There’s a new news blog on the Coast.  The Pacifica Riptide was launched a couple of weeks ago by Pacifica residents looking to expand the community’s media beyond the Pacifica Tribune. It’s still in the early stages, so if you’re interested in what’s happening in Pacifica, now is a good time to get involved.

I’ve heard that there are close to 1,000 sites in the US that are doing something like what Coastsider is doing, but there are still surprisingly few in the California or the Bay Area. With the rollup of the regional press by MediaNews, I think we can expect more in the coming years. It’s great to see this happening in the neighborhood.

Pacifica will be celebrating TV Turn Off Week, also know as "Prime Time Pacifica", with a full week’s worth of fun community activities for the whole family during the week of April 23-29, 2007.  This is the fifth year that the Pacifica Collaborative has coordinated this event and the second year that Kaiser Permanente has partnered with them. 

The goal of "Prime Time Pacifica" is to encourage families to participate in a more conscious, active life style by providing a week’s worth of fun, free local activities as an alternative to watching TV during national Turn Off the TV Week. The calendar of activities includes hiking, gardening, art, folk dancing and musical entertainment.  Everyone is invited to celebrate "Prime Time Pacifica"!

For more info contact the Pacifica Collaborative at 650/738-6693 or get a schedule by emailing [email protected].

CLICK for schedule.

Julia Scott profiles the Reverend Monique Ortiz, pastor of Pescadero Community Church, in the County Times.

The Rev. Monique Ortiz spent much of last week letting Pescadero’s migrant farm laborers know that she would be offering a Spanish-language Easter service at Pescadero Community Church just for them. But none of the men could come on Sunday.

"I couldn’t believe it. It’s Easter. They’re overworked and they can’t say no, because they need the money," said Ortiz. "I tell them, ‘If you can’t make it to the service, come for the tamales.’"

When the men do come to worship at the church, a Protestant United Church of Christ, it is because of Ortiz. She was the one who introduced the Spanish ministry to address their spiritual needs a year ago, and about nine of them come to her services when they can — always followed by a Mexican meal. They are Catholic, but they trust her: she has spent the past three years helping supply their material needs as well, as an intern at Puente de la Costa Sur, a Mexican workers’ resource center down the street.

The article also profiles the church, which serves a wide variety of faiths in Pescadero.

NOTE: This is from last Tuesday’s meeting, on April 3, of the city council. I was on vacation last week, so our process was slowed down a little

In a highly-charged meeting, the Half Moon Bay City Council approved a measure to decouple the proposed widening of Highway 1 and a traffic at Terrace Avenue from the proposed development of Pacific Ridge. The city will accept a letter of credit from developer Ailanto Properties that could be used for the light or any other purpose, rather than requiring Ailanto to pay specifically for the light.

Terrace Avenue residents may learn why it’s important to be careful what you wish for.

Terrace Avenue neighbors have long opposed the traffic light, which Ailanto was to fund. Now that the light is no longer required for Pacific Ridge to proceed, Terrace Avenue residents find themselves facing 63 more families using their street for access to Highway 1 without the mitigation of a light.

Meanwhile, proponents of building a bypass around the intersection of Highways 1 and 92 have re-emerged to say that reviving their moribund project is the solution for Pacific Ridge access. However, if Pacific Ridge is built as it is currently configured, the bypass may become impossible. This would leave Terrace Avenue residents with no light and no bypass.

It was a long discussion with plenty of emotional testimony from the floor as well as the dais.  We’ve divided it into two parts.

• Proclamations and presentations | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Oral communications | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Staff reports | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Consent agenda | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Drake appeal of construction without permit | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Repeal of elimination (i.e. restoration) of administrative CDP | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Discussion of putting Terrace Ave stoplight on hold (Part 1) | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Discussion of putting Terrace Ave stoplight on hold (Part 2) | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Letter Opposing SB303 Local Government: Housing | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |
• Interagency appointments | Quicktime | Flash  | Docs |

There is yet another proposal for a new house on the triangular lot between Farallone View Elementary and 3rd street. This proposal involves opening up Kanoff Street to traffic next to the school, as well as, creating additional water runoff downstream of the construction.

We have been told by the county that the Coastside Design Review Committee’s primary objective of this meeting is to consider the appropriateness of the structure itself.  The community will also have an opportunity to identify items that should be considered in future reviews.

If you are interested in hearing more about this proposed construction, as well as, entering your opinion re: the proposal, attend the review meeting on Thursday, April 12th at 1:30 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office in Moss Beach.

Mary Duffy
Montara

The 37th annual Earth Day will be marked locally by California State Parks on Saturday, April 21, with volunteers restoring native plants to parklands and cleaning debris off of local beaches.  These projects, sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation, provide an opportunity for people of all ages to contribute to improving the environment while enjoying a day in the sun and learning about our local parks.

This year, for the first time, an Earth Day restoration project has been launched at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Volunteers will be removing non-native ice plant, which has covered much of the grounds around the 135-year-old lighthouse.  Already some native plants can be seen trying to grow in the ice plant, and more will be planted by the volunteers.  Free historical tours of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse grounds will be offered for volunteers throughout the day. 

As an added bonus, participants may also get a close-up view of migrating gray whales.  This time of the year Pigeon Point is a prime location to see gray whales and their newborn calves passing close to shore on their long journey from Baja California to the Bering Sea.  Recently there were more than 200 sightings of whales off Pigeon Point in a single day.

For more information or to register to help at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, contact Avis Boutell at 650-726-8819 or [email protected].  Volunteers will meet at the lighthouse, on Pigeon Point Road, just off Highway 1, 20 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 27 miles north of Santa Cruz. The project will run from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

La Honda Fire Brigade’s Crab Cioppino Fundraiser Dinner and Dance is Saturday, April 21 in the La Honda Fire Station. This is the largest fund raiser to support the community’s volunteer fire department. The cost of the dinner and dance for current members is $45, for non-members the cost is $55 per ticket. There are some great raffle prizes and once again the Johnny Midnight will be our deejay. The no host bar opens at 6pm and the dinner starts 7pm For tickets call Julie Delay or mail a self-addressed stamped envelope ( so we can send you your tickets) along with a  check or money order to: La Honda Fire Brigade, Cioppino Dinner , P O Box 97 , La Honda, CA, 94020.  Come support the fire brigade and have a fun time.

The Half Moon Bay Brazilian martial arts instructor who pleaded no contest to inappropriately touching four teenage boys received a year in jail, according to the County Times.

Meanwhile the officer on adminstrative leave during the investigation of whether he withheld evidence of the molestation, will not be prosecuted, reports the Daily Journal.

District Attorney Jim Fox decided Thursday against charging the officer for failing his duty as a mandated reporter — a misdemeanor — and instead is returning the matter to the Half Moon Bay police department for review.

"We concluded this is a matter best left to the personnel of the department," Wagstaffe said.

...

The boys later told one victim’s father and he in turn approached the officer with whom he was friends for advice.

The officer was off duty and reportedly told the unsure father to consider whether he wanted to press charges. The officer later told the father he had to come forward, Wagstaffe said.

The Daily Journal decided to withhold the officer’s name because no charges were filed, but the officer’s name has been released by the Review.

Coastsiders will meet Saturday, April 14 12:30 to 5:00pm for a picnic at Montara State Beach. The event is part of a national effort by Step It Up 2007 to increase awareness of global warning by gathering at in locations that could be under water if present trends continue. Participants are invited to bring their own picnic lunches and wear blue to show what the beach will look like if it’s covered with water. The picnic will be followed by a group photo at 2pm. See the Coastside Step It Up page for more details and information on more than 50 gatherings in the Bay Area.