Crab season has opened, but no one’s catching anything. Crabbers and processors are still negotiating on price and there is concern about the quality of current crabs, according to the County Times.

The principal issue is that the big producers from up north and big processors are locking the smaller local crabbers out of the market.  Governor Schwarzenegger’s recently vetoed of a bill that would have limited the number of crab pots on fishing boats, according to the Chronicle.

"A few years ago, San Francisco Dungeness crab was a gourmet delicacy that was usually enjoyed fresh by local residents," said Zeke Grader, the executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, a commercial fishing advocacy group.

Now, Grader said, the big processors have turned California Dungeness into a canned and frozen commodity that largely is consumed on cruise ships and in casinos.

I’m meeting with Assembly President Pro Tem Leland Yee Friday. 

He’s meeting individually with all of the Peninsula newspapers to "go over the legislative session and discuss what is ahead in 2006". His office has included Coastsider in that briefing process, which is pretty cool.

While the Coastside isn’t in his district, he is a candidate in 2006 for the State Senate district that includes the Coastside.

I want to give Coastsider readers a chance to participate in the process. What questions do you want to ask the assemblyman and what issues would you like to bring to his attention at our meeting?  Just as I keep Coastsider focused on local issues, I’d like to keep the conversation focused strictly on coastal issues, especially those that affect San Mateo County.

Two upcoming meetings, one Wednesday and one on December 6, will determine development on the unincorporated Midcoast for the foreseeable future.

The County has released the preliminary staff report on the proposed Midcoast Local Coastal Program (LCP) update.  This is a crucial process in determining the future of development on the unincorporated Midcoast (Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada). The LCP is used by county and the Coastal Commission in evaluating development decisions.

The original proposed update was written by the Midcoast Community Council (MCC), which was elected by the residents of the Midcoast.

The County Board of Supervisors has been reviewing the proposal and created a subcommittee to write a set of guiding principles to be used in evaluating it. The subcommittee has met five times and made some recommendations to the full Board, and the Board has taken tentative action on some recommendations and asked for additional staff research on others.

The original proposal, background, staff responses and recommendations are all reviewed in a staff report released November 9. You can download the 50-page report from Coastsider [PDF].

The MCC will discuss the report on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30 PM at the 3-0 Café at the HMB Airport.

The Board of Supervisors will meet on the Coastside at a location to be chosen on Tuesday, December 6 from 2pm to 5pm.

Local Coastal Programs (LCPs)  are the basic planning tools used by the Coastal Commission and coastal communities.  According to the Coastal Commission:

LCPs identify the location, type,  densities and other ground-rules for future development in the coastal zone portions of the 73 cities and counties along the coast. Each LCP includes a land-use plan and its implementing measures (e.g., zoning ordinances). Prepared by local government, these programs govern decisions that determine the short- and long-term conservation and use of coastal resources.

After an LCP has been finally approved, the Commission’s coastal permitting authority over most new development is transferred to the local government. The Commission retains permanent coastal permit jurisdiction over development proposed on the immediate shoreline (tidelands, submerged lands, and public trust lands).

Please review the report and attend the meeting on Wednesday.  Let’s discuss the LCP revision here, and let’s work to get a big turnout for the Board of Supervisors Coastside meeting on December 6.

Did you leave a wallet at the Easy Mart in El Granada? If so, the Sheriff has your wallet at the Moss Beach substation.

In other action, A DUI leads to a crash in Princeton,  a missing girl is located,  a missing kayak is reunited with its owner, a suicide threat is foiled, cars are broken into at Skeggs Point (on Skyline) and La Honda.

Click "read more" for details.

Friday, November 18, at 8pm, the Coastside Film Society presents a classic film about insane obsession.

Werner Herzog is one of our most obsessive directors. When he heard the tale of an opera lover who built a concert hall in middle of the Amazon jungle he knew it to be a story he had to tell. To realize his vision, the opera buff had to haul a riverboat across a mountain.  Herzog decided he had to duplicate this insane endeavor.  So the film was shot in and around a real 300 ton steamship as it was dragged up a real mountain by the sweat labor of local Indians. The conditions under which the film was shot proved to be too harrowing for the first crew.  So filming started all over again with Klaus Kinski, an actor who matched Hertzog obsession for obsession.  The end result is a visually arresting trip through the jungle that feels insanely real because it is insanely real.

"Fitzcarraldo" is a movie in the tradition of grandiose cinematic visions. Like Coppola’s "Apocalypse Now" or Kubrick’s "2001".—As a document of a quest and a dream, and as the record of man’s audacity and foolish, visionary heroism, there has never been another movie like it.—I would not have missed for the world." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Fitzcarraldo
1982, 157 mins.
$6.00 donation per person
Friday, Nov 18, 8pm

Community Methodist Sanctuary
777 Miramontes, Half Moon Bay
Corner of Johnston & Miramontes.
Half Moon Bay

Wal-Mart is expanding in the Bay Area, adding to the big-box pressure on Coastside retailers.

"Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Prices" is a powerful exposé on the toll the Wal-Mart behemoth has taken on workers and communities across the country, and how we can help turn the tide. It will be shown Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ted Adcock Community Center, 535 Kelly Ave., Half Moon Bay. And it’s free.

The film is from the director of "Uncovered: The War on Iraq" and "Outfoxed".  Wal-Mart is going into attack mode. The company has literally created a war room, staffed with political consultants who are working day and night to undermine the movie and spread pro-Wal-Mart propaganda. But it’s not working: thanks to the questions raised by the film, national media are tuning in to Wal-Mart’s high cost to American families—and last week the movie was featured on page 1 of the New York Times.

Nancy Schaub has purchased the film for our showing next week. She has spoken with the Chamber of Commerce in Half Moon Bay who is very supportive of our efforts. We hope to open a dialog about creating a more sustainable Coastside environment, by shopping locally and making sustainable choices every time we spend our dollars.

The DNC (Democratic National Committee) has asked grass roots Democrats in all fifty states to hold house parties or other events next Tues night, Nov 15th, and to hear a live conversation with Howard Dean, DNC Chair.

I will host a party here on the Coastside. You are invited to celebrate our recent successes and join a discussion about next year’s campaign.

We will start at 6:30 pm. The Dean phone call will start about 7:30. We will be serving pizza courtesy of the Coastside Democrats to those who RSVP. You can use the DNC web site:

  http://www.democrats.org/page/event/detail/wfm

for details and to sign up for this event or call me at 712-0498.

To learn more about the Coastside Democrats or to join the club, visit:

    http://www.coastsidedemocrats.org

We do accept credit cards.

Thanks,

Dennis Paull
President, Coastside Democrats

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory from midnight toight to 1am Sunday.

A strong storm system in the Gulf of Alaska has generated large swells that are expected to reach the central California coast Saturday morning. Swells are anticipated to be in the 14 to 18 foot range with a dominant swell period of 15 seconds. Swells will drop below advisory levels early Sunday morning.

Persons observing large waves are advised to stay well away from the water as breakers can unexpectedly wash over beaches… Rocks…And coastal structures without warning. A high surf advisory means that high surf will affect beaches in the advisory area…Producing rip currents and localized beach erosion.

The County Times notes that county election officials are still counting ballots. On the county’s election site, the most recent results, posted on Wednesday, are listed as "Semi-official". The county plans to update its counts on Friday at 4:30pm.

In the closest finish, for Pt. Montara Fire Protection District board, Alex King defeated Bruce McKimmie by a margin of only 10 votes, with King at 623 and McKimmie at 613

There was one other piece of business that clearly got strong reaction on the board. Superintendent Bayless’s assistant, Roberta Carlson, is retiring. Everyone made it clear that she was going to be missed. I’ve always found her to be helpful, efficicient and responsive, and it’s clear she’ll be missed by everyone in the district.

Superintendent Bayless opened with a presentation of how he would trim the building costs from $32 million to $26 million to fit with the district’s budget and deliver a finished school "about September, 2009".  The school will be rebuilt in three phases, with the new building going up first, the main building being renovated next, and the administration building renovated and the wings near it being taken down last.

The discussion was relatively restrained compared to the prior meeting, with newly re-elected Mayor Jim Grady renewing the city’s offer to expedite the building of the school. Several pro-Wavecrest citizens asked the board to get on with it and vote to build the school at Cunha. 

In discussion, board member Jolanda Schreurs said it was time to "Make lemonade from the lemon that is Cunha." adding that perhaps we could make it raspberry lemonade and that our kids deserve some sugar in their lemonade.  Board President Dwight Wilson urged, "We’ve got to figure out how not to make enemies of our neighbors with this decision", a clear response to the lingering unhappiness of Wavecrest supporters.

After a long discussion about adding some "Whereas" clauses to the resolution, the board finally added a clause saying that it may ask the Superintendent to buy adjacent properties to the Cunha site.

Then came the main event. The vote was quick and unanimous.  There was some applause at the anticlimactic decision, and the board moved on to the rest of its agenda. Most of the audience had already left the room.