Author Archives: RSCA

President’s Memo: May 2012

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Why Advertise in The PILOT ?

  1. The PILOT is the only magazine delivered to all 5,400 residential households in Redwood Shores (by USPS mail), total population of ~15,000 (includes ZIP Code 94065 plus the Belmont Shores neighborhood).
  2. The PILOT has been published monthly for over 40 years.
  3. As the only publication dedicated to the Shores community and its unique issues, The PILOT is a very “high-interest” publication for Shores residents.
  4. The Shores is a geographically distinct “island” community, surrounded on three sides by water and Hwy.101 on the fourth.
  5. The Shores is a high net-income community, with an estimated average household income of over $120,000. (2010 Census data is not yet available; 2000 census data showed average household income between $105,000–$120,000.)
  6. Demography of the Shores by Age:
    • a. Under 18: ~4,700
    • b. 18 – 34: ~2,000
    • c. 35 – 49: ~3,800
    • d. 50 – 64: ~2,600
    • e. 65 & over: ~1,600
  7. Demography of the Shores by Housing:
    • a. Total Residential Units: ~5,400
    • b. Owner occupied: ~3,900
    • c. Renter occupied: ~1,500
    • (930 apartments in 5 complexes, 500+ single-family units)
  8. The PILOT also goes to most of the 700 Businesses in the Shores, ranging from some of the largest on the Peninsula (Oracle & Electronic Arts) to many small retail shops & business offices.
  9. San Carlos, Belmont, Foster City, San Mateo, and downtown Redwood City business districts are all within 3-5 miles of the Redwood Shores community.

The PILOT connects you with every one of our residential households in Redwood Shores.

The PILOT is a great choice – is THE choice – if you want to reach every potential customers in the Shores community.

 

Shores History Now at the Library

For our 40th Anniversary Celebration back in 2010, RSCA put together a “history” of Redwood Shores in many pictures and newspaper articles dating back to the 1960s.

That history will again be on display for the next few months at the Redwood Shores Library. If you missed it in 2010, you should take some time to visit the library and browse through the history of our special community.

Originally “unwanted and unloved”, the Shores is now one of the brightest & best places to live and work on the Peninsula! See how it happened and the work that went into transforming this wonderful community we call home.

 

“No Feeding” Signs Going Up

On a separate page of this month’s PILOT you will find a draft of the City’s new “no feeding” signs that will be going up in our parks and public areas. Shortly after that you should start seeing similar signs on many private properties around the Shores.

Just a reminder that under California law, feeding wildlife is a punishable offense without regard to whether you are on public or private property.

And feeding by humans can cause unintended harm to ANY of our local or migratory waterfowl or wildlife. Feeding by humans can lead to under-nourishment by replacing the natural diet and lead to the spread of disease among the very animals you think you are “helping”. Feeding by humans can change natural behavior and migratory patterns and lead to local overcrowding. Feeding by humans can lead to more aggressive behavior toward adults AND children.

PLEASE… let’s do our part to keep wildlife wild!

 

HELP (always) WANTED !

RSCA is entirely a volunteer organization. The list of things that we “could” be doing – things we would like to be doing – continues to grow.

If you have a specific interest in something in the Shores that YOU would like to see improved, and you have 1-2 hours a week to work with RSCA, let’s talk about how we might work together. RSCA can provide support and a platform for action that you might not have as a single individual. You’ll also meet a lot of nice people who share your interest in keep the Shores a GREAT place to live and raise a family.

 

Join Our Email List

With over 5,400 residents and 700 business in the Shores, we use our email list to keep you informed about our community events during the year. If you would like to be on our email list, simply click on the “Join Our Email List” button in the Feedback section of RSCA.org to sign up.

Our Privacy Policy:

Your information is for use only by Redwood Shores Community Association in contacting you. We do not share, sell, or provide our contact list to any other person or organization.

— Harris Rogers, RSCA President

Redwood City Police Chief Hosting “Town Hall” Meetings Throughout Spring/Summer

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Redwood City Police Chief JR Gamez will be hosting a series of four Town Hall-style community meetings in the coming months, starting on May 1st, 2012. Each Town Hall meeting will be held in a different area of the City, in order to provide the opportunity for people to participate along with others from their own neighborhoods, and to discuss issues which may be of importance to that specific area.

“I’m eager to meet and talk with a lot of Redwood City residents during our Town Hall meetings,” said Chief Gamez, who started the job here in December of last year. “These gatherings are an important way for residents and police to create partnerships, to learn from one another, and to build trusting, cooperative relationships that are the very foundation of a strong, safe community. We can only do this if we talk to each other, and that’s what these Town Hall meetings are all about.”

The meetings offer a way for people to meet the Chief and his command staff, to create connections between the community and the Police Department, exchange information, and engage in small-group discussions around neighborhood issues. From these Town Hall meetings, the Chief and his staff will also gain the community’s perspectives and concerns on law enforcement and related issues for each area.

Each meeting will be facilitated by the collaborative group Redwood City 2020, working with Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. Community members are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in the Police Chief’s Town Hall meeting for their areas:

 

* May 1, 2012, 7 – 8:30 pm

Palm Park, Redwood Oaks, and Roosevelt Neighborhood Areas

Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue

 

* June 5, 2012, 7 – 8:30 pm

Centennial, Stambaugh-Heller, Friendly Acres, and Redwood Village Neighborhood Areas

Boys and Girls Club, 1109 Hilton Street

 

* July 10, 2012, 7 – 8:30 pm

Woodside Plaza, Oak Knoll/Edgewood Park, and Farm Hill Neighborhood Associations

Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue

 

* October 9, 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Redwood Shores Community Association Area

Redwood Shores Branch Library, 399 Marine Parkway

 

Anyone who is not sure which neighborhood area they live in can easily find out by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/neighborhoodassociations or by calling 780-7300.

The Redwood City Police Department’s website is at www.redwoodcity.org/police , where residents can learn about the Department, get burglary prevention tips, sign up for alerts and newsletters, report a minor crime online, get police reports, view Redwood City’s crime map online, and more. Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s newsletters and other City documents at www.redwoodcity.org/egov .

Carlmont Students Standout in Robotics Championship

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Congratulations to the local robotics team “The Metal That Moves™” who were finalists at the Northern California First Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Championship on March 4th.

All five team members are freshman at Carlmont High School. James George, Patrick Hsu, James Pak and Everett Yee are from Redwood Shores, and Adam Cobb is from Belmont.

During the season the team participated in three regional tournaments and advanced to the Northern California Championship. In addition to advancing to the final round of the championship against 31 of the top teams, winning the Finalist Award, they also won the “Rockwell Collins Innovate Award.” In the exciting final, the boys forced a decisive third game before being defeated by the FTC team “Boss Bots” from Moraga who advanced to the FTC World Championship in St. Louis.

Designed for high school students, First Tech Challenge (FTC) is part of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) family of robotics competitions that begin with children as young as age six. While it is a relatively new program (started in 2007), FTC has grown quickly and during the 2011/2012 season there were 2,100 teams with 21,000 students competing at more than 100 tournaments. FTC offers the opportunity for students to design, build and program robots, apply real-world math and science concepts, develop problem solving, organizational and team-building skills, and compete and cooperate at the same time.

Each year brings with it a new and unique challenge. This season’s challenge was to design and build a robot robust enough to push a bowling ball uphill, yet articulate enough to pick up racquetballs and place them into crates and then stack or elevate those crates. The team’s robot incorporated a unique scissor lift that enabled it to score many points and for part of the season, held the northern California record for lift height.

Being on a FTC team is more than just about robotics. It’s also about inspiring others to be enthusiastic about science and technology and connecting with the scientific community. The team held robotics demonstrations for local Boy Scout troops 301 and 27, and they visited with Dr. Richard Mahoney, Director of Robotics and members of his team at the renowned research institute, SRI. The team has also been invited to help out with Hiller Aviation Museum’s Robotic Ranger camps this summer.

The Team recently celebrated its successful season, and is looking toward the next season starting in September. You can view video of their robot and competitions at http://www.youtube.com/themetalthatmovesTM

— Winslow Yee

Piano Competitions During the San Mateo County Fair in June!

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San Mateo County Fair Youth Classical Piano Competition will be held on Sunday, June 10th at the County Fair Grounds.   Also The Fair is offering “Non-Classical and Own Composition” Piano Competition (new this year) on Saturday, June 9th.   Student may enroll for the both competitions.   The students (under 18 years old) and teachers must be the San Mateo County resident in order to enroll these piano competitions.

For application and more information:

www.SanMateoCountyFair.com > Contests > Youth Exhibits

650-574-3247

A Note from Redwood City Firefighters: Fatal Structure Fire Hits One of Our Own

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In the early morning hours of April 1, 2012 a tragic fire tore through a home in Pacifica. The unsuspecting family was caught off guard by the blaze that left two people fatally injured and several others hospitalized.

The event literally hits home for Redwood City firefighter Abel Virgen, because the victims of this blaze are his own family members. The house belonged to the family and sadly, Abel’s grandfather along with his 12 year old cousin, died in the fire. The 10 remaining family members have been displaced from their home indefinitely. The survivors of this horrific event are now in need of staple items such as food, clothing and shelter. Redwood City Firefighters’ Create-a-Smile Foundation, a local non-profit, has established an account with the San Mateo Credit Union dedicated to helping the family with these items. Ultimately our goal is to do everything possible to help Abel’s family establish some sense of stability, while they cope with the unimaginable loss of their loved ones.

Abel is a passionate, hard-working professional in his trade of firefighting. He commits himself daily to preventing the very same tragedies his family now faces.  Please join with your Redwood City Firefighters to help support Abel and his family in this challenging time.

Donations in the name of the Virgen family can be sent to:

Redwood City Fire Station 9 755 Marshall St. Redwood City, CA 94063

Attention: Create-a-Smile-Foundation

The checks should be made to: “Virgen Family Fire Fund”

The PILOT: May 2012

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Below is this month’s issue of The PILOT, published in it’s entirety on the RSCA website. To get a complete view of this month’s issue that is easy to read on your screen, please choose the “Fullscreen” option at the top of the viewer — from there, you can click on the left or right of each page to thumb through the various pages.

All of the software needed to view this web-based version of The PILOT should be linked below if it is not already installed on your web browser, and you can also download or print the PDF document for use away from the computer. If you are having trouble viewing this document on your cellphone, tablet or computer, please contact the RSCA website team.

View or Download The PILOT, May 2012 Issue

Click to view full-screen

24th Annual Mayor’s Beautification Recognition Program

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You’re invited to nominate your own (or someone else’s!) project to be recognized by the Redwood City Mayor and City Council – categories include best architectural design; best remodel; best historical restoration; most beautiful garden or landscape; best compatible building and garden or landscape; or any other category that you might think of.

Redwood City residents, non-profit organizations, and businesses can show their civic pride by submitting nominations. Individuals, homeowners associations, apartment complexes, businesses, non-profits, and others are all eligible. Applications are available online at www.redwoodcity.org/prideandbeautification , by visiting City Hall (1017 Middlefield Road), or by calling 780-7300.

The deadline for entries is May 25th, 2012.

The purpose of this program, sponsored by the City’s  Pride and Beautification Committee, is to encourage the efforts of community members in beautifying and improving their homes, buildings, and properties, and to publicly acknowledge and recognize their pride in being part of the Redwood City community.

It’s an easy and fun way to foster civic pride in the Redwood City community, beautify the entire City, and, of course, honor people and organizations for their work to make Redwood City a better, more attractive place to live and work.

So … take a look around your neighborhood, and find a property to nominate – or nominate your own!

Redwood City’s General Plan is Award-Winning!

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Redwood City is proud to announce that its new General Plan, completed and approved in late 2010, has been named as the “Winner of the 2012 Comprehensive Planning Award – Small Jurisdiction.”

This great honor comes from the American Planning Association’s Northern California Chapter, recognizing Redwood City’s “outstanding achievement in the planning field” and paying tribute to the City’s innovative plans, projects, and achievements.

The General Plan is the blueprint for what Redwood City will be – it reflects the community’s values and guiding principles of today and creates a vision for the future of Redwood City. This plan was several years in the making, a process that included countless hours of staff time, dozens of community workshops and input sessions, and numerous meetings of the Planning Commission and the City Council. The result is a remarkable document that will guide the City’s physical development over the next 20 years, and which now stands as a shining example to other cities of similar size, as to what a top-quality General Plan should be.

This award is not only well-deserved recognition for the City staff, Planning Commission, and Council, but also for the entire community. It incorporates hundreds of ideas and comments from the people of Redwood City, who patiently followed the process, became engaged through innovative and unique community involvement activities, and helped to make this a living document, with flexibility to adapt to future unknowns and opportunities, and which stands as the foundation for the continuing work of building a great community together.

Redwood City’s General Plan is online at www.redwoodcity.org/generalplan

Redwood City Police Chief Hosting “Town Hall” Meetings

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Redwood City Police Chief JR Gamez invites you to attend one of these upcoming Town Hall community meetings. Come meet the Chief and his command staff, help create connections between the community and the Police Department, exchange information, discuss neighborhood concerns, and provide your perspectives and opinions on law enforcement and related issues.

Food will be provided, and free childcare is available for participants.

Each meeting will be facilitated by Redwood City 2020, and Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. You’re invited and encouraged to attend and participate in the Police Chief’s Town Hall meeting for their areas:

• Centennial, Stambaugh-Heller, Friendly Acres, and Redwood Village Neighborhood Areas

June 5, 2012, 7 – 8:30 pm

Boys and Girls Club, 1109 Hilton Street

 

• Woodside Plaza, Oak Knoll/Edgewood Park, and Farm Hill Neighborhood Associations

July 10, 2012, 7 – 8:30 pm

Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue

 

• Redwood Shores Community Association Area

October 9, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

Redwood Shores Branch Library, 399 Marine Parkway

The PILOT: April 2012

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Below is this month’s issue of The PILOT, published in it’s entirety on the RSCA website. To get a complete view of this month’s issue that is easy to read on your screen, please choose the “Fullscreen” option at the top of the viewer — from there, you can click on the left or right of each page to thumb through the various pages.

All of the software needed to view this web-based version of The PILOT should be linked below if it is not already installed on your web browser, and you can also download or print the PDF document for use away from the computer. If you are having trouble viewing this document on your cellphone, tablet or computer, please contact the RSCA website team.

View or Download The PILOT, April 2012 Issue

Click to view full-screen