The Surfrider Foundation San Mateo Chapter,  based in El Granada is hosting a beach cleanup this Saturday at 10:00 AM at Surfers Beach.

Due to many sunny days we had this summer, the beach and nearby area need extra cleanup. The chapter provides gloves and trash bags, and a free Surfrider San Mateo Chapter T-shirts for the first-time participants.

The resignation of Half Moon Bay Fire Chief Vern Hamilton’s was announced at tonight’s meeting of the Point Montara Fire Protection District.  Division Chief Paul Cole will take over as Interim Chief and Captain David Cosgrave has been promoted to acting Division Chief/Shift Supervisor. Hamilton began a vacation this week.

Cole will be the department’s fourth Chief in a year. Hamilton was brought on as Fire Chief after the resignation, for personal reasons, of the previous Chief, Peter Bonano in March.  Bonano resigned after writing a stinging evaluation of the department and recommending that it outsource its fire services. Bonano replaced Chief Jim Asche, who left in

December 2005.

Hamilton is an associate of Robert Olsen Associates, a consulting firm that is assisting the district with its reorganization.  Hamilton returns from vacation the beginning of September, but as a representative of Robert Olsen Associates.  His will continue as a consultant on the consolidation.

There are two important meetings coming up for Coastsiders interested in the fire situation.

• Wednesday, August 8, Robert Olsen will speak and answer questions at the Midcoast Community Council at 7:30pm at Seton Coastside in Moss Beach, during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting. This is your opportunity to come and ask questions about the service contracts and consolidation progress. Robert Olsen is the chief consultant hired by both boards.  He has conducted a variety of emergency service reviews, including providing recommendations and solutions for many California cities and fire districts.
• Thursday, August 17, the fire boards will hold their next meeting on consolidation and contracting.  The meeting will be held in the large equipment area at the HMB fire station.  The MCC meeting will be the only opportunity the public will have to have its questions answered directly by the consultant prior to the meeting on Aug 17th.

Do you want to be notified by email when news like this breaks?  Sign up for Coastsider Alerts.  Use the form near the top of the left-side navigation bar.

Chez Shea, a new restaurant at the site of the old Two Fools Cafe, opened this week with lines out the door.  The restaurant is owned by Jose Ugalde and Liam Durkee, who own one of our favorites—Cafe Gibraltar in El Granada.  It’s named for their daughter, Shea. This week also saw the closing of Ono Hawaiian Grill on Highway 1.

Cheri Parr

Chez Shea’s owner Jose Ugalde in the kitchen of the new restaurant.

Cheri Parr

Shea Ugalde enjoys a sandwich in the restaurant named after her.

Cheri Parr

Ono Hawaiian Grill was not only closed, but the tables were gone this weekend.

Cheri Parr

Every month, COC volunteers feeds hundreds of Coastsiders.

Now that we’re zooming across our newly shined and polished Devil’s Slide, many of you will be wondering "What will I do now with those 3 or 4 hours a day I used to spend on the 92?" Even if you only have an hour a week—have we got a deal for you!

For 30 years, The Coastside Opportunity Center in El Granada has been reaching out to hard-working individuals and families who find themselves faced with emergency expenses that they cannot meet.  From emergency food and shelter, to rental and utility assistance—even free tax preparation—the COC is here to help.  While you were crawling along the 92 to work, we were right behind you taking patients to doctor’s appointments, therapy and dialysis.

What can you do to help?

The COC depends every day on volunteers.  From the volunteers who stock the shelves of our Food Bank to those who organize our monthly Second Harvest Food Bank and our annual Adopt-a-Family Christmas Bureau, to those who volunteer their time as receptionists, landscapers, office support, and Board Members, volunteer and in-kind support are critical to the operation of the Coastside Opportunity Center.

Want to make a difference? Click here to download our current newsletter and read stories of how the work of the COC has made lives on the coast a little easier. None would be possible without the support of volunteers.

So what if you only have an hour to give?

Answer phones and get our receptionist out in the sun!  (She could really use a break.)  Empty one barrel of food onto the shelves of the food bank. Call clients and confirm their rides to the hospital. Pick up food barrels from Safeway and drop them at the COC. Help deliver food to seniors and low income centers. Go shopping for the holidays for a local family. Write an article for our newsletter. Help make cotton candy at the Pumpkin Festival Wrap gifts over hot chocolate during the holidays. File, file, and yes, more filing! Bring a little organization to our director’s office. Help our social worker find her desk. Pull weeds, trim bushes, and prune something! Organize our database and print labels. Write thank-you cards to donors.

Have more than an hour?  Have a group that wants to help?  Spend an afternoon packing and delivering food to coastside families in need.  If your life has ever been touched by kindness, and you’re looking for a meaningful way to pass that kindness on, we hope you’ll call us today.  You’ll be glad you did ... and so will we.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, call Susie Maya at 650-726-9071 or email our Volunteer Coordinator Beth Bryant at [email protected]

Cheri L. Parr

Executive Director

Coastside Opportunity Center

[email protected]

650-726-9071x12

Cheri Parr

COC’s annual Adopt-a-Family Christmas Bureau brings Christmas to over 300 Coastside families.

NOTE: Coastsider invites other nonprofits to describe opportunities they offer to volunteers.

Click below for more photos

Three boys trapped by the incoming tide at Pescadero State Beach were the subject of a rescue effort by San Mateo County CDF and Half Moon Bay Fire Department, but the boys were able to wade and climb to safety on their own, according a report in the Mercury News.  The call was received by rescue personnel at 5:40pm on Sunday. The boys were trapped in an area just north of the beach parking lot.

by Jeremy Ortega

A group of us from Ember Ridge stables in Moss Beach decided to ride to Grey Whale cove Wednesday the 2nd to celebrate the opening of Devil’s Slide. We figured this could be the the last time we would be able to safely cross Highway 1 on horseback and ride down to Grey Whale Cove beach.

Jeremy Ortega

Barbara, Kaitlin, Catlin, Teresa, Kathy, and Erin stand proudly on a close Highway 1

Jeremy Ortega

Hoof prints in the sands of Grey Whale Cove.

Jeremy Ortega

Sombrio admires a view he may never see again.

An unidentified man ignited a professional-level firework outside its launching tube and suffered serious injuries to the face and head Sunday night at 9:25pm in Half Moon Bay.

Firefighters and paramedics for the Half Moon Bay Fire District responded and treated the victim. Due to the unavailability of an air ambulance he was transported Code 3 by ground ambulance to Stanford.

The fire district invites Coastsiders to turn in illegal fireworks at any fire station.

This story is based on a press release from the HMB Fire Protection District.

Last Tuesday, August 1, we announced three finalist who had guessed what we thought was the correct opening day for Devil’s Slide, based on Caltrans’s plans to open it on Friday, August 4.  Of course, as we reported, the Slide actually opened on Thursday night.

Our new winner is Jim Whittemore, of San Mateo.  He will receive the $100 Half Moon Bay Brewing Company gift certificate.

If you’re subscribed to our Coastsider Alert email list, you should receive an email asking you to re-confirm your interest in receiving alerts from us.  To confirm your subscription, please click the link, or paste it into your browser if it’s not clickable. That’s all you need to do to confirm your subscription.

CORRECTION: There was an error in the first email we sent, but you should have received a second email with the correct link for confirmation, telling you to ignore the first email. Please use the link in the second email.

If you did not receive the email, you’re not on the list.  To join the list and receive an email Alert from Coastsider whenever we have breaking news, please use the form in the left-side navigation bar under the header "Why wait till Wednesday?"

We’re upgrading our mailing list software and cleaning up our list. This change is part of our Silly Season software upgrade program.

As part of a story on the opening of Devil’s Slide, a KRON correspondent spent some time with us to discuss how we covered the story and its effect on Coastsider. You will need Windows Media Player to watch the clip.

CORRECTION: New link for video.  Click on the search result that says "Web Site Benefited From Road Closure"

NOTE: Our album of photos from the Devil’s Slide ribbon-cutting is now online. We’ll be adding photos from the party at HMB Brewing Company a little later.