Comments by Barry Parr
July 21, 2010
I don't have a strong opinion on this. But, let's face it, convenience stores don't typically sell hard liquor to casual alcohol users. This is about catering to serious drinkers. How typical is it for *gas stations* to sell hard liquor? I don't know the answer to that. At the same time, there are currently only two locations in Montara and Moss Beach that sell packaged liquor right now. The county counsel's letter and attached application provided too little information for MCC to make any kind…
July 17, 2010
They seriously sued for defamation? I shocked he didn't countersue them for a SLAPP suit and attempting to abridge his first amendment rights.
Just to be clear, there's no question that at-large elections disenfranchise racial and other minorities. But you don't have to be racist to support at-large elections. There are plenty of other anti-democratic reasons for supporting them. There are may even be some ostensibly democratic reasons.
July 15, 2010
I'm deadly serious.
July 15, 2010
Donald: Clay Lambert's editorial is based on this news story on the Review's site: http://hmbreview.com/articles/2010/07/15/news/doc4c3df2a59c820112041595.txt It's an open secret that the Beautification Committee has been processing tons of money with zero public accountability since forever. It's unfortunate that the Review waited for the possibility of malfeasance before reaching the conclusion that this was a less than ideal way to handle large amounts of cash. It will be interesting to see how…
July 15, 2010
Jonathan makes a good point.
It's easy to say this is about power (it is), but it's also true that the Supervisors no doubt believe in their own sagacity.
I'm sure they believe that the system that created them does a better job of balancing the competing interests in a county as large and diverse as San Mateo than (say) actual democracy.
July 14, 2010
If there were district elections, I'm willing to predict that uncontested or virtually uncontested elections would be a thing of the past. I'm not willing to predict that hacks from the county Democratic machine would no longer win seats, but they probably would no longer be 100% of the board. The lawsuit is hardly shocking. At-large elections in diverse districts look like prima facie civil rights violations to me. 51% of the voters choose 100% of the board. Who are you suggesting paid for the lawsuit?
July 14, 2010
Rich Gordon voted for putting district elections on the ballot. The other four supervisors voted to retain the current system, by which they were elected.
July 05, 2010
Thanks for the note. I was on that trail with our dog just yesterday!
Sounds like it's a much bigger problem for puppies than adult dogs. Here's the link to the article cited above:
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/viral/c_dg_canine_parvovirus_infection
June 21, 2010
This is a short-term prescription, designed to cover the next year, which is what the county and city are asking for.
I have another piece discussing the short to medium term futre, which clearly goes beyond cable. I'm trying to stay focused, but I'll post that in the near future.
However, we're talking about $100,000 in taxpayer money that goes to MCTV every year. It's a not a great deal of money by government standards, but it's being spent with little or no accountability.
June 21, 2010
Matt: Looks like the city and county didn't get the message.
June 17, 2010
Cid, one wet year doesn't matter. The question is whether the system can survive a sustained drought.
We don't know when that will happen, but we know that it will happen.
We don't know if what will happen to the groundwater supply when it does happen. But the Phase II report said there was a risk of saltwater intrusion in some sub-areas of the Midcoast during a sustained drought.
June 11, 2010
Information about Hand Across the Sand in Montara can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133575966654083
June 09, 2010
2/3 is 66.67%
June 09, 2010
I agree that something has changed. There a has been a nearly 10-point increase in the vote -- in what looked like a demographically challenging election. It should be remembered that 2006's failed Measure S had a well-run and well-financed campaign, as well as broad public support. So, it wasn't just the outstanding efforts of the Measure E team that made the difference. The first difference is that the need is more dire than it was four years ago. The second difference is that the community is…
June 05, 2010
I could have used a big stick today in an encounter with a "friendly" 100 lb lab. The dog was sweet enough, but the owner had no control of their animal.
May 28, 2010
The problem, as I noted, is that the no-tax no-how crowd is going to turn out in big numbers this time around because they being heavily courted in staggeringly expensive TV campaigns. So they will be a lot more than 30% of the electorate this time around. Regarding scams: We're all sick and tired of watching music and art teachers lighting Cohibas with sawbucks and parking their Navigators in two parking spots at once. So, I understand why working stiffs like Carly, Meg, Steve, and Arnold stand…
May 27, 2010
Pat, thanks for posting this. This particularly initiative is astonishingly cynical and bold in its sheer dishonesty.
May 25, 2010
I received the following in an email from Dave Mandelkern. It sounds like his proposed policy is a lot more nuanced than a mandatory sale. My position on down-grades is somewhat misstated by the poster (perhaps based on erroneous reporting in other publications). My position is that the County Investment Policy needs to be strengthened in several ways. One of those is how we respond to downgrades on securities being held in the Pool portfolio. The current approved Investment Policy (January 2008)…
May 25, 2010
Let's open with the caveat that it has been a while since I took a finance class, and I'm not endorsing Dave Mandelkern on the basis of this policy. I've also asked Dave to reply in the comments here. In the case of a public agency, such a strict policy might be the safest course. At minimum, it seems like the correct default policy. Buying or keeping downgraded securities may make sense if you're able to hedge your risk, it's a small part of a diversified portfolio, and you're a very sophisticated…
May 21, 2010
Republicans are more likely to vote against any increase in taxes at any time for any reason.
I believe that all the Republican candidates in the Senate and Governor's primary would describe that as their policy, because they know they can't get nominated if they said otherwise. I'm not saying that all Republicans believe this, only most of them -- a larger percentage of them than of Democrats or Independents.
Page 6 of 48 pages ‹ First < 4 5 6 7 8 > Last ›
Facebook
Twitter
RSS