Voice of the Coast

When it comes to choices on the ballot, this year’s ballot offers some clear choices. This season we find two philosophies, one roughly “get everything you can out of big development”, the other “find what’s best for the community based on what’s good about living here”. In this and subsequent issues, we will introduce the candidates, their philosophies, and their track records.

We believe that the community benefits when the guiding philosophy strives to make development decisions based on the values that make the Coastside the wonderful place it is to live, raise a family, work, play, and relax.

We urge you to learn about the candidates and then get out and vote! Voice of the Coast’s picks for the community-values candidates are:

Half Moon Bay City Council
Jim Grady
Steve Skinner
Mike Ferreira

Yes on Measure O

Yes on Measure P

Coastside County Water (CCWD)
Jim Marsh

Montara Water & Sanitary (MWSD)
Jim Harvey
Bob Ptacek
Paul Perkovic

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 05:07 PM | Permalink

THANK YOU for reading. Seriously. Stay with us, and we’ll make it worth your time.

Thirty-three years ago, our namesake publication promised a paper “that would be newsworthy, fun to read, dedicated to the protection and conservation of the Coastside way of life, and put together by local volunteers.”

“We feel,” they wrote, “that a better informed neighbor will make better decisions on the issues that affect the quality of life here .”

In its 1972 pre-election issue, our predecessor dedicated its front page to a strong endorsement of Proposition 20, the California Coastal Initiative.

“The controversy over Proposition 20 is a symptom of a much greater conflict in our state and nation. The conflict arises from trying to decide if we should consume our resources now, for whatever gain we may presently reap, or if we should conserve our resources in the hope that planning and new knowledge can help us to use those resources better in the future. The problem is essentially a choice between spending and investing.”

Proposition 20 passed by a wide margin, eventually evolving into the Coastal Act, but the conflict between development and conservation is still with us.

The new Voice of the Coast is published by the San Mateo League for Coastside Protection. The League was founded in 2001 to “defend the coast by supporting those who uphold the spirit and substance of the California Coastal Act.” Through this newspaper, we invite you to join the defense.

Read three 1972 issues of The Voice of the Coast at Coastsider.com.

Voice of the Coast welcomes your feedback at .

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 05:07 PM | Permalink

Everyone who runs for City Council has Half Moon Bay’s best interests at heart. The problem is that different people have different ideas about what is best for Half Moon Bay.

In the upcoming November election, there are six Council candidates for three seats. And we at the League for Coastside Protection feel that there are striking differences between the candidates.

There are two distinct visions, two different philosophies, for doing what is best for Half Moon Bay. One of those philosophies is to make Half Moon Bay grow quickly — expand its infrastructure, and encourage large developers to build.

The other philosophy, the vision shared by the League and three Council candidates, is to help Half Moon Bay grow while maintaining its special character — its beauty, and its farming, fishing, small-town character.

The three candidates who share this vision are Mike Ferreira, Jim Grady and Steve Skinner.

This election is a vital one. It will decide where Half Moon Bay will head in the next decade, and how fast it will get there.

One philosophy toward growth is to court developers, to encourage large developments in town, so that those developers will provide essential services to the city of Half Moon Bay.

But we believe that the growth of Half Moon Bay should be decided by what makes the most sense for the town — not decided by what snazzy deal can be cut with developers. You don’t get something for nothing, and the cost of large developments is in the huge number of cars on the highway, the higher cost of more children in the school district, the cost of providing services like sewer and water and roads to all of those new people.

Half Moon Bay has the highest rate of growth in San Mateo County in the past 10 years. That huge increase in development was one of the reasons that residents here voted in the current Council, which has diligently worked to undo the damage of all of those approvals of all of those large residential home subdivisions.

That high rate of growth also prompted the citizens of Half Moon Bay to pass two growth measures, the first limiting residential growth to 3 percent (Measure A) and the second limiting residential growth even more, to 1 percent (Measure D).

However, right before the first election, the one for Measure A, the City Council approved the building of 560 homes.

At one point, the 217-home Wavecrest subdivision was going to actually have 750 homes. At one point, the 63-home Pacific Ridge subdivision was set at 213 homes. There’s the 50 homes of the Carter Hill subdivision, the 85 homes of the Beechwood subdivision. All of these tracts of homes were approved by previous Councils, and the current Council has been working to make those numbers more manageable – more in keeping with the slower growth demanded by Half Moon Bay voters.

Think about it: Half Moon Bay has had the highest rate of growth in San Mateo County in the past 10 years — and that’s not counting all of those homes that were approved 10 years ago and not yet built.

That “highest rate of growth” we’ve had in the past decade doesn’t include Wavecrest, or Pacific Ridge, or Carter Hill, or Beechwood.

Think where we’d be as a town right now if, on top of that highest rate of growth, we also had all of those homes that were initially approved, if we had those 560 homes passed right before Measure A, if we also had 750 homes at Wavecrest, as originally planned.

That’s more than 1,300 new homes. Line up the cars from those 1,300 homes and you get about seven miles worth of cars. And those 1,300 homes — that’s on top of what is already the highest growth rate in the county.

And that’s one vision of Half Moon Bay. It’s just not our vision.

We at the League for Coastside Protection would like to urge you to vote to re-elect Mayor Jim Grady and City Council member Mike Ferreira, and to elect Steve Skinner.

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Half Moon Bay Review’s recent story about a fizzled city council candidacy is a good example of why many observant Coastsiders have concluded that they can’t trust the paper.

On August 24, the Review dedicated the top of page 3A to a story about Peter Bodnar’s failure to file as a candidate for the Half Moon Bay City Council. The article’s author is Clay Lambert, managing editor of the Review.

A week later, the Review printed a letter from Half Moon Bay City Manager Debra Ryan refuting Lambert’s article and correcting Lambert’s false assertion that Half Moon Bay Mayor Jim Grady had not returned his calls.

In a note appended to Ryan’s letter, the Review concedes her point.

Editor’s note: The mayor did return a call for comment on the Bodnar story and that conversation is accurately reflected in the above letter. The Review should not have reported otherwise.

In the same issue, a “Correction” appeared.

Due to a reporting error, an article in the Aug. 24 edition stated that Half Moon Bay Mayor Jim Grady did not return a call seeking comment on Peter Bodnar’s aborted City Council candidacy. Grady did in fact speak to a reporter for the story and said city policy would have allowed Bodnar to run even as he remained a city employee. Bodnar would, however, have to resign or retire prior to taking office.

But the Review didn’t correct one assertion that took up half the article: Bodnar’s suggestion that unnamed “city officials” had sabotaged his nonexistent application and his candidacy:

Whether you blame [Bodnar], city officials or the faceless court system for that fact [the absence of Bodnar’s name on the November ballot] depends on your point of view.

[and later in the story]

Bodnar wonders whether someone in City Hall -- either seeking retribution for the bad publicity his case caused or simply to keep competition out of the race for City Council -- purposely delayed his court hearing to make his candidacy all but impossible.

“I was told that I could run but as soon as I pulled papers everything started to slow down,” he said. “The case has been moving sideways ever since.”

The suggestion is clear: Jim Grady and Mike Ferreira (the only council members running for reelection and the only council members mentioned by the Review’s article) are conspiring to keep Bodnar off the November ballot.

Never mind that, as Ferreira points out elsewhere in the article, another opposition candidate would only benefit the incumbents. Never mind that the city’s insurance carrier is responsible for appealing Bodnar’s case. Never mind that Bodnar isn’t prevented from running for city council, regardless of the state of his case.

This is not the only time that the Review has used innuendo and unsupported assertions to tarnish the reputations of City Council members. The Review has suggested, but never proven, that the city paid too much for its new park. The Review has implied falsely that Grady and Ferreira autocratically shortened the time for the public to comment at city council meetings. The Review insinuates that a city council member participated in an improper fundraiser, and goes on to admit in the same breath that he did nothing wrong.

And now, the Review says Grady didn’t respond to calls from the Review – except that he did respond. It insinuates that Grady and Ferreira prevented Bodnar from running for city council – except that he was always free to run.

Lambert’s 74-word correction, itself a rare exception to the Review’s usual stonewalling, does little to reverse the initial impression given by prominently placed falsehoods. Last May, by contrast, Lambert dedicated an entire 400-word column to correcting a photo caption in which he had misidentified a flag – and offers his “most humble apologies” to boot.

It’s difficult for public figures to prove they were libeled. It requires proof of “actual malice”: the knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth or falsity. The Review’s treatment of Jim Grady looks like actual malice to us. Knowing that Grady had refuted several of the article’s false claims, Lambert not only ignored the refutation, but claimed, in print, that Grady had not even called.

Why would he do that? Could it be that an election is coming up?

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 05:01 PM | Permalink

Editor:

I have regularly attended the Point Montara Fire Protection District Board (PTM) meetings since 1996. I support consolidation and I support Vince Williams for PTM director. Here is why.

One of the key questions in the election of directors of PTM this November is whether consolidation with Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District (HLF) will be achieved. All of the sitting board members first voted against, and then lster for consolidation. Their vote for consolidation came only after citizens petitioned the San Mateo County Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCo) to do a review of fire service on the coastside.

LAFCo issued a report calling for consolidation as the best choice. Until the report was issued, PTM was going full steam ahead in an attempt to staff an independent fire department. The prevailing view of experts in fire service is that small districts our size cannot afford to be independent given the requirements for training and certification required for today’s firemen and paramedics.

With two of the three members of the board up for reelection, the residents of Moss Beach and Montara have the choice of reelecting incumbents or voting in new directors who may be more representative of the community. There are two seats up with two incumbents and two challengers running.

Voters should give careful consideration to the interests represented by the candidates before casting their vote this November.

Ed Carter
Montara

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 05:00 PM | Permalink

Editor:

I’ve taken a little time to research data from The Trust for Public Lands for the year 2000 -- and it reveals something very interesting about the city of Half Moon Bay versus other communities around the United States. In low density cities elsewhere across the nation, there are an average of 15.8 acres of Park/Open Space per thousand residents. By contrast, Half Moon Bay currently averages around two acres per thousand residents.

Just to meet the average, our community should acquire an additional 200 acres of Park/Open Space.

For years and years our city leaders have failed to secure the purchase of such lands. Now that we finally have City Council members actively, effectively pursuing the purchase of 22 acres of parkland (the Nurserymen’s Exchange parcel on Highway 92) and another parcel (in the Oak Avenue neighborhood adjacent to Pilarcitos Creek), it’s mind-boggling to see the council excoriated by a former city council member who is running for re-election this November and the Half Moon Bay Review.

One has to wonder why this is so. We need parks. Our current elected officials are actively acquiring parks. You’d think everyone in this community would be jumping for joy. Go figure.

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:59 PM | Permalink

Students visit Cunha to get class assignments.

Victoria Ortiz

Victoria is an eighth-grade student at Cunha

Yes, it’s that time of year again: back to school. The only thing more fun than actually going back to school, is finding out which teachers you have, and what classes. Today, many students entering the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes got their schedules at Cunha Middle School. Things are a little different this year though, so surprises are not just for 6th graders anymore. Cunha is getting new teachers, old ones are leaving, new classes will begin, and some will stop.

I spent the morning interviewing teachers, parents, students, and one pesky gopher, and here’s what you need to know:

Vice principal Mr. Nazar

Q: Will there be anything different about Cunha this year?

A: Yes. The new 6th graders at school will be going through a skills study program for the first few weeks of school. We’ve created this program to help new students transition to the culture and expectations of middle school. The program will last for the first 3 weeks of school and will include study skills, using schoolloop (http://www.cunha.schoolloop.com) and one-on-one meetings with teachers, staff and counselors. We are very excited about this new program and I’m looking forward to meeting all our new 6th graders. (For a more detailed list of topics that will be covered in the study skills program, click the “read more” link at the bottom of this story and see the end of this story.)

Q: What did you do over the summer?

A: My family went to a lot of softball games with my daughter. Her team qualified for regionals in Las Vegas, and then went on to the nationals in Washington. It was all very exciting.

Student counselor Ms. Weber

Q: What are you looking forward to about this year?

A: I am mostly looking forward to meeting the new 6th graders and seeing old faces. Also, I am looking forward to meeting the new teachers. One of the things I like about working at Cunha is that all the teachers and staff are very close. This year we had to say goodbye to Mr. Tretner, Ms. Phillips, Mrs. Zabo and Mr. Pittenger, however, we are all excited about the new teachers and look forward to working with them this year. They are:

Raj Bechar: 6th grade math, algebra 1-A, and sheltered math.

Craig Bryant: Band

Carlos Iraheta: Special Education

Ken Murray: 6th and 7th grade science

Gerald Schwartz: 6th & 8th grade science.

Q: Will there be any changes at Cunha this year?

A: Yes. One change will be to the English immersion program. In the past ESL (English as a second language) students had two classes daily, a morning before school class and then an afternoon reading/language arts period. Nearly 40% of Cunha’s students speak Spanish, so this year, they will continue the before school class and then integrate with the rest of the school body during the day.

Core and Drama teacher Mr. Ward

Q: Are there any new things that you are excited about at Cunha?

A: Well, I’ll be very happy to see everyone back from last year, and it’s always great meeting the new students. As for changes, for the first time, wheel is replacing Spanish with a class in Music Appreciation, which everyone is very excited about. (Mr. Ward also talked about the new Study Skills class as did Mr. Nasar and Mrs. Weber. All the teachers seem excited about this new introduction for the 6th graders.)

Students

I also got to talk to a couple of the students who are going to start at Cunha in a couple of days. I asked them all if they were happy with their schedule and who is their favorite teacher. Here are some of their replies:

Laura Acton, 7th grader, “I really like my schedule this year, and my favorite teacher is Mr. Ward. I had a great time this summer hanging out with my friends and surfing.

Liana Felde, 7th grader: “Overall, I like my schedule, but if I could change one thing, I wouldn’t want P.E first period. Its too cold in the morning and usually by afternoon the sun is out.”

Ethan and Scott, 7th graders: Ethan said, “My schedule is o.k., but if I could change something I would want Mr. Kastelic for science.” Scott added, “I would want to trade my classes so I could have home ec with Mrs. Cresson instead of art.

Alyssa Bretz and Eric Barton, 8th graders – Both Alyssa and Eric said they would change all their classes to they could be together. Right now, they don’t have any together! Alyssa’s favorite teacher is Mr. Morris and Eric’s is Mr. Schwartz.

Parents

What would back to school be without parents? We were able to catch Trish McGrath (Eric’s mom) on her way to pick up her kids and get her take on back to school. “I’m happy that Ethan is going to Cunha and he is very excited to be going back. We’re lucky to have such great teachers here, and to have a number of after school activities at the school and in the community.” I asked Mrs. McGrath her opinion about where the new middle school should be located; at Wavecrest or by the High School. Her answer was the same as 4 other parents I spoke to. “Rather than building a new school, the funds should be used to re-furbish Cunha. Wavecrest is too far away and would be a traffic nightmare. The high school location would not be much better. I feel safe and comfortable with the Cunha location and like the fact that the library and other after school activities are nearby. Our dentist is here in town, and the kids have a number of places they can go and still be safe. I like the fact that we are a close knit community, and having the middle school as part of that community is the right choice in my opinion.” I couldn’t agree more! Most of the kids I know love Cunha the way it is, but that’s another article for later.

Gophers

And in closing, I got an – up close look at “little Jimmy” the school Gopher! As you’ll see from the many holes all around the school, Jimmy and his friends have had a busy summer. Hopefully, we will only use the track for running from now on.

So there you go. Everyone is clearly excited about going back and being with friends. Having a fresh start is always a good thing, and to have it once a year is even better. New teachers, new students, and new classes. It’s a whole new year to look forward to.

Study Skills Topics

Day 1: Mechanics of Cunha – Campus layout, The Cub Agenda, Rules, expectations, questions and concerns.

Day 2: Getting organized at home – backpack, binder, home study area, Preparing and finishing homework

At school – During class guidelines, using cub agenda, Homework club, Elli club, boys & girls club, library

Day 3: School loop – Logging students on, parent information, how to contact teachers, how to use the loop

Day 4: How to memorize – RCRC (Read, Cover, Recite, Check) method, how to memorize lists, test preparation and use of acronyms

Day 5: Taking Notes – in class and at home during study preparation

Day six: Test Taking Strategies – short answer 6, multiple choice tests, true-false tests, essay tests

Day 7: Pictographs – How to read them, comparing information, types of charts: bar, pie, and line graphs

Day 8: Journal set up – Use for study skills and beyond, quick writes on daily topics

Day 9: Reading Direction – in text books, on assignments, on test

Days 10 – 15 Presenter Days and continuation of lesions to include:

Administrators and Staff – Principal, Assistant Principal, Office & Support staff, Job descriptions/personal connections ` Counselors – Introductions, issues they handle

Sexual Harassment and Conflict Resolution – presentation by district staff, student conflict resolution presentation

For more pictures and back to school links, see the story online at Coastsider.com.

Reprinted by permission from

Coastsider.com

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:58 PM | Permalink

Half Moon Bay’s new park may be the most positive and forward-thinking act of any council in the town’s history.

The City Council managed to secure the only piece of land where a park could be developed within walking distance of downtown, got it for a bargain price, and was able to borrow the money interest-free. The planning process has been a model of openness and public participation.

Generations from now, when our grandchildren are enjoying our beautiful, convenient, creekside park, no one will remember the controversy cooked up by the City Council’s opponents to secure a political advantage.

On September 15, 2004, the Half Moon Bay Review broke the news that the Half Moon Bay City Council was planning to buy 22 acres for a park within walking distance from downtown.

The Council voted to buy the land at its August 22 meeting. Nearly everyone – even Cypress Cove residents concerned about the impact on their neighborhood – spoke hopefully about the plan.

With the exception of perhaps one Cypress Cove resident, only two voices spoke out against the decision: city council member Marina Fraser and former city council member Naomi Patridge (Fraser’s mentor and campaign manager). Suddenly, the otherwise boosterish Half Moon Bay Review, which a week before had cheered this achievement, attacked the decision like a ravenous weasel.

The Review echoed Fraser’s concern about wetlands on the property, despite the fact that the city’s due diligence (and subsequent events) showed the land could not be any drier. They suggested that the Council violated the open meetings law -- until they couldn’t find a witness to corroborate their account of the meeting. And they implied that the citizen response was negative, although the videotape of the meeting shows otherwise.

What happened in the week between the announcement and the vote? The only thing that changed was that Naomi Patridge and her ally Marina Fraser said they opposed the park and the Review snapped to attention.

Nothing important happens without opposition. The residents of Cypress Cove have a legitimate interest in making sure the park is a good neighbor. But much of the opposition reveals just how obstructionist the pro-developer interests can be when they choose to be.

The community has a unique opportunity to create a park that is large, integrated with the environment, within walking distance of downtown, and the center of multiple community activities. But instead of working with the city council to overcome obstacles and make this dream a reality, the opposition has cooked up a series of phony challenges.

The city got a deal on the property. The Review has implied, but never demonstrated, that the city paid too much. As evidence they point to an incomplete valuation that did not take into account the roads and buildings and irrigation infrastructure, let alone its ideal location. The truth is that the city bought its ideal park site at a great price.

Location, location, location. Because it’s within walking and bicycling distance of downtown, the new park should help increase business for downtown merchants and reduce future sprawl by concentrating the community’s center on downtown. Much of it is flat. It’s bordered by a beautiful creek that is the site of a community trail.

The park planning process is a model of openness. People from all parts of the community are involved, including children’s’ play structure advocates, garden lovers, Cypress Cove homeowners, sports field advocates, horseshoe enthusiasts, and more. The plans that have been presented by the designers meet the needs nearly everyone. While a now-deceased park director had drafted preliminary plan for a grant proposal that showed more sports fields than anyone wanted, the planning process demonstrated that it was never intended as a serious proposal.

The environmental issues with the park site are minimal and addressable. With the exception of the creek that borders the property, and the irrigation pond, the land is dry and contains no habitat. Protected red-legged frogs breed in the pond, but shouldn’t be a problem as long as they are able to migrate to and from the pond.

Traffic is manageable. The plan is to allow cars to enter the park from the eastbound right lane of widened Highway 92 and exit turning right onto 92, or on the south end near Cypress Cove. The object is to keep the traffic flowing and minimize the impact on Cypress Cove. Part of the Highway 92 widening project involves adding a center lane on northbound Main Street to 92, which will improve circulation for Stone Pine and all of downtown.

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:56 PM | Permalink

Do you ever stop and think about what you like about Half Moon Bay? Can you easily verbalize it? Does it have anything to do with the mix of open vistas and rural character situated near convenient urban amenities? Do you like this mix enough to want to preserve it for the foreseeable future?

Growth Limits

Things change over time, but residents have increasingly voted to slow down the rate of change, first with Measure A and a 3% annual growth limit, then Measure D in 1999 with a 1% annual limit. The majority on the current council is in tune with the 64% of voters who voted for Measure D.

What does this mean in practice? First it means commitment to adhering to the present Local Coastal Program (LCP) while the council completes its update begun seven years ago. Integrating Measure D into the LCP has proven to be a time-consuming and controversial process requiring hundreds of hours of work and numerous public meetings.

Loyal Opposition?

Old guard politicians, real estate interests, property rights advocates (“I have the right to do anything I want to my property, without regard to community standards”), large scale developers, and Main Street businesses desiring faster economic growth oppose the council and their work on the LCP. Raising countless objections, the net effect is to obstruct the process.

Half Moon Bay’s main media outlet, the Half Moon Bay Review. has waged a clever-yet-undeclared war, with some success. Over the past year, the Review has used its ink to tar the council in a variety of ways, both in its editorials, and in the way it chooses and slants its news coverage.

So what has this council accomplished that earns it the dedicated partisan attack by the Review and its cohorts?

Why the LCP is important

The near completion of the LCP update frightens opponents the most because it diminishes the ability of large-scale developments to control the machinery of growth. Measure D ties infrastructure to specific project approval. Large projects are limited to 50% of available building permits, allowing individual builders to complete their projects. The community can pick and choose the projects that fit the community’s vision and character.

The council passed an under-reported campaign finance law in July. Proposed by Mayor Jim Grady and voted for by everyone except Marina Fraser (Naomi Patridge spoke against it as well), the idea is to lower the potential influence of big money on our elections. Opponents accused Grady, Ferreira and Taylor of self-interest in passing this in an election year, which was an odd criticism since incumbents historically raise more money than challengers.

Who Needs Parks?

Half Moon Bay (and the rest of the Coastside) sorely lack enough parks. Past politicians (notably Naomi Patridge) allowed major developments while negotiating few infrastructure improvements. Consistent with the values of the current council majority, parks are now a priority. For example, the current council acquired and developed the Oak Street Park and secured grants that cover almost $500,000 of the total $600,000 price tag.

Last fall the council achieved a major goal by buying 22 acres near downtown for a community park. (Marina Fraser opposed the purchase.) Nurserymen’s Exchange sold the land for $3.1 million, about $141,000 per acre, coming in at $1.5 million under the appraised value. Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) both acted as broker and provided an interest-free loan for three years (a $400,000 savings at current interest rates).

The Review lost no time in accusing the city of stealth dealings, which has become its central theme for trying to eliminate the council members they don’t like this November.

Federal and state agencies are sanctioning the development plan so far, even with frog habitat in the irrigation pond. Final design before the environmental review process commences is due in November.

Council Momentum

The city council, under the leadership of Mayor Jim Grady and Mike Ferreira, have a head of steam, and are hard at work tackling a wide range of problems. Here is a short-but-representative list of things they’ve done in four short years:

• The council has begun the under-funded and over-designed Highway 92/Main Street improvement project they inherited and which was stalled for ten years.

• For the first time, Half Moon Bay’s streets and potholes are being systematically repaved.

• A stunning new bridge crosses Pilarcitos and links the Strawflower Shopping Center with the adjacent neighborhood. No longer do neighbors face two bad choices – walk out alongside the highway to go shopping, or cross the stream. They can now walk safely and easily across a well-constructed, safe bridge.

• The Coastal Trail now extends near Poplar, and a new trail bridge was added at Seymour.

• New stoplights now protect the public at Ruisseau Français and Miramontes Point Road.

• After Cunha’s general store burned, the council fast-tracked the project and helped Bev Ashcraft get it built in a year.

• The council helped four local families find a cost-effective solution for their failed wells.

• Secured the Railroad Right of Way from Poplar to Kelly as permanent open space.

• A pedestrian safety trail is currently underway and will run alongside the full length of Highway 1, inside the city limits.

These are the kinds of things that demonstrate that this council is serious in their efforts to preserve the look and feel of the town we all love.

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:54 PM | Permalink

Half Moon Bay

Community United Methodist Church
777 Miramontes St
726-4621

Our Lady of The Pillar Church
540 Kelly St
726-4674

Coastside Lutheran Church
900 Cabrillo Hwy N
726-9293

Coastside Baptist Church
555 Seymour St
726-2013

Jehovah’s Witnesses
611 Magnolia St
726-6129

New Life Christian Center
40 Cabrillo Hwy N
726-4822

Mariner’s Community Church
225 Cabrillo Hwy S Ste 104B726-5959

Montara

San Raphael Ministries
1502 Spinnaker Ln
726-2114
Montara
Greenhouse
1409 Main, Montara
728-7285

Moss Beach

Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
475 California Ave
728-9960

Pacifica

Holy Cross Lutheran Church
1165 Seville Dr
359-2710

Light House Christian Fellowship
830 Rosita Rd
355-7605

Good Shepherd Catholic Church
901 Oceana Blvd
355-2593

St Peter’s Catholic Church
700 Oddstad Blvd
359-6313

St Edmund’s Episcopal
1500 Perez Dr
359-3364

True Jesus Church
610 Edgemar Ave
359-7183

Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
730 Sharp Park Rd
355-3540

Vista Del Mar Baptist Church
1125 Terra Nova Blvd
355-6404
St Andrew Presbyterian Church
1125 Terra Nova Blvd
359-2462

Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist Church
1031 Valencia Way
359-6951

Sea View Baptist Church
1450 Perez Dr
355-3443

Seventh Day Adventist Church
1500 Perez Dr
355-9724

Grace Bible Fellowship
1165 Seville Dr
359-3314

Bethany Baptist Church
1443 Adobe Dr
359-3244

Oceanview Church of Christ
223 Clarendon Rd
359-2184

Coastside Community Church
1030 Linda Mar Blvd
359-5227

Additions? Corrections? Please drop us a note at

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:53 PM | Permalink

What do all those letters mean?

It’s not an alphabet soup, really. Below are descriptions of some of the more-frequently used acronyms on the Coastside. Links for the agencies listed can be found at Coastsider.com.

LCP: Local Coastal Program. Every coastal community has one. On the Coastside, Half Moon Bay has one, and San Mateo County has one. Each contains laws for its area that flesh out the Coastal Act for the localities. An LCP guides land use, development, build-out, and other activities that impact the valuable resources of the coastal zone.

CCWD: Coastside County Water District. 5 elected board members. Serves water to Half Moon Bay, El Granada, and Princeton.

GSD: Granada Sanitary District. Handles sewer for El Granada, Princeton, and HMB from Frenchman’s Creek north. Member of SAM.

HMBCity of Half Moon Bay. 5 elected council members. Member of SAM.

MCC: Midcoast Community Council (aka Community Council). An advisory board of seven elected Midcoast community members. The board advises the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on matters of concern to the residents of the Midcoast.

Midcoast: The unincorporated area to the north of Half Moon Bay, up to and including Montara

MWSD: Montara Water & Sanitary District. 5 elected members of the board. Handles sewer, water, and trash for Montara and Moss Beach. Member of SAM.

SAM: Sewer Authority Mid-coastside. HMB, GSD, and MWSD teamed up to get wastewater to the plant in HMB and get it cleaned up. 6 members, 2 from each member agency. HMB gets 2 votes each, GSD and MWSD get 1 vote each.

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:52 PM | Permalink

If you can read, you can cook.

Rosemary Malvey

I come from a line of women who prepared meals. For years my lame joke was, “I don’t cook, I’m Irish.”

Living in a city on the East Coast, where fresh fruits and vegetables were available for only a few months, my mother fed a large family in a similar way each evening – meat, a starch and a canned vegetable. In the summer months a “salad” would be added - iceberg lettuce, a “Jersey” tomato and some cucumber. It didn’t inspire my mother when my father would frequently proclaim at the dinner table, “I don’t live to eat. I only eat to live.”

With my own family (three kids and a spouse), I mimicked my mother for years. Driven by finicky appetites along with work, school and activity schedules, I chose food for speed and acceptability so that the family would sit at the table together at least once each hectic day. Everyone was appreciative enough. The kids left the table full and developed healthily, but there was nothing exciting about the meals I served. It was just food.

With kids grown and gone and the luxury of more time, I have an appreciative eater in my (second) husband and the delights of Northern California produce. Voila, I’m becoming a cook. I find myself searching for unusual recipes with uncommon ingredients. I’ve dared to attempt dishes from different cultures and I’ve perfected a few “signature” items which have wowed family and friends. When I get raves I’m quick to let my audience know that I cook from cookbooks. My theory is, if you can read and you don’t mind making and cleaning up a mess, you too can cook.

I’ve fallen in love with fruits and vegetables--they suddenly seem sacred. It’s a pleasure slicing into a luscious vegetable, then holding it up to the light to carefully examine the color, texture and arrangement of the inside. Each one is beautifully and uniquely different. Why had I never noticed this exquisiteness before? Too young and busy I suppose. What I “discover” pleases me to no end. Last Sunday, while cooking a pair of eggplant dishes, the first eggplant I sliced into revealed two perfect side-by-side seed “hearts.” I blinked, gawked and laughed out loud, then searched in vain for more hearts with each succeeding slice of the purple beauties.

I offer you a recipe from my favorite cookbook – The Flavor-Principle Cookbook. Published in 1973 but now out of print (and seemingly a collector’s item), the author Elizabeth Rozin, created an interesting, easy-to-use book that presents dishes from around the world. She categorized them based on combinations of ingredients (principles) that make them uniquely representative of their geographical region. Not only was my first attempt a success, the book has enabled me (me!) to cook Greek, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Indian dishes with no big fuss. I hope you and the people at your table enjoy this wonderful dish. It appears verbatim from the cookbook, followed by my notes from having cooked it a number of times.

Middle Eastern Stuffed Chicken

(Honey – Nut + Tomato + Cinnamon-Lemon)

This is a particularly successful combination, the skin of the chicken richly glazed with honey and sesame seeds, the stuffing fragrant with cinnamon and fruit. The apricots are a characteristic Persian touch.

1. In a medium saucepan heat 2 tablespoons butter over moderate heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add bulgar and sauté, stirring, 5 minutes.

2. Add cinnamon, stock, tomato sauce, apricots, raisins, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour.

3. Wash chicken, then dry inside and out with paper towels.

4. In a small saucepan heat honey, 2 more tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat until butter melts.

5. Stuff chicken with the bulgar-fruit mixture. Place in roasting pan, then brush chicken thoroughly with the honey-butter mixture. Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven 1 hour and 15 minutes. Brush frequently with reserved honey-butter mixture while roasting.

6. After 1 hour, baste chicken for the last time with the honey-butter mixture and drippings from pan. Carefully sprinkle sesame seeds all over the surface of the chicken. Return to oven for 15 more minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Notes from the cook:

• You can buy bulgar (cracked whole grain that is cooked and dried) at Cunha’s, or in bulk at Whole Foods or Berkeley Bowl.

• I use Safeway’s no-salt-added canned chicken broth.

• After making the recipe “by the book” the first time, I never again stuffed a whole chicken. It was too difficult and messy to cut it apart for serving. I use chicken pieces and serve the bulgar-fruit mixture as a side dish directly from the saucepan it was cooked in on the range – the same great tastes with less mess and frustration.

• I use Trader Joe’s Blenheim Variety Unsulfured Apricots, but first pour boiling water over them and let them soften for five minutes or more before draining, blotting dry and then dicing. Much easier than attacking them dry..

• I use golden raisins.

• As cooked by me, this recipe has never served six. My eaters are real eaters. It more likely serves four as written.

To all of you seasoned and accomplished cooks who may think my observations are of the “duh, of course” variety, thanks for allowing an old (but enthusiastic) novice to share some tricks I learned through trial and error – just in case there are others like me who are coming to the joy of cooking at a later time in life. Happy cooking and enjoy the eating as well!

Posted by Voice of the Coast at 04:49 PM | Permalink