About a year ago, I wrote a piece here, "Analysis: CUSD likely to start growing soon, becoming majority Hispanic", that began,

Enrollment in the Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) may be about to increase for the first time in a decade if recent demographic trends continue, and the school population is about to become majority Hispanic.

The Ed-Data website, which publishes statistics on the California public school system, has just added district profiles for the 2008-09 school year, and two items jump out.

• Hispanic students now outnumber non-Hispanic white students.
• Though white enrollment continued to shrink, Hispanic enrollment grew sufficiently that overall district enrollment rose, slightly, for the first time in many years.

I have nothing new to add to my comments, except that existing enrollment trends continued for another year, and to hope that between now and the next school board election, now a year away, we’ll have a productive discussion of the implications of district demographic trends.

"Exploring myths and realities of wildfire along the central coast of California: What can we learn from the past, what is similar and different compared to Southern California, and what can we expect in the future?”

Join Michael Vasey, a research scientist at UC Santa Cruz, who will be giving a fiery talk on this very hot topic!

Mike Vasey has been studying chaparral in the Central Coast Range for the past four years, including mature stands and post-burn conditions.  Mike will share what he has learned about the threat of wildfire along the central California coast and review what is known about fire history in this region compared to other places such as southern California.  Lastly, he will reflect upon changes to fire regimes along the coast that could be in store due to potential climate shifts.  In the process, he will try to dispel some common "myths"  and contrast these myths to what we now know about the ecology of fire in this region.

Lecture and optional fieldtrip
Saturday, October 24th, 1:30 pm
Native Sons Hall: 112 Stage Road, Pescadero Ca 94060
$5 suggested donation per person or family

(children welcome if they do not interrupt the speaker’s presentation)

Please visit our website for more information www.gazos.org, or call Jaime at 650-879-0841 or by email [email protected]

The Half Moon Bay Police Department has received a $59,000 grant from the state to increase its DUI enforcement.

The grant covers "DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, warrant searches and stakeouts for repeat DUI offenders, saturation patrols, and court stings targeting DUI offenders with suspended or revoked driver licenses who get behind the wheel after leaving court", according to the city’s press release. The department will be conducting special enforcement efforts throughout the course of the year, putting extra officers on duty, cracking down on traffic violations.

The Big Wave Environmental Report is now available for download at the county website [Web page].

A hard copy is also at the Half Moon Bay Library and at the public counter in Redwood City.
 
Comment period starts on Oct. 22 and ends on Dec. 7, 2009.

The National Weather Service forecasts that a large northwest swell train hit the Coastside from early Thursday morning to Thursday night.  The swell has been generated by a storm in the eastern Pacific. Swell heights are forecast to reach 15 feet.

Mavericks Surf Contest will discuss plans to ensure public safety and manage the expected crowds tonight.

County officials and other local agencies will discuss the detailed public safety plan on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. during a public meeting at the Oceano Hotel at 280 Capistrano Road in Princeton.

Members of the public and media will be able to ask detailed questions to members of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, San Mateo County Harbor District, and the event producer Mavericks Surf Ventures. Representatives from other agencies also will be on hand to answer questions.

The contest cannot be seen from land, but video monitors will be set up for surf fans.

Last week, I made a presentation about why MCTV needs to be reformed and what could be done at the Midcoast Community Council.

The meeting was prompted by the Grand Jury’s report on MCTV.

I’ve covered this ground before, but if you’re interested in seeing my presentation and that of MCTV attorney and husband of the Station Manager Mike Day, we’re fortunate to have have great video from Darin Boville of Montara Fog, because MCTV does not put MCC videos online. Darin also has a link a copy of my presentation to the council.

The MCC will be holding a special meeting in the near future to discuss the text of a letter they’ll be sending to the county Board of Supervisors on this issue.

The county and the city of Half Moon Bay both have agreements with MCTV allowing them to operate Comcast Channel 6 on the Coastside. At its October 13 meeting, the Half Moon Bay City Council decided to coordinate their contract with the county. However, MCTV cablecast the meeting without sound and the recording is not available on the station’s website.

Cabrillo Unified School District will no longer require children to be free nits (lice eggs) in order to return to school, according to CUSD Superintendent Robert Gaskill.

The district and site administrators met today and have agreed that students will only be sent home if they have:

• active, adult head lice OR
• nits where there is no record of treatment OR
• any combination of the two

 
Students will not be readmitted with active, adult head lice. 

Superintendent Gaskill describes this policy as consistent with the current policy, which require no "untreated" nits, but it is a radically different interpretation of that policy. And it will have a significant impact on district families whose children are found to have head lice.

Parents will now only have to say they’ve treated the live lice in oder to have their children re-admitted to school. Children will be re-inspected within seven to ten days and treatment kits will be available to parents who cannot afford them.

The district is revising the packet sent home with children found to have head lice to reflect these changes.

This Thursday, Supervisor Rich Gordon’s office will be holding their Coastside Office Hours from 10am until noon at the Sherff’s Moss Beach Substation. Supervisor Gordon is unable to attend this month, but Matt Jacobs from his staff will be there.

Join the San Mateo County Chapter of Surfrider Foundation for our community meeting on Managing Sediment, Erosion and Amenities at Surfer’s Beach on Thursday, October 22 at 7pm at Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay.
 
Learn about and discuss the threats to the wave and beach at Princeton Jetty (a.k.a. Surfer’s Beach) such as harbor sedimentation and coastal erosion, and also hear about the County’s efforts to improve facilities, amenities and the coastal path nearby.
 
The discussion will feature input from Harbormaster Peter Grenell, surfer and coastal engineer Bob Battalio, County Park Director David Holland, and of course community members like you!
 
Where: Sam’s Chowder House
When: Thursday, October 22 at 7pm

Please show some love to Sam’s Chowder House for sponsoring the meeting venue by buying some drinks.