Comments by Steve Katz

Opinion: SamTrans sneaks bus route onto Montara neighborhood streets

July 06, 2007
I guess I'm more of a "Please In My Backyard" person when it comes to this topic. I'm thrilled to have a local bus route to supplement 294. When a stop went up just down the street from us, I couldn't believe my luck. Then I come to find out that some of my neighbors complained, so I won't be having a convenient stop nearby. I'm not pleased. I'm thinking of offering up my front yard to Sam Trans if they want to make it a stop. To be fair, I didn't get a postcard either. But I put the blame on the…

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

November 08, 2006
Mary - I don't know. I guess the fact that I've never had anything but nice experiences with poll workers was what motivated me to comment. I do not think they're uncaring or silly at all, which was why I was a little taken aback. My reasons amounted to, not a soapbox commentary, but really only one or two sentences saying that I didn't at all trust the electronic machines. I don't believe that what I said warranted the response I got, but I admit I do feel strongly about the issue. With that in…

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

November 08, 2006
At our location, we were offered a choice of electronic or paper. Glad that I had a choice, I asked for a paper ballot. I also briefly stated my reasons for taking a paper ballot and got a snicker from one poll worker and an eye rolling from another. The one who snickered immediately offered me a voter registration card and explained how I can vote absentee next time - ostensibly to ensure he never had to see my face again. I guess they thought I was just another nutso Luddite not worthy of their…

Riemer, Wilson, Schreurs elected to CUSD; Pacifica’s Measure L defeated

November 08, 2006
This is great information, Barry. I would have had to sift through several links on other websites to get up-to-date information on these local issues (if it was there at all). With Coastsider.com it was right there on the home page. Related to Measure L, I saw two amusing things in Pacifica at Linda Mar Shopping Center yesterday. The first was an older gentleman out kickin' it "old school" in an effort to get out the "Yes on L" vote. He drove around in his truck in which he had covered every square…

Opinion: City Council to HMB kids: Drop dead

August 15, 2006
This is a fascinating issue. It's hard to know what to say, Mike. I agree that the City Council has come down awfully hard on you and your neighbors. I would think that a public meeting on the issue would have been a good place to start. As Sam said, simply putting the hoops away when not in use could have saved everyone a lot of time and anger. I notice in the picture that some of the hoops seem pretty close to cars. Sam also mentioned the one in his neighborhood that got blown down in the wind.…

Letter:  Why hasn’t anything been done about the evening commute?

July 16, 2006
Why does every discussion of Slide closure related traffic issues on Coastsider.com have to turn into a pie fight over the tunnel? The bypass versus tunnel issue remains completely irrelevent to the daily commute woes. I know when my car is sitting stock still at Crystal Springs it's the furthest thing from my mind. I fail to see how deliberately stirring up arguments with your community members and fellow long-suffering commuters will make anyone feel better about sitting in traffic for an hour…

SamTrans adding buses from Coastside to BART

June 02, 2006
I agree with the above. It really needs to run first to find out how effective the schedule will be. They need people to try it, and they need people to give feedback. I hope as many people try this as possible. I lived in San Jose during the 1989 earthquake. When the express bus between Santa Cruz and San Jose was added due to damage on 17, it was so popular it never left. If we make use of this bus now, perhaps SamTrans will see some opportunity to make it an ongoing route even after the slide…

Be civil

May 21, 2006
Thank you Barry. It's a shame you had to remind us of these points, but your message needed to be said. I've seen too many valuable websites go to the dogs for this very reason. I no longer bother with the comments sections of Salon.com or SFGate for example. Coastsider.com represents a great resource. When we discuss issues with respect for one another, we get far more out of the resulting information. When we attack one another personally, engage in too much sarcasm, or spend too many paragraphs…

Opinion: One step at a time

April 27, 2006
Ken, If you encountered Cindy in person, would you still use this same language to her face? I find that forums such as this on the Internet often make people more abrasive and confrontational than they would be in a normal human interaction. Coastsider.com represents a great alternative news source for those of us living here. We must recognize that value, and we must not let it go the way of other Internet forums. Many a valuable website falls victim to unproductive flame wars. I'm unclear how…