2009 will not be remembered as a particularly good year by many. The lows that have plagued the nation and the state were plentiful in San Mateo County. But other events worked out well or just worked out. So, here for review is the top ten of the ugly, the bad and the good of 2009.
1. Pay-Gate in Daly City
Without a doubt, the lowest of the lows belongs to the City of Daly City as the Gateway City continues to remain the county’s center of politics gone bad.
In March of 2009, the Daly City Council, at the recommendation of City Manager Pat Martel, slashed the salary of newly elected City Clerk Annette Hipona by over 50 percent in what the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury called an “unjustified” action that due to the “…size of the compensation reduction together with the fact that the members of the Council had supported the opponent of the elected City Clerk raised the appearance of political reprisal.”
As a refresher, Hipona overwhelmingly defeated the Daly City political machine-backed candidate Teresa Proano in the November 2008 General Elections by a margin of nearly 2-1. Members of the Daly City Council were non-pleased to say the least.
A round of applause to the Day City Manager and City Council for ranking first as the perpetrators of the worst sort of politics in San Mateo County in 2009.
2. Sharp Park Golf Course Retained
On Tuesday, March 17, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced legislation (see item 090329) aimed at turning the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica – but owned and operated by San Francisco - into a biological reserve, much to the dismay of golfers and Pacifica city leaders.
For years, the Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica has been a target of environmental concern, particularly by the Center for Biological Diversity, a national organization which advocates for the protection of biological resources and endangered species. The web site, http://wildequity.org/sections/5, sponsored by the Center, details the basics of the proposal.
The Center had threatened a lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco for failing to adequately protect species such as the endangered San Francisco Garter Snake and the Red-Legged Frog, both of which call portions of the Sharp Park Golf Course home.
The Sharp Park legislation introduced by Mirkarimi compelled the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department a study to determine the viability of maintaining the Golf Course while protecting the integrity of the habitat of the two endangered species, the California Red-Legged Frog and the San Francisco Garter Snake.
But much to the chagrin of environmentalists and Mirkarimi in particular, the study commissioned by the SFR&PD and release last month concluded that the Golf Course could be maintained as a full service 18-hole course – with some adjustments – while preserving the critical habitat.
According to Philip Ginsburg, the General Manager of the SFR&PD, the study conclusively demonstrated that not only could the frogs and snakes survive “…but flourish at Sharp Park by restoring the two most valuable habitat for the two species,” which include ponds and wetlands now utilized by both.
So, after months of pain, tens of thousands of dollars expended in studies, hearings and political theater, only slight modification shave been recommended and Supervisor Mirkarimi and company are slowly slinking away.
3. Civil Grand Jury tackles on county government
In June of 2009, the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury issued an advisory letter to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors directing the five-member board to change the system under which supervisors are elected from an at-large system to a district based system.
San Mateo County is the only county is the State of California that elects supervisors at-large – or countywide. Tehama County in the Sierra Mountains also maintained such a system until voters overwhelmingly approved a county charter amendment to impose a district-based system in November of 2008.
In response to the letter, San Mateo County Supervisor Mark Church, now board president, stated that “It is probably time to look at the issue again.”
The recommended mechanism for considering such a change is to be through the County’s Charter Review Commission - a panel seated every 8 years according to the county charter to review the very document that guides county government. The Charter Review Commission is the local version of a Constitutional Convention and it will examine a variety of potential changes to the county charter. The newly constituted commission will meet as soon as next week. Reform-minded leaders and voters will be watching.
4. Hard times bring harsh budgets
With a bleak economy depleting the local tax base and a state government struggling with an enormous deficit, many local cities and school districts asked voters to augment flagging revenues.
According to the county elections web site, no less than 15 local jurisdictions placed 20 tax measures on the local ballot in four separate local elections to raise new revenues. Surprisingly, only five of the measures failed even in these tough economic times.
Cow Palace Sale…?
Early in 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with an eye towards raising state revenue, announced that his interest in declaring several well-known California landmarks as surplus so that the State can sell the properties to help offset a massive budget deficit.
In northern California that included the Cal Expo Center, San Quentin Prison and the Cow Palace in Daly City.
This is not the first time that the Cow Palace has been on the chopping block, but it has survived the budget ax in the past. But in the coming year, the State of California is facing a nearly $20 Billion deficit and will slashing social services and public education. For the Cowboys and Cowgirls who have worked to prevent the sale of the Cow Palace, coming up with justifications for maintaining the money-losing ‘40s era venue is going to be challenging at best.
5. High Speed Rail Lawsuit
In what seems to be a repeat of history in San Mateo County, many local officials are fighting the possibility of having a High Speed Rail system zooming down the Peninsula. For those who were around in the ‘60s it may be a bit of de ja vu when the same fight over the BART system’s effort to pass through San Mateo County was being waged.
This time around it‘s Menlo Park and Atherton officials who do not want high-speed passenger trains zooming through their towns and they have joined a lawsuit to stop that from happening.
In August, both city councils voted to join environmentalists and some rail groups to sue the California High Speed Rail Authority on the basis that the authority picked an environmentally insensitive route in plans to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with electric trains that would reach speeds up to 220 miles per hour.
While the lawsuit has not and likely will not halt the train, it has already forced further environmental review and will continue to be a thorn in the side of the High Speed Rail boosters.
6. Hill's Half Moon Bay bailout bill fails
For freshman Assemblyman Jerry Hill and the City of Half Moon Bay the worst news of 2009 was undoubtedly the failure of Hill’s legislative effort to secure $10 million in the form of a state loan to the City of Half Moon Bay.
Half Moon Bay owed developer Charles “Chop” Keenan approximately $18 million as the result of a judgment stemming from a federal lawsuit against the city over the so-called Beachwood Property in Half Moon Bay.
According to a settlement deal reached in 2008 between Keenan and the City, the City would pay Keenan $18 million for the property but hoped to lessen the blow by getting some State funding to offset the huge loss for the City.
For nearly two years Half Moon Bay attempted to arrange for alternate means of paying off the debt through a series of bills introduced by Hill, former Assemblyman Gene Mullin and Senator Leland Yee all to no avail.
Hill’s final attempt, Assembly Bill 650, was a curious last ditch effort that would have diverted various bond funds including as much as $5 million that fund the State Coastal Conservancy, a non-starter for environmentalists.
Ultimately, the bill failed and Half Moon Bay was forced to do what it had to do to cope with this near fatal blow.
7. The Year of the Asian American candidate
2009 saw what was likely a record number of Asian Americans and/or Pacific Islanders (API) run for local office.
The candidates who sought a range of positions including school board and city council seats split between victories and losses evenly. The victorious include two candidates becoming the first Asian American councilmembers in San Mateo, David Lim, and Redwood City, Jeff Gee.
Incumbent councilmembers such as South San Francisco Mayor Karyl Matsumoto, Half Moon Bay Councilmember Naomi Patridge, and San Bruno Councilman Ken Ibarra were also easily reelected.
On the school board front, first time candidate Julie S. Chan was victorious in her race for a seat on the San Mateo – Foster City Elementary School District Board.
There were many who were not successful including Bertha Sanchez, a former San Mateo Planning Commissioner who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council; Newcomer and businessman Wing Yu ran unsuccessfully for one of two possible seats on the Foster City city council; Mike Loy, an active parent in the Aragon High School community who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees; former Civil Grand Jury Chairwoman Virginia Chang Kiralay ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees; Dr. Pearl Wu ran unsuccessfully as a write-in candidate for the Hillsborough School District.
And finally, in the unincorporated community of Broadmoor, former San Francisco Police Patrol Special Hanley Chan ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the three-member Broadmoor Police Commission, the panel that oversees the special police district in that community. Interestingly, this race in Broadmoor, a community of roughly 4,000 residents, generated a disproportionate amount of attention in comparison many of the other races in other parts of the county with much larger voting populations. There were 61 postings left on my column in response to the August 17, 2009 article on Mr. Chan being investigated by the San Francisco Police Commission. Despite the overall split decision, it is clear that Asian Americans are fast becoming a political force in San Mateo County and will continue running for and winning local elected offices in growing numbers.
8. Daly City councilmember indictment
To help underscore the kind of politics that have come to symbolize Daly City, the second political low of 2009 is awarded to Daly City’s two-term Councilmember Maggie Gomez who pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of insurance and workers' compensation fraud stemming from a workers' compensation claim that Gomez filed in 2005 with Seton Medical Center in Daly City, where she is employed as a patient relations manager.
The felony charges against Gomez, according to reports, will not be heard until Jan. 27 in San Mateo County Superior Court and a trial could take quite a long time to play out. But Daly City may be in for more volatility within the ranks of the City Council.
9. Burlingame retires veteran O’Mahony
Burlingame City Council candidate Michael Brownrigg, an eight-year veteran of the Burlingame Planning Commission, upset local incumbents in the 2009 November General Election by not only displacing five term councilmember Rosalie O’Mahony – easily one of the most veteran councilmembers in San Mateo County at the time – but by besting all contenders in the race.
Brownrigg, despite fighting an uphill battle against incumbents, gathered significant support particularly from Burlingame’s local school board as well as Dave Pine, a Burlingame political activist and a member of the San Mateo Union High School District.
Interestingly enough, two-term councilmember Terry Nagel also endorsed Brownrigg.
10. County Treasurer retires
In a move that surprised no one, 25 year Tax Collector/County Treasurer Lee Buffington stated in the local press in August of 2009 that he would not seek another term in office.
Buffington has been at the epicenter of a controversy surrounding his management of the county investment pool, a half-billion dollar fund comprised of local city and school district funds, largely moneys held in reserve or bond funds earning short-term interest through the large investment pool. The fund lost around $155 million in the wake of the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment firm with which Buffington’s office did considerable business.
The loss of funds has stung many cities and school districts already struggling with challenging budgets and has prompted the county to file suit against Lehman. Many districts and cities have questioned the oversight of the county investment pool as San Mateo County was one of the hardest hit in the state in the wake of the Lehman collapse.
Buffington’s announcement has prompted at least two candidates to formally enter the race to replace him including Sandie Arnott, Buffington’s Deputy in the County Treasurer’s Office and former Burlingame Mayo and councilmember Joe Galligan.
The upcoming election for this open seat may bring into question the fact that San Mateo County has yet ratify the CA Government Code 27000.7, which requires a candidate a candidate for County Treasurer to have served as a senior manager at a public financial agency and to be a licensed CPA or have earned a college degree.
This columnist optimistically looks forward to reporting the what will be the top ten news stories in San Mateo County in 2010.
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