might find it useful.

The trustee, E. Lynn Schoenmann, is at [email protected]; the administrative manager, Jim Seeman, is at [email protected].

The Coastside Film Society proudly presents:
THE COLOR OF PARADISE (90 Mins)

The Color of Paradise" is both a fable of childhood innocence and a complex look at faith and humanity.  This makes it perfect for both kids and adults. The dialog is in Farsi, but Roger Ebert says any kid who can read should be able to follow the English subtitles.  The film earned its PG rating for thematic elements such as the fact that the Dad does not want to bring his blind son home. Probably not appropriate for the pre-elementary crowd.  Lets say "The Color of Paradise" provides a perfect night of entertainment for kids from 10 to 90.

"This is a transcendent film, deeply committed and beautifully wrought.
It will make anyone who sees it look at the world with new eyes." Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Visually magnificent, and wrenchingly moving, The Color of Paradise tells the story of an 8-year old boy whose inability to see the world only enhances his ability to feel its powerful forces. 
At an institute for blind children in Tehran, parents are arriving to pick up their children for summer vacation. The problem is that little Mohammad’s father, a widower, is afraid that the presence of a blind son will make it hard for him to find a new wife.  He is forced to take his son home but fails to appreciate the joy his remarkable son brings to the rest of his family, or to appreciate the wonder that the child brings to the world.

"Because they do not condescend to young audiences, (director Majid) Majidi’s films are absorbing for adults as well, and there is a lesson here: Any family film not good enough for grownups is certainly not good enough for children." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times.

Friday Aug 21 at 8:00 pm
$6.00 suggested donation
Community United Methodist Church Sanctuary
777 Miramontes Half Moon Bay

More info,at: www.HMBFilm.org

A wildfire at the back of Montara has been contained to about half an acre, as of shortly after 4pm, according to Acting Batallion Chief Ken Lord of the Coastside Fire Protection District.

A spotter plane, two tankers, and a helicopter responded, and dropped retardant on the fire.

The call went at about 3pm on Tuesday afternoon. The initial call to 911, and the fire dispatch, said that the fire was off Sunshine Valley Rd, leading to a situation where some fire vehicles were looking for the location in Montara’s back roads for several minutes early on.

View Montara fire in a larger map

More photos after the jump.

Reports are just now coming in of a fire in the back woods east of Montara.  Fire trucks are heading to the scene.  More details to come.