Comments by Hal Bogner
October 17, 2007
Thanks to Darin and to Coastsider for posting these, and to MCC and LVW for hosting and moderating the question and answer session. I attended the above event, and was impressed with many of the answers given. The five candidates in attendence all seemed knowledgeable and committed to their visions of the public's interest. Three of the candidates - Bert Silva, Ron Taborski and Jerry Donovan - are committed to following through with the contract to place HMBFPD under CalFire's management. I support…
July 31, 2007
Pedestrian bridges are a safe solution, as long as people will use them. I've heard view issues raised, but I've seen many pedestrian bridges and they don't seem to impact views as much as some people seem to imagine. (Just my opinion, from what I've seen, and I do like nice views.) Here's a grand idea: drop the stretch of Hwy 1 between Kelly and Filbert into a trench, and roof it over in between the two school properties. It would create expanded playing field areas, and it would enable those living…
June 02, 2007
A few years ago, I spent some time on a friend's 300-acre ranch, five miles outside of Cloverdale, in northern Sonoma County. Cloverdale is a town of similar size and age as Half Moon Bay; the population is a bit over 10,000, some tracts of homes have been added in recent decades, and pressure exists to increase this, just as it does here. One major difference exists, though: Cloverdale has parks, ball fields, a first-run four-screen movie theater, and a Boys and Girls Club - all the things that…
December 29, 2006
Actually, anyone who has Comcast's internet connection already has access to internet telephone service. Just go to www.vonage.com, and you will find unlimited phone service to US, Canada and parts of Europe for a flat fee of $25/month, plus an ordinary amount of tax. It's absolutely simple to set up (and they send you everything), and works like a charm, as long as the internet is working for you. Frankly, it's a wonder other companies such as Comcast and AT&T still have many telephone customers…
December 19, 2006
Mr. Olsen, I understand that the Boys and Girls Club does indeed operate here, and that plans are afoot to build north of 92, west of 1, on land now in possession of the B&G Club folks. Furthermore, I recall that this was orginally explored as a place for the Club to be built prior to switching to the Wavecrest development, where (along with the proposed new middle school), the kids were left high and dry for many years because the project did not conform to state requirements/law. I've heard two…
December 19, 2006
Hmmm. Sounds like time to update the zoning, as PUD isn't the proper zoning for ag land, as I recall. As someone who has followed the failures and refusals to cooperate of the "Wavecrest developers" for quite a few years, I am cheered by the apparent decision to abandon the project and turn the land to the purpose of productively raising crops. Perhaps someone with an understanding of whatever agreements existed between the developer and the City of HMB could explain the status of any existing development…
November 30, 2006
Mr. Hyman, You often make these smug and accusatory remarks, and when challenged, say things like "I guess I won't make a very good politician." It is equally possible that the guards are hired to keep people from photographing what is going on for use in future hearings by the Coastal Commission regarding whether any endangered or protected creatures were ploughed under; an inconvenient thing, and one which I understand happened in the past. And, as there is no history in our area of any violence…
November 18, 2006
Mr. Hyman, It's not right for you to blame the delays in the new middle school on anything other than (a) state law and (b) proponents who either didn't do their homework, or thought they could get approval in violation of state law. As a leading light of the real estate trade, you know better than most here what the laws are, and as your trade association spends more than almost any other special interest in gifting politicians with cash, so presumably you are working to change the law, as well…
November 08, 2006
On the electronic voting machines, one issue that I have not heard discussed is the lack of efficiency that results from the necessity of selecting and casting each vote, one at a time, while at the machine. A single person ties up one electronic voting machine for the entire time he or she spends "marking the ballot", and I am told that this was typically 10-15 minutes per voter at a pair of precincts where my wife served. Contrast that with the amount of time the optical scanning machine requires…
October 31, 2006
Mr. Ginna, Your suggestion that we return to talking about the candidates is an excellent one. I don't know if you attended the CUSD Candidates Forum last night, moderated by Kathee Tyson. I did. I commend watching it to anyone who wasn't there. Darin Boville was taping, so I assume we'll see it here on Coastsider.com, and perhaps MCTV will carry his recording, too. Based on what I heard said by each of the six candidates last night, the person we all should be questioning is CUSD President Jolanda…
October 30, 2006
Ms. Kreiger, Thanks for your clarification. I have two observations: 1. It sounds like the "no dogs allowed" policy is not enforced. You wrote: I believe that there is a sign at the access to the high school from Highland Ave. that clearly states, that no dogs are allowed. Yes there are dogs on the premises, but...." Selective enforcement - or just selective griping - isn't the answer, is it? 2. For anyone who is on the school board, you ought to expect that they will work within their board, and…
October 29, 2006
Mr. Hawkins and all who have written here: Thanks for the information and opinions you have all been presenting here. While there is plenty of potential for this discussion to become heated, it is at this point the most civil and the most comprehensively on-topic discussion of a serious civic matter I have seen in these forums. I'd like to summarize what I have heard on the main topic, and to make a few suggestions and offer a conclusion, too. Mr. Hawkins: you have stated quite clearly when your…
October 27, 2006
Mr. Hawkins, Thank you for your response. You address several difficult issues, but the main one remains unaddressed. You offer no solution. It's good to analyze the long string of events to try to determine what went wrong, but today, we are faced with the question "What can we do right?" Interim Chief Bonano wrote very clearly on the intractability and the developing urgency of the situation one and a half years ago, as reported here: Interim Fire Chief condemns deficiencies, recommends contracting…
October 27, 2006
I don't know which is more perplexing: Brian Ginna's fears that local people who support LCP also might turn out to support better education, or Bev France's apparent belief that supporting school sports is both more important than education and more important than following the law. I have met Pam Fisher and am impressed with her credentials and with her ability to contribute as a school board member. I don't see anyone saying "I am an educator - and here's why to keep her out." No one can contend…
October 27, 2006
Mr. Hawkins, I've been reading the papers and following this on Midcoast-L and here, and there is something that perhaps you can explain to me: For years now, local firefighters have been asserting mistreatment at the hands of management, and have been winning both lawsuits and settlements consistently. Clearly, there have been and presumably still are management problems. It appears that the local fire boards have exhausted themselves trying to "fix the management problem" and that outside "temporary"…
October 18, 2006
Mr. Ginna, I wish I could share your appreciation for the CCF folks, but what I've seen in writing is very different from what you describe. And I consider myself a fan of independent political thought here. I've involved myself in several different venues, with people and groups too-frequently characterized as being at odds with each other. And from having gotten to know Mr. King a bit, I doubt he has the fear you ascribe to him, too. I'll close with a little of my experience with CCF: The Ailanto…
October 09, 2006
Mr. Muteff, First, you ask for the weekday data. Barry has a link to the data for today on the right, marked "Live traffic charts." Second, you again try to revive your proposed "Foothill Bl. solution." Other than your fellow CCF'ers, no one seems to agree with you. My own understanding is this: a) The tiny bypass you propose does not look to me like it changes much of anything; it runs a tiny distance and dumps people right back onto Hwy 1, and adds a new bottleneck to Hwy 92. Even your natural…
September 24, 2006
Mr. Gossett,
I am curious, do you have a list of particulars to support your statement that you made (above) to Mr. McCarthy that "...you would see that many individuals may not have strictly followed the law, so that is why we are having this discourse."?
Your statement suggest that you have such a list, and it would advance the public interest if you would back your statement up by posting such information here.
Best,
Hal M. Bogner
Half Moon Bay
September 19, 2006
Thanks, Darin and Barry!
But I must ask...is it really true, that the City Attorney says he and his staff will do research on whether or not to charge a $200 fee on Jimmy Benjamin's appeal, at a cost that certainly must be more than $200 of billable time doing the research? Yuck.
-hal
September 19, 2006
Hi Don, Your exposition implying that various district boundaries and resultant tax allocations are in need of correction by LAFCo, and that LAFCo is aware and is empowered under state law to rectify the matter, suggests that either (a) LAFCO disagrees, (b) LAFCo isn't really aware, (c) LAFCo agrees but lacks the resources to address the issue, or (d) LAFCo doesn't care. Have you identified which of the above is actually the case? All too often, it seems, it takes a committed individual stepping…
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