Montara Fog

PRESS RELEASE

When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works. Come and See How!

Coastside amateur radio operators, better known as hams, will join their counterparts across North America  in honing their skills for “The Big One” on June 22, 11am to June 23, 11am, non-stop for 24 hours. This year Half Moon Bay hams will set up radio stations at North Venice Beach parking lot off Hwy 1, about one mile north of Hwy 92. Our colleagues in La Honda, the SC4 Amateur Radio Club, will be operating from the La Honda Gardens in La Honda, behind the La Honda Country Market on Highway 84 during the same time period.

Over the past years, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America including earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, storms, tornadoes and other events world-wide. Many people wonder why in this modern technological age hams are still needed, since we have the internet, cell phones, portable phones, and more. The reality is that the first thing to go out is often our cell phones, with the internet a close second. This is because cell towers may get misaligned by shaking, overloaded in the immediate aftermath of a major event, and most commonly, the power goes off. No electricity means no portable phones, no computers, and no internet servers, and some other portable communication devices may also be affected. Ham radio operators are trained and equipped to provide emergency communications without connections to PG&E power or fixed antennas. They often provide the first and possibly the only means of communication when all else fails, serving local emergency providers, as well as state and federal services to keep people informed, rescuers on the move, and supplies coming in to affected areas.

Here in the Bay area, Coastside ham volunteers have responded to the Loma Prieta earthquake, helping to keep state emergency coordinators apprised of the situation as it unfolded, to large fires, such as the Oakland Hills fire, the recent tsunami alert, and even helped to get rescuers to a sailboat in distress in heavy seas off the coast of Chile. The crew was unable to contact the Chilean Coast Guard directly, but a ham radio station in Japan picked up their call, relayed it to two Coastside hams, who passed the word to another ham in Texas, who in turn was able to reach aomeone in Chile. The crew was saved, thanks to ham radio! Coastsiders may have seen the hams providing communications at many local events, including the Pumpkin Festival, Dream Machines, the HMB International Marathon, bicycle rides, races, parades, and wherever their services are needed.

It’s not all work and no play, however. This year’s Field Day will also be the Third Annual Competition between the Half Moon Bay Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) group and the La Honda group. The contest is to see who successfully logs the most contacts. La Honda hams are stiff competition, but Half Moon Bay hams have  won so far…the first year brought chocolate banana slugs to HMB, and last year HMB was presented with a hand built flying saucer filled with goodies. This year La Honda wants their flying saucer back, and but the northerners plan to keep it here in Half Moon Bay. Stay tuned for the results!

Anyone who wants to see ham radio operations first hand, or who might be interested in getting a license and  joining us in a growing hobby is welcome to visit Venice Beach or La Honda on June 22-23. The Coastside always needs more radio operators for big events and incidents, and getting your initial license is only a matter of a one day “ham cram” session and test given frequently in nearby areas. There are now over 700,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world.

Ham radio’s motto is, “Whenever All Else fails, Ham Radio Works!”
Come to Field Day and see how it works!

PRESS RELEASE

Sen. Hill Launches ‘Mobile Office Hours’ at Coastside Farmers’ Market in Half Moon Bay

Senator Jerry Hill comes to the Coastside Farmers’ Market in Half Moon Bay on Saturday, June 22, for the first of his  “mobile office hours” at farmers’ markets on the Peninsula.

No appointments are necessary. Drop by to share your ideas and concerns about legislative issues in our community or just come to say hello on:

Saturday, June 22
From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Coastside Farmers’ Market in Half Moon Bay
225 Cabrillo Highway South
(Shoreline Station at Highway 1 and Kelly Avenue)

Can’t be there from 9:30 to 10:30? A member of Senator Hill’s staff will be on hand from 9 a.m. to noon to provide information about the constituent services available from the senator’s District Office.

PRESS RELEASE

The next meeting of the San Mateo County Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Committee will take place this Saturday in Half Moon Bay to hear public input on the possible adjustment of the current district boundaries.

An agenda is attached. The meeting is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cunha Intermediate School Library, 600 Church St., Half Moon Bay.

We are hosting meetings in each of the five districts. This meeting will take place in District 3, which encompasses all or parts of Atherton, Redwood Shores, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, San Carlos, Portola Valley, Woodside and Belmont. It also includes the communities of Pescadero, La Honda, El Granada, Montara, Miramar, Emerald Hills, West Menlo Park and a number of additional unincorporated areas.

I have also attached a flier that lists future meeting times and locations.

The Board of Supervisors created the nine-member committee after voters changed the County Charter in November 2012 by passing Measure B. The change requires that only voters within a district can elect a supervisor who lives in that same district to represent them. Under the prior system voters countywide elected all five supervisors.

With heightened interest in district-based elections, the Board of Supervisors tasked the committee with hearing public comment, studying current and potential boundaries and recommending possible adjustments to the full Board.

Joking that after naming nine operating systems after big cats Apple is running out of Lion-themed names Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice-president of software engineering, has a better idea. Instead of lions the computer maker has instead chosen to use California-themed names over the next ten years of releases. The first one? Our very own Mavericks.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2013

Calling all San Mateo County Poets!

San Mateo County Poet Laureate Nomination Period Officially Opens

(Redwood City, CA)  - Saturday, June 8, will mark the opening of the nomination period for all poets interested in becoming San Mateo County’s first Poet Laureate, or for those interested in nominating a poet for the honorary post.  Supervisors Carole Groom and Warren Slocum will officially open the search for the County’s first Poet Laureate during an opening day event on the San Mateo County’s Literary Stage, located in the Fine Arts Galleria within the San Mateo County Fair.  The program will begin at 12:30 p.m.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors created the honorary post of Poet Laureate at their April 23^rd meeting.  Supervisors Groom and Slocum formed the San Mateo County Poet Laureate Advisory Committee which includes:  California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera; Jackie Berger, Director of the Master of Arts in English Program at Notre Dame de Namur University; Kalamu Chaché, East Palo Alto Poet Laureate; Maryann Moise Derwin, Chair of the San Mateo County Library JPA Governing Board and Portola Valley City Council; Anne-Marie Despain, Director of Library Services for San Mateo County Library; Julie Fellers, President, Peninsula Arts Council; Mary Gutierrez, Dean of Language Arts at Skyline College; Clark Kepler, local business advocate; Bardi Rosman Koodrin, Literary Director of the San Mateo County Fair; Donald Mulliken, San Mateo County Arts Commissioner; Christopher Wachlin, President of the CA Writers Club, San Francisco-Peninsula Branch; and Bonny Zanardi, Arts Columnist for the San Jose Mercury News.  The selected Poet Laureate’s role will be to elevate poetry among San Mateo County residents and to celebrate the literary arts. The nomination deadline is July 31, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

“We know there are many fine poets within San Mateo County who have never been recognized before. We are looking for all to come forward and apply to be our first Poet Laureate and an ambassador for the literary arts in our County,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum. “We look forward to celebrating the diversity of our County through the spoken word and literary arts.”

Supervisor Carole Groom added, “In our Silicon Valley world of hurried communication, poetry offers a gift of the well-crafted phrase.  A Poet Laureate can act as a steward of language, providing opportunities to savor words and sound.  We are hoping that this will inspire children and adults to read, write, and share poetry in San Mateo County.”

Eligibility Criteria for the San Mateo County Poet Laureate includes:

• The Poet Laureate must be 18 years or older.
• The Poet Laureate will be available to serve a two-year term, commencing in October 2013.
• The Poet Laureate will be a San Mateo County resident of at least three years who has been published or recognized for poetry and literary contributions. The number and quality of published works will be taken into account in our selection process.
• The Poet Laureate will have demonstrated a commitment to and passion for poetry and embraces the opportunity to engage in community service to make poetry more accessible and available.
• The Poet Laureate must have a willingness to serve as an ambassador for San Mateo County and to engage the citizens of San Mateo County in poetry at public events through public readings, workshops, visiting schools and other means.
• The Poet Laureate must be available to travel throughout San Mateo County.

Responsibilities of the San Mateo County Poet Laureate include:

• The Poet Laureate will represent San Mateo County and the art of poetry though outreach activities related to poetry.
• The Poet Laureate will present appropriate works at a minimum of four selected County-sponsored events during the year, including events involving schools and youth.
• The Poet Laureate will write a commemorative poem about San Mateo County or its environs.
• The Poet Laureate will open the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors meetings with a poem every quarter.

 Nomination forms and guidelines will be available on June 8th online at www.sanmateocountypoet.org, as well as at local libraries and at the County Government Center.  For more information, please contact Marci Dragun at mdragun@smcgov.org or (650) 599-1021. Applications should be submitted by email to mdragun@smcgov.org.  Paper submissions can be sent to: San Mateo County Poet Laureate, Supervisor Warren Slocum, Board of Supervisors, 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA  94063. 

Boundary Adjustment Committee Meetings Set

Committee to Hold First Round of Five Meetings Across San Mateo County 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – A committee that will review the boundaries of San Mateo County’s supervisorial districts and possibly recommend changes will hold its first meeting June 6 in San Mateo.

Four additional meetings are also scheduled: June 15 in Half Moon Bay; June 18 in Daly City; June 25 in East Palo Alto; and July 11 in Millbrae. Details are below.

The Board of Supervisors created the nine-member boundary adjustment committee after voters changed the County Charter in November. The change requires that only voters within a district can elect a supervisor who lives in that same district to represent them. Under the prior system voters countywide elected all five supervisors.

With heightened interest in district-based elections, the Board of Supervisors tasked the committee with hearing public comment, studying current and potential boundaries and recommending possible adjustments.

The kick-off meeting will be held Thursday, June 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 725 Monte Diablo Ave., San Mateo.

The committee and public will receive a report from a demographer and then learn how to use an online mapping tool to review the current boundaries and draw possible districts. The committee will also receive public comment.

Four additional meetings will be held throughout the county. These are:

·         Saturday, June 15, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Cunha Intermediate School Library, 600 Church Street, Half Moon Bay

·         Tuesday, June 18, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., War Memorial Community Center, 6655 Mission Street, Daly City

·         Tuesday, June 25, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., East Palo Alto Council Chambers, 2415 University Ave., East Palo Alto

·         Thursday, July 11, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Millbrae Community Center, 477 Lincoln Circle, Millbrae

At the final meeting in Millbrae, it is anticipated the committee will consider possible draft boundary changes. An additional five meetings will be held in late summer to present possible draft changes to the public for comment before any recommendation is presented to the full Board of Supervisors.

Under State election law, districts must be approximately equal in population. In establishing the boundaries of the districts the Board of Supervisors may give consideration to the following factors: (a) topography, (b) geography, (c) cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity, and compactness of territory, and (d) community of interests of the districts.”

The committee members chosen by the Board are: Supervisors Adrienne J. Tissier and Warren Slocum; Gonzalo “Sal” Torres, a Daly City Council Member; Laura Martinez, an East Palo Alto Council Member; and public members: (1st Supervisorial District)– Hayden Lee of Millbrae;(2nd Supervisorial District)– Raymond Lee of San Mateo;(3rd Supervisorial District) – Barbara Arietta of Pacifica;(4th Supervisorial District)– William Nack of Menlo Park; and (5th Supervisorial District)–Rebecca Ayson of Daly City.

Each public member resides in one of the five current districts.

Additional information about the process will be posted at www.smcgov.org/bos under “Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Committee.”