Peninsula Politics

Millbrae School Board Eschews Political Selection

2009-02-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

Following the death of veteran Millbrae School District Trustee John Lynch and the unexpected resignation of Trustee Robert Miller two new appointees to the board were seated at the board’s Feb 2nd meeting.

Two candidates, D. Don Revelo and Jay Price, both parents of school children in the district, were selected from a field of five applicants.

But the most interesting applicant was among those not selected. Former teacher and parent Jeff Steinberg was among the five applicants. Steinberg, a Millbrae native, is a former Capuchino High School Teacher who is known for creating the Sojourn to the Past program.

According to its web site, Sojourn to the Past brings the historical Civil Rights movement to life for 11th and 12th grade students, to develop communication and advocacy skills that better enable them to promote awareness of social justice in their community, and create a more civil society where diversity is embraced, injustice is spoken out against, and all people are treated with dignity.

The program has garnered national attention and has become a Steinberg’s fulltime occupation. Beyond Steinberg’s success with an innovative educational program, Steinberg is also the brother of the second most powerful political in the State government in that of Darrell Steinberg, the President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, the mantle held previously by Oakland’s Don Pirate and San Francisco’s John Burton.

Apparently the Millbrae School Board was not intimidated by the fact that one of the candidates they denied a board seat was the brother of one of a handful of political leaders who has the power to determine the fate of public education in California in the near future.

Slocum Calls for All-Mail Ballot
San Mateo County’s Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum is publicly calling on the State Legislature to allow California counties to conduct elections by mail.

Slocum’s call for a mail-in ballot is due to the fact that a special May or June election is virtually assured and Slocum, like all elections officers in the state, is rightfully concerned about the cost of running yet another election.

Slocum writes in his blog:

To reduce the financial burden on the counties and/or the state, California could take a bold step forward and conduct the special election all by mail. Or lawmakers could allow counties that want to conduct the election by mail the legal authority to do so. This would not only save a huge sum of money in California but would possibly increase voter turnout. And around half the voters already vote by mail in regular elections.
This is not the first time that Slocum has advocated for mail-in elections, but in this context Slocum’s concerns are financial. The question remains if Slocum can convince local legislative representatives to carry such a bill.

Newsom to make Gubernatorial Campaign Foray into San Mateo County

2009-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Campaign staff for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom are reaching out to Democrats in San Mateo County promoting a scheduled Town Hall style meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 13 at 7 p.m. at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos.

According to campaign e-mails, Newsom will make brief remarks and then take questions from the audience.

Newsom is beginning his tour of local counties “as he contemplates a run for governor, he wants to hear from California voters about the issues that matter to them.”

Newsom will run to succeed termed out Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010. But first Newsom must win the June 2010 Democratic Primary Election which by all accounts will be a crowded affair.

California’s current Attorney General and former Governor Jerry Brown is already in campaign mode as is current California Lt. Governor John Garamendi.

Also rumored to be contemplating a run for Governor is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Newsom, who will also be termed out of office in 2011, has experienced numerous setbacks during his tenure as Mayor, most recently being used as the posterboy in advertisements supporting the same sex marriage ban, Proposition 8.

The blitz of Yes on 8 commercials seized on Newsom celebrating a May California Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage by shouting out in a sing-song voice: "This door is wide open now! It's going to happen – whether you like it or not!"

In 2007 Newsom also admitted to being a problem drinker, which first came to light after witnesses reported that he appeared to have been drinking late Dec. 22 in 2006 before arriving at San Francisco General Hospital, where a police officer had been taken after being mortally wounded.

Newsom also indicated that his difficulty with alcohol may have played a role in his very ill-advised affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, then the wife of his deputy chief of staff.

Despite his many personal foibles, Newsom is contemplating a run in a crowded Democratic field.

If local political watchers are very lucky, they may also see Newsom's favorite televison journalist, Dan Noyes of ABC 7, attend the event and try to get an interview with the Mayor.

According to campaign staff, Newsom’s appearance in San Carlos is free and open to the public, but the staff is asking for rsvps from attendees by going to conversation@gavinnewsom.com.

San Mateo to be Represented by Second Appointee

2008-12-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Following on the heels of the appointment of San Mateo City Councilwoman Carole Groom to the county board of supervisors, the San Mateo City Council will undertake its own appointment process to replace Groom.

Groom will vacate her council seat prior to the Board of Supervisors’ first meeting of the New Year on Jan. 6. The San Mateo city charter requires the council to appoint a new councilmember within 30 days after a council seat is vacated.

Applications for the vacant council seat are available on the City’s Web site. All applications are due Jan. 14 by 5 pm. The council will hold a public meeting to hear from candidates on Jan. 21 and will then make an appointment the following evening on Jan. 22.

Numerous potential candidates have already emerged, according to the Daily Journal including labor activist Rich Hedges, former council candidate Anne Arnold, Community Relations Commissioner David Lim, former planning commissioner and council candidate Karen Herrell, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Charlie Dreschler, former planning commissioner and council candidate Bertha Sanchez and planning commissioners Fred Hansson and Robert Gooyer.

The good odds are on Hedges getting the nod.

Hill’s Bills

Newly minted Assemblyman Jerry Hill has introduced his first solo piece of legislation, Assembly Bill 84, which would require that local elections officials establish a free access system by which a vote by mail voter may find out whether their ballot was counted and, if not, the reason why it was not counted.

The legislation is seemingly an extension of the emerging concern over voting security and citizen access to such information.

Hill, who has never been known publicly as an advocate for issues related to voting security, may run into some resistance.

The legislation requires local elections officials to spend what may be tens of thousands of dollars to set up such a ballot tracking system at a time when local governments are struggling financially. Such state-mandated programs are often fought by local governments as state reimbursement is often unreliable.

San Mateo County's own elections officer, Warren Slocum, the elected Assessor-Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County, also questioned the likelyhood of State reimbursement for Hill's legislative endeavor in Slocum's own blog asking "And the big question is, 'since this is a state mandated program, will Sacramento pick up the tab?'"

It is peculiar that Hill, who was recently a county official, would so quickly author legislation that would create such an economic burden for county governments. In the past, Hill blasted the State Legislature for taking money from local governments. In 2002, when Hill assumed the post of president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors he blasted the State for taking local money.

“Sacramento, if you're listening, Sacramento, if you ever listen. Listen now,” said Hill in his inaugural speech. “Don't continue to insult us, just give us our money back!!!”

It appears that Hill is no longer so passionate about local government finances.

A Government of Three People, by Three People and for Special Interests

2008-12-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

With the appoint of former San Mateo City Councilmember and now Supervisor Carole Groom to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the voices of democracy – those calling for an election rather than a coronation – have been silenced.

The Supervisors crowned their new colleague on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2008 over the objections of numerous organizations, many local elected officials, most of the county’s political editors in the press and even the lone voice of democracy on the board, Supervisor Rich Gordon.

During the board meeting Gordon asked his colleagues to embrace a democratic process.

“I am absolutely convinced that now is the time to clearly engage the citizens of this county in a discussion of the important issues we face,” Gordon said.

Gordon then made a motion to call for an election but the crickets could be heard all the way to San Francisco.

Gordon’s colleagues then appointed Groom in a vote so expected that it was predicted on this very blog over a year ago.

Groom’s appointment is the most conclusive evidence as of late that San Mateo County is indeed a political country club where membership is limited to those invited by special interests. Daily Journal editor Jon Mays blasted the board for failing to see that the bigger picture, that of a democratic process and the vetting of candidates through the electorate is a far better process and worth the price. “Indeed, looking at that big picture and not being influenced by the business and labor community is their job,” said Mays.

The response from the local editorial corps was swift. The Watchdog blog said that the Supervisors were “Thumbing their noses at democracy, elections, and all things we value as Americans.”

Examiner Columnist Bruce Balshone stated that “Now that the Supervisors have abandoned a democratic process and continued its tradition of machine politics, each supervisor may each individually pay a political price should they wish to continue their careers.”

It remains to be seen if the broad coalition that opposed this appointment will coalesce into a longer term response. Daily Journal columnist and former San Mateo City Councilwoman Sue Lempert theorized that a radical shift may occur in the near future catalyzed in part by the undemocratic actions of the Supervisors.

“The present system as it has evolved discourages those [candidates] who may not yet enjoy the support of the local labor and business establishment. But change is in the air. More people are voting. More people are interested in running for office, especially at the local level. New constituencies feel they are not adequately represented in top county posts. By the time there is the next round of supervisor elections in 2012, I would not be surprised if we were voting by district rather than countywide,” said Lempert.

Whatever the future holds for San Mateo County, one thing is clear: the present political system is broken and the smoked filled backrooms must soon see the light of day or San Mateo County will forever suffer the rule of an established oligarchy.

Local Editors Condemn Supervisor Appointment Process

2008-12-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

As part of a growing chorus of voices, the editorial pages of local newspapers are ablaze with sharp criticism for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors’ push to make an appointment to fill a vacancy on the board rather than calling for a special election.

The sharpest criticism by far has come from Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays who skewered the Supervisors for hiding behind the false rationale that a special election would be too costly for the county in an op-ed that ran on Thursday, Dec. 12. Mays criticizes the supervisors for trying to do an end run around democracy stating that a special election is the “…only way the board can avoid the perception that offices are not earned, just simply transferred by the powers that be.”

May’s criticism follows that of the Daily Post, which published an editorial the day prior urging “...the supervisors to put democracy ahead of cost concerns and call a special election to allow the people to pick Hill’s replacement.”

Previously, the Insider Column of the San Mateo County Times also editorialized in favor of a democratic process, if fir nothing else than to avoid the perception of a closed political machine operating in the county, “Not that the San Mateo County government has a reputation for being clubby and nontransparent — cough, cough — but the Insider agrees with local Democrats that holding an election to fill the seat of Assemblyman Hill, irrespective of the cost, would be the democratic thing to do.”

Bill Paul, a columnist for the Daily News and an early critic of the appointment process, stated: “When the argument for making an appointment is that the person selected could well be the same person who’d be elected, or that supervisors will definitely pick the most qualified, experienced, and smartest person, then we need to ask, why have a representative, republic form of government anyway?”

One of the major proponents of calling a special election in lieu of an undemocratic appointment process is Dave Pine, a San Mateo Union High School District Trustee and local activist. Pine penned an op-ed stating that:”Holding an election to fill the vacant supervisor seat would encourage a rigorous and thoughtful debate on county issues, allow the voters to choose who will represent them, and energize our local democracy. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the residents of San Mateo County.”

Despite the near universal call for an election, the Board of Supervisors has remained steadfast in its pursuit of installing the fifth member of the board rather than allowing voters to choose their representative.

Appointment Process Attracts Numerous Candidates

With eleven applicants with varying degrees of credibility vying for an appointment to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the process to replace Jerry Hill has become far more complicated than expected.

Following former Supervisor Hill’s ascendance to the State Assembly, it looked as if his chosen successor, San Mateo City Councilwoman Carol Groome, was all but anointed.

But in a few short weeks, what was expected by most political watchers in San Mateo County to be hand-off from one member of the county’s political machine to another, has turned into an all out scrum.

Firstly, the process by which the four remaining supervisors undertook to fill the vacancy on the board has drawn fire from a range of interests and local leaders including numerous local elected officials and organizations such as the county’s Democratic and Republican parties, The Sierra Club, three chapters of the League of Women Voters and the League for Coastside Protection.

Dec. 11 was the deadline for candidates interested in applying for the vacant seat and, as reported in the San Mateo County Times, 11 candidates have filed papers. On Dec. 15, the board of supervisors will interview the candidates and hear from supporters on the merits of each. The following day, the supervisors will issue a decision – if they are able to agree- and appoint a new San Mateo county Supervisor. But if the fab four deadlock, which is rumored to be a possibility, the county may have a special election after all.

These applicants include:

Daniel Duane Kaul, Belmont

David Dexter Frydenlund, Belmont

Richard Louis Silver, San Mateo

Linda A. Koelling, Foster City

Michael Stogner, Belmont

Carole Groom, San Mateo

David Bauer, Belmont

Rod Hsiao, Foster City

Karen Leong Clancy, Belmont

Marland Wesley Townsend, Foster City

Maureen Freschet, San Mateo

League of Women Voters Call for Special Election for Supervisor Seat

2008-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

The League of Women Voters of San Mateo County, the very paragons of good governance, issued a statement on Tuesday, December 9 to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors requesting that the board call a special election to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of former Supervisor and now Assemblyman Jerry Hill.

The Statement, delivered by Marie Baldisseri, the president of the League of Women Voters of North and Central San Mateo County, was a polite but stinging rebuke of the board’s effort to undertake an undemocratic appointment process in lieu of an election.

“The Leagues…have a position of support for procedures to ensure an open and responsive process of selecting supervisors in San Mateo County,” said Baldiserri. “We believe that an election is the best way to ensure that process. If appointed, the [next] supervisor would face the next election as an incumbent which is always a substantial advantage and which may discourage others from running.”

The board held a public hearing in order to gather input from members of the public regarding criteria for selecting a new member of the board. Instead, the board got an earful from opponents of an undemocratic selection process.

The Leagues’ (North, Central and South chapters) action on this matter was an unusual challenge to the county’s political machine but one that may end up tipping the scales away from an appointment process.

The Leagues join the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, the League for Coastside Protection and environmental activist Lennie Roberts who have all called for a special election. Prior to this most recent hearing, the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Republican Party leaders and several current and former local elected officials have protested the board’s actions and have called for a special election.

The remaining supervisors will hold another hearing on December 15 to hear from potential supervisor candidates seeking the board appointment and their supporters. The following day on December 16, the board will pick the next supervisor.

If the board is somehow unable to come to an agreement, the board can still call an election or perhaps appoint a caretaker candidate who will not seek election in June of 2010.

Public Invited to Shape Criteria for Supervisor Pick

2008-12-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

Members of the public are invited to provide input to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on possible criteria for the board to select a new member to replace former supervisor and now Assembymember Jerry Hill who resigned his board seat on November 30 with two years left in his term.

The remaining supervisors have adopted a plan to select Hill’s replacement at a hearing on December 16. As part of the selection process, the Supervisors are inviting members of the public to attend a hearing on Dec. 11 to help the supervisors shape the criteria for their selection process, according to an article in the Daily Journal.

The criteria will include but isn’t limited to “the qualities and experience that are appropriate for the position,” County Counsel Mike Murphy stated in a staff memo.

The Board released a basic application for interested candidates to apply for the coveted post but as of last Friday, according to the San Mateo County Times, only one candidate had applied, that being Daniel Kaul, 55 year old cabinet maker from Belmont who wants to run a platform of fiscal conservatism.

Under the selection plan approved by the board, any and all candidates must submit an application for the board members to consider by Dec. 11. At a hearing on Dec. 15, candidates will be invited to make a 15-minute public presentation to be followed by 10 minutes of public testimony on each applicant’s behalf. The following day, Dec. 16, the Board of Supervisors would either appoint one of the candidates or set a date for a special election.

Three or four names have surfaced as possible contenders. Leading the pack is San Mateo Councilmember Carole Groom. Other names that have surfaced include San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee Rod Hsiao, former clerk to the Board of Supervisors Ric Silver and recently Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District Trustee Karen Leong Clancy has also been mentioned.

Although the supervisors continue to press forward with an undemocratic selection process, support for a special election is mounting. The remaining public hearings may offer a degree of uncommon political drama in San Mateo County.

County Republican Leader Calls for Special Election for Vacant Supervisor Seat

2008-12-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Joining party activists on the other side of the political spectrum, former Foster City Mayor and vice chair of the San Mateo County Republican Party Deborah Wilder has called on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to call a special election to fill a board seat vacated by former Supervisor and now Assemblyman Jerry Hill.

Hill resigned on November 30, 2008 and the four remaining supervisors have moved ahead with a process to select rather than elect Hill’s replacement. The board has rationalized that the approximate cost of $1.6 million to conduct a special election next spring is too much given the financial challenges the county faces.

Wilder, however, according to an article in the San Mateo County Times, opposes a selection process.

"I've always believed that an election is the right thing to do because it gives the people a choice as opposed to just four other individuals," said Wilder, vice chairwoman of the local GOP.

Wilder has echoed the sentiments expressed by the San Mateo County Democratic Party Committee whose members passed a resolution last month also calling for a special election.

In a previous Times article, Democratic Party Committee member Nicklas Akers, who authored the resolution, argued that the Supervisor seats are rarely contested and an open seat should be put to a vote.

"Our county's at-large system for electing supervisors gives a strong advantage to incumbents. It has been nearly three decades since a supervisor running for re-election has been defeated,” said Akers. “The People of San Mateo County should be given the opportunity to fill this open seat."

In the same edition of the Times, San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Dave Pine penned an opinion piece on the issue. Pine challenged the notion that the cost of calling a special election should trump the democratic process.

“Holding an election to fill the vacant supervisor seat would encourage a rigorous and thoughtful debate on county issues, allow the voters to choose who will represent them, and energize our local democracy,” said Pine. “To do otherwise would be a disservice to the residents of San Mateo County.”

The county board is slated to make an appointment at the board’s Dec, 16 meeting. If for some reason the four board members are not able to agree on an appointment, the board may be forced to call a special election.

Ironically, Groom, who is serving her second term on the San Mateo City Council, ran unnopposed in 2000 in a special election following the untimely death of former San Mateo City Councilman Gary Yates.

Wanted: A San Mateo County Supervisor

2008-12-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

Non-Approved Candidates Need Not Apply

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has released its application for candidates interested in replacing former supervisor and now Assemblyman Jerry Hill on the county board. The application, according to an article in the San Mateo County Times, is the first step in a process adopted by the four remaining supervisors to appoint a replacement for Hill in lieu of calling a special election.

Under the plan approved by the board, any and all candidates must submit an application for the board members to consider. On Dec. 9, the board will hold a public hearing for input on possible appointment criteria. Candidates would offer a 15-minute public presentation Monday, Dec. 15 followed by 10 minutes of public testimony on each applicant’s behalf. The public hearings could be mediated by either the League of Women Voters or another third party. The following day, Dec. 16, the Board of Supervisors would either appoint one of the candidates or set a date for a special election.

The application released today asks only for a brief description of past service in elective office, local service work, educational background and work history. The simple application belies the intense political process that the board will undertake as the decision to appoint Hill’s replacement has touched off a chorus of criticism from local activists, orgaizations and other local elected officials who have decried the anti-democratic approach.

Opposition has arisen from such organizations such as the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan, San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Dave Pine as well as the Daily Journal, Daily News Columnist Bill Paul and the San Mateo County Times.

The names of several potential candidates including San Mateo Mayor Carole Groom, San Mateo County Board of Education member Rod Hsiao and former clerk to the Board of Supervisors Ric Silver have been bandied about as potential contenders but in the end the public will have very little input on selecting the fifth member of the Board of Supervisors.

Local citizens interested in applying can fill out the questionnaire and run the gauntlet of the appointment process but it is likely that the board members already have an idea who the next supervisor will be.

Columnist Bill Paul Issues Warning Over Supervisor Appointment

2008-11-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

San Mateo Daily News Columnist Bill Paul has issued a missive warning that lack of elections for the five-member county board of supervisors has lead to a government body that is becoming “a self-perpetuating group that could potentially suffer from inbreeding.”

Paul attacked the notion of filling a vacancy on the board via an appointment process that has been favored by the four remaining supervisors. Supervisor Jerry Hill was recently elected to the State Assembly and will vacate his seat at the end of the month. Despite public demand for the supervisors to fill the vacancy by calling a special election, the board has moved forward on an appointment plan that will bypass the voters.

The articulated rationale for making an appointment is the cost of conducting a special election – estimated to be approximately $1.6 million.

To that, Paul states: When the argument for making an appointment is that the person selected could well be the same person who’d be elected, or that supervisors will definitely pick the most qualified, experienced, and smartest person, then we need to ask, why have a representative, republic form of government anyway? The fact is that politicking and battling things out from the trenches is the American way, for better or for worse.

In calling on the Supervisors to undertake a democratic process to replace Hill, Paul joins the San Mateo County Democratic Party, the Daily Journal, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Dave Pine.

In addition, the Insider Blog at the San Mateo County Times has also opined against an appointment process, stating sarcastically that San Mateo County's government in no way has a reputation "...for being clubby and nontransparent — cough, cough."

As the pressure mounts on the board, an appointment process may be looking more like a political hot potato. Voters may yet have a voice in who their representatives may be.

Democrats Call for Special Election for Vacant Supervisor Seat

2008-11-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

The San Mateo County Democratic Party has issued a resolution supporting a special election to fill the Board of Supervisors vacancy left by Supervisor Jerry Hill who will be resigning at the end of the month to take a seat in the State Assembly, according to an article in the Daily Journal.

Hill’s colleagues on the board have pushed for an appointment process which, according to the Democratic Party statement, will virtually ensure that the appointee replacing Hill will get a free ride until 2022, or 14 years in office.

"Our county's at-large system for electing supervisors gives a strong advantage to incumbents. It has been nearly three decades since a supervisor running for re-election has been defeated,” said Nick Akers, the proponent of the Party’s official resolution. “The People of San Mateo County should be given the opportunity to fill this open seat."

According to an article in the San Mateo County Times, the San Mateo County Supervisors have complained that the cost of a special election would be approximately $1.6 million at a time when the county faces serious financial challenges. In response, the Democratic Party resolution highlighted the fact that the State will likely hold a special election on June 2, 2009 in order to place revenue measures on the state ballot as part of a budget balancing effort. With a special election already likely, the issue of cost is de minimis.

That sentiment was echoed by San Mateo Union High District Trustee Dave Pine, according to an article in the San Mateo County Times, when Pine testified in front of the board of Supervisors in protest of an appointment process on November 18.

Pine stated that sitting supervisors have been unchallenged because it is a daunting task to mount a countywide campaign, thereby protecting incumbents. As a result, said Pine, "We can never have a dialogue with the citizenry about the county government.”

The Daily Journal also issued an editorial critical of an appointment process on Nov. 19. In Today’s edition the Daily Journal Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan penned a letter also calling for a special election stating “Voters have not had a real opportunity to shape county policy for over a decade as there have been no seriously contested elections since 1997.”

Under the plan approved by the board Tuesday, these two candidates and any other hopeful must submit an application made available Dec. 1 when Hill’s vacancy becomes official. On Dec. 9, the board will hold a public hearing for input on possible appointment criteria. Candidates would offer a 15-minute public presentation Monday, Dec. 15 followed by 10 minutes of public testimony on each applicant’s behalf. The public hearings could be mediated by either the League of Women Voters or another third party. The following day, Dec. 16, the Board of Supervisors would either appoint one of the candidates or set a date for a special election.

Opposition to County Board Appointment Grows

2008-11-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 18, 2008 the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with a process to appoint a replacement for Supervisor Jerry who is resigning in the middle of his four year term to take a seat in the State Legislature.

An appointment will all but guarantee the beneficiary of a likely 14-year run on the powerful Board of Supervisors which oversees a $1.8 billion annual budget and maintains substantial influence over other government agencies and programs such as the San Mateo County Transit District and the Transit Authority to name two.

Despite the Supervisors apparent determination to avoid a democratic process in favor of an appointment, opposition to this plan is growing.

In fact, Dave Pine, a San Mateo Union High School District Trustee spoke passionately against an appointment process stating that "democratic principles and benefits far exceed the costs," according to an article in the San Mateo County Times.

Pine challenged the lack of the elections for San Mateo County board seats as a result of the cost of running a countywide campaign – a fact that has guaranteed a self-perpetuating board for nearly 30 years with very few exceptions or surprises.

On Wednesday, November 19, the San Mateo Daily Journal published an editorial also calling for an election rather than an appointment. The Daily Journal stated:

Today, the county faces a true opportunity to have a dialogue about the role of the county’s largest governing board, the issues it faces and what may solve those complicated issues. By opening up this seat to an election, whatever the cost, democracy will be truly served and voters will have a chance to weigh in on the person who will fill an important leadership role for what could be more than a decade.
Although the Supervisors are moving forward with an appointment process on the basis that a special election would cost too much, the four remaining supervisors’ refusal to embrace a democratic process for replacing a colleague may have generated some real resistance and potential for political backlash.

Obama Election May Cause Political Shifts in San Mateo County

2008-11-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

With the election of Barak Obama to the Presidency, politicians and officials from across the nation are on pins and needles awaiting a call from the superstar President-Elect to serve in his administration.

This is true for South Bay Congressman Mike Honda who, according to a recent article in the San Jose Mercury News, may be in the running for the position of Secretary of Education.

In the article Honda is quoted as saying: "If I don't throw my name out, it won't show up in the mix.”

Honda, who has 30 years in public education including stints as a San Jose middle school principal and San Jose Unified School Board member, has served in Congress since 2001.

Should Honda be tapped for the position it would set off a veritable game musical chairs as local and state officials seek to fill voids left by those in higher office.

The logical heavyweight in the mix is State Senator Joe Simitian who was just elected to his second a final four-year term. Should Honda get the nod, Simitian, whose senate district overlaps a bit with Honda’s congressional district, would be on the odds-on favorite to succeed Honda.

Challengers may include termed-out Assemblywoman Sally Lieber or second-term Assemblyman Jim Beall. Although Lieber has already opened a campaign fund to run for the 13th Senate District Seat that will be vacated by second term State Senator Elaine Alquist in 2012, according to the Secretary of State’s Web site.

However, Beall may opt to take a run at the state senate seat vacated by Simitian in what would likely be a special election in the spring of 2009. Beall would undoubtedly face Assemblyman Ira Ruskin who is now in his third and final term.

Should either Ruskin or Beall win the seat, a vacated Assembly seat would then be available causing another special election.

Likely candidates to fill Ruskin’s seat should he be successful could include Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss or San Mateo County Supervisor’s Rose Jacobs Gibson or Rich Gordon.

Should one of the Supervisors exit early a scrum at the local level would be likely, which in turn would lead to scrums lower down the ticket.

According to the Mercury News article, however, Honda may have some heavyweight competition including: former Secretary of State Colin Powell; Caroline Kennedy; and the school chiefs of New York City and Chicago; and Stanford education professor Linda Darling Hammond, an adviser to Barack Obama during the campaign.

But the clock is ticking. It is likely that the President-Elect will make his selections before the end of the year and prior to taking office in January. It is a good bet that many local politicians have taken notice and begun preparations for what could be months of electoral volatility.

*Note: The Fifteenth Congressional District encompasses much of the central, northeastern and southwestern area of Santa Clara County. This includes the cities of Cupertino, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Campbell, Los Gatos, the west and some southern parts of San Jose, and Gilroy.

Supervisors’ Double Standard for County Treasurer

2008-11-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Following revelations that the investment pool managed by San Mateo County Treasurer Lee Buffington lost $155 million in the wake of the collapse of the Lehman Brothers Investment Bank, San Mateo County Supervisors’ have called Buffington on the carpet, according to an article in the Almanac Newspaper.

Much of the investment pool consisted of city and school district reserve funds as well as bond funds. Districts such as the Sequoia Union High School District lost as much as $6.5 million. The San Mateo County Community College District, which has approximately $500 million invested with fund managed by Buffinton’s office, lost as much as $25 million – a loss that will likely impact the capital improvement program at the three colleges which as funded by bonds passed by county voters. Meaning simply, San Mateo County taxpayers will be paying off bonds for which they will get literally nothing in return for.

But the Supervisors’ quick call for answers from Buffington in no way mirrors the year of silence in which the Supervisors refused to require similar answers from San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks who was detained in April of 2007 at a Las Vegas brothel.

It was not until an in-depth expose was published in the San Mateo Daily News that the Supervisors’ even contemplated any public response to the Sheriff’s scandal – an incident that had the county sheriff and undersheriff detained at a Las Vegas brothel hosting underage women who were likely trafficked into the U.S. And the best part, the lawmen’s trip to Sin City was financed by San Mateo County taxpayers to the tune of $10,000.

But Munks had some political cover that Buffington does not have. As it turned out, Munks and his family had been and likely will be substantial political contributors to Supervisor Jerry Hill, who was running to succeed Gene Mullin in the State Assembly. Following the brothel incident, Hill consistently defended Munks despite mounting criticism. It wasn’t until Hill’s financial ties to Munks were exposed by his Assembly opponents that he and his fellow Supervisors took action. In an articled in the San Mateo County Times, Hill was blasted by his Assembly opponents for failing to take action.

Only weeks later, according to an article in the Times, did the Board of Supervisors finally take action by creating a Citizens Review Panel to investigate other county elected officials suspected of malfeasance. Such a panel, to be comprised of retired judges, prosecutors and Bar lawyers, will have the power to subpoena, hire investigators and return with a recommendation to the board of supervisors.

But Munks was never to be brought before this panel.

In the Times article, Jerry Hill stated that "This was created to deal with conduct prospectively, not retroactively," he said.

Unlike Munks, however, Buffington, when called by the Supervisors to respond to criticism, was compelled to defend his investment strategy under aggressive questioning by Hill, according to the article in the Almanac Newspaper. Perhaps Buffington should have donated as much to Hill as Munks.

County Board of Supervisors May Close Door on Election for Open Seat

2008-11-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

San Mateo County rarely experiences a real contest for the coveted seats on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors but with the mid-term departure of Supervisor Jerry Hill who was elected to a seat in the State Assembly, a once-in-a-decade opening will be available as of Dec. 1, 2008. But whether or not the county board of supervisors will allow an election remains an open question. Instead, the county board of supervisors may elect to select Hill’s replacement, essentially ensuring that an appointed replacement will cruise for the next 14 years in office.

According to Daily Journal editor John Mays, many names have been floated as a possible replacement for Hill including San Mateo Mayor Carole Groom, Rod Hsiao, member of the San Mateo County Office of Education, Foster City Councilman John Kiramis and possibly Ted Lempert, former assemblyman, county supervisor and current member of the San Mateo County Office of Education.

But it is common knowledge in political circles that San Mateo’s Groom has had the inside track for as long as Hill had planned to run for the Assembly. But another candidate with a long and colorful history in San Mateo County politics has reared his head, that being Ric Silver, the former San Mateo County Clerk to the Board of Supervisors.

Recently, Silver generated a headline for himself in the Almanac Newspaper calling for the reopening of the Caltrain station in Atherton that was closed two years ago by the Peninsula Joint Powers Board, the board that oversees Caltrain and includes two seats controlled by the San Mateo County Supervisors as part of its membership.

Silver is no stranger to the local political scene, although he has not resided in the county for many years and it is not clear if he has yet relocated.

Silver was once a wheeler dealer political hack while a clerk to the board, a position that was eliminated as part of Silver’s exit. According to an article by former Chronicle Newspaper columnist Mark Simon Silver was removed from duty for a bit of political intrigue that went badly.

According to Simon’s article, some supervisors had prevailed upon Silver to transfer Elaine Walton Horsley out of his clerk’s department. Horsley was apparently the office computer expert, a role some board members thought she performed poorly.

Simon added: She also is the wife of Sheriff Don Horsley.

Some supervisors also told Silver -- as he was frequently instructed -- to leave no paper trail of what was being done, sources said.

Silver then put together an office reorganization that included transferring Elaine Horsley to the Information Services Department.

Sheriff Horsley, also a longtime friend of Silver's, acknowledged that he contacted members of the board, inquiring about the transfer of his wife.

The ensuing political battle ended with Silver exiting the county. Since then he has been an occasional political gadfly. Ironically, if Silver were to run and be successful, he may end up serving on the board next to none other than his old nemesis Don Horsley, the retired San Mateo County Sheriff who is now seeking to succeed Supervisor Rich Gordon when Gordon is termed out in 2010.

Bu whether or not Silver will actually run or even have an opportunity to do so remains unclear. Hill will resign his board seat effective November 30, 2008 with two years left in his term, forcing his colleagues to decide whether to appoint a replacement or to call a special election.

San Mateo County has a long tradition of selecting replacements for vacant supervisorial seats rather than allowing voters to decide for themselves. Former Supervisor Mary Griffin was appointed to her seat, gaining an additional two years in office as a result. In 1999, Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson was appointed to her seat and she was just elected to her third and final term with only token opposition.

In announcing his resignation Hill has already laid out the rationale for not calling for an election – that being the estimated cost of $1.7 million to the county to organize a special election. In a statement given to the local press Hill said, “To me that's the real incentive for the Board to make an appointment.”

According to election records, San Mateo County has not had a serious election for one of the Board of Supervisor seats since Rich Gordon won a special election in 1997, over a decade ago. Since then, no sitting Supervisor has been seriously challenged and some seats have even changed hands without a contest. Those with token opposition have never even been forced into a runoff election.

This is despite the fact that the office of supervisor is a coveted full-time political office that oversees a county budget of $1.5 billion, pays a six-figure salary and members hold seats on powerful local and regional agencies such as the San Mateo County Transit District, the San Mateo County Transit Authority, CalTrain and have the power to appoint members to agencies and commissions such as the First Five Commission which doles out large sums of money to local non-profits – a veritable trough of patronage dollars.

The board seats, like legislative seats, are term limited but Supervisors are allowed three four-year terms, which in California’s political landscape is akin to political gold.

But, as is typical of San Mateo County, it appears that voters will again be deprived of the opportunity to actually elect their supervisor.

County Ethics Panel Proposal Deeply Flawed

2008-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, August 5 the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will consider adopting a county ordinance to establish an “Independent Citizens Review Panel” that would be empowered to “…investigate allegations of serious official misconduct by County elected officials.”

The ordinance is a long-delayed response to the incident in which San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained at a Las Vegas brothel in April of 2007. The County’s two top lawmen were in Vegas for a law enforcement relay race but were swept up in a Las Vegas Police and Justice Department sweep of local houses of ill-repute.

The pair were not arrested but many questions stemming from their detention remain unanswered as both lawmen refused to provide any explanation beyond a terse press release issued shortly after the incident was covered nationally in the media, according to the Daily News.
Well over a year later, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has finally responded to the Sheriff’s incident, albeit indirectly, by considering a new “Independent Citizens Review Panel” to investigate such malfeasance on the part of county elected officials. The panel proposal comes very late and following withering criticism by local media, particularly by the Daily News, which published a scathing expose of both the Sheriff’s detention and the total lack of response from the county’s inner circle.

Unfortunately, the so-call “Independent Citizens Review Panel” will not include any government outsiders – meaning no average “citizens”.

According to the proposed ordinance, an “Independent Citizens Review Panel” created to investigate serious official misconduct by County elected officials will be comprised of “Panel members…chosen at random (by the Board of Supervisors) from a list compiled and maintained by the County Counsel of citizens from among the following categories: retired judges; former county or city administrators; former grand jury forepersons; and former county counsels, city attorneys and/or district attorneys.”

In short, the so-called “Independent Citizens Review Panel” will be the proverbial fox guarding the hen-house, friends and colleagues of county government insiders investigating county government colleagues.

San Mateo County’s proposed ordinance must be redrafted to open the panel membership to average citizens outside of government.

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office: Two Years Later

2008-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over two years since San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks was elected to the Sheriff’s post. Munks, who ran unopposed for the position, previously served 13 years as Undersheriff for former San Mateo County Sheriff Don Horsley and during that time the Sheriff’s Office was, by all accounts, well run and suffered little in the way of public scandal.

But under Munks’ tenure the relative calm waters that Munks inherited have become, by most accounts, storm-filled seas as the Sheriff’s Office has endured a series of scandals and blunders.

Just four months after taking office in April of 2007, Munks and his Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained at a Las Vegas brothel when the two were in Vegas for a law enforcement relay race, according to an article in the Examiner Newspaper.

Neither of the County's two top cops were arrested in the brothel sweep conducted by Las Vegas and Federal authorities but many unanswered questions remained. Both lawmen refused to answer.

Subsequently, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors investigated the Sheriff’s Office use of county vehicles and resources for the trip. As much of $10,000 in public funds were used to plan and take the Vegas jaunt.

The Naked Deputy
Despite the stonewalling, another sex scandal in the Sheriff’s Department was reported by the San Mateo Daily Journal. As it turns out, a court reporter returned to work after hours sometime in May of 2007 and reported seeing a man’s bare backside flee through the hallway that runs behind the courtrooms where the county judges’ offices are located. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the bare backside belonged to a deputy sheriff who had apparently been having sex with an unidentified woman.

No one was charged with a crime in the incident and as this was a “personnel” matter, no other public disclosures were made.

The $700,000 Flush

The next blunder was not of a sexual nature but rather had to do with the management of the County jail. It was reported in late June of 2007 in the Daily News that jail inmates had been regularly flushing a variety of debris and clothing down the jail’s toilets, damaging and clogging the sewer system and waste treatment facilities operated by the South Bayside System Authority (SBSA) - the joint powers authority which administers Redwood City's sewer system.

Among the many items flushed by jail inmates were the orange jumpsuits worn by the inmates costing the county approximately $700,000 in lost inventory and in billing from the SBSA for the damage to the sewer system.

Munks himself acknowledged the problem by saying, "It's a continuing problem and the bill is only going to get bigger."

The primary reason cited by Munks for the Sheriff’s Office inability to halt the flushing is the rampant overcrowding at the county jail – meaning guards were unable to closely monitor the actions of inmates and prevent the flushing of public dollars.

A Murderer Escapes

Things were quiet for a few months but the Sheriff’s Office landed in the press again when, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sheriff’s Office blundered in its response to the escape of an accused murderer from the County’s Juvenile Hall.

On Thursday, February 14, 2008 a 17-year-old murder suspect escaped from the San Mateo County juvenile facility, stunning county officials and neighbors of the facility.

The escape of Josue Raul Orozco, the youngest person ever charged as an adult with murder in the county and a known gang member, incarcerated for shooting a rival gang member in the back of the head, exposed some major security weaknesses in the two year old facility and a stunning lack of procedural protocols among the County’s Probation and Sheriff’s Department in responding to such an event.

Orozco escaped the juvenile detention center between 7 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. It is not clear from news reports how long it took facility staff to notice Orozco’s absence but, according to an external review of the incident, Sheriff’s Deputies did not respond to incident for nearly an hour nor did the Sheriff’s Office alert authorities of Orozco’s escape until after 9 p.m. that night.

Sheriff’s officials issued only what is termed a “statewide alert,” essentially a teletype alerting law enforcement throughout the state of the escape.

But, according to San Mateo County Judge Marta Diaz who excoriated public safety officials in a Daily News article, an arrest warrant should have been issued immediately. By issuing an arrest warrant, law enforcement agencies throughout the state would have received a photo of Orozco with an immediate order to make an arrest.

A warrant was not issued until 2 a.m. when Sheriff’s Deputies knocked on Diaz’ door for her signature on the warrant.

Diaz, in a Daily News article stated: "I noticed while I was reading the affidavit that the escape had occurred (6 1/2 hours earlier) - and I was shocked." If (an inmate) is making for the Mexican or Canadian border, you want that arrest warrant in your hot little hands," she said.
Instead, the escaped murderer was given a 7-hour head start and has to date never been located.

In the aftermath it is unclear if any Sheriff’s Office personnel were disciplined for the series of failures in this incident.

A Jailhouse Surprise
It took only weeks after the juvenile hall escape for the Sheriff to commit yet another public relations blunder, according to the Examiner Newspaper.

At the request of the Sheriff’s Office, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors sanctioned the Sheriff’s interest in reopening a temporary jail facility in South San Francisco for female inmates at the South San Francisco Courthouse.

In early March, South San Francisco Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto excoriated the Sheriff’s Office and county officials for failing to contact South San Francisco officials about the proposed jail. According to Matsumoto, no South San Francisco officials were apprised of the jail proposal and not a single community meeting was held before supervisors told Sheriff’s officials to pursue exploring the project. After being called on the carpet by Matsumoto, the Sheriff’s Office and Munks did begin to reach out to the City to get some feedback on the jail proposal.

Operation Lockdown
The nagging questions surrounding the Sheriff’s Las Vegas brothel visit resurfaced in April of 2008, exactly a year later, thanks to a series of articles revisiting the issue published by the Daily News.

Specifically, newly minted Congresswoman Jackie Speier reignited the issue by, for the first time, calling for a full investigation of Munks's brothel visit.

Speier Stated: "This cries out for a comprehensive external investigation, because the highest law enforcement officer in the county should not be under any suspicion of illegal activity at any time, ever.”

Speier’s call for an investigation caused months of wrangling by the Board of Supervisors who only now are considering a proposal to create a County Citizens Review Panel to investigate impropriety on the part of county elected officials. If such a commission is created, it may first and foremost review the Sheriff’s Las Vegas debacle.

Jail Overcrowding
The drive to reopen the South San Francisco facility and the problem of inmates flushing their uniforms down jailhouse toilets were both tied to the overcrowding of both the County’s men’s and women’s correctional facilities, according to Munks and county officials.

But in early May, Sheriff Munks and County Officials were disappointed to learn that the County’s application for State funding to expand two local jail facilities was declined.

San Mateo County lost out on approximately $100 million in state funding to expand the county’s Maguire Correctional facility and women’s jail facility in Redwood City, according to an article in the San Mateo Daily Journal.

The funds, authorized under Assembly Bill 900 in 2007 via a state bond, were made available to local jurisdictions under a competitive proposal process. But San Mateo County’s unwillingness house State prisoners in so-called re-entry wards may have torpedoed the county’s chances, a decision made by the Board of Supervisors.

The total estimated cost for the reconstruction of the jail is approximately $140 million. Without the state dollars, the county must now seek alternative sources or pay the entire cost itself.

But San Mateo County Times columnist John Horgan offered another theory, namely that the negative media coverage of the Sheriff’s detention at a Las Vegas brothel last year may have played a role.

Horgan offers the possibility that State officials may have little confidence in a sheriff who, according to the sheriff’s own statements, accidentally ended up a seedy residential brothel by mistake just in time for a raid by federal and local law enforcement agencies.

Horgan states: “If they are telling the truth in this matter, they come across as two fellows completely out of their element, a pair of country bumpkins loose in the big city and unable, apparently, to tell the difference between a room full of hookers and a Tupperware party.”

Although it is unlikely that such a nexus between the Sheriff’s Las Vegas trouble and the jail funding could ever be established, gun shy political leaders in Sacramento are known to avoid potential political land mines. The Sheriff’s scandal may have qualified in this instance.

Another Felon Goes Free
Finally, in July, San Mateo County residents learned from the Daily Journal that yet another violent felon had somehow been let go from county custody only to disappear. A potential second-striker, one Alfredo Guadalupe Ortiz Jr., 28, convicted of beating his girlfriend and a man who tried intervening on a San Mateo street was erroneously allowed to leave jail custody and flee after a booking process error left his bail set at $25000 instead of no-bail status. It is not yet known where the mistake was made, whether by a court clerk or by Sheriff’s Deputies on his way from the county jail to the courthouse.

Ortiz has yet to be located.

Two Years to Go
With another two years to go in his first term as Sheriff it would be hard to believe that Munks and his department could endure much more. But with the seemingly unending string of failures, blunders and poor decision-making local residents should expect the unexpected.

One thing is likely though -- with so many mistakes and with confidence in Munks’ leadership at an absolute low, local decision-makers may not allow Munks to run again for office unopposed. And if Munks’ Las Vegas episode is finally investigated by a County Citizens Review Panel, a third prolonged review of the brothel visit may be too much for the beleaguered lawman and his office to endure.

San Carlos Councilmember Grocott Targets Assistant City Manager

2008-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

San Carlos Councilmember Matt Grocott has come out swinging against a proposed half-cent sales tax measure proposed by his council colleagues to address a projected $1.3 million deficit projected for the 2009-2010 fiscal year and a $1.45 million deficit the following fiscal year. But Grocott’s opposition to the tax could cost veteran Assistant City Manager his job under Grocott’s proposed cost-cutting measures for the beleaguered city, according to reports in the Daily News.

Grocott, according to reports in the San Mateo County Times and the Daily Journal, has crossed swords with City administrators before and may have no great affecting for Moura.

The backdrop to the tax debate stems from the fact that the City Council is now considering declaring a fiscal emergency to smooth the way for a sales tax. By declaring a fiscal emergency, under California law, the threshold for passing such a measure drops from a two-thirds voter majority requirement to a simple majority. But such a declaration requires a unanimous vote of the five-member council and Grocott, a well-known fiscal conservative who has vocally opposed past tax measures including the County’s Measure A sales for local transportation needs, who has publicly stated that he will not support the declaration – thereby preventing the council from declaring a fiscal emergency.

Grocott is demanding that before asking voters to approve a new tax the council make cuts to balance the budget by eliminating slashing the assistant city manager position, which would save $200,000; not adding two planning positions at costs of $80,000 and $90,000; and not giving a $2,644 pay raise to the contracted city public works director, Parviz Mokhtari, who already earns $210,000 a year plus fees of $90 to $100 an hour for any outside subcontracting work.

San Carlos has had ample experience with local tax measures designed to pay for fire services and for the former SCOOT shuttle program. All such measures have failed in San Carlos in recent years. Although early polling indicates that a sales tax may pass this time around – particularly in a Presidential Election year – should it require a two-thirds majority to pass that could prove to be too high a hurdle.

The tax effort could be further complicated by the fact that the San Carlos School District has moved to place a parcel tax measure on the November 4, 2008 ballot that would compete with a local sales tax measure, according to the San Mateo County Times.

Redwood City Mayor May be Wading into Ethical Breach

2008-07-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

According to an article in the San Mateo Daily Journal, Redwood City Mayor Rosanne Foust was named vice president of programs and business development for the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA), a pro business and pro-development lobbying and advocacy organization.

Among the many business and economic development projects touted by SAMCEDA include the recent arrival of Virgin America Airlines at San Francisco International Airport and SAMCEDA’s interest in support of the redevelopment of El Camino Real throughout San Mateo County into a new and improved Grand Boulevard, as it has been termed by local policy makers and developers alike.

Foust’s involvement with SAMCEDA is not a major professional leap as for many years Foust worked for the French Government doing business development. But the peculiar aspect of her employment with SAMCEDA is her position as a local policymaker as the mayor of Redwood City and as the Chair of the San Mateo County Transit Authority - an independent agency formed to administer the proceeds of a county wide half-cent sales tax, Measure A, approved by voters in 1998 and reauthorized for an additional 25 years in 2004.

As a Vice President of SAMCEDA, Foust will now draw a salary from an organization funded by many interests she may oversee and/or regulate and as a councilmember. For example, major contributors to SAMCEDA include the Bohannon Development Company, SummerHill Homes, Foster Enterprises, BKF Engineers, Embarcadero Capital Partners LLC, KEECH Properties, LLC and Webcor Builders to name a few.

Oddly, one of the listed members of SAMCEDA’s Board of Directors, albeit an Emeritus member, is Paul Shepherd of Cargill Salt. Shepherd’s relationship with Cargill is interesting as Redwood City is now in throws of a pitched battle over the use of Cargill Salt’s industrial property on the Bayshore of Redwood City

At stake are 1,433 acres of Bay-side land now owned by the salt manufacturing conglomerate. The Bay-side property and associated salt ponds are targeted for a massive development. The development enterprise of Cargill and DMB has worked for months to build support for an as of yet undefined housing and commercial development.

This Spring, however, several environmental groups including Save the Bay, Friends of Redwood City and the Committee for Green Foothills gathered signatures in a petition drive to place a measure on the Redwood City ballot to halt all development on the little remaining open space and parkland in Redwood City and require voter approval of such developments in the future by a two-thirds majority.

The City Council and Foust in particular, according to recent news reports, has reacted almost violently to the petition that now rests in the council’s hands as the council must now place such a measure on the local ballot in the near future.

The difficulty for Foust is if one of the members of the Board of Directors of SAMCEDA is an agent of Cargill Salt and if Cargill provides funding for SAMCEDA, whom will Foust answer to?

Beyond the Cargill question, SAMCEDA also receives financial support from Sequoia Hospital/Catholic Healthcare West, the large and lucrative hospital based in Redwood City that will be undertaking a massive reconstruction in the near future, a project that Foust may also have to weigh in on as a member of the Redwood City Council.

Other likely conflicts may include AT & T which likely has a utility franchise agreement with the City.

In short, Foust’s decision to work for SAMCEDA may be fraught with ethical challenges some of which her opponents would be wise to exploit in the coming electoral battles.

County Board Responds to Sheriff's Scandal

2008-06-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

After weeks of discussion, according to an article in the San Mateo County Times, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will soon discuss placing a measure on the November ballot to endow the Supervisors with the authority to discipline other county elected officials.

The proposed measure is in response to the April 2007 incident in which San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks was detained at a Las Vegas brothel by local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Munks was not arrested but beyond a brief written statement released to the local media, Munks never addressed the incident and never fully explained his presence at the brothel.

Following a series of articles in the San Mateo County Times and the Daily News a year after the incident, renewed interest in the Sheriff’s misadventures compelled the Supervisors to react.

Supervisor Jerry Hill proposed a potential county charter amendment to endow him and his colleagues with the power to discipline county officials. But the proposal is already running into choppy waters as such powers are few and far between, shared only by San Bernadino County and the City and County of San Francisco. Neither county has ever actually attempted to use such powers although San Francisco came very close this year with the suspension of disgraced San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew who was indicted for attempting to extort money from local businesses in his district. Jew was suspended from his position as a supervisor and was to face a quasi-judicial proceeding to remove him from office but Jew resigned before that process was undertaken.

Without any precedent, the San Mateo County board may be able to acquire such powers through a ballot measure but whether or not it could be effectively utilized and hold up under court review is another question.

The real question, however, is whether or not the Supervisors will actually attempt to remove Munks from office or compel the embattled Sheriff to better explain his brothel visit.

Does Speier Endorsement of Hill Spell Trouble for the County Sheriff?

2008-05-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

According to the Pacifica Riptide blog, Congresswoman Jackie Speier has endorsed San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill in his bid for the 19th Assembly District seat. Hill is running against Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo County Community College Trustee Richard Holober.

The extremely late endorsement is a new twist in an already heated election and comes on the heels of Speier’s involvement in generating some bad press for Hill.

In mid-April, newly minted Congresswoman Jackie Speier blasted the San Mateo County board of Supervisors for the board members’ inaction in response to Sheriff Greg Munks’ detention at a Las Vegas bordello in April of 2007.

In a Daily News investigative article Speier stated: "This cries out for a comprehensive external investigation, because the highest law enforcement officer in the county should not be under any suspicion of illegal activity at any time, ever.”

The renewed interest in the scandal sparked largely by Speier had a disproportionately negative impact on the Assembly candidacy of San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill. Hill had the misfortune of having accepted nearly $12,000 in direct campaign contributions from Sheriff Munks and his extended family, including Munks’ father-in-law Bill Lane, owner of Sunset Magazine.

In fact, Lane donated $3,000 to Hill’s campaign just over a month after the news of the brothel bust hit the local papers.

Sheriff Munks himself hosted a campaign fundraiser for Hill on November 11, 2007, just a few months later.

News of the Munks’ largesse towards Hill was problematic as members of the public and Hill’s opponents in the Democratic Primary roundly criticized Hill for accepting such large donations from Munks and family as Hill and his colleagues failed to request that Munks explain his detention at a bordello by Las Vegas and federal law enforcement agents.

Following Speier’s call for an investigation, the new pressure forced Hill to return a portion of the funds he received from Munks – although Hill did not return the funds from the Lane family.

Speier’s announcement of an endorsement of Hill over the weekend is a peculiar twist in a volatile Assembly race. Political wags have speculated that Speier’s endorsement may be tied to a political change of heart by Hill in his continued support of Munks- meaning Hill may now turn on his old friend.

It is rumored that Hill may now call for an investigation of Munks. In turn, Speier would support her pick for Sheriff in that of San Mateo Police Chief Susan Mannheimer. It has already been whispered both publicly and privately that some would like to see Mannheimer replace Munks sooner rather than later. In fact Half Moon Bay Review editor Clay Lambert floated such an idea in the wake of the Sheriff’s scandal in 2007.

So the question is, did Hill trade Munks for Speier’s endorsement?

Holober Supporters Attack Papan

2008-05-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Supporters of Assembly candidate and community college trustee Richard Holober have launched a smear campaign against Democratic rival Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan.

The first in what is likely a series of mail pieces intended to engender negative impressions of Papan in favor of Holober was sent via what are termed “Independent Expenditure Committees.” Such committees are comprised of moneyed interest groups acting on behalf of a particular candidate or cause.

In Holober’s case, it is the so-called Consumer Attorneys acting on his behalf. Those same attorneys who work to create opportunities for lawsuits against any available deep pocket. The consumer attorneys are greatly responsible for increasing the costs of just about every consumer service and commodity as the deep pockets usually just pass along the legal costs to consumers.

But what is the greatest irony of the attack by the independent expenditure committee is that the consumer attorneys are blasting Papan for getting support from….independent expenditure committees.

For the confused, this concept will be repeated.

Papan, according to a recent article in the Daily News, has garnered significant support by interests disconnected from her campaign and, according to Papan, without her knowledge. Her opponents have criticized such support in the local press. Holober went so far as to say "That's not the kind of money I would ever accept.”

But then, Holober supporters, disconnected from his campaign and, perhaps without his knowledge, have launched an attack against Papan for receiving the same kind of support.

The popularity of campaigning through Independent Expenditure Committees exploded since the passage of Proposition 34 in 2000 which strictly capped the amount candidates for state office can receive directly from donors.

But this circumstance is just too bizarre. One independent expenditure committee attacking a candidate on behalf of another candidate over support from other independent expenditure committees.

What the hell kind of world is this?

Veteran School Board Member Announces Retirement

2008-05-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Veteran Jefferson Union High School District School Board Member Jean Brink announced that she would not seek a sixth term this November at the board’s May 6, 2008 meeting.

The JUHSD is comprised of the communities of Daly City, Pacifica, Brisbane, Colma and the unincorporated community of Broadmoor. Brink has served on the board since 1988 and is one of three members of the five-member board who hail from the City of Pacifica. This is despite the fact that Daly City is the largest community within the district. Brink’s retirement from the board may offer a would-be Daly City candidate an opportunity to seek a rare vacancy on the board.

County Loses Out on State Funding for New Jail
San Mateo County has lost out on approximately $100 million in state funding to expand the county’s Maguire Correctional facility and women’s jail facility in Redwood City, according to an article in the San Mateo Daily Journal.

The funds, authorized under Assembly Bill 900 in 2007 via a state bond, were made available to local jurisdictions under a competitive proposal process. But San Mateo County’s unwillingness house State prisoners in so-called re-entry wards may have torpedoed the county’s chances, a decision made by the Board of Supervisors.

The total estimated cost for the reconstruction of the jail is approximately $140 million. Without the state dollars, the county must now seek alternative sources or pay the entire cost itself.

But San Mateo County Times columnist John Horgan recently offered another theory, namely that the recent media coverage of the Sheriff’s detainment at a Las Vegas brothel last year may have played a role.

Sheriff Scandal Plagues Assembly Candidate

2008-05-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

As three local Democrats toil away in the hopes of succeeding termed out Assemblyman Gene Mullin in the 19th Assembly District, the scandal surrounding San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks is beginning to play a pivotal role in the race.

In yet another article in the Daily News regarding the Sheriff and his connection to San Mateo County Supervisor and Assembly aspirant Jerry Hill, Republican candidate Catherine Brinkman blasted Hill for his “too late and too little” response to the Sheriff’s scandal.

San Mateo County residents may recall the revelations last April that San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks, and his Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos, were caught up in a brothel bust when the two top cops in San Mateo County were in Las Vegas for a relay race for law enforcement.

Both lawmen were “detained” and released along with numerous other patrons of the Las Vegas neighborhood brothel but many women were taken into custody as well as cash and approximately 3,500 tabs of the drug Ecstasy.

San Mateo County officialdom was largely silent on the event. In fact, some even defended Munks in lieu of condemning the visit of the two top cops to a house of ill repute. San Mateo County Supervisor and State Assembly aspirant Jerry Hill was particularly vociferous in his defense of Munks.

As pressure has mounted however, particularly from Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo – both of whom publicly called for an investigation in April of this year – Hill and company backtracked and promised to develop proposals to allow the board to address the issue. Hill, according to an Examiner Newspaper article, proposed a possible county charter amendment to allow the Supervisors to discipline Munks. But two weeks later at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on May 6, no such proposal was forthcoming. In fact, there was no discussion of the Munks issue at all.

In a Daily News article following the meeting, Hill did indicate that he is still working on the issue.

But the lack of action apparently did not sit well with another Assembly candidate. Republican Assembly candidate Catherine Brinkman issued a blistering statement in response to Hill’s lack of action, criticizing Hill for trying to again “…sweep the malfeasance of the Sheriff and Hill’s own support of the Sheriff back under the rug,” according to a full copy of the statement available on the Pacifica Riptide Web site.

In a Daily News article, Hill’s campaign manager, Ed McGovern shot back calling Brinkman “stupid” and stating that she has only brought up the issue again for political reasons.

Whatever the cause, the Daily News article took Hill to task for his ever shifting positions on the Munks scandal. In an editorial published last month by the San Mateo County Times, the newspaper predicted that the Munks scandal and Hill’s subsequent fumble would have an impact on the Assembly race in favor of Hill’s competitors Richard Holober, a San Mateo County Community College Trustee and Gina Papan, the Mayor of Millbrae.

It appears that the Times prediction is coming true as Hill struggles to find a way out of the political quagmire he has made for himself.

Times Reporter Solicits Public Reaction to Sheriff’s Scandal

2008-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

In an unusual request to members of the public, San Mateo County Times reporter Michael Manekin posted the following letter on the San Mateo Daily News site requesting responses from members of the public regarding the ongoing turmoil over San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Hello, My name is Michael Manekin.
I'm a reporter at the San Mateo Times, and I'm working on a story about the public's reaction to the Vegas scandal.

I want to know if county residents care about the incident--and if they do, what they think should be done. Recall the sheriff? An independent investigation? An ethics commission? A change to the county charter? Nothing at all?

If you're a resident of San Mateo County and have an opinion on this matter, I'd like to arrange an interview.

Please e-mail me at mmanekin@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Thank you,

Michael

It has been a year since Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained by law enforcement officials in a sweep of brothels in Las Vegas, Nevada under a two year investigation named “Operation Dollhouse”.

Both lawmen were in Las Vegas for a relay race for law enforcement agencies throughout the Western United States. At the time, Munks and company were the subject of a fierce media storm and weathered editorial calls for their resignations issued by, among many, the Daily Journal and the Half Moon Bay Review. But weather the storm they did, with the help of compliant political allies on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors who did nothing in response. And that has been the modis operandi for a year.

That had been the case until Friday, April 18, 2008 when the San Mateo Daily News published a stunning expose and reexamination of the Sheriff’s visit to a house of ill-repute and subsequent silence on the issue on the part of the county’s leadership. Of greatest significance in the expose is the new call for an investigation of Munks and Bolanos by the county’s two top political leaders, Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo.

Since then there have been numerous articles, op-eds, letters to the editor and even accusations between candidates now running to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin in the June Democratic Primary.

San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill has been at the center of the media firestorm as he is now one of the candidates running for Assembly and had taken thousands of dollars in donations from Munks and members of Munks’ family who also hosted a fundraiser for Hill in November of 2007, just months after the brothel bust.

In response Hill has returned some of the funds he collected from Munks and, in concert with Supervisor Adrienne Tissier, is poised to suggest options for the county to respond to the Munks event, and perhaps future events by independently elected county officials.

Hill and company’s response, a full year after the brothel bust, is likely in a reaction to the intense media scrutiny and the looming election.

In preparation for that event, Times reporter Manekin is soliciting perspectives from county residents and voters to gauge voter interest in seeing that county officials take action to discipline Munks and, perhaps more importantly, publicly react to questionable behavior on the part of elected officials rather than simply turning a blind eye – or have them host a fundraiser.

Pro-Development Citizens Group Touts Cargill in Redwood City

2008-04-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

A new Redwood City-based group has emerged calling for the development of the Cargill Industrial Saltworks site now the subject of a signature gathering effort to halt such a development by local and regional environmental organizations.

In a recent op-ed in the Daily News, Redwood City resident and public relations hack Lou Covey announced the formation of Sustainable Redwood City, a new organization dedicated to “…promoting the long-term viability of our community, economy, environment and overall quality of life benefiting all residents,” according to its posted mission statement.

Covey’s group has formed apparently as a foil to the Friends of Redwood City organization that has long fought against developments the organization identifies as environmentally flawed. In February, the Friends of Redwood City in concert with Save the Bay and the Committee for Green Foothills announced a signature gathering effort to place a measure on the Redwood City ballot to preserve existing open spaces and parks by requiring that any development of such pristine sites, under the new ordinance established by the ballot measure, would require a vote of the people.

The ballot effort, flying under the banner of Open Space Redwood City, is thought to have been formed in direct response to the proposed development of 1,433 acre site of Bay-side land now owned by the salt manufacturing conglomerate Cargill. The Bay-side property and associated salt ponds are targeted for a massive development that will change the face of Redwood City and the Redwood Shores area and forever pave over rare Bay lands that many believe should be returned to the San Francisco Bay itself.

The ballot effort has touched off what will likely be an intense battle between the elected leadership of Redwood City working with Cargill and its development firm DMB Associates of Arizona against many environmental organizations including Friends of Redwood City; Save the Bay; the Committee for Green Foothills; Sequoia Audubon Society; Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge; Clean Water Action; the Sierra Club; and Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth.

Covey, like others throughout San Mateo County, supports so-called smart-growth developments, although the proposed bayside development of the Cargill site is considered by environmentalists to be a poor example of ex-urban development as it is far from public transit would strain existing infrastructure and would fill-in what could be new tidal wet lands, a rare commodity around the Bay. Such tidelands act as a mechanism for cleaning Bay water and serve as host for a variety of wildlife. That is why environmentalists are pushing hard for their restoration rather than a massive commercial and residential development.

Sustainable Redwood City joins other pro-development organizations that have sprung up in San Mateo County such as the Peninsula Coalition, which is supported primarily by developers and utility companies, and San Mateo Together, an organization formed to push for the redevelopment of the Bay Meadows Racetrack.

The Cargill development has also played into the State Assembly race in the 19th District as environmentalists have attacked San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill - one of the three candidates vying to replace Gene Mullin - for being the pro-development candidate, according to an op-ed in the Daily News.

Yee Dithers with Violent Video Games…Again

2008-04-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

State Senator Leland Yee issued a press release yesterday warning parents to avoid purchasing the newest installment of the ultra-violent video game Grand Theft Auto produced by Rockstar Games.

Yee is the author of a 2005 law that would prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors in California. The law was struck down in federal court and is currently being litigated in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A bill authored by Yee in 2004, which has gone into effect, requires video game retailers to post signs informing consumers of the video game rating system.

The controversy over the so-called ultra-violent video games has been a flash point for both the ultra liberal and the ultra conservative, both of which attack the games for a variety of reasons. The overall underpinning is that such video games will so poison the minds of our youth that the next generation will be entirely mass murderers.

Yee, a child psychologist, has authored some useful legislation but his record is tainted by this ill-conceived and hyperbolic saber rattling over video game content in the same way that past political leaders have blamed television, comic books, movies, popular music and every other new medium.

In response, the gamer bologosphere has exploded with indignation over Yee’s comments in an absolutely expected response. By creating media interest and controversy over this next gratuitously violent video game Yee has likely succeeded in getting some free advertising for Rockstar Games. Perhaps is Yee has stock in Rockstar his posturing may actually pay off.

Hill Attacks Papan over Sheriff Debacle

2008-04-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

In a blast e-mail to supporters, San Mateo County Supervisor and Assembly candidate Jerry Hill has attacked opponent Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan over an exchange between the two candidates during a candidate forum last Saturday hosted by the Pacifica Democratic Club.

Hill’s e-mail states:
This past Saturday while attending a Democratic candidate debate I was attacked by Gina Papan regarding San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks embarrassing actions while on a trip to Las Vegas last year. She tried to connect my responsibilities as Supervisor with Sheriff Munks poor judgment.

If you need further detail about the incident and how I handled it last year please visit my web site, www.votejerryhill.com/blog and under Blog you can see my response. You can also read today’s story in the San Mateo Daily News, http://www.sanmateodailynews.com/article/2008-4-22-munks-hill-cash

Additionally, to avoid any hint of impropriety, I have returned Sheriff Munks financial contribution to my campaign.

Hill’s rapid and nearly complete u-turn from a staunch defense of the Sheriff to a position of condemnation is an attempt at political damage control.

Hill has been badly damaged in the local press in a series of articles published in the Daily News and the San Mateo County times criticizing the board of supervisors for inaction in response to the Sheriff’s brothel visit last year in Las Vegas.

Hill in particular has been called out among the supervisors as he has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Munks and Munks’ family for Hill’s Assembly bid.

In response, according to an article in the Daily News, Hill has given back a portion of the money he received from Munks and has asked the county counsel’s office to examine the possibility of amending the county charter in order to provide the board of supervisors with the authority to discipline independently elected county office holders in the future.

The Daily News scolded Hill and company for their lack of action stating that ”…because our county officials have betrayed the public's trust by stonewalling and hiding behind bureaucratic caveats, whatever investigation is conducted must be independent…”

Hill has yet to suggest any such independent investigation but, judging by a recent column in the San Mateo County Times, he is aware that his financial relationship and past support of Sheriff Munks may damage his candidacy in his current Assembly race and he is now hedging his bets.

Hill’s attack of Gina Papan is yet another attempt to divert attention away from his bungling of this scandal.

Speier and Eshoo Fire Shot Heard Round the County

2008-04-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

Hill in the Line of Fire of Congressmembers
San Mateo County’s two members of Congress stunned political insiders last Friday by publicly calling for a full investigation of the incident last year in which San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained in a Las Vegas brothel in a law enforcement sting.

Newly minted Congresswoman Jackie Speier, quoted in the Daily News expose, stated: "This cries out for a comprehensive external investigation, because the highest law enforcement officer in the county should not be under any suspicion of illegal activity at any time, ever.”

It has been a year since San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos were detained by law enforcement officials in a sweep of brothels in Las Vegas, Nevada under a two year investigation named “Operation Dollhouse”.

On Friday, April 18, 2008, the San Mateo Daily News published a stunning expose and reexamination of the Sheriff’s visit to a house of ill-repute and subsequent silence on the issue. Of greatest significance in the expose is the new call for an investigation of Munks and Bolanos by the county’s two top political leaders, Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo.

Speier’s electrifying comments have sparked a wave of renewed interest in the Munks case while simultaneously shining a bright light on the closed circle of political relationships that comprise the county’s leadership.

Members of the board of supervisors washed their hands of the incident by saying they hold no sway over the sheriff, an elected official. County prosecutors said it's not their business what the sheriff and Undersheriff did because Las Vegas is outside their jurisdiction. And County Manager John Maltbie restricted his investigation to whether county funds were spent on the trip -and they were.

Supervisor Jerry Hill has been a vociferous defender of Munks, stating in the Examiner Newspaper at the time that Munks “…has the highest integrity and I have the highest confidence in Sheriff Munks, and the Undersheriff as well,” said Hill, who considers Munks a social friend.

In the most recent article, in the face of Speier and Eshoo’s demand for an investigation Hill responded by stating: "Certainly, we can't control what someone does after hours — nor should we — and if it's not using county resources, that is fine.''

But the pressure for the county leaders to respond is mounting. The following day, Board President Adrienne Tissier announced in the Daily News that she would be speaking with both members of Congress and would be open to revisiting the brothel bust. Tissier stated: "Obviously, Congresswoman Eshoo and Congresswoman Speier believe there are still unanswered questions from a year ago, and there are. I will spend the weekend speaking with both of them to get a better understanding of their thoughts.”

For Hill, this event could not have at a worse time. Hill is now engaged in a pitched battle to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin who is being termed out of office.

Hill’s defense of Munks has been linked in the local press to the tremendous financial support he has received from Munks and Munks’ family – the Sheriff's father-in-law Bill Lane owns Sunset Magazine and is a big political donor. Hill has received over $11,000 in direct donations from Munks’ family for his Assembly race and Munks held a political fundraiser for Hill on November 11, 2007 at his Portola Valley home just months after the brothel bust scandal.

According to the San Mateo County Times, the Vegas bust and the subsequent cover up championed by Hill may just cost him the election and benefit either Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan or Community College Trustee Richard Holober.

Assembly Debate Offers Glimpse of Candidates

2008-04-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

The three candidates running to succeed terming out Assemblyman Gene Mullin participated in another of a series of forums to speak about their candidacies and answer questions posed by members of the community.

This most recent of candidate forums was sponsored by the Beresford-Hillsdale Neighborhood Association in San Mateo.

Several local newspapers covered the forum including the Daily News and the Daily Journal, providing some of the highlights.

The candidates largely articulates similar views during the forum but San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill was on the defensive as both of his candidates pointed out some of Hill’s foibles.

San Mateo County Community College District Trustee Richard Holober backhanded Hill by stating that he (Holober) was not the candidate who had taken thousands of dollars from real estate developers, specifically Cargill Saltworks in Redwood City which is attempting to develop its property in Redwood City as it moves its processing operations to Mexico.

The comment, while damaging to Hill, also belies the fact that Holober’s wife Nadia Holober, a former Millbrae City Councilmember, is in fact a land use attorney who represents developers. According to her Web site, Nadia Holober “…practices land use and government law throughout San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and the San Francisco Bay Area. Her areas of expertise include entitlement and permit processing, environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") and local code compliance. A City Councilmember, former Mayor, and former San Mateo County Planning Commissioner and Chair herself, Ms. Holober possesses particular insight and skill in working with City and County governments in resolving issues and securing successful results for her clients' projects.” Although the family connection to the real estate development business was not made at the debate it is likely that Holober may pay a price for his rap on Hill. The pot can only call the kettle black for so long.

In turn, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan slapped Hill over his role in the BART to SFO boondoggle, saying that the ailing project “set us back years” with money flowing out of the county, scarce revenue that could have been used for housing and other needs.

Hill snapped back at Papan In his closing remarks by suggesting that Papan “get her facts right.” Hill stated that he did not back the extension but instead signed the deal divorcing SamTrans from the BART district.

Hill should be careful of trying to rewrite history, however, as Hill served on the SamTrans board when the final deal with BART was consummated and when SamTrans agreed to give a $72 million interest-free loan to BART for the construction of the SFO extension in 1999. Following that vote, Hill was quoted as saying "This is the best deal in town. Where can you get $1.5 billion in benefits for $400 million [of SamTrans expense]?"

Three weeks later, SamTrans cut 15 percent of its bus service and struggled with service reductions ever since. In addition, the $72 million “loan” to BART ended up being a gift as part of the divorce Hill touted, in addition to the millions the BART to SFO extension cost to SamTrans otherwise. The extension, while slwly gaining ridership, has been an unqualified disaster.

But just as in the ongoing Democratic Presidential Primary Election, voters can expect some mudslinging.

Environmentalists Spar Over Assembly Candidate’s Green Credentials

2008-04-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Local environmentalists have been sparring in a war of words in the local press over the environmental credentials of San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill.

What has sparked the war of words is a recent endorsement of the Sierra Club of two of the three candidates running in the 19th Assembly District Democratic Primary in the hopes of replacing termed-out Assemblyman Gene Mullin.

Just about two weeks ago the Sierra Club announced its dual endorsement of both Hill and San Mateo County Community College Trustee Richard Holober. Shortly after the endorsement was made public, however, several local environmental leaders of both yesterday and today responded by condemning the endorsement of Hill.

Redwood City activist Adrian Brandt touched off the debate by authoring an opinion piece that appeared in the San Mateo Daily News challenging Hill’s credentials and blasting Hill for his historic and contemporary ties to large real estate development interests.

Brandt states: “I was deeply troubled by this endorsement as Supervisor Hill is the preferred candidate of the real estate venture of Cargill and developers DMB Associates, which are trying to push a massive new development on the Redwood City baylands. Cargill and DMB have donated thousands of dollars to Supervisor Hill yet he somehow has hoodwinked the Sierra Club into believing that he is an environmentalist.”

Hill’s ties to the Cargill/DMB venture have put environmental groups at odds as several environmental organizations including the Friends of Redwood City, the Committee for Green Foothills and Save the Bay are pushing a ballot measure in Redwood City to stop the development on the Cargill site in the hopes of creating new parks and protected open space.

In fact, the Sierra Club is supporting the measure.

In his defense, veteran Sierra Club activist Irwin David authored a letter to the editor of the Daily News in Hill’s defense stating: “To date, Hill has been one of the strongest votes for the toughest air quality and global warming regulations [in his capacity as a member of the California Air Resources Board (CARB)] on the 10-person board.

But in the same edition of the Daily News, former Belmont Mayor and environmental activist Pam Rianda, lanced Hill for his role in decimating the 20-year old program governed by the CARB requiring big automakers to manufacture and sell thousands of electric, zero-emission vehicles in California in favor of auto-industry backed alternatives.

In her letter, Rianda stated: “Hill's vote to kill the electric car is yet another indicator of what he may do if he is successful in his current bid for state Assembly. Hill's cave-in to automakers should be cause for alarm for any voter who cares for the environment.”

It appears that Hill has made some enemies along the way during his tenure in local government.

Teachers Back Holober in 19th AD Race

2008-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

San Mateo County Community College Trustee and candidate for the 19th Assembly District Richard Holober announced today that he has received the endorsement of the California Teachers Association (CTA).

The endorsement is one among many important endorsements for candidates running in the June 3, 2008 Democratic Primary. Holober has garnered both the CTA and its sister union in that of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), meaning Holober now has an exclusive claim as the education candidate. It also means that the many teachers living within the 19th Assembly District may also cast their ballots for Holober.

The CTA endorsement is a particular victory for Holober as one of his rivals, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, recently received the endorsement of Assemblyman Gene Mullin, the current officeholder, who is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Education and a former teacher who has enjoyed a long relationship with CTA. Despite Mullin’s backing, however, Hill was bypassed by CTA.

In turn, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan has also been unable to garner support from either unions but has been able to split support with Holober among the California School Employee Association (CSEA) which represents non-teachings staff in public schools.

As the 19th Assembly District race has unfolded the sands have been consistently shifting. Hill started the race early obtaining numerous local endorsements but has since been able to prevent his opponents from gaining ground. Beyond the endorsements, local political chatter is increasing regarding the candidacy of Gina Papan who more and more is being regarded as extremely competitive if not the front-runner in the race.

With less than 60 days to go until Election Day, local political watchers are looking for signs for any one of the candidates to break from the pack. A surprising circumstance for what was supposed to be a walk for Hill.

Colma Council Appoints Replacement for Formalejo

2008-03-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Following the surprise resignation of Colma Councilman Larry Formalejo on March 12, 2008, Colma Councilmembers convened last Thursday evening to appoint his replacement for the remainder of his term running through November of this year.

The Council appointed Diana Colvin, 56, who, according to the Daily Journal, was nominated by three of the four City Council members. Colvin is an independent contractor and a member of the Colma Historical Association.

Formalejo resigned from his seat following allegations of attempting to influence local police departments for both his son and niece in two separate incidents including an alleged drunk driving charge and speeding ticket respectively.

Formalejo resigned his position as mayor in February prior to leaving the council altogether.
Colvin actually ran against Formalejo in 2004 and lost by just a few votes. In fact, according to the League of Women Voters Web site, Colvin actually was thought to be the winner initially. But following the full counting of absentee ballots, Formalejo bested in Colvin by 17 votes, according to the County Clerk’s archive.

County Businesses Raise Red Flag Over Proposed Health Care Fee

2008-03-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

A county task forced focused on finding ways to provide health care insurance to the uninsured have raised red flags for local businesses who, under the task force’s proposal, would be required to contribute to a county-run insurance program.

Last Friday, according to an article in the San Mateo Daily News, the San Mateo County Blue Ribbon Task Force on Adult Healthcare Expansion, issued its proposal to create a plan that would cover county residents who do not qualify for state-funded Medi-Cal insurance but make too little to purchase adequate insurance on the open-market.

The task force, comprised of 36 representatives from government, hospitals, labor, businesses and nonprofit sectors, has suggested that county employers contribute an as of yet unknown amount of money toward such a program. Not surprisingly, the lone business representative on the task force dissented from such a proposal.

"They're very concerned about the current economic environment," said David Amann, who represented the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce on the task force. "They're worried an additional cost at this point in time could really affect whether they can come out on the other side of this recession."

The new proposed insurance program would be administered by the Health Plan of San Mateo, which runs the county's Medi-Cal and children's health programs, if the recommendations are approved May 20 by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors – so long as a funding source can be identified – and that’s where a local business tax would come in.

The county would be unable to levy such a tax itself, however, so each of the county’s 20 cities would be forced to place a measure on local ballots to establish such a levy.

That’s where this proposal, with businesses opposition, will likely run into the ground. But, according to Supervisor Jerry Hill, "There always seems to be some negativity when government is moving the agenda.”

In this case, the negativity is coming from an anxious business community struggling with a slumping economy. The task force is scheduled to reconvene in October to discuss financing options.

Democrats Deadlock Over Assembly Endorsement

2008-03-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

In the race to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin ambiguity is beginning to be the only consistent factor in the election.

Of the three candidates, including San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo County Community College Trustee Richard Holober, no one candidate will receive the official blessing of the Democratic Party. Last Saturday, Democratic Party delegates gathered in Burlingame to vote for their preferred candidates. Unfortunately, no candidate secured enough votes to take the day, meaning no candidate will receive the party’s endorsement before the June 3, 2008 Primary Election.

The week prior, among San Mateo County labor unions, a similar endorsement event was held with a similar result with the San Mateo County Central Labor Council deadlocking as well.

The lack of major endorsements that usually accompany a Democratic Primary have muddied the electoral waters in the 19th Assembly District, leaving voters without many of the markers often used to evaluate candidates. With no Democratic Party candidate and no labor candidate, it is unclear what may sway voters in this third of four elections in 2008.

The lack of clarity will likely hurt San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill more than his competitors Gina Papan and Richard Holober. Hill began campaigning nearly two years before his competitors, locking up many endorsements from local elected officials in his attempt to present himself as the inevitable candidate, a strategy he has employed throughout most of his political career. But his failure to secure two major endorsements in as many weeks has changed the dynamics in the race and leaves room for both Holober and Papan to tout their ability to compete and muster support within the two largest and most important elements of a Democratic Primary – organized labor and the Democratic Party apparatus itself.

More worrisome for Hill is the fact that the recently converted Republican will not have the legitimizing cover of a Democratic Party endorsement to blunt the likely criticism of his opponents that he is a political chameleon and, in most respects, a Republican after all. In a Democratic Primary Election, a shallow history of Democratic affiliation may prove to be a significant liability for Hill.

Green Party Activist Links Hill to Cargill Development

2008-03-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

In an Op-Ed in the San Mateo Daily News, San Mateo County Green Party veteran activist Pat Gray condemned San Mateo County Supervisor and Assembly aspirant Jerry Hill for his accepting large donations from developers of the Redwood City saltworks site.

Gray’s editorial follows a recent announcement by local environmental groups including Save the Bay, Committee for Green Foothills and Friends of Redwood City of a signature gathering effort to place a measure on the Redwood City ballot to protect the Bay-front property now occupied by salt manufacturers Cargill from being lost to commercial and residential development now under consideration.

In an article appearing in the San Mateo Daily News, Save the Bay director David Lewis stated "This is a response to the assault on parks and open space in our area. The important thing is to not lose any more open space without a vote of the public."

But the issue for Gray was not so much the specific battle in Redwood City but the posture of three local candidates running for the State Assembly in the June 3, 2008 Democratic Primary election. Only one of those candidates, according to Gray, has accepted nearly $6,000 dollars from Cargill and its development partner, DMB Associates of Arizona – that being Jerry Hill.

The other candidates, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo County Community College District Trustee Richard Holober, have taken no funds from Cargill or DMB.

Gray warns “environmentally minded” voters to beware an environmental wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Labor Deadlocks in Endorsement Vote in 19th Assembly District Race

2008-03-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 10, delegates of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, the representative body of organized labor in San Mateo County, deadlocked in an endorsement vote for the 19th Assembly District. The contentious vote means that, at present, none of the candidates vying for the coveted Assembly seat including San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and Community College District Trustee Richard Holober, will enjoy the official stamp of approval from organized labor, although individual unions will likely gravitate to their respective candidates of choice.

Of the three candidates vying for the 19th Assembly District seat being vacated by terming out Assemblyman Gene Mullin, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill once looked like the likely frontrunner.

But the like the Democratic Party Presidential Primary battle, the presumed frontrunner status can no longer be easily discerned.

This has been the case throughout this Assembly election, denying any candidate a valid claim to frontrunner status. In the heavily contested 19th Assembly District, the full backing of labor is a major requirement for any chance of success.

The lack of a labor endorsement will make the hunt for the Democratic Party nomination in this Democratic Primary election an even greater prize. Should one of the candidates walk away with the Democratic Party nomination ahead of the June 3, 2008 Primary, the election may quickly turn and a new frontrunner will most assuredly emerge.

Until then, this race is any candidate's race to win.

Local Tax Measures Piling Up for June Ballot

2008-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

Faced with likely budget cuts due to a massive state budget deficit, local school districts and possibly cities will look to local residents to help supplement lean budgets on the horizon.

According to an article in the Daily Journal, the Millbrae School Districts is considering placing a $78-per-parcel tax on the June 3, 2008 ballot. A $78 tax could generate up to $492,648 for the district annually. The parcel tax would be the district’s second attempt in 13 months. On May 8, 200y, Measure R, the district’s first attempt at passing such a tax failed by just over three percentage points, garnering 64.4 percent of the vote of the necessary 66.7 percent in a special mail-only election.

The Millbrae School District may be joined by a slew of others including a possible effort to renew or augment an existing parcel tax in the San Carlos Elementary School District.

According to an article in the Daily Journal, in 2003 voters in San Carlos passed Measure D — a $98 per year parcel tax that will expire in 2011. The tax covers about 10 percent of costs for many programs like counseling and reading comprehension.

A parcel tax could be coming to San Bruno as well. School Board Trustees in the San Bruno Park Elementary School District will discuss the possibility of placing a parcel tax on the June ballot at the board’s Wednesday, March 12 meeting.

That district is currently reviewing over $1 million in budget reduction proposals to offset a likely deficit.

According to an article in the Pacifica Tribune, the Pacifica School District is also considering a June parcel tax to offset likely budget cuts due to significantly less state funding. The amount of that parcel tax has not yet been formalized.

All of the school tax measures will be forced to compete with a countywide tax in that of a 1/8-cent sales tax to generate dedicated revenue for county and city parks throughout San Mateo County. That Measure has already been placed on the June ballot by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors at the board’s Feb. 12, 2008 meeting.

County taxpayers will remember the former Measure A, the failed sales tax measure that appeared on the November 2006 ballot. The former “Parks for the Future” tax required a 2/3 supermajority for passage but garnered only 55.4 percent approval, according the League of Women Voters web archive.

The new measure will be an exact replica of the failed measure of two years ago offered by the “Parks for the Future” campaign.

The sales tax would generate approximately $16 million a year to be shared by the 20 cities in San Mateo County, the county government itself and three special parks or recreation districts. Under the formula devised for the failed Measure A tax 52 percent would be divided among the 20 county cities, 42 percent would go to the county government itself and the remaining 6 percent would be shared among three local parks districts.

Cities would divide the share of the sales tax windfall on a per capita basis – which will benefit the larger cities in the county – with a minimum distribution equal to 1.357 percent of total net tax revenues and the remaining City allocations will be adjusted accordingly. For example, Daly City, the county's biggest city, would get $1.1 million, followed by San Mateo, which would receive about $987,000. Smaller cities such as Brisbane and Half Moon Bay would be guaranteed a minimum of $205,000 a year.

With multiple taxes on the ballot in so many communities, voters will have a variety of hard choices to make.

Election Hangover for Millbrae Council Candidate

2008-03-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

According to a recent column in the Chronicle Newspaper by famed gossip mongers Matier & Ross, a former candidate for the Millbrae City Council has run into a bit of trouble at her job with the San Francisco Fire Department.

The 2007 council candidate and Millbrae Planning Commissioner Lorrie Kalos-Gunn has apparently been demoted from her position as an Assistant Deputy Fire Chief down to the rank of battalion chief, with the commensurate $23,000 annual pay decrease.

Kalos-Gunn was demoted for allegedly appearing in her SFFD uniform and using her department-issued cell phone while running unsuccessfully for a seat on the Millbrae City Council last fall.

Kalos-Gunn, according to the League of Women Voters archive, placed six out of a field of eight attempting to claim three open council seats.

According to the Matier & Ross column, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White had some strong words for Kalos-Gunn stating that the demotion was ordered after “losing confidence in the judgment of someone at a high level in the department who is serving as a role model.”

San Francisco ethics rules preclude participating in political activities while in official uniform. The alleged infraction may have occurred, according to statements made by Kalos-Gunn, within her campaign literature which may have featured a photo of her in uniform.

But, according to the column, Kalos-Gunn’s major infraction may have been the posting of her department-issued cell phone number on her campaign web site as her campaign contact. The Web site has since been taken down and is no longer active.

Holober Lands Major Endorsement

2008-02-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

In the race for endorsements, candidates for the 19th Assembly District Democratic Primary are racking up support at a furious pace. Earlier this month, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill announced endorsements from the California League of Conservation Voters and the current Assemblyman for the 19th District, Gene Mullin.

Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan has announced the support of numerous members of the State Legislature, outpacing her opponents among potential future colleagues.

Not to be outdone, San Mateo County Community College District Trustee Richard Holober has claimed the endorsement of California’s largest union in that of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) State Council, the umbrella for the many SEIU locals.

The powerful union represents health care workers, librarians, custodians, social workers, homecare workers and other public employees and claim approximately 6,000 members in the area of the 19th Assembly District.

The endorsement places Holober firmly in the lead in the chase for organized labor support that will translate into both funding and feet on the ground.

Hill, who only recently changed his party registration Republican to Democrat, has gained some ground on the environmental front but the California League of Conservation Voters is very much a second cousin to the arguably more significant Sierra Club. If Hill fails to obtain the exclusive endorsement of the Sierra Club that would badly undermine his attempt to position himself as the environmental candidate.

Papan, in order to keep her campaign in the forefront needs to add to her list of endorsements in the coming weeks.

Among all of the candidates, Holober now looks to be in a position of strength that, like Barack Obama, if it continues could derail even what was a presumptive candidate.

Heads Won't Roll in Juvenile Hall Escape

2008-02-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, February 14, a 17-year-old murder suspect escaped from the San Mateo County juvenile facility, stunning county officials and neighbors of the facility.

According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Probation officials said Orozco was last seen Thursday evening playing basketball with two other youths in a courtyard that is surrounded by a 10-foot, concrete block wall. Authorities believe he scaled the wall, pulled back a net that covers the area, then dropped down to the other side. Once there, Orozco is thought to have slipped through a 3-foot-long slit in a chain link fence that had been cut by accomplices on the outside.

Orozco was apparently hoisted up by two other inmates to reach a lamppost on the wall at a height of 10ft and then used the lamp to scale the last five feet of the concrete wall. That is the structural weakness that offered Orozco his out. But what happened afterward is what has left county leaders with egg on their faces.

Apparently, Orozco's escape went unnoticed by the two security staffers who monitor the facility's more than 120 cameras from a control room. Worse yet, according to the county’s chief probation officer Loren Buddress who oversees the facility and commented on the issues in a Daily News article, a probation officer is supposed to be able to see juvenile offenders at all times but an internal investigation has yet to reveal whether a probation officer was in the recreation yard when the escape happened. It is likely that whatever internal security protocols that were supposed to be in place, were not.

Orozco escaped the juvenile detention center between 7 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Thursday. It is not clear from news reports how long it took facility staff to notice Orozco’s absence but the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office did not alert authorities of Orozco’s escape until after 9 p.m. that night. It is at this point that county public safety officials may have blown their chance to capture Orozco.

Sheriff’s officials issued only what is termed a “statewide alert,” essentially a teletype alerting law enforcement throughout the state of the esacpe. But, according to San Mateo County Judge Marta Diaz who excoriated publiuc sfaet officials in a Daily News article, an arrest warrant should have been issued immediateltly. By issuing an arrest warrant, law enforcement agencies throughout the state would have received a photo of Orozco with an immediate order to make an arrest.

A warrant was not issued until 2 a.m. when Sheriff’s Deputies knocked on Diaz’ door for her signature on the warrant.

Diaz, in a Daily News article stated: "I noticed while I was reading the affidavit that the escape had occurred (6 1/2 hours earlier) - and I was shocked." If (an inmate) is making for the Mexican or Canadian border, you want that arrest warrant in your hot little hands," she said.
Instead, the escaped murderer was given a 7-hour head start in a likely run for Mexico.

Predictably, officials such as members of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors have called for an investigation and have used strong language in the local press about preventing future escapes and condemning the county’s failures.

But San Mateo County residents should expect little in terms of real accountability.

In a Daily News story at the time, Hill stated that "He's an excellent sheriff with a long history and an excellent reputation. I don't see this affecting his ability to act as sheriff in any way."

A year earlier, County Coroner Robert Foucrault was slammed for inappropriate actions within his department including allegations that he exposed his backside at the workplace and fostered a “hostile and sexual” environment that included repeated remarks about employees’ sexual orientation and a life-sized skeleton decoration with breasts, according to a discrimination complaint filed on June 2, 2006 and detailed in a Daily Journal article.

A year later, following another “internal investigation” of the Coroner’s office by the county counsel’s office, the Board of Supervisors resolved to simply “monitor” the situation.

That is why, following this latest scandal, it is unlikely that leaders of the probation or sheriff’s departments will ever be held accountable.

It may or may not be a coincidence that some of the same folks who have been given a pass by the County Board of Supervisors are also endorsers and financial backers of the Supervisors’ political careers.

For example, Sheriff Greg Munks, his wife Brenda Munks, his father-in-law Bill Lane and mother-in-law have all donated a combined $11,373 to Supervisor Jerry Hill’s campaign in his bid to succeed termed out Assemblyman Gene Mullin. Munks also held a fundraisrer for Hill at his Portola Valley home on Nov. 11, 2007. Munks is also a listed endorser on Hill’s campaign web site, as is Loren Buddress, the county’s Chief Probation Officer.

For his part, Buddress has donated $575 to Hill’s campaign in four installments, according to the Secretary of State’s Web site.

In short, no heads will roll in San Mateo County.

A Bad Valentine's Day for Peninsula Politicians

2008-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day held little love for now former Colma Mayor Larry Formalejo who resigned his position of mayor which he has held since November of 2007 following allegations of ethical breaches by his colleagues, according to reports in the Examiner newspaper and the Chronicle.

Formalejo will retain his council seat but will no longer serve as Mayor as the gavel has passed, for the time being, to vice Mayor Helen Fisicairo.

But more trouble may be ahead for Formalejo, the first Filipino Mayor of Colma, as, according to the Examiner, more allegations of “inappropriate” conduct have surfaced. According to Colma’s town attorney, Roger Peters, an internal investigation will be completed by March 12.

According to the Examiner, Formalejo admitted in a letter to Town Manager Diane McGrath that he did seek “assistance from an officer” when his 21-year-old son was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Colma in 2006.

Formalejo's troubles come on the heels of rceent corruption charges and subsequent indictments of two former Colma council members. In 2006, council members Ron Maldonado and Phil Lum admitted to accepting unreported gifts from the owner of Colma Casino Luck Chances, primarily in the form of airline tickets to the Philippines. Both men were indicted and agreed to plea deals that did not include any jail time.

Senator Joe Simitian Stripped of Committee Chair

According to reports in the San Jose Mercury News State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, was removed as chairman of the state Senate Environmental Quality Committee following Simitian’s attempt to buck his colleagues’ approach to cutting education funding.

In a budget committee hearing on Wednesday Simitian Challenged Committee Chair Denise Ducheny over the approach to making mid-year budget cuts for public education. The approach Simitian advocated would have cut less at the moment but would have required greater cuts in the budget later in the year.

Simitian, following a half-hour debate with Ducheny, finally relented but the exchange was not appreciated by Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata, D-Oakland. On the following day, Simitian was removed from the Environmental Quality committee, a committee with oversight of Bills relating to environmental quality, air quality, water quality, integrated waste management, toxics, and hazardous waste.

Neither Simitian nor Perata has publicly commented on Simitian’s removal.

Colma Mayor Imbroglio

2008-02-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

According to the Examiner Newspaper, Colma Mayor Larry Formalejo is currently under investigation for as of yet undefined misconduct and may be forced out of his council position.

Last Thursday, the Colma Town Council held a special meeting specifically to discuss Formalejo’s conduct but no details of that discussion have been released to the public.

Formalejo, elected to a four year term in 2004 is serving his first rotation as mayor in 2008 and is the first Filipino Mayor in the town’s history.

The news of Formalejo’s troubles is rocking the small necropolis which has seen two former councilmembers plead to federal charges related to taking unreported gifts from the owner of the local casino, Luck Chances.

Rumors are flying over the specific allegations against Formalejo but Colma officials are remaining tight-lipped.

It appears likely, however, that Colma will lose another member of its council before the end of the month.

Parks Tax to be on June 3, 2008 Ballot

2008-02-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

It appears that boosters of a new 1/8-cent sales tax have convinced members of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to place a measure on the June 3, 2008 Primary Election ballot.

The Board will hold a hearing to place the measure on the ballot at its Tuesday, February 12 regular meeting at 10 am. No background material is yet available for public review on the ballot measure on the Board’s Web site.

Parks boosters are soliciting supporters to attend the meeting and urge to board to place the measure on the ballot, although the hearing is very likely a pro forma exercise.

According to information circulated by the Parks for the Future campaign leaders, the “factors leading to the decision to go for June 08 include strong and enthusiastic support from the community combined with positive results from the recent tracking poll showing that 70% of voters surveyed support the measure.”

A 4/5 vote of the Board is required to place the measure on the ballot.

Under the proposed design of the sales tax, which mirrors the failed Measure A of 2006, the tax would generate approximately $16 million a year to be shared by the 20 cities in San Mateo County, the county government itself and three special parks or recreation districts. Of the $16 million, 52 percent would be divided among the 20 county cities, 42 percent would go to the county government and the remaining 6 percent would be shared among three local parks districts.Cities would divide the share of the sales tax windfall on a per capita basis – which will benefit the larger cities in the county – with a minimum distribution equal to 1.357 percent of total net tax revenues and the remaining City allocations will be adjusted accordingly. For example, Daly City, the county's biggest city, would get $1.1 million annually, followed by San Mateo, which would receive about $987,000. Smaller cities such as Brisbane and Half Moon Bay would be guaranteed a minimum of $205,000 a year.

To contact the Supervisors in support or opposition to this measure use the following e-mails:

Supervisor Adrienne Tissier: atissier@co.sanmateo.ca.us
Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson: RoseJG@co.sanmateo.ca.us
Supervisor Jerry Hill: jhill@co.sanmateo.ca.us
Supervisor Mark Church: mchurch@co.sanmateo.ca.us
Supervisor Rich Gordon: rgordon@co.sanmateo.ca.us

New Elections on the Horizon

2008-02-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

With the close of the February 5, 2008 Presidential Primary Election, local voters will have little respite as the June 3, 2008 legislative and county primary is fast approaching and local candidates are already lining up.

On the ballot in June, according to the San Mateo County Elections Office Web site, will be a series of legislative and county races. Of particular note will be the race to replace Assemblyman Gene Mullin who is terming out of his 19th Assembly District seat.

Vying to replace Mullin is San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan and San Mateo County Community College Trustee Richard Holober.

All candidates are already running hard and raising campaign cash. Hill holds the edge in the money race but Papan is gaining fast, having only been raising money for two months. Holober is between the two in the second spot but the vast majority of the funds Holober has raised are from his own bank account. Hill, who changed party registration from Republican to Democrat to run for the seat, has been in campaign mode for more than two years.

Former State Senator Jackie Speier is running to replace retiring Congressman Tom Lantos with no real opposition. That election will be a non-race.

Three San Mateo County Supervisors will also be on the ballot but these Supervisors rarely, if ever, face any real challenge. The Supervisors run countywide and without major backing no candidate has a chance against an incumbent. Supervisors Adrienne Tissier, Mark Church and Rose Jacobs Gibson are assured of reelection. Tissier, who is running for her second term, did not even have a challenger the first time she ran for the board and none has emerged as of yet the second time around.

The only other race that will be contested is a rare election for a seat on the San Mateo County Superior Court Bench. Members of the county’s legal community are lining up behind one of two potential candidates hoping to replace retiring Judge John Winfield Runde, an appointee of former California Governor George Deukmejian, who has served on the county bench since 1987.

The candidates hoping to replace Runde are San Mateo attorney Don Franchi and Millbrae attorney Jerry E. Nastari, a partner in the powerful firm of Corey, Luzaich, Pliska, de Ghetaldi & Nastari, LLP.

Franchi already has a campaign Web sit and is gathering some endorsements, drawing support from the North County from which he hails, garnering endorsements from former San Mateo County Supervisor Mike Nevin, former county assessor Roland Gianini, Redwood City Councilmember Alicia Aguirre, Millbrae Councilmember Daniel Quigg and two former South San Francisco councilmembers in that of Joe Fernekes and Ray Green. San Mateo County Board if Education Trustee Memo Morantes has also lent his name to Franchi’s cause.

Jerry Nastari has yet to make public any endorsements but is rumored to be favored by the county’s legal establishment.

The rare judicial race may provide some interest in an election that will likely attract little attention.

Parks Tax Effort Kicks-off Campaign for 2008

2008-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Supporters of a 1/8-cent sales tax to raise new revenue for city and county parks in San Mateo County will hold a fundraiser and Campaign Kick-off Celebration on Thursday, January 31 from 4 to 6 PM at the Borel Estate Building located at 1700 El Camino Real in the Miller Ream Room, first floor in San Mateo according to a recent e-mail distributed to likely supporters.

County taxpayers will remember the former Measure A, the failed sales tax measure that appeared on the November 2006 ballot. The former “Parks for the Future” tax required a 2/3 supermajority for passage but garnered only 55.4 percent approval, according the League of Women Voters web archive.

The new measure being pitched to voters under the poll appears to be a near exact replica of the failed measure of two years ago offered by the “Parks for the Future” campaign.

Under such a design the sales tax would generate approximately $16 million a year to be shared by the 20 cities in San Mateo County, the county government itself and three special parks or recreation districts. Under the formula devised for the failed Measure A tax 52 percent would be divided among the 20 county cities, 42 percent would go to the county government itself and the remaining 6 percent would be shared among three local parks districts.

Cities would divide the share of the sales tax windfall on a per capita basis – which will benefit the larger cities in the county – with a minimum distribution equal to 1.357 percent of total net tax revenues and the remaining City allocations will be adjusted accordingly. For example, Daly City, the county's biggest city, would get $1.1 million, followed by San Mateo, which would receive about $987,000. Smaller cities such as Brisbane and Half Moon Bay would be guaranteed a minimum of $205,000 a year..

Prior to the failed Measure A, tax boosters polled county voters to gauge support for the tax, which, according to information released at the time, registered a support level of 67 percent, or just enough to be approved at the ballot. But as history reveals, the early support evaporated and the measure failed by over 10 percentage points. Polls have been conducted for the new tax but sponsors have not released those figures.

Prior to the measure’s test at the ballot there were dueling editorials in the local newspapers discussing both the potential merits and detriments of the tax including opinion pieces in the Daily News by Portola Valley taxpayer advocate Tom Dempsey decrying the measure as a bail out for government officials unable to manage their budgets to an opinion piece by the former Sheriff Don Horsley claiming that the tax would be a public safety measure.

The new tax would increase San Mateo County’s sales tax to among the highest in the Bay Area to 8.375 percent, just under that of San Francisco County at 8.5 percent and Alameda County at 8.75 percent.

Parks tax supporters may be anxious with the recent failure of Measure F, the ½-cent Sales Tax Measure on the ballot in the City of San Bruno this past November 6. That measure garnered only 49.1% of the vote in that city. Now, with a stalling economy, home foreclosures increasing, and rising unemployment a tax increase may be a tough sell in 2008.

E-Bay’s Whitman May Make Gubernatorial Bid as Member of the GOP

2008-01-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

Soon to be retired E-Bay CEO and Atherton Resident Meg Whitman is rumored to be making inquiries into a possible bid to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger in the State’s top post, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Whitman is a major donor to a variety of Republican causes, and of late has served as advisor and fundraiser for presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

According to the Times “Whitman has talked with top Republicans about the possibility of a run for California governor in 2010, according to three operatives who have had discussions with her. Whitman is said to be asking detailed questions about the logistics of a run and the impact she could have as governor, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the conversations.”

According to voter registration data available through the San Mateo County Registrar of Voters, Whitman changed her registration status from “decline to state” to “Republican last September.

Whitman, a billionaire ranked on Forbes Magazine’s list of richest Americans would likely face another Silicon Valley billionaire in Insurance Commission Steve Poizner. Both are relative moderates and could self finance their respective campaigns.

Whitman, 51, has been with E-Bay since 1998. The Silicon Valley Company also launched the political aspirations of former State Controller and gubernatorial candidate Steve Westley.

Battle Lines Being Drawn in Assembly Race

2008-01-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill was added to the list of elected opponents to Proposition 92, the measure on the February 5, 2008 ballot that will roll back fees for community college students.

Hill joins a scant few elected officials in opposition to the measure which is heavily supported by labor unions and other progressive organizations. The No on 92 campaign Hill joins is comprised of organizations such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the San Diego Tax Fighters, the California Republican Assembly and the California Chamber of Commerce, all Republican leaning groups.

In contrast, Richard Holober, a San Mateo County Community College Trustee and one of Hill’s opponents in the race to succeed terming out Assemblyman Gene Mullin, is supporting the Yes on Proposition 92 campaign.

Holober joins organizations such as the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, the California Federation of Teachers, the California School Employees Association, the California State Council of Laborers and the California Young Democrats among many. Holober, according to the endorsements listed on his web site, enjoys a great deal of support from organized labor and lists many local and state unions as endorsers.

As of yet, Hill has yet to publicly score a union endorsement.

The other candidate in the race, Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan, has not listed endorsements on her web site and has not publicly taken a position on Proposition 92.

For voters residing in the 19th Assembly District, the positions of the three candidates on the proposition is a good indicator of the philosophical perspective of each.

At present, it appears Holober has staked out the more liberal position while Hill is vying for the conservative vote. As a former Republican, Hill is likely more comfortable in the company of such groups such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, one of the main proponents of the watershed Proposition 13.

Gina Papan, a late comer to the race, may vie for the middle ground between the more progressive Holober and the more conservative Hill.

Time will tell how the candidates reveal their true political leanings.

Speier to Announce Candidacy for Congress

2008-01-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Former State Senator Jackie Speier is slated to announce her candidacy to succeed retiring Congressman Tom Lantos Sunday, January 12, 2008 at Leo J. Ryan Park in Foster City, according to reports in the San Jose Mercury News.

Speier, according to her campaign manager Alex Tourk, is announcing her candidacy at the park in a symbolic nod to her former boss and political mentor in that of the late Congressman Leo Ryan who occupied a similar congressional seat until his assassination in Jonestown, Guyana where Speier herself was shot multiple times.

Speier, according to the San Mateo County Times, already has one Democratic Party challenger in Peninsula advertising consultant and inventor Robert Barrows. Barrows ran against Lantos in 2006, coming in third behind Kevin Hearle and garnering a scant 7 percent of the vote.

According to the Times, several potential candidates have publicly declined to make a bid against Speier including San Mateo attorney Ro Khanna who also ran against Lantos in 2004 but garnered just fewer than 20 percent of the vote despite raising an impressive sum of money for a newcomer.

Interestingly, San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee and former Assemblymember Ted Lempert declined to state whether or not he would make a run. Lempert ran for a local congressional seat in 1992, losing to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and currently resides in the 12th Congressional District represented by Lantos.

The last shoe yet to drop is a decision by Speier’s successor in the 8th Senate District Leland Yee. Yee on Friday announced legislation to name the Devil’s Slide Tunnel after Lantos in honor of his service and role in obtaining funds to build the tunnel but, according to the Daily Journal, declined to state his intentions regarding the congressional seat.

Lantos Diagnosed with Cancer

2008-01-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

Veteran Congressman Announces Plans to Retire at the end of 2008
In a surprise twist to an already potentially volatile Democratic Primary election for the 12th Congressional District, incumbent Congressman Tom Lantos announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and will not seek a 15th term in office, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

Lantos was set to face a likely fierce battle with popular former State Senator Jackie Speier who had announced that she was considering a run against Lantos predicated on favorable poll results that demonstrated that among likely voters Speier was leading Lantos by a margin of 2 to 1. Speier has been out off political office for over a year having narrowly lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor against John Garamendi in the 2006 Democratic Primary.

Now that Lantos has opted out of the race, speculation is running rampant over who may enter the race and challenge Speier.

The obvious candidate is current State Senator Leland Yee who, in 2006, won a decisive victory to replace Speier against former San Mateo County Supervisor Mike Nevin and former Assemblyman Lou Papan in the face of stiff odds.

Yee has demurred when asked if he is considering a run but has left the door open to the possibility saying "We will take a hard look at the challenges this district faces in filling the shoes of Congressman Lantos, but today is not the day to be thinking about future political office.”

With Lantos’ retirement, other candidates may decide to enter the fray even against the two political heavyweights in that of Speier and Yee. One such candidate is Silicon Valley attorney Ro Khanna, who unsuccessfully challenged Lantos in the Democratic Primary in 2004, losing to Lantos by a margin of nearly 3 to 1.

Since then Khanna has worked hard to make political connections to strengthen his Democratic Party relationships as he currently serves as the head of the Indian American Council (IAC), an arm of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Khanna was appointed to the position in 2006 by now Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help raise funds from the Indo-American community for Democratic Party candidates, according to an article in News India.

Other candidates may include former Assemblyman and San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee Ted Lempert who ran for a local congressional seat in 1992, losing to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.

It may be weeks until the field is settled, and it remains to be seen whether or not Speier will be provided a free ride or a real political challenge.

Pro-Palestinian Arab Press Launches Assault on Lantos

2007-12-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

As the likely Democratic Primary battle between 14-term incumbent Congressman Tom Lantos and former State Senator Jackie Speier moves closer to fruition, at least one Arab Newspaper with a strongly pro-Palestinian slant is taking the opportunity to take shots at Lantos.

Lantos, a Hungarian-born Jewish-American and Holocaust survivor has long been a staunch supporter of Israel, a position much detested by supporters of the Palestinian cause for his support of Israel.

The online, English-language version the newspaper Dar Al Hayat, took the opportunity to take Lantos to task for his policy positions in strident and extreme tones. The author, Jihad el-Khazen, states: “If I described Lantos with the most indecent terms of the political jargon, I would not do justice to him.”

El-Khazen continues later in the article that Lantos’ “…voting record and work, which I have followed ever since, reveal that he is radical par excellence and that he has backed Israel and its interests before anything else. I have compared his wretchedness with the moderation and humanity of Black congressmen.”

It’s unclear what el-Khazen is trying to convey in the poorly written and nearly mad diatribe, but one thing is clear, the prospect of Speier’s run against Lantos will be welcomed by many of el-Khazen’s ilk.

El-Khazen celebrates the revelations by Speier’s camp that in a recent poll, Speier was leading Lantos among likely Democratic Party voters stating: “If the news item were true, he would not go back to Congress for a fifteenth time.”

The repercussions of the attack on Lantos may be limited but it may indicate that Speier could enjoy potential support from some in the Arab-American community, if she was willing to take a different policy position on Israel than Lantos. But if so, Speier could inflame the Jewish-American constituency.

Whatever the case, this is likely the first volley of attacks on Lantos by such antagonists.

Assembly Candidates in the Money Race

2007-12-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Candidates for the 19th Assembly District seat are quickly padding their campaign treasuries in anticipation of the year-end campaign filing deadline.

As candidates troll for dollars, building the critical perception of fundraising prowess becomes ever more important as the big money interests and potential political supporters look for indicators of campaign traction.

The campaign filing deadline is December 31, 2007, with reports available some weeks after for public viewing on the Secretary of State’s Office Web site.

In pursuit of those last minute dollars, San Mateo County Supervisor and Assembly aspirant Jerry Hill issued a plea for last-minute dollars in an e-mail sent to potential supporters.

The lengthy e-mail, sent on Dec. 21, states in part:

Dear Friend,

December 31st is an important date. I am writing to ask you to make a year-end contribution to my campaign for the California State Assembly…I will take my real experience to Sacramento and continue the fight for a better California.

I hope you’ll stand with me by clicking here and contributing $25, $50, $100 or any amount up to the maximum allowable contribution of $3,600. The fundraising deadline is December 31st and your help now is critical to my campaign. Together we can make a difference, and I hope you will help me today.

Best Regards,

Jerry Hill

As of the last filing in September Hill had garnered approximately $220,000 in campaign funds from largely real estate and development interests. In contrast, Community College District Trustee Richard Holober slightly less than Hill but much of those funds were in the form of loans Holober provided to his campaign account himself.

To date, Millbrae Mayor and candidate Gina Papan has not filed a disclosure having filed for office much later than her two competitors.

The new filings may provide new insight into the campaign. For Hill, he must stay on track to ensure he retains a frontrunner perception. For Holober, he must demonstrate that he can raise funds outside of his own in order to gain a perception of viability. And for Papan, she must demonstrate that she can quickly raise funds in order to go toe to toe with Hill as a later entrant into the race.

In addition to garnering big donations, the source of those funds and the diversity of the funds will also garner tremendous scrutiny. All of these factors will be reviewed by powerful interests throughout the State of California, many of whom are looking for indicators of whom to support in the June 2008 Primary Election.

The money race is just part of the inside baseball of this race for the Assembly pennant.

Transit Board Battles Hint at New Political Dynamics

2007-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

Diversity was again a rallying cry for would be candidates vying for positions on two powerful county transit boards.

Last Friday evening, members of the San Mateo County Cities Selection Committee, comprised of representatives from each city council in the county, again gathered to vote for representatives of the San Mateo County Transit Authority (TA) and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) boards.

This time, it was the City of San Mateo that was the target as representatives of that city have become the dominant players in county transit, eclipsing the former dominance of Daly City.

Menlo Park Councilmember Kelly Fergusson vied for the TA seat occupied by San Mateo City Councilmember John Lee who has served one term on that board. The TA board is responsible for doling out funds derived from the Measure A ½-cent sales tax measured reauthorized by voters in 2004. That measure will generate approximately $1.5 billion over its 25-year life for local transit improvements such as street maintenance, overpass construction, train station upgrades and even local shuttle services within cities.

According to the Daily News, Fergusson failed to garner enough votes from her county colleagues, losing to Lee by a margin of 14 to 6.

Fergusson lobbied her colleagues in pointing out that representatives from the City of San Mateo would hold 5 of 21 seats on four major transit boards governing the county’s transit operations and financing if Lee were to be reappointed. San Mateo’s ascendancy to disproportionate influence increased as San Mateo Councilmember Carole Groom was elected as the central county cities representative to SamTrans with no opposition. Groom joins San Mateo County Supervisor and former San Mateo Councilmember Jerry Hill on that board.

Fergusson’s request for greater diversity recalled previous battles going back several years when representatives from the City of Daly City were called out for such disproportionate influence. Last year, South San Francisco Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto successfully challenged Daly City Councilmember Mike Guingona for a seat on the SamTrans board for much the same reason. Guingona, who had served three terms on that board, was narrowly defeated.

Two years ago, the SamTrans Board was lambasted for appointing former Supervisor Mike Nevin to a seat on the SamTrans Board reserved for a member of the “public” immediately following his forced removal from his previous SamTrans Board seat which he had occupied for 11 years as a county supervisor from Daly City. Nevin was immediately reappointed to the public seat without any member of the public afforded the opportunity to apply or interview for the post. The incident received a remarkable amount of scrutiny until Nevin’s resignation the following year, according to an article in the Almanac Newspaper.

Subsequently, Supervisor Adrienne Tissier, who replaced Nevin in his Supervisorial seat based in Daly City, was selected by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in a deeply split vote to replace Nevin. The dominance of Daly City on all of the board seats Nevin held and re-filled by Tissier caused an outcry throughout San Mateo County, according to an article published in the Daily Journal at the time.

In response, Supervisors Jerry Hill and Rose Jacobs Gibson called for a formal review of all county boards to get a snapshot of and to improve the representation of diverse communities, including geographic diversity. The report was released in May of 2005 by the county manager to the Board of Supervisors with obvious conclusions. For example, 83 percent of all county board members are white, but a full 50 percent of the county’s population is not – meaning the county’s appointments in no way reflect the population of the county.

At the time, Hill, in a San Mateo County Times article stated "We've failed, we really have," Supervisor Jerry Hill said. "In our outreach and trying to get representation that represents the county as a whole."

Since then, nothing has been done.

Nonetheless, some changes are afoot. San Mateo is rising at the expense of Daly City and other communities.

Grooming Groom
Another consequence of the most recent vote also highlights other less obvious political maneuvering.

San Mateo Councilmember Carole Groom’s rise in profile in San Mateo County may be a precursor to her bid to replace Hill on the County Board of Supervisors should Hill succeed in his bid reach the State Assembly when current Assemblymember Gene Mullin terms out of office.

San Mateo County has a long tradition of setting up the pre-determined successors to office and it appears Groom has been, well, groomed.

Hill Lashes Back at Critics

2007-12-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

And his critics hit Hill again...

In response to dramatic and near universal condemnation of his proposed shakedown of the Sequoia Health Care District, San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill has authored an op-ed in the Daily News lambasting his critics.

Local political watchers may recall that earlier this month when San Carlos City Councilmember Matt Grocott blasted Hill for stating in a previous Daily News article that a review of an agreement between the public district and the operators and soon to be new owners of a jointly reconstructed hospital in that of Catholic Healthcare West by the San Mateo County Counsel's Office suggested that simply giving away $75 million of the district's public money to a Catholic organization could violate the separation of church and state as defined in the U.S. Constitution.

Grocott responded in a letter in the Daily News stating that “Supervisor Hill raised ‘separation of church and state’ issues relative to SHCD's development agreement with Catholic Healthcare West, which seems opportunely timed to his request. If he sincerely had such concerns, he could have brought them forward earlier to the SHCD board president, Kathleen Kane; she has been deeply involved in the negotiations of the development agreement for months. Certainly Mr. Hill knows the president's phone number and could have talked with her about his concerns.”

Hill is attempting to strong-arm the Sequoia Health Care District (SHCD) into transferring millions of dollars of property tax funding it receives annually from taxpayers residing in the district to the county’s program for the underinsured. That program is running deep deficits and Hill wants the district’s funds placed under the control of the county.

In his editorial, Hill blasted his critics, including the San Mateo Daily News, Grocott and a San Mateo resident who all opined in an editorial in the Daily News that Hill’s threats seemed more like extortion tactics to bail out a flagging county program rather than a sober policy discussion.

Hill criticized the op-ed in the Daily News specifically for being “rife with inaccuracies and misinformation”.

Hill states: “The district was originally created by the voters to fund the construction of Sequoia Hospital. Now that Sequoia Hospital has been transferred to a private, multimillion-dollar corporation, what is the role of the district going forward? What do the district's residents receive in return for transferring this community asset to a private corporation?”

Hill never addresses the late hour of his protest following months of negotiations prior to the district and CHW cementing this arrangement in order to rebuild the hospital to meet stringent state-imposed seismic safety requirements.

Nonetheless, Hill continues: “Such an investment will ensure that residents of the district do not find themselves in the unfortunate position of being unable to access their newly rebuilt hospital because they are uninsured or underinsured. This proposal is not an act of self-aggrandizement, nor is it a money grab on my part. I have a fiduciary and social responsibility to the taxpayers I represent. My only concern is that they receive adequate consideration and benefit.”

But Hill’s rationale that the district’s funds would be better spent by the county has drawn tremendous backlash. The Sequoia Health Care District encompasses the cities of Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, Menlo Park, Woodside, Atherton and Portola Valley, not the entire county. Grocott and others have admonished hill that the tax dollars contributed by residents of those communities belong to those taxpayers and should not be diverted into a county program that will largely serve members of other communities. It would also remove the district residents’ authority over their own tax dollars – taxation without representation. Veteran columnist John Horgan of the San Mateo County Times chastised Hill on this point following Hill's initial comments.

Sequoia Healthcare District board member Jack Hickey responded to Hill’s assaults stating in a letter appearing the Daily News by stating that the county should look to the SHCD for creative solutions to balance their books:

“The supervisor[s] would be well advised to study the Sequoia deal for possible application to the nearly insolvent San Mateo County Hospital. Finding a "white knight" to take ownership of that debacle would allow the supes to focus on legitimate county concerns. Indigent care could then be dispensed by a collaboration of Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Catholic Healthcare West, Stanford, the as-yet-unidentified "white knight" and others...”

Hill’s foray into these waters is not new. As he is now running to succeed soon to be termed out State Assemblymember Gene Mullin in the statehouse, Hill is attempting to recast himself as a Democratic progressive candidate. One way to do so is to deliver funding for a local version of universal healthcare in San Mateo County. Hill has explored options to seize the funds of both the SHCD and the Peninsula Health Care District to the north centered in Burlingame and comprised of several mid-county communities and also has taxing powers.

But Hill, a recent convert from the Republican Party, has run into a buzz saw of opposition that now may harm his Assembly bid.

Daly City Council Power Struggle Goes Public

2007-12-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

The November elections are over but that does not mean that politics in San Mateo County are at a standstill.

One such example is in the City of Daly City, a community that did not host a city council election this fall. Nonetheless, the politics there continue to beguile.

Last Monday, community members gathered in Daly City Hall to watch the annual changing of the guard, specifically the rotation of mayor. Last year’s Mayor Maggie Gomez surrendered her seat so that another one of her colleagues could take a turn in the largely ceremonial seat, an event undertaken by nearly every city council in San Mateo County this time of year.But unlike many cities, Daly City has no predetermined process for selecting the vaunted post nor for the Vice Mayor position, and this is often the cause of contention. This year it was Daly City Councilman Sal Torres who bore the brunt of it.

Following the nomination and affirmation of Vice Mayor Carol Klatt to the post of Mayor, Councilmember Michael Guingona nominated previous Mayor Maggie Gomez to serve as Vice Mayor, and she was confirmed as such. While there may be precedent for a Mayor taking the second seat as Vice Mayor in consecutive years, it is a strange turn of events and the slap was likely directed at Torres by some of his colleagues. Daly City denizens are still trying to figure out the inside friction on the Daly City Council.

Judicial Race
San Mateo County may be host to another Judicial Election in June of 2008. The rare event has many in the county’s legal community lining up behind one of two potential candidates hoping to replace Judge John Winfield Runde, an appointee of former California Governor George Deukmejian, who has served on the county bench since 1987 and is rumored to be retiring.

Franchi already has a campaign Web site and is gathering some endorsements, drawing support from the North County from which he hails, garnering endorsements from former San Mateo County Supervisor Mike Nevin, former county assessor Roland Gianini, Redwood City Councilmember Alicia Aguirre, Millbrae Councilmember Daniel Quigg and two former South San Francisco councilmembers in that of Joe Fernekes and Ray Green. San Mateo County Board if Education Trustee Memo Morantes has also lent his name to Franchi’s cause.
Jerry Nastari has yet to make public any endorsements but is rumored to be favored by the county’s legal establishment.

The rare judicial race promises to add some color to an already active June 2008 Primary Election.

Grocott Blasts Hill Over Hospital Demand

2007-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

San Carlos City Councilman Matt Grocott publicly excoriated San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill over Hill’s demand that the Sequoia Health Card District (SHCD) hand over its property tax dollars to subsidize the county’s services for the uninsured.

In a letter published in the Daily News Grocott condemned Hill for his eleventh hour attempt to derail the compact between the public Sequoia Health Care District, the current owner of Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, and Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the operator of the hospital, to jointly fund the seismic retrofit of the hospital and cede the new hospital to CHW.

Grocott blasts Hill for stating in a previous Daily News article that a review of the agreement by the County Counsel's Office suggested that simply giving away $75 million of the district's public money to a Catholic organization could violate the separation of church and state as defined in the U.S. Constitution.

Grocott responded in his letter stating that “Supervisor Hill raised ‘separation of church and state’ issues relative to SHCD's development agreement with Catholic Healthcare West, which seems opportunely timed to his request. If he sincerely had such concerns, he could have brought them forward earlier to the SHCD board president, Kathleen Kane; she has been deeply involved in the negotiations of the development agreement for months. Certainly Mr. Hill knows the president's phone number and could have talked with her about his concerns.”

Hill’s quest to grab the tax dollars of the public district is not new. Earlier this year Hill suggested that both the SHCD and the Burlingame-based Peninsula Health Care District (PHCD) be dissolved by their two respective elected boards and that the property tax dollars collected by district be redistributed to the county.

Both districts ceased operating facilities as they merged with private entities in recent years, Sutter in the north, and CHW to the south. Despite the fact that neither special district actually operates healthcare facilities, they continue to collect property tax assessments from district residents which are, in part, doled out as grants to a variety of local charities and health care efforts by each board. But if the districts are dissolved, the taxes do not go with them. In fact, the tax revenue paid by property owners will still be collected but redistributed to the various agencies within the boundaries of the districts such as cities, the county and other agencies.

And it is this revenue that Supervisor Hill is seeking to help bail out the county’s financially flagging county hospital and indigent health care system.

For example, according to the financial statements of the Peninsula Health Care District, that district took in $3,699,899 in tax revenues in the last fiscal year.

In turn, Sequoia Health Care District took in $6,525,471 during the last fiscal year.

With over $10 million in combined revenue, the health care districts funds could halve the county’s indigent care liability – and that is without taxing the entire county.

The Peninsula Health Care District encompasses the cities of San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo and parts of Foster City and a sliver of South San Francisco. The Sequoia Health Care District encompasses the cities of Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, Menlo Park, Woodside, Atherton and Portola Valley.

Earlier this year, Hill floated the idea of creating a countywide healthcare district by expanding the jurisdictions of both SHCD and PHCD to encompass the entire county, thereby generating a great deal of tax dollars for the county’s health services.

At a hearing of the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Committee (LafCo) on April 18, 2007, the state-mandated, independent commission within every California county with countywide jurisdiction over the boundaries and organization of cities and special districts, LafCo commissioners discussed the potential for annexing the remaining communities into a new uber-health care district with the tax revenue generated from that going to San Mateo County’s coffers.

According to the LafCo report “…consolidation and annexation of excluded areas to create a countywide health care district with dedicated funding could result in an additional $3.3 million dollars that when combined with existing revenues already captured results in approximately $13 million annually for countywide health care programs. While the property tax revenue captured is a reallocation, the potential benefit to this model is that it would provide for a designated, long-term regional health care funding and planning structure rather than funding of programs in sub-regions on a year-to-year basis.”

According to Hill, in an April 18, 2007 article in the San Mateo Daily Journal, by combining the county’s two special health care districts and adding those taxes to annual state money could be enough to fund universal health care in the county for up to three years, A nice boon for an aspiring Assembly candidate running on the Democratic Party ticket.

The trick for Hill is to convince the duly elected boards of each health care district to voluntarily dissolve their respective districts and surrender the tax revenue that goes with them to fund county programs. In fairness, Hill would then be forced to convince the communities not currently within the boundaries of either district to agree to annexation and taxation. Communities such as portions of Foster City, East Palo Alto, South San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, Pacifica, the mid-coast area, Half Moon Bay and the south coast area.

It appears, though, that Hill has shifted from a diplomatic approach to threatening to spike SHCD’s state mandated hospital retrofit. By doing so Hill is attempting to force the SHCD board to go along with his demands in order to avoid a costly legal battle that could stall the hospital retrofit project indefinitely and potentially cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Hill’s demands are undoubtedly driven by his ambitions to succeed Assemblyman Gene Mullin who will be termed out of his seat in the State Assembly in 2008. Providing a countywide health tax to pay for the uninsured would be a great credential for a recently converted Republican running in a competitive Democratic Primary Election for a State Legislative seat.

UPDATE:

Editorial in the San Mateo Daily News blasts Hill for effort to strong-arm hospital district.
San Mateo County Times columnist John Horgan takes Hill to task for ill-conceived assault on hospital district funds.
San Mateo Daily News commentary by local resident condemning Hill.

County Supervisors Adopt Travel Restriction Ordinance in Response to Sheriff’s Las Vegas Scandal

2007-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors today adopted an ordinance to restrict the use of county-owned vehicles by county employees for travel outside of San Mateo County. The ordinance appeared on the Supervisors’ consent agenda under item 20 on Nov. 27, 2007.

The ordinance, adopted without comment or fanfare, is a direct response to the April 2007 Las Vegas trip taken by the San Mateo County Sheriff and Undersheriff, as well as numerous county public safety staff, for a Bakersfield to Las Vegas relay race for Police agencies throughout the West. During the weekend Vegas jaunt, the Sheriff and his number two were detained by Las Vegas Police and FBI agents at a Las Vegas brothel.

In the fallout following the two tops cops' detention at the house of ill-repute, it was revealed, despite early denials, that as much as $9,475 of taxpayer dollars were spent on the trip including $5,971 directly related to use of county vehicles to transport county staff, according to an article that appeared in the San Mateo County Times.

A financial audit conducted by the County Controller’s Office of past Vegas trips revealed that the costs between 2005 and 2007 -- mostly related to the use of county vehicles -- rose from $2,002 in 2005 to $4,685 in 2006.

The ordinance now adopted by the county vests all future decisions regarding use of county vehicles in the hands of the County Manager.

The ordinance reads: (g) All County-owned or leased vehicles shall be parked overnight and on weekends on County facilities provided therefore, except as to those County officers and employees who are on an on-call status during other than normal working hours and if such status is established by the County department head concerned, by the County Manager, or by the Board of Supervisors, or when such vehicle is permanently assigned by the County Manager, or when circumstances would make it unreasonable for such officer or employee to park on County facilities. No employee shall regularly keep a County vehicle at his or her residence without authorization from the Board of Supervisors or the County Manager. Without prior authorization by the County Manager, County owned or leased vehicles cannot be taken outside the State of California.

Following the scandal and the revelations regarding the use of taxpayer dollars and vehicles, Supervisors were quick to condemn the public fleecing. The Supervisors were not alone in their concern as evidenced by an editorial from the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Supervisor Jerry Hill stated at the time that "They (the vehicles) should remain in the county, where they may be needed in the event of an emergency or natural disaster," said Hill.

Ironically, Hill was quick to condemn the fact the Sheriff’s Office used the vehicles but was quoted defending Munks himself despite the fact the Sheriff was detained at a brothel that house likely sex slaves imported primarily from Asia.

The adoption of the ordinance is a step in the right direction but the item was buried in the consent agenda and the item, at first glance, looked more to do with use of county facilities rather than vehicles. The gloss over was in no small way an attempt to prevent the item from garnering any additional attention in order to keep the scandal from being revisited in the local press.

Bad Omen for Parks Tax

2007-11-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

With the failure of Measure F, the ½-cent Sales Tax Measure on the ballot in the City of San Bruno this past November 6, supporters of a proposed 1/8-cent sales tax for parks in San Mateo County may be hedging their bets.

Measure F in San Bruno, a “general purpose” sales tax garnered only 2,545 or 49.1% Yes votes to 2,634 or 50.9% No votes, according to the League of Women Voters’ web archive.

Measure F would have authorized an additional ½-cent sales tax to be levied within the City of San Bruno. The ½-cent sales tax would have been a "general purpose tax," meaning that the revenue raised from the tax would go into the City's general fund and may be used for any municipal governmental purpose and, as a general purpose tax, only required a simple majority to pass – which it failed to garner.

Last September, supporters of a 1/8-cent sales tax to raise new revenue for city and county parks in San Mateo County began polling to gauge support for such a tax measure for a future ballot, according to the Daily News. The results of that poll have yet to be released to the public or local media.

County taxpayers will remember the former Measure A, the failed sales tax measure that appeared on the November 2006 ballot. The former “Parks for the Future” tax required a two-thirds supermajority for passage but garnered only 55.4 percent approval, according the League of Women Voters web archive. The parks tax requires a two-thirds majority because it is a tax for a specific use.

The proposed successor measure that was pitched to voters in the poll appears to be a near exact replica of the measure that failed in 2006 offered by the “Parks for the Future” campaign.

Under the 2006 design the sales tax would generate approximately $16 million a year to be shared by the 20 cities in San Mateo County, the county government itself and three special parks districts. Under the formula devised for the failed Measure A tax 52 percent would be divided among the 20 county cities, 42 percent would go to the county government itself and the remaining 6 percent would be shared among three local parks districts.

Prior to the failed Measure A in 2006, tax boosters polled county voters to gauge support for the tax, which, according to information released at the time, registered a support level of 67 percent, or just enough to be approved at the ballot.

But as history reveals, the early support evaporated and the measure failed by over 10 percentage points.

Prior to the vote there were dueling editorials in the local newspapers discussing both the potential merits and detriments of the tax including opinion pieces in the Daily News by Portola Valley taxpayer advocate Tom Dempsey decrying the measure as a bail out for government officials unable to manage their budgets to an opinion piece by the former Sheriff Don Horsley claiming that the tax would be a public safety measure.

The new Parks tax would increase San Mateo County’s sales tax to among the highest in the Bay Area to 8.375 percent, just under that of Contra Costa County at 8.5 percent and Alameda County at 8.75 percent.

For the supporters of the tax, the failure of San Bruno’s Measure F may be a good indicator of support, or the lack thereof, for a second parks tax. In light of the failure of Measure F, parks tax supporters may have to rethink their strategy.

Speier Announces Run against Lantos

2007-11-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

Former State Senator Jackie Speier has touched off a firestorm of speculation and political chatter with the announcement in the San Francisco Chronicle that she has formed an exploratory committee to take on 13-term incumbent Congressman Tom Lantos.

The announcement, made via the Matier & Ross political column, has set both San Francisco and San Mateo County political watchers afire. The announcement has also has national and international implications as Lantos, a veteran incumbent and Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations and Foreign Affairs, is a player in geopolitical politics.

His possible ouster would have significant ramifications for U.S. foreign policy. This fact alone will likely ignite a fierce backlash from the Jewish community across the nation, particularly through the political powerful American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee.

According to Matier & Ross, Speier recently sent an e-mail to friends and supporters announcing the formation and first meeting of her exploratory committee today at a friend’s home in Hillsborough.

Last summer, results of a poll showing that Speier would be a 2-1 favorite among voters in the 12th Congressional District was leaked to Matier & Ross. Since then locals have been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

For his part, Lantos has affirmed that he is in it to win it regardless if Speier enters the race.

Speier took a swipe at Lantos in response by saying "The good news is Congressman Lantos has finally come back to the district.” Rather s foolish thing to say knowing that members of Congress work on the other coast.

In addition, Speier has already opened an office in the district with one campaign staffer, a former member of her state senate staff.

The blogosphere is ablaze with speculation and commentary regarding this possible match-up. Interestingly, the chatter has also turned attention toward the current State Senator in the district, Leland Yee.

Yee, who replaced Speier who termed out of office in 2006, is in the middle of his first four-year term in the Senate and would have little to lose by making this into a three-way race.

Unlike Lantos and Speier, Yee has strong ties in the San Francisco section of the district, albeit a smaller portion. But Yee will also likely command a growing Asian-American vote, something neither Speier nor Lantos could tap.

This theory has been discussed in several state political blogs including Calatics and the American Nonsense Blog.

See also the California Majority Report blog for more coverage.

Holober Lands Legislative Support for Assembly Bid

2007-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

19th Assembly District candidate Richard Holober announced today the endorsements of eight State lawmakers including Assembly members Julia Brownley, Mary Hayashi, Dave Jones, and Alberto Torrico, and Senators Elaine Alquist, Sheila Kuehl, Alan Lowenthal and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero.

Holober, a San Mateo County Community College District Trustee, is seeking to replace current Assemblyman Gene Mullin who will be termed out of office in 2008.

Holober also has the endorsements of California State Controller John Chiang and United States Senator Barbara Boxer.

Holober is running against Millbrae City Councilwoman Gina Papan and San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill.

Hill has secured many local endorsements but has fallen behind Holober in landing the ever important endorsements of state officials and potential future colleagues. In fact, according to Hill’s Web site, he has garnered the endorsements of only four legislators including Senator Tom Torlakson, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and Assemblyman Ira Ruskin.

Many political watchers ssupect that Hill's trouble attracting support in Sacramento is due to the fact that he recently reregistered as a Democrat from being a Republican for three decades and many regard him in Sacramento as a potential republican wolf in a Democratic sheep's clothing. As a result, the mor eliberal leaning Democrats are leary of Hill's sudden embrace of Democratic Party values.

For her part, Papan has yet to release her slate of endorsers.

It is interesting to note that two of the five state legislative representatives for San Mateo County have yet to endorse. Papan, according to news reports, maintains the support of Senator Leland Yee but Senator Joe Simitian and, probably most importantly, Assemblyman Gene Mullin have yet to issue endorsements.Mullin is likely waiting to see the outcome of a state initiative that would alter legislative term limitations and possibly allow him to retain his office for up to another six years, or three terms. Mullin’s endorsement will play a role in who succeeds him.

Hill was dealt a blow recently by South San Francisco Mayor Richard Garbarino who split his endorsement by endorsing Holober after he had already endorsed Hill.

With Holober gaining traction in Sacramento, Hill and Papan now have some ground to gain in the endorsement race and the potential support that Sacramento has to offer.

Speier Rumored to Have Retained Campaign Consultant for Congressional Race

2007-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

Political watchers are abuzz with the rumor that former State Senator Jackie Speier has retained veteran political consultant Bill Cavala in her bid to take on 14-term Congressman Tom Lantos in the June 2008 Democratic Primary Election.

Cavala began his consulting career in the 1970s and in 1981 went to work for former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown and stayed with Brown for the former lawmaker’s entire tenure as Speaker ended which in 1995. Cavala has since worked for Brown’s five successors as Speaker including current Speaker Fabian Nunez prior to Cavala’s retirement last year.

Cavala is also a regular contributor to the Online Democratic Leaning news site, the California Progress Report.

By retaining Cavala, Speier has set off the rumor mill as Cavala has very close relationships with many of the State’s heaviest political hitters and his entrance into the fray may signal that many of those same players may jump aboard Speier’s effort.

Although Speier has remained noncommittal regarding her plans for a Congressional run, the evidence is mounting. This has included two reported political polls of likely voters in the 12th Congressional District testing support for Speier and hits against Lantos, particularly the Iraq War.

The second such poll was conducted within the past two weeks.

Look for an announcement by Speier soon.

Few Surprises in Record Low Turnout Election

2007-11-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

In an election with a turnout out just below 22 percent, voter apathy prevented any major changes in local elections this past Tuesday, November 6, 2007.

Among the eight school boards and eleven city council elections, there were few surprises. Nonetheless, a few races offered unexpected results.

In the City of Burlingame, incumbent Councilmember Russ Cohen was defeated by Planning Commissioner Jerry Deal by a mere 75 votes. That campaign was made somewhat interesting when in early October Deal volunteer and radio personality Joe McConnell was caught stealing lawn signs of rival candidate Gene Condon.

McConnell, according to the Daly Journal, will be charged with theft infractions by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, which carries a minor fine.

Nonetheless, Deal bested Cohen in a contentious race – but not by much. Deal has a habit of close races having lost to former Burlingame City Councilman Mike Coffey in 1999 by just 9 votes.

In the City of San Carlos, relative newcomer Omar Ahmad bested former Councilman John Hoffman and former Commissioner Alex Phillips to gain a seat on that council. Ahmad’s election marks a significant departure for San Carlos as he is now one of three younger and relatively new members of the community, breaking the tradition of an entrenched old-guard representing San Carlos.

Two local school board elections featured some surprises as well. In the San Mateo Union High School District incumbent Diane Vranes lost a narrow race in her pursuit of a fourth term. As an incumbent, Vranes shouldered much of the blame for the recent fiscal woes of the district which was roundly criticized for mismanagement and subject of several negative Civil Grand Jury reports and audits.

The other incumbent, Marcia Cohn-Lyle did not seek re-election to the board and instead opted to run for the Foster City Council for which she was overwhelmingly defeated.

Taking the top spot was Dave Pine, the current president of the Burlingame Elementary School Board. In the second seat is newcomer Stephen E. Rogers of Hillsborough.

Vranes’ defeat is a clear sign that district voters hold her at least in part accountable for the district’s troubles.

Probably the biggest surprise, however, was the victory of Jennifer Blanco in the San Bruno Park Elementary School District race. Blanco, a community activist, has run before but without success. In this election, however, Blanco unseated incumbent Christopher Kiely without mounting much of a campaign.

So, despite the abysmal voter turnout, some unexpected results.

The full results of the election can viewed at the San Mateo County Elections Office Web site.

Sign Thief to Face Charges After Election

2007-11-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to make public a decision – but the decision has likely been decided.

What does that mean? It means that radio traffic reporter Joe McConnell of Burlingame will have to wait until after Election Day to find out if the DA’s office will charge him for stealing political lawn signs.

In an article in the San Mateo County Times the district attorney’s office released its indecisive decision.

"We have discussed the case, and we have made a decision as to what will occur," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe on Friday. "But we're deferring a decision until after the election date, because we don't want any side in the election to somehow use our decision for political purposes."

McConnell was caught stealing at least one, perhaps two, political lawn signs belonging to Burlingame City Council candidate Gene Condon. As it turns out, McConnell’s wife, Geraldine O’Connor, is one of the campaign co-chairs for Jerry Deal, a Burlingame Planning Commissioner and council aspirant.

The DA’s office will be hard pressed not to bring some type of charge against McConnell as the veteran reporter and first amendment advocate very candid about his activities in the press immediately following being caught by Condon himself.

"I just feel (Condon's signs) are a blight on the neighborhood, just as he would be a blight on City Council," said McConnell to the Times the day after the alleged incident. "This one particular sign has been driving me crazy."

So, will what happen after the election? McConnell gets charged with misdemeanor theft - as he should – and his reputation as a journalist is permanently marred.

But the one who really skated in this is candidate Jerry Deal. Deal’s campaign offered little in the way of an apology and never disavowed McConnell’s behavior. In fact, McConnell’s wife, Geraldine O’Connor, remains a campaign co-chair, according to Deal’s Web site.

A real class act all around.

Electoral Picks for City Council Seats

2007-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ten cities in San Mateo County have city council elections this fall. With the election just around the corner, candidates in the many elections have already staked out positions and the leaders of the various packs have, in general, separated from the rest.

Below are the top picks for the city council winners for the November 6th, 2007 election.

City of Belmont 2 to be Elected

The Belmont City Council is one of two local councils in which the incumbents chose not to run for reelection. This has left an opening for new candidates.

The leaders in this race are, unquestionably, Planning Commissioner Christine Wozniak and local activist David Braunstein.

Challengers Broderick Page and Jason Born have been unable to demonstrate any traction in Belmont. Born has racked up many endorsements from outside of Belmont but Born has lived in Belmont for less than a year and his credentials are somewhat suspect. In addition he has been unable to stake out coherent positions on some of the local hot topics such as the town’s smoking ordinance.

City of Brisbane 2 to be Elected
Brisbane is a small community and has had a very stable council for years. There will be no change this time around. Look for incumbents Steven Waldo and Cy Bologoff to fend off challenger Roberto Martinez.

City of Burlingame 2 to be Elected
Burlingame is host to one of three hotly contested city council races this year with five candidates seeking two seats. It will be difficult for any challenger to dislodge incumbents Russ Cohen and Terry Nagel. Planning Commissioner Jerry Deal has substantial local backing but has squandered his opportunity with a lackluster campaign marred by a badly handled scandal.

Challenger Gene Condon is making a much stronger run than in his 2005 bid and may be the dark horse of the race. Challenger Peter Comaroto has not gained any traction and is not a serious threat.

City of Foster City 3 to be Elected
Foster City is embroiled in a highly contentious and bitter City Council race with ugly accusations of race-baiting from some camps.

Incumbents Linda Koelling and Rick Wykoff will likely be returned to their seats but both have never faced a real electoral test and some surprises may occur.

Challenger Huijun Ring has garnered a remarkably impressive list of endorsers and backers in her first electoral bid and is rumored to be running a potent local campaign. This has galvanized the incumbents and their handpicked candidates in that of Planning Commissioner Art Kiesel into a de facto slate.

Kiesel performed badly in his last bid for council and is working somewhat harder than last time around but is simply not an attractive candidate. Look for Ring to edge out Kiesel.

The remaining candidates, Stanley E. Roberts, Patrick McKinnie and current San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Marcia Cohn-Lyle will fall far short of the mark. Roberts and McKinne are not running to win. Cohn-Lyle is fleeing the high school district board following a series of financial scandals that forced the resignation and retirements of several top district officials. Cohn-Lyle’s tenure on that board will translate into a council defeat.

City of Millbrae 3 to be Elected

Millbrae is host to an eight-way melee to fill three open city council seats. Three incumbents were forced to leave their seats due to term limitations in that community.

Former councilmember Dan Quigg is running to reclaim a seat he vacated two years ago as the first member of the council to be termed out of office, which is not a lifetime ban.

Quigg is the odds-on favorite and will return to office. Attempting to follow Quigg will be planning Commissioner Wayne Lee, Parks Commissioner Paul Seto and community activist Marge Colapietro. Lee looks like a good bet for a win but fellow commissioner Paul Seto will be left to fight it out with Colapietro. Both command some unique constituencies but it will be up to their respective campaign efforts to turn out those votes. Whoever does a better job of that will be on the council in November.

Millbrae School District Trustee John Darro and Planning Commissioner Lorrie Kalos-Gunn are among the second tier of candidates but do not have enough support in Millbrae to earn a seat.

Candidates Ronald Caine and Richard Dixon are both former Millbrae Police Officers and are running no budget, nearly single issue campaigns and will not make any significant impact on the race.

City of Redwood City 4 to be Elected
In Redwood City there are four incumbent councilmembers seeking four seats with two would-be challengers.

This race is easy to call. Incumbents Barbara Pierce, Alicia Aguirre, Ian Bain and Rosanne Foust will all be returning to office. Local city commissioner Kevin Bondonno has some backing but this election is likely just his introduction to the community rather than a real shot at a council seat.

Challenger Joneen Elisabeth Nielsen is simply a protest candidate and she will come nowhere close in this election.

City of San Bruno 2 to be Elected
Incumbents Irene O’Connell and Jim Ruane have barley even acknowledged challenger Miguel Araujo. No change in San Bruno this year.

City of San Carlos 2 to be Elected
The City of San Carlos is another community in which the incumbents chose not to seek reelection. Four new candidates emerged to replace then including former Councilman John Hoffman, Planning Commissioner Alex Phillips, political newcomer Omar Ahmad and former Commissioner Randy Royce.

Hoffman is a veteran and has deep roots in the community but as of late has alienated some townsfolk over superfluous issues and has been out of the game for too long. As such, Mr. Hoffman is no longer viable.

Planning Commissioner Alex Phillips is the odds-on favorite and has significant local backing. Political newcomer Omar Ahmad has put together an impressive campaign by otherwise low-key San Carlos standards and will reap the rewards. Former commissioner Randy Royce has not mounted an aggressive campaign nor has he garnered much in the way of support. Look for Royce to finish out of the money.

City of San Mateo 2 to be Elected
This race could have been a really close call but challengers Bertha Sanchez and Anne Arnold have failed to mount adequate campaigns.

Look for incumbents Jack Matthews and John Lee to retain their seats.

Challenger Pete Tyo is not a serious candidate and has no real chance.

City of South San Francisco 2 to be Elected

This race is a real snoozer. Incumbent Mayor Richard Garbarino will easily retain his seat. Newcomer Kevin Mullin is seeking to replace Councilmember Joe Fernekes who is retiring after for terms on the council. Mullin is the son of former South San Francisco Councilman and current Assemblyman Gene Mullin. The younger Mullin is a shoe-in against challenger Kamala Cynthia Silva Wolfe. Wolfe has run before and has not demonstrated a serious commitment to running for office.

New Poll Affirms Speier Run Against Lantos

2007-10-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

A new poll conducted over the past few days will likely put to rest all of the speculation and rumor – former State Senator Jackie Speier is preparing to run against veteran Congressman Tom Lantos.

A new poll was conducted over the past few days posing questions to likely voters over the viability of a Speier run against Lantos and questioning voters on their opinion of Lantos’ once hawkish position on the Iraq War and a host of social issues. The poll also included pointed questions over the amount of time Lantos spends in his own congressional district, or lack thereof.

This is the second such poll conducted this year, the first being in January, the results of which were leaked to the press via the column of Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle last August.

That poll trumpeted Speier’s early lead over Lantos among likely voters by a 2 to 1 margin, or 50 to 24 percent. Speier’s camp denied any involvement in the poll but Speier admitted at the time that she was weighing her options.

In that article Speier stated that she was mulling it over but that "I've got this conscience thing" to consider.

Looks like she’s over it.

Speculation has been rampant ever since Speier lost her bid for Lieutenant Governor to John Garamendi that the veteran state lawmaker would make a bid for the seat once occupied by her former boss and mentor Leo Ryan. Last week, San Mateo Daily News columnist Bill Paul penned an opinion piece predicting the likelihood of such a match-up. Lantos’ camp did not respond directly but simply stated that the 14-term congressman plans to run for re-election in the June 2008 Primary.

The last card to play will be Speier’s as to when she will announce her intentions. But voters in the 12th Congressional District should make no mistake. The storm clouds have gathered and the battle lines are drawn – Speier will take on Lantos in June 2008.

Split Loyalties in Assembly Race?

2007-10-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

A press release issued by the campaign of Community College Trustee and State Assembly candidate Richard Holober on October 24, 2007 announced the endorsements of two mayors of major San Mateo County cities.

Maggie Gomez, the Mayor of Daly City and Richard Garbarino, the Mayor of South San Francisco are now backing Holober to replace terming out Assemblyman Gene Mullin. Also running for the seat are San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill and Millbrae City Councilmember Gina Papan.

In the release Gomez’ stated: "We need Richard Holober as our next Assembly representative," Mayor Gomez stated, "because he will stand up for the values important to the voters of Daly City and San Mateo County. We can count on Richard Holober to fight for real health care reform and smaller class sizes in our schools."

For his part, Garbarino stated: "As an elected education leader and consumer advocate, Richard Holober has the experience and commitment for the job," Mayor Garbarino continued.

The coveted endorsements of two such mayors would normally be something of coup for a campaign but as it turns out both of these mayors are also listed endorsers of Jerry Hill on Hill’s campaign web site.

Both mayors have apparently made the unusual, and perhaps ill-advised, decision to back both candidates. Such a split may cause the constituencies of both mayors some confusion if they are looking to their local leaders for direction in the Assembly race. But a little muddy water is nothing new in politcal campaigns.

Hill's Silence on Munks Rewarded

2007-10-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

San Mateo County residents may recall the revelations last April that San Mateo County Sheriff Greg Munks, and his Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos, were caught up in a brothel bust in April when the two top cops in San Mateo County were in Las Vegas for a relay race for law enforcement.

San Mateo County officialdom was largely silent on the event. In fact, some even defended Munks in lieu of condemning the visit of the two top cops to a house of ill repute.

San Mateo County Supervisor and State Assembly aspirant Jerry Hill was particularly vociferous in his defense of Munks.

In the Examiner newspaper, Hill was quoted as saying that the event, if true, was out of character for both men and that “He has the highest integrity and I have the highest confidence in Sheriff Munks, and the undersheriff as well,” said Hill, who considers Munks a social friend.

In the Daily News, Hill stated that "He's an excellent sheriff with a long history and an excellent reputation. I don't see this affecting his ability to act as sheriff in any way."

Hill’s staunch support for Munks has apparently paid off as Munks and his wife Brenda, the scion of the wealth Lane family, will be hosting a fundraiser for Hill at their Portola Valley home on November 11, 2007. Sponsorship levels range from a co-chair of the event at $3,600, a co-host at $2,500; patron $1,000; sponsor $500 and individual $150.

The funds raised will support Hill’s bid to succeed Assemblyman Gene Mullin who will be termed out of his seat in the 19th Assembly District in 2008.

Hill and company took some heat for their refusal to lambaste Munks for the brothel visit, as demonstrated in an opinion piece that appeared in the Daily News, but was shrugged off.

For Hill, it appears his support of Munks in light of the very public scandal has paid off in spades.

Spotty Candidate Voting Records

2007-10-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Every election, many new and veteran candidates seeking elective office make the difficult decision to stand before the public and ask for their votes.

It is interesting however that some of those very same candidates have difficulty getting to the polls themselves – sometimes for the very same offices for which they are running.

Below are some of the more colorful voting records of some candidates seeking a variety of local offices. The information was culled from the public records of San Mateo County Elections Office archive back as far as the General Election of year 2000 (if available in the record).

CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

City of Burlingame

Peter Comaroto

Voted in 6 out of the past 12 elections for a rate of 50%

11/07/06
Failed to vote 8/29/06

(Special Election Peninsula Health Care District)
Failed to vote 6/6/06
11/08/05
Failed to vote 11/02/04
Failed to vote 3/02/04
11/07/03
10/07/03
11/05/02
Failed to vote 3/05/02
Failed to vote 11/06/01
11/07/00

City of Foster City

Stanley Roberts

Voted in 7 of the past 13 elections: 53.8%

11/07/06
06/06/06
11/08/08
04/08/05

(Special Election)
11/02/04
Failed to vote 03/06/04
Failed to vote 11/04/03
10/07/03
Failed to vote 11/05/02
Failed to vote 03/05/02
Failed to vote 11/06/01
Failed to Vote 03/07/00
11/07/00

City of Millbrae

Richard Dixon

Voted in 2 of the past 13 elections for a rate of 13%

Failed to vote 05/08/07

(Millbrae School District parcel tax)
11/07/06
Failed to vote 08/29/06

(Peninsula Health Care District Special Election)
Failed to vote 06/06/06
11/08/05
Failed to vote 11/02/04
Failed to vote 03/02/04
Failed to vote 11/04/03
Failed to vote 10/07/03
Failed to vote 11/05/02
Failed to vote 3/05/02
Failed to vote11/06/01
Failed to vote 11/07/00

Lorrie Kalos-Gunn

Voted in 7 out of the past 10 elections: 70%

Failed to vote 05/08/07

(Millbrae School District Special Election-parcel tax)
11/07/06
Failed to vote 08/29/06

(Peninsula Health Care District Special Election)
06/06/06
11/08/05
11/02/04
03/02/04
Failed to vote 11/04/03
10/07/03
11/05/02

City of South San Francisco

Kamala Cynthia Silva Wolf

Voted in 7 out of the past 11 elections for a rate of 63.6%

Failed to vote 11/07/06
06/06/06
11/08/05
11/02/04
Failed to vote 03/02/04
11/07/03
10/07/03
11/05/02
03/05/02
Failed to vote 11/06/01
11/07/00

SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTIONS

Belmont - Redwood Shores School District

Jim Roskind

Voted in 5 out of the past 9 elections for a rate of 55.5%

11/07/06
Failed to vote 06/06/06
11/08/05
11/02/04
Failed to vote 03/02/04
Failed to vote 11/04/03
10/07/03
11/05/02
Failed to vote 03/05/02

Jefferson School District

Hitomi Benedetti

Voted in 3 out of the past 11 elections for a rate of 27.2%

11/07/06
Failed to vote 06/06/06
Failed to vote 11/08/05
11/02/04
Failed to vote 03/02/04
Failed to vote 11/04/03
Failed to Vote 10/07/03
Failed to Vote 11/05/02
Failed to vote 03/05/02
Failed to vote 11/06/01
11/07/00

*Note: In addition to a poor voting record, Hitomi Benedetti is also a recent convert to the Democratic Party having been previously registered as late as August 16, 2007 as a member of the American Independent Party, the right wing party founded around the presidential candidacy of former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace. The Party originally focused its attention to opposing the provisions of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act which, among other things, helped to end the life of Jim Crow. Interesting registration choice for a school board candidate in the most diverse community in San Mateo County.

This candidate has also failed to vote in the last three elections for the office she is now seeking, including the 2001 $52 Million General Obligation Bond for school modernization.

Major Scandal Hits Burlingame Council Race

2007-10-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

The local media has been a buzz surrounding the Burlingame City Council race. From NBC 11 to the San Mateo County Times to the San Francisco Examiner, and everywhere in between, have left little to the imagination regarding a high profile reporter and husband of a San Mateo politico stealing campaign signs of a political opponent.

KGO and KQED reporter Joe McConnell was questioned this week by Burlingame Police and admitted to stealing signs of Burlingame City Council Candidate Gene Condon. Ironic that a former board member of the First Amendment Coalition would be censoring expressions of free speech off of other people's property. Even more alarming is the fact that McConnell's wife is the campaign chair of Condon's chief opponent, Jerry Deal. That's right, Geraldine O'Conner, the recent district aide for Assemblyman Gene Mullin and Congressman Tom Lantos, is smack in the middle of this controversy.

Probably more concerning for the O'Conner/McConnell household is that Joe is likely to face misdemeanor theft charges which could net him six months in prison and a hefty fine. This may also mean the demise to O'Conner's political involvement in the county as she will be considered an operative to avoid.

A surveillance video caught McConnell red handed stealing Condon signs and it appears he may have also stolen dozens of signs from another candidate, Peter Comaroto.

The McConnell/O'Conner/Deal sign stealing plan has likely backfired tremendously only resulting in the benefit of Condon who has enjoyed significant free media attention. Certainly incumbents Russ Cohen and Terry Nagel are enjoying the sideshow as well.

No matter how you slice this scandal, Burlingame would be getting a lemon if this Deal were ever elected.

Belmont Election Turns

2007-10-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

This year, the city council election in Belmont just keeps twisting and turning.

Just days ago, candidate David Braunstein, who had been an early frontrunner in the race but unexpectedly dropped out just after the filing deadline, announced unexpectedly that he was indeed a candidate again, according to the Daily Journal.

Braunstein´s name will appear on the November 6, 2007 ballot anyway but he had earlier cited family reasons for his public pronouncement that he would not seek one of two seats on the council vacated by incumbents Dave Warden and Phil Matthewson.

The race has drawn considerable attention as both incumbents decided against seeking another term, surprising many supporters. That left four contenders including Planning Commissioner Christine Wozniak, Braunstein and two newcomers to Belmont Jason Born and Broderick Page. Born has drawn particular interest as he has only resided in Belmont for 8 months before filing to run for council.

In the interim, both Page Wozniak and Born have garnered the vast majority of the local endorsements, leaving little left for Braunstein.

Born in particular has garnered many endorsements such as the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, the county board of realtors and the Sierra Club. Born, despite his recent arrival to Belmont, looked like he may have taken a seat. But with the return of Bruanstein, this may now be more challenging as Braunstein, a local high school teacher with deep roots in the community, remains very popular -- and Born really has no cnnection to the city.

In Belmont´s wild ride, local voters can expect a little of the expected in both the experienced Wozniak and community candidate Braunstein to win the election on November 6, 2007.

The Race for Endorsements

2007-09-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Now that the election season is in full swing, the four major San Mateo County political entities that matter have all announced their picks for the fall election season.

The big four include: The San Mateo County Central Labor Council, the San Mateo County Democratic Party, The Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter and the San Mateo County Association of Realtors (SMCAR).

The reason these four entities matters is that they all provide funding, promotion and direct member contact or some combination thereof on behalf of their endorsed candidates.

The “big four” does not include any political parties outside of the Democratic Party simply because the other party committees in the county have not demonstrated an ability to mobilize voters or provide meaningful support to the candidates they endorse, if they bother to endorse at all.

The candidates listed below have received some, none or all of the above named endorsements which will translate into substantial help at the polls. Look for these candidates, for the most part, to be in office after Election Day. The more endorsements accrued from these organizations, the more likely that will be.

One note, some agencies do not endorse, generally, in certain races and have been identified as such with a N/A (not applicable) notation. In turn, in many of the more affluent communities such as Portola Valley or Woodside, elected officials there simply eschew outside endorsements altogether.

For individual endorsement lists for each organization, please follow the links below:

San Mateo County Central Labor Council

San Mateo County Democratic Party

Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter

San Mateo County Association of Realtors

Endorsing Agencies

Belmont Is in for a Wild Ride

2007-09-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

The election to fill two city council seats in the small hamlet of Belmont continues to take unexpected twists and turns. In August, incumbent councilmembers Phil Matthewson and Dave Warden opted not to seek another term for personal reasons. Warden was banking on the candidacy of community volunteer David Braunstein and Planning Commissioner Christine Wozniak to back fill the seats being vacated by the incumbents.

But after the filing deadline lapsed, Braunstein announced publicly that he would not actively campaign and was no longer seeking the council seat.

That decision left three challengers vying for two seats, Christine Wozniak and newcomers Broderick Page and Jason Born. Page, an air traffic controller, has only lived in Belmont for two years and hails from Alameda. In turn, Born, a realtor, has only lived in Belmont for eight months and hails from San Francisco where he was active in neighborhood issues.

Born has never cast a ballot in Belmont but is now seeking an elected office and has garnered strong backing from developers, building trades unions and real estate interests. For the pro-growth minority on the council, Born represents the means to gain a majority of the council to increase density and build more of Belmont. Born has already come out against Belmont’s landmark anti-smoking measure put in place by the current majority.

Amidst all of this turmoil, a face from the past has emerged and threatened a possible write-in candidacy. Former councilmember Pam Rianda’s name surfaced in the column of Daily News writer Bill Paul as a possible candidate, although Rianda has made no public pronouncements.

Rianda was the subject of a failed recall in her third term, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle from 2000, over her alleged role in the resignation of former City Manager Susan Westman, according to recall backers.

Whoever decides to run, Belmont voters are in for a wild ride.

Parks Tax Supporters Polling County Voters

2007-09-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

Supporters of a 1/8-cent sales tax to raise new revenue for city and county parks in San Mateo County have begun polling to gauge support for such a tax measure for a future ballot.

County taxpayers will remember the former Measure A, the failed sales tax measure that appeared on the November 2006 ballot. The former “Parks for the Future” tax required a 2/3 supermajority for passage but garnered only 55.4 percent approval, according the League of Women Voters web archive.

The new measure being pitched to voters under the poll appears to be a near exact replica of the failed measure of last year offered by the “Parks for the Future” campaign.

Under such a design the sales tax would generate approximately $16 million a year to be shared by the 20 cities in San Mateo County, the county government itself and three special districts. Under the formula devised for the failed Measure A tax, 52 percent would be divided among the 20 county cities, 42 percent would go to the county government itself and the remaining 6 percent would be shared among three local parks districts.

Prior to the failed Measure A, tax boosters polled county voters to gauge support for the tax, which, according to information released at the time, registered a support level of 67 percent, or just enough to be approved at the ballot.

But as history reveals, the early support evaporated and the measure failed by over 10 percentage points.

Prior to the vote there were dueling editorials in the local newspapers discussing both the potential merits and detriments of the tax including opinion pieces in the Daily News by Portola Valley taxpayer advocate Tom Dempsey decrying the measure as a bail out for government officials unable to manage their budgets to an opinion piece by the former Sheriff Don Horsley claiming that the tax would be a public safety measure.

The new tax would increase San Mateo County’s sales tax to among the highest in the Bay Area to 8.375 percent, just under that of Contra Costa County at 8.5 percent and Alameda County at 8.75 percent.

That is likely why the tax failed.

For the supporters of the tax, there may be a good indicator of support on the November 6, 2007 ballot in that of Measure F, a ½-cent sales tax on the ballot in the City of San Bruno. Should that measure fail, parks tax supporters may have to rethink their strategy.

Speier as Political Strong-arm?

2007-09-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

San Mateo Daily Journal columnist Sue Lempert reported in her most recent column that former State Senator Jackie Speier may have ruffled the feathers of some current and former San Mateo County councilmembers. The minor blow up occurred when Speier, in her new capacity as an attorney with the firm of Hanson-Bridgett of San Francisco -- the firm that represents the San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain – showed up at a meeting between Caltrain and the local pols.

The event is an interesting confluence of events. The local councilmembers, under the auspices of their organization, the Coalition to Expand Transit Service (CETS), are howling mad at the loss of local train service in their communities due to the expedited, and popular, “Baby Bullet” service that requires bypassing the communities the councilmembers represent, in whole or in part.

The Baby Bullet was established two years ago by Caltrain to provide expedited train service throughout the county, moving job-commuters more quickly between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The upside is that more riders are coming aboard Caltrain and revenues are up. The service was made possible by a huge capital investment in the tracks – money Speier was instrumental in getting from the State of California as a State Senator. In fact, one of the baby bullets is actually named the “Jackie Speier.”

But to accommodate the new express service, some stations in San Mateo County were shuttered and others now have drastically reduced service, and many councilmembers are angry that commuters from Santa Clara and San Francisco counties seem to be reaping the benefits, rather than their own constituents.

The group, CETS, comprised of about a dozen elected and formerly elected councilmembers, has been meeting with Caltrain officials has been meeting with Caltrain officials for over year with little progress in their favor. That’s why the presence of Speier may have been interpreted by local councilmembers as a strong-arm tactic. Having to face down Jackie “Baby Bullet” Speier likely presents new challenges, and may have been a political shot across the bow as an electoral endorsement for or against a local elected official by Speier could make the difference in some city elections.

Are Caltrain and Speier endeavoring in a little political intimidation?

Bad moon Over Broadmoor?

2007-09-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

The unincorporated Village of Broodmoor, the tiny island surrounded by the communities of Daly City and Colma, is experiencing a rare electoral battle over a seat on the Broadmoor Police Protection District Board of Directors.

The usually obscure special district governed by a three-member elected board oversees the independent Broadmoor police department, which is funded by a voter approved property tax.

The district board members are rarely challenged. But this year, veteran board member J. Wayne Johnson, a board member since 1975 and the only one of the three members of the board on the ballot this November, is being challenged for his seat.

On his campaign web site – also another Broadmoor first – Johnson supporters under the banner of the Broadmoor Police Officers Association (union) blast his opponent, local realtor Rebecca Husted, in stating “One may wonder what the real reason is that a person lacking experience, who attended only one police commission meeting prior to filing for candidacy, believes it time for a change in the Broadmoor Police Department.”

In addition to the support of the police union, Johnson is supported, according to his site, by Senator Leland Yee, Assemblymember Fiona Ma, Daly City Mayor Maggie Gomez, veteran Daly City Treasurer Anthony Zidich, the full board of the Broadmoor Property Owners Association and, interestingly enough, Broadmoor Police Chief Greg Love and retired chief William Noonan.

But the absence of one potential supporter may be more interesting than the supporters Johnson can claim. Specifically, former Broadmoor Police Chief, the man who was once considered “Mr. Broadmoor,” in that of Tim Guiney of Millbrae appears no where among Johnson’s listed supporters.

It is rumored in the little hamlet that Guiney may be behind Husted’s candidacy but to what end remains a mystery.

A bad moon may be rising over Broadmoor for the first time in recent memory.

Measure Q Redux

2007-09-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Another battle is brewing in Redwood City over the development of a large swath of bayfront land. City residents and developers fought a pitched battle in 2004 over the former Measure Q, a zoning measure that would have provided developer Glenborough Pauls the green light to build the massive bayside Marina Shores project.

Measure Q was shot down by Redwood City voters over a variety of issues at a cost of nearly $1 million in campaign cash spent by developers in comparison to just over $30,000 spent by community activists. Traffic, limited water resources and the sheer mass of the project which would have added thousands of new residents at capacity were of specific concern to opponents in the community.

But, according to a recent article in the Daily News, the developers have returned with a new plan that has been generated through approximately 18 months of community outreach meetings to gather input from residents.

The repackaged Peninsula Park project has been scaled back from the former proposal and includes 796 homes, 200 hotel rooms and 10,000 square feet of commercial space on 33 acres of bayfront land. Some changes will likely be asked of the developers in the coming months by the city council.

The 2004 Marina Shores project called for approximately 1,930 residential units in multi-story towers and buildings consisting of town homes and condominiums as well as commercial/retail of up to 50,000 square feet, as well 150,000 square feet of office space and a hotel of up to 200 rooms. The Marina Shores project would also have included dock space and/or moorings for a minimum of 60 boats, parks and open space as well as public waterfront access ways.

Learning from the costly loss, the developers have taken a go-slow approach in trying to craft a new proposal that may be more palatable to residents. But the original opponents of the Marina Shores project remain concerned that the Peninsula Park project remains an environmental concern and a potential source of tremendous strain on city infrastructure.

Local environmentalist and activist Ralph Nobles, the founder of the Friends of Redwood City – a local grassroots organization that birddogs city government and land use issues in Redwood City - stated publicly that he believes the proposal is still too large and too far away from mass transit, specifically Caltrain. The Peninsula Park would be located on the bayfront east of Highway 101, far away from the Redwood City Caltrain station located downtown. Nobles was instrumental in the “People for Housing Not High-Rises” effort which successfully convinced voters to oppose Measure Q and put an end to the Marina Shores project.

The Peninsula Park project will likely end up on the ballot and the developers will very likely again spend an obscene amount of money to enable the high profit project. The battle of Redwood City will be joined again in the near future.

Lantos Goes on the Attack

2007-08-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

In an interview with the Daily News, incumbent 14-term, Congressman Tom Lantos lashed out at potential rival Jackie Speier, the former state legislator who represented San Mateo County for nearly two decades in the statehouse.

Lantos is responding to growing chatter in local political circles of a challenge by former State Senator Jackie Speier. Speier was termed out of office in 2006 and lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor.

The hubbub was sparked again recently with the publication of a political poll discussed by San Francisco Chronicle columnists Matier & Ross in early August that showed Speier with a commanding lead in a potential head to head with Lantos.

The venerable Congressman challenged the veracity of the poll and, while apparently complimentary of Speier, stated that she lacked the experience in the “…fields of national security and foreign policy” to adequately serve in the Congress.

The patently ridiculous statement belies the real issue, Lantos is running scared. Lantos himself was elected 27 years ago with substantial credentials but his elective office experience included on a stint on the Millbrae School Board. Speier, in her youth, served as an aide for former Congressman Leo Ryan. Following his assassination, Speier served as a member of the county board of supervisors and served as both a member of the State Assembly and State Senate, totaling a quarter century in public office.

Foreign policy aside, Speier has more than adequate qualifications to serve her district, which is the first priority of a district representative, not foreign policy.

For his part, Lantos is entering somewhat of an overdrive by generating news articles in the Daily Journal with his commentary on the recent Congressional session and the nation’s disaster preparedness.

Reading the tea leaves: Lantos knows he could be in for the run of his life.

Belmont Continues to puzzle:Following the surprise of both Belmont incumbents bowing out of the November 2007 city council election, now a challenger has also declared that he wants nothing to do with this election. Challenger David Braunstein has announced that he has ended his campaign, leaving challengers Christine Wozniak, Jason Born and Broderick Page to fight it out.

Braunstein will still appear on the November ballot as it is too late to be removed, but without a campaign, he will draw fewer votes, unless of course his name unluckily appears at the top of the ticket. Who know, maybe Braunstein will end up as an accidental tourist in Belmont.

FERRIES: The Next Boondoggle for San Mateo County

2007-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, the San Mateo County times ran an editorial warning of the coming ferry disaster that awaits San Mateo County. The editorial was in response to a recent meeting in which Water Transit Authority (WTA) representatives, the public agency created to run what will be a massive public ferry service throughout the Bay, and business representatives made a pitch for the ferry service funding.

The editorial made a point of suggesting that one of the major rationales’s touted for creating this new publicly subsidized transit service was the use of ferries following a possible bridge collapse in the event of the “big one”.

That writer raised the right red flag. If that’s the chief rationale, San Mateo County taxpayers should be wary. The new ferry system will require an investment of $1.6 BILLION to construct a network of terminals and to build and construct the ferries, and begin operations.

Of course, the service will require ongoing subsidies, particularly as ferry service is slow moving, polluting, and can carry far fewer passengers than traditional rail or bus services due to the lack of frequency in trips.

The WTA is already trying to scrounge together scarce dollars, but is having difficulty.

Of course, in their wisdom, San Mateo County transit officials and members of the Board of Supervisors included a 1.2 million annual subsidy for the future ferry service out of the ½-cent county sales tax authorized by San Mateo County voters in November of 2004.

This is the second quixotic adventure our transit officials have waded into, the first being the disastrous BART-SFO extension for which San Mateo County has lost over $150 million. To add insult to injury, BART is now using its vast and empty parking lots at its Millbrae, South San Francisco and San Bruno stations to provide cheap airport parking, undercutting local park and fly lots in local cities, who will then lose the business taxes these operations provide (see article below).

Local columnist for the San Mateo County Times, John Horgan, issued a recent missive on just this issue.

San Mateo County taxpayers are on the verge of getting hosed again.

New Political Web Site in Pacifica
Building on a recent phenomenon of local political organizing in San Mateo County, a new group has emerged in the City of Pacifica to improve our quality of life, promote commerce, and monitor city government operations and to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable to the citizens of Pacifica, according to its mission statement.

The organization, Pacifica Business for Responsible Government, seems to have issued a challenge to the city’s current leadership. Its web site is directly challenging the current course that the group perceives the city to be on (follow the link for “Our Mission”).

Look for a little more rough and tumble in Pacifica.

More Surprises in Local Elections

2007-08-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Another Surprise in Daly City
Last Wednesday evening Jefferson School District Trustee Anthony Dennis abruptly resigned from the school board on which he has sat for nearly for years. Dennis surprised colleagues by failing to file for re-election this November two weeks ago but apparently had more surprises up his sleeve.

Unfortunately for the board, it’s too late to appoint a replacement so the board must function with just four members until a new trustee is elected and sworn in after election day. Here’s hoping that the votes don’t go two to two. But as many political watchers of that board know, that is likely what will happen.

Burlingame Council Race Reveals Deep Divides
Recently, the Insider Blog of the San Mateo County Times featured coverage of the Burlingame City Council race. The blog post revealed that candidate and Planning Commissioner Jerry Deal touts the endorsements of City Councilmembers Roaslie O’Mahony on his campaign Web site.

When asked about their endorsements the councilmembers attempted some verbal acrobatics in order to avoid stating which of the two incumbents running for re-election they were hoping to unseat. The ridiculous avoidance of the issue by Councilmember Ann Keighran demonstrated a pronounced lack of conviction. If a politician endorses one candidate over an incumbent colleague, it is a strong message, unless of course you won’t admit it.

Interestingly though, Councilmember Russ Cohen also lists some interesting endorsers of his own on his Web site. In fact, Cohen boasts endorsments from four of the seven planning commissioners with whom Deal serves, while Deal only boasts two, excluding himself of course.

What should voters infer from the fact that the incumbent councilmember has two colleagues endorsing against him while his challenger, a planning commissioner, can’t even get more than two of his six colleagues to endorse him?

Turnabout is fair play.

Hill's BART Blunder Continues to Damage County

2007-08-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

San Mateo County has had a disastrous financial relationship with the BART to SFO extension that the county’s transit district (SamTrans) ended in February, at a great cost to taxpayers.

But BART officials had one more card to play in its great financial swindle of San Mateo County. BART’s near empty lots at its Peninsula stations began offering cut-rate parking for airport bound passengers on August 13 for just $6 a day.

Why does this matter to local communities? Well, many cities have home grown park and fly lots such as South San Francisco, San Bruno and Burlingame that will be literally undercut.

In a recent article in the Daily News, Hill expressed his concern saying, "On the face of it, it could provide better service for commuters and airport users," San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill said. "But we have to look at the fact that it's now competing against some of the local businesses that provide those same services."

Assistant South San Francisco City Manager Marty Van Duyn put it in more concrete terms saying, "This is a public facility paid for with the public's tax money, and they pay no property taxes, no sales taxes, no use taxes."

Hill is among the last remaining local elected officials who played a major role in advocating for and engineering the BART to SFO extension in San Mateo County, having once been quoted as saying “BART at any cost.” The extension has proved to be a disaster for San Mateo County taxpayers and took millions more to end the county’s financial relationship with BART.

Here’s a history in brief:
In February of 2007, the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) cut its financial ties to the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) in order to stem the bleeding of scarce transit dollars to the failed BART SFO-Extension.

The deal, inked earlier in the decade conjoining SamTrans and BART in a fiduciary alliance cost the county tens of millions of dollars due largely to the fact that the ridership of the extension never even came close to the overblown projections sold to county taxpayers in years past as a justification for getting San Mateo County into this mess.

Finally, after bleeding millions for four years, SamTrans officials cried uncle and, with the help of friends at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) negotiated a deal to get them off the hook in the long term.

The settlement agreement included $1.2 million a year contribution from Measure A, the 1/2-cent county sales tax, for 25 years for a total of $30 million; $5 million for FY 2006-2007 debt to BART from SamTrans for the operational deficit for the Bart extension under the former agreement; $800,000 annual gas tax funding from SamTrans to BART, with no apparent sunset clause, which translates at 25 years to $20 million; SamTrans' portion of Proposition 1B (infrastructure bond) totaling $32 million ($32 million for regional transit infrastructure that may have benefited San Mateo County will go to BART); Prop. 1B funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to BART that otherwise would go to regional transit infrastructure for a total of $24 million.

In addition, SamTrans has had to eat a $70 million loan given to BART in the late 1990s for the construction of the line.

Meaning a total $157 million of San Mateo County Transit funding, much in perpetuity, will go to BART.

But now, BART will soak county taxpayers again by undercutting many city businesses that provide valuable tax dollars for city services that will now go to another tax supported government agency.

Thanks Jerry.

Campaign Pitch Ignores Reality

2007-08-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Foster City Council candidate Marcia Cohn Lyle recntly issued a campaign mailer to potential supporters for her upcoming race that is proving to be a strange revision of recent history.

The mailer read like a ballot statement and outlined, in brief, Cohn-Lyle's vision for Foster City. Most interestingly, Cohn-Lyle touts her record of fiscal management during her three terms on the San Mateo Union High School District.

Cohn-Lyle states: "My 12 years on the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees (which has a balanced budget and a 3% Reserve) have made me very experienced with major construction projects."

This statement is uniquely interesting as Cohn-Lyle is leaving a board and district that has experienced its most turbulent in recent memory. This year, the board Cohn-Lyle sits on was slammed by several Civil Grand Jury reports for fiscal mismanagement, particularly of its bond-funded school construction and renovation program.

In fact, this school year, according to a column by Bil Silverfarb of the Daily Journal, the district "was forced to layoff teachers because it failed to place enough money, about $2.8 million, into reserves as required by state law requiring $3.5 million in cuts," which in turned translated into faculty layoffs and the eventual resignation of veteran Superintendent Sam Johnson.

In addition, the board was also forced to dump its contracted construction management firm Skanska due to a deeply flawed contract that would have provided Skanska a windfall of public dollars.

Political watchers have surmised that Cohn-Lyele's run for Foster City Council in lieu of continuing on the school board may have been motivated by the fact that the district's disastrous finances may prove the be a heavy burden in a fourth attempt to run for the school board.

That is why many in the Bayside city are scratching their heads as to how Cohn-Lyle could be touting her financial and construction management experience as qualifictaions for the council seat.

But perhpas her opponents owe her a big thank you.