Pacifica Riptide

The Train in Spain Runs Mainly on the Plain

HIGH-SPEED RAIL IN SPAIN

Would You Run Your Business This Way?

FUNNY BUSINESS

World's Longest-Running Newspaper Headline?

Only a Few Homes Remain at Connemara in Pacifica

(How many times has this headline run in the San Francisco Chronicle real estate section?)

On Your Left! U.S. Bike Sales Pass Car Sales

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

US Bike Sales Higher than Car Sales in 2009
Dennis Markatos, Founder of Sustainable Energy Transition (SET)
Posted: May 26, 2009 06:45 PM
During the first quarter of 2009, more bicycles were sold in the US than cars and trucks. While the Great Recession is hurting bike sales, they didn't fall as fast as automobiles. Around 2.6 million bicycle purchases were made, compared to ~2.5 million cars and trucks that left our nation's lots.

TransForm's Car-Free Challenge: How FEW Miles Can You Drive?

How few miles do you think you can drive in one month? We want you to join The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter in taking the Car-Free Challenge in June to find out! We are putting together a team of folks like you who are setting and reaching personal low-mileage goals for the month of June (some are going entirely car-free, others are just trying to drive a little less). Together we will send a message to our leaders that we need better walking, biking, and transit options to fight climate change and make our communities better places to live.

We will also raise needed funds for our work and the work of TransForm, a nonprofit we partner with to improve walking, biking, and transit options. That’s because each person who takes the Challenge sets a fundraising goal – and whatever money people on our team raise gets split 50-50 between Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and TransForm. Our team (and you as an individual) can win great prizes!  This is also a fun way to share your stories (good and bad) of walking, biking, and taking transit – and raising up our issues to a wide audience.

Visit our TEAM PAGE to see what we are up to and how others are taking the Challenge. We hope you’ll join us in driving less and living more! Visit TRANSFORM to learn more about and sign up for the Challenge. To join our team, you first need to SIGN UP as an individual and then choose to sign up on our team. Thanks for being a part of this!

Melissa Hippard, Chapter Director, 650-390-8414

Double Whammy @ Linda Mar Shopping Center?

STARBUCKS SEEKS RENT REDUCTIONS 

[from Square Feet real estate blog, forwarded by Jim Alex]

Schwarzenegger Threatens to Close State Parks and Beaches: Pacifica State Beach Not on Hit List

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to close some 50 Bay Area state parks and beaches, including Montara, Gray Whale Cove, Half Moon Bay, Ano Nuevo, Bean Hollow, Pigeon Point, Pescadero, San Gregorio, plus Montara Mountain. If you care about your local recreational playgrounds, and the income they bring to your community, call or write the governor today and tell him his old Terminator days are over. Get the facts and take action TODAY! CLICK HERE 

Thanks to Matt Levie for forwarding a little bit of good news from S.F. Gate/Chronicle: PACIFICA STATE BEACH AT LINDA MAR IS NOT ON THE HIT LIST

Federal Stimulus Funds Available for Local Needs

FEDERAL STIMULUS MONEY AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL NEEDS

Dreaming of a Fast Trip from Linda Mar to Colma

HOW TO GIVE PUBLIC INPUT TO THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

 

President Obama has committed billions of federal dollars to intercity transit. Why not go after some of that swag to build a light-rail or busway system right up the middle of Highway 1 from Linda Mar to Colma BART? Instead of being stuck in traffic, we could be riding modern trains or express buses. Think about it. It would mean construction jobs, revenue for the city, access to other Bay Area transit systems via BART, and a green way to bring workers in and out of Pacifica.

JOHN MAYBURY
EDITOR & PUBLISHER

City Council Ponders Budget Cuts and Priorities

BY LIONEL EMDE
RIPTIDE CORRESPONDENT

Now that the voters have spoken on raising the sales tax, please turn your attention to our budget process here in Pacifica. City Council met May 28 in its final budget study session. Why is this important? I'll give just one example: The council had proposed to cut program funding in the aggregate amount of $177,000. These cuts include: Resource Center ($83,000), Library Services ($75,000), Visitor Center ($10,000), Community Youth ($5,000), and Farmer's Market Management ($4,000). At the same time, the new proposed 2009-10 budget for the council's compensation package (salary, health benefits, pension, auto allowance) is $178,500, an increase of 26 percent over last year's budget! If people think this is OK, then there's no problem, but if you have a problem with these "priorities," you'd best call your council members and let them know what you think about this sort of budgeting. This is not TV, folks, this is real and what they plan to do unless you speak up. Check back here on Riptide's front page and in Recent Comments for the latest news on city budget cuts and the continuing fiscal crisis. CLICK HERE TO READ MY FULL REPORT ON THE MAY 28 MEETING Also, check this out: PALO ALTO COPS TAKE PAY CUT