Daily Journal:  HMB’s political naiveté sank AB650

The San Mateo Daily Journal editorializes that the city of Half Moon Bay blew its chances of getting a bailout from the state by acting like it didn’t need the money.

With the state’s attention on its own budget deficit, the bill faced an uphill fight — but it was one Hill was willing to wage. However, that fight came abruptly to an end when the council made cuts and elevated its bond rating and voted to move forward with issuing its own bonds to ensure it could meet a Aug. 29 deadline or face interest penalties in case the state legislation failed. The vote to give Dolder his raise was the nail in the legislative coffin as Republicans in the Legislature got hold of the news — giving the bill its highest negative attention. Hill saw the writing on the wall and decided to cut his losses this week while expressing disappointment the city made the decisions it did. ...

Self reliance is a virtue, and the city should make every step necessary and available to solve its own problems. But acting like a political novice is now requiring them to.

What the Journal misses is that the city wasted the entire 2008 legislative session on the cynical and hopeless AB1991.