Protest planned in Hillsborough
ARDENT SUPPORTERS of Proposition 89, the “Clean Money” initiative, plan to make their position known loud and clear when former President George H.W. Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attend a fund-raising dinner in Hillsborough tonight.
According to protest organizers, the fundraiser is at the home of interior decorator Katherine Boyd, a Republican donor who achieved “pioneer” status for raising $100,000 for President George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign and “ranger” status for raising $200,000 for his 2004 campaign. According to fundrace.org, which tracks campaign donations, Boyd also gave $30,500 to the Republican National Committee in 2004.
According to the organizers, Yes on 89/Californians for Clean Elections, which is backed by the California Nurses Association, attendees paid as much as $100,000 for a plate at the swanky affair.
“The Hillsborough event evades laws capping contributions to the governor by splitting the proceeds he raises with the California Republican Party,” a statement by the organizers said.
Proposition 89 would provide public financing for candidates who reject private money; set tougher limits on campaign contributions from corporations, unions and individuals; and close campaign finance loopholes.
The protest begins at 5 p.m. at 130 Bridge Road in Hillsborough and will include a banner overhead attached to a plane aptly titled “Air Force 89.”
‘Trouble in paradise’
The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury released a not-so-rosy report for the town of Woodside Tuesday, saying that its development review process “fosters a persistent clash of cultures.”
According to the report, the Grand Jury investigated why some applicants question the intentions of town staff and “why the staff does not always produce a level of customer service that precludes applicants questioning their motives.”
The report said that applicants often believe the town shows favoritism or makes decisions on permit applications arbitrarily. The Grand Jury found that there are “good reasons why those perceptions persist,” including inconsistent application of rules due to errors of judgment by inexperienced staff. The jury also found some applicants who are purposely deceptive or disregard the rules, leading staff to perform their jobs more cautiously.
The report also noted that the town’s review process is fragmented, resulting in missed deadlines and submittals that fall between the cracks. It also chided the town for insufficiently trained staff, forcing directors to “become so con-sumed by the current crisis that they do not have time to anticipate and plan for the next one.”
The Grand Jury recommended that Woodside place one experienced person incharge of the entire develop-ment permit process, create a “FastTrack” permit process for simple projects, create a complaint board, implement a training program for staff and provide packets for applicants that explain procedures.
“Everybody is looking at the trees; nobody is surveying the forest,” Grand Jury Foreman Ted Glasgow said in a statement.
Parking gets parked
The fate of a controversial zoning proposal swung between victory and defeat Monday when the San Mateo City Council agreed on eight of nine changes to rules regarding single-family home design and construction.
The change, which would peg the number of required garage spaces to how many bedrooms a home has rather than its square footage, was initially opposed by councilmembers Carole Groom and Jan Epstein.
With three likely votes in favor of the proposal, the council seemed ready to put off the vote for another day until Councilman Brandt Grotte said he would prefer not to wait.
Even the Insider finds what happened next confounding: Rather than voting on whether to approve the change, the council agreed to vote on a motion by Epstein to keep the existing square footage requirement.
But Groom and Epstein lost that battle by a 3-2 vote.
At that point, Mayor John Lee suggested the council come back to the issue another day, but when the city’s chief planner, Ronald Munekawa, told him that day might not come until the fall or early winter, Lee changed his mind and asked for a vote on the original proposal to change the parking space calculation formula.
This time, Vice Mayor Jack Matthews joined Groom and Epstein, giving the amendment a thumbs down. Then Lee once again asked that the matter be tabled, directing Munekawa to look into it further.
So the issue, for now, has been parked.
Only welcome for so long
Almost a decade ago, the Millbrae City Council decided to cap councilmembers’ service at two consecutive four-year terms. On Tuesday, the council decided against putting a measure on the November ballot to extend the limit to three terms.
“I didn’t think it was at all appropriate given our financial situation,” Councilwoman Gina Papan said. “We have many streets that need repair. The city is just getting back on its feet.”
Papan said about 70 percent of voters chose to cap term limits in 1997, and spending $10,000 to $15,000 to put the matter on the ballot again would be a waste.
“The citizens of Millbrae have already spoken,” she said.
Councilmembers can run again two years after their second term expires. Regardless, the electorate already has the power to prevent incumbent politicians from overstaying their welcome.
“We’ve always had term limits in the fact that voters can vote someone out,” Papan said.
Candidate seminar goes podcast
Prospective candidates for the November election who can’t attend the July 29 seminar on election procedures need not worry: Anyone can listen to the seminar from their computer or download it to tune in on their iPod or other MP3 player.
“Today, people have such time pressures, we wanted to make the information easier to access,” said Warren Slocum, chief elections officer of San Mateo County. “They can download and listen to the one-and-a-half hour seminar in its entirety, including comments and questions from participants, or simply download specific content sections.”
To find the podcast, go to http://www.shapethefuture.org and click on the Candidate Seminar link.
