The Midcoast Community Council (MCC), which represents the interests of the unincorporated Midcoast to the County Board of Supervisors, is in a bit of a crisis. MCC is finding it difficult to gather a quorum, and one member has resigned.

Candidates Leonard Woren and Deborah Lardie will likely be appointed to the MCC by the Board of Supervisors in lieu of an election, just as three others were appointed back in 2005. Even under that scenario,however, the council would still be one person short if no one comes forward to file by Friday.

Council member Howard Lieberman says feelings of frustration with the MCC have kept him from attending recent meetings, and will likely keep him from running to recapture his four-year seat this year.

Unhappy with what he believes to be a management style overstepping its boundaries, Lieberman sent an e-mail to the Board of Supervisors attempting to resign from the MCC last month. He has yet to submit a formal letter of resignation that would remove him from the board before the end of his term in December, however.

"I’ve been attempting to quit for years — it’s a somewhat dysfunctional group, and I didn’t want to leave the asylum to the inmates," said Lieberman.

UPDATE: As of Thursday night, there are five candidates for the three open positions on the MCC.

If you missed last month’s labyrinth-building in Half Moon Bay, there will be a second event on Saturday, August 11.

Healing with Labyrinth will be held by BJ Stevenson, hosted by The Visionary Edge on Saturday August 11, 2008 at 7:30pm at the Johnson House Depot.  Advance tickets $15, door $20.  Call 650-560-0200.

The county Resource Conservation District has begun to search for the cause of high bacteria counts at Capistrano beach, reports Julia Scott in the County Times. The beach is known to be among the ten most polluted beaches in California in dry weather.

Some say it’s the seagulls, which roost and feed on the beaches and surrounding rivers that flow into the harbor. Others blame leaky sewer lines or urban runoff. Still others point a finger at the "live-aboard" vessels anchored in the outer harbor, which have no septic systems and dispose of their waste in onshore tanks.

The county will be in a position to answer those questions for the first time this month, since the State Water Resources Control Board recently approved a possible $845,000 research grant for a project proposed by the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District.

The district must still negotiate a contract, pending approval by its board of directors. But by August or September, environmental officials will be able to begin the three-year process of understanding why Capistrano Beach contains more E. coli and other fecal coliforms than they can even test for — and where they are coming from

Supervisor Rich Gordon will be holding Coastside office hours on Thursday, August 9 from 10 am until noon at the Sheriff’s substation in Moss Beach.  These hours will provide the opportunity for Coastsiders to meet and discuss their concerns with Supervisor Gordon and his staff.  No appointments will be necessary.

Grammy winner, Bassist Christian McBride leads the propulsive Christian McBride Band with saxophonist Ron Blake, keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully. Their mastery of composition, and arranging, coupled with their flair for improvisation and spontaneous creation, make them possibly the most seasoned and adaptable musicians in the art. Listen to Christian McBride at his website.