Author Archives: RSCA

A Letter to the School Board

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 (This message was sent by the Redwood Shores Community Association to the Belmont-Redwood Shores School Board of Trustees on February 2, 2012.)

February 2, 2012

Superintendent Dr. Emerita Orta-Camilleri and

Members of the Belmont-Redwood Shores Board of Trustees

2960 Hallmark Dr

Belmont, CA 94002

 

I am writing at the direction of RSCA’s Board of Directors to address the School District’s plans for the use of the more than $8.7 Million in matching State grant funds recently awarded to the District.

As long time supporters of the School District, the Redwood Shores Community Association has a strong interest in how the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District plans to use funds provided by the State of California as a match to the bond funds raised for use in the Redwood Shores SFID by Measure C.

Given that:

  1. When the School District was unable to come up with funds to build the much-needed second elementary school in the Shores, a separate funding district (‘the Redwood Shores SFID’) was created, and Shores residents voted to approve Bond Measure C to provide $25 Million to purchase land and cover building costs for the new Redwood Shores Elementary School.
  2. Funding for land and construction of the new school was paid entirely by the residents of the Shores.
  3. The grant of State funds was to match funding for construction for the new school, again those Measure C bond funds provided entirely by the residents of the Shores.

Therefore we believe strongly that the matching State grant funds should be used ONLY for new construction or improvements at Redwood Shores Elementary and Sandpiper Elementary, or to pay off Measure C bonds.

In the past we asked the School District to provide relief to Shores taxpayers by paying off a portion of the Measure C bonds with matching funds not used for school projects in the Shores. We still favor this plan.

However, should the School District decide to retain the Measure C bond funds for present and future school projects, we feel quite strongly that those funds should be maintained solely for use in the Redwood Shores SFID (i.e., at Sandpiper Elementary or Redwood Shores Elementary).

We were surprised to read yesterday that the School District is planning to spend potentially millions of the Measure C matching dollars at Ralston Middle School, arguing that this would be acceptable because Shores students also attend Ralston. While this may be true, it is also true that the School District recently passed a bond measure within the entire School District (including the Shores) for those Ralston improvements. Rather than spending Measure C matching funds at Ralston, it would be more appropriate for the School District to apply for additional matching funds for Ralston based on the District-wide Ralston bond measure.

We can only hope that the School District will exercise its fiduciary responsibility in the use all bond and SFID Measure C matching funds both prudently and appropriately. You should expect that the support of RSCA and the Shores community for any future School District bond measures and/or parcel taxes will be quite dependent upon the District’s decision in this matter.

Sincerely,

Harris Rogers, President

270 Redwood Shores Parkway, PMB 205, Redwood City, CA 94065-1173

RSCA is a proud member of the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce

In Memory of Connie Morgan

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In memory of Connie Morgan, beloved Belmont Redwood Shores School District teacher for over twenty years, the Sandpiper PTA is accepting donations to purchase a mosaic tile bench to be placed in the school garden. The hand crafted bench will represent some of Mrs. Morgan’s passions in life: gardening, art, and children.

It has been said that a teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart. Connie Morgan did all these with exuberance. She had an in incredible gift for being able to bring out the best in every child who crossed the threshold of her classroom door. All those who were lucky enough to be taught by Mrs. Morgan will remember her as a teacher who believed in them and prepared them for success in life. She always went above and beyond her teaching duties to ensure the happiness of not only her students and their parents, but also her colleagues.

She could often be seen on the Sandpiper campus in her paint splattered smock with a smile on her face as she prepared to teach the children about artists such as Van Gogh or Monet. Teaching brought her great joy.

Donations can be sent to:

Sandpiper School

c/o Lana Ferguson

801 Redwood Shores Parkway

Redwood City, CA 94065

Please make checks payable to Sandpiper PTA. The deadline to contribute is Friday, April 14, 2012.

President’s Memo: March 2012

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LOCK UP! LOOK OUT!

There were two residential burglaries in the Shores this past month, and in both it was a neighbor who called police because “something didn’t look right.” In one RWC Police arrested a suspect still in the home, in the other the neighbor took a photo of the suspect’s vehicle which directly led to another arrest.

Please LOCK UP! Lock your cars, lock your homes, and don’t encourage a break in by leaving valuables in plain sight.

And LOOK OUT for your neighbors. If it doesn’t look right, call the police — 369-3333 — and let them check it out.

If you SEE something, SAY something! Don’t hesitate to call and let the police check out anything that looks suspicious or out of the ordinary.

Interesting…

The rains came, the crows went… at least in my neighborhood. The common American crow is considered by wildlife officials a “species of least concern”, that is, not in any way threatened or in need of protection. Crows and ravens seem to be showing up all over the Bay Area, and as best I can tell, there’s not a thing we can do about them, EXCEPT:

Keep your yard clean, and keep garbage where they can’t get to it.

… and Unbelievable !

A man was spotted walking in the Shores on New Year’s Eve with what appeared to be a rifle or shotgun. Several RWC Police cars & officers responded immediately, and among those who responded was our new Chief of Police.

The next day the Chief received a complaint from a Shores resident about “too many police here on New Year’s Eve.”

You have got to be kidding…

Door-to-door Solicitations?

Many areas of the Shores are posted for no door-to-door solicitations, but we still seem to be getting (these mostly young) people going from home to home with one sales pitch or another. With only a few religious or charitable exceptions, anyone going door to door should have a Solicitation Permit issued by Redwood City.

Remember, knocking on doors is one way to find out if anyone is home or if the home might be empty.

If a solicitor shows up at your front door, ask to see their Permit and identification. If they can’t provide those two items, call RWC Police immediately. Even if their purposes turns out to be legitimate, RWC Police want the chance to check on these people.

Finally ?

Keep an eye on our web site, RSCA.org, for at least a preliminary document regarding things we can begin to do to deal with our Canada goose problem here in the Shores. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The Redwood City Goose Control Document is available now, and can be found by clicking here.]

The City Attorney, Pamela Thompson, and her staff have been diligent in helping to resolve some small technical issues involving actions on private vs. public properties, and I want to thank Ms. Thompson and the City Attorney’s office for their help in advising on what might have been some minor “gotcha’s” and for proposing changes to an old City ordinance that conflicted with state & federal wildlife regulations and recommendations.

While we had hoped to have every aspect covered, I suspect there are going to be some small details that we’ll need to resolve as we go through this year.

RSCA: What We Do

The primary purpose of the Redwood Shores Community Association (RSCA) is to be THE advocate on issues that affect the quality of life in the Shores.

The mission of the Association is to represent the interests of both residents and businesses in Redwood Shores. RSCA is an inclusive organization that recognizes and celebrates the diversity of our community.

RSCA endeavors to:

  1. Provide a forum for united community action by all groups within the Shores, and to assist homeowners and maintenance organizations in achieving common goals.
  2. Disseminate, by newsletter and other means, information of significance to the Shores utilizing the PILOT (a mothly newsletter), the internet, and our roadway signboards.
  3. Encourage and promote a safe and healthful environment for family life.
  4. Present social, cultural, and other events for the Shores community.
  5. Advocate fairness in taxation of property in the Shores.
  6. Encourage responsible growth of property development in the Shores.
  7. Carry on any business in furtherance of any of the above activities, or any other activities which the Association shall deem to be in the community interest.
  8. Implement the CC&Rs of Redwood Shores Subdivisions No. 1 and No. 2, Marlin Subdivisions No. 1 through and including No. 6, and Dolphin Subdivisions No. 1 and No. 2, to appoint members of the Architectural Design Review Boards to those Subdivisions, and to coordinate the enforcement of the CC&Rs of Redwood Shores Subdivisions No. 1 and No. 2 Marlin Subdivisions No. 1 through and including No. 6 and Dolphin Subdivisions No. 1 and No. 2 with the City of Redwood City.

 

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

Footloose: The Musical at the Carlmont Performing Arts Center

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The Carlmont High School Performing Arts Department presents Footloose: the Musical!

Footloose: The Musical

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 8, 9 and 10 at 7:00pm

Sunday, March 11 at 2:00pm

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students/ children/ seniors. The Carlmont High School Performing Arts Center at 1400 Alameda de las Pulgas in Belmont. See http://www.carlmontperformingarts.com for ticket purchase or purchase tickets one hour before performance.

Canada Goose Control in the Shores

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RSCA has been working for nearly a year with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the CA Dept. of Fish & Game, and Redwood City to determine what we can (and can not) do about the over-population of Canada geese in the Shores. Below is an introduction to the Canada Goose Mitigation report.

Recommendations for Redwood Shores are now available in a preliminary document available as a PDF file which can be downloaded using the link at the bottom of the page.

We suggest that you bookmark this page and check occasionally for updates on additional issues or questions.

Canada Goose Mitigation: Recommendations for Redwood Shores

All information provided has been reviewed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and CA Dept. of Fish & Game and is presented in cooperation with the City of Redwood City.

SUMMARY

Individual homeowners and most commercial tenants will likely not need to take any actions. Most of what is needed will fall to commercial property managers, especially along the Twin Dolphin corridor, Home Owners Associations in the Shores, and Redwood City’s Dept. of Parks & Recreation.

Businesses & Shores HOAs: You are encouraged to provide copies of this document to your business tenants & their employees and to your local HOA residents. We want everyone to understand the problem and the actions being suggested to keep the Shores a GREAT place to live and work.

Here is a brief overview:

  1. Large numbers of Canada geese have ceased seasonal migration and have become a “resident” species in almost all of the lower 48 states.
  2. Current urban & suburban landscaping techniques have created a “preferred habitat” with no natural predators for these geese.
  3. Canada geese were a threatened species in the early 1900s, but the population of “resident” geese in the U.S. has quadrupled in just the past 20 years.

    Chart & data from Federal Aviation Administration
  4. Resident Canada geese crowd out and compete with native & migrating species for habitat and resources.
  5. Resident Canada geese are now designated as a “nuisance” species. (For much more information simply search “nuisance Canada geese” or “resident Canada geese” on the web.)
  6. The increasing population of resident Canada geese and the dropping they leave on our sidewalks, parks, and other open spaces here in Redwood Shores is having a negative impact on the quality of life for both Shores residents and businesses.
  7. This has also become an economic issue with the costs of constant property clean up for businesses, HOAs, and the City.
  8. There is no 100% solution, but there are some simple and humane control methods available to both the City and private property owners — approved by both US Fish & Wildlife and CA Dept. of Fish & Game —that can:
    • Help control the location of our resident Canada geese in the Shores;
    • Help control the movement of resident Canada geese from the waterways onto our lawns, sidewalks, parks, and other open space areas;
    • Provide methods to begin to reduce the local population.

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRELIMINARY DOCUMENT

 

For further information on Canada Goose Mitigation policy & practices, please read the new Additional Questions document addressing frequently-asked questions about these developments.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS UPDATE

(Updated Saturday, March 24, 2012)
(Check this page occasionally for additional questions and issues that may come up.)

The PILOT: February 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, February 2012 Issue

Click to view full-screen

RSCA Special Concert Event

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Preceding the Annual Meeting is a special event celebrating Redwood Shores’ musical youth.

Come early and enjoy a special concert featuring several of our young Shores piano students. RSCA provided initial and matching funds for the purchase of the grand piano that now graces RWS Library’s Community Room, and we are proud of this addition to our community library.

February 8, 6:30-7PM

Redwood Shores Library

We are pleased to take this opportunity to showcase the talents of just a few of the gifted young people who are able to take lessons on this wonderful instrument.

President’s Memo: February 2012

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Support Our Shores Business Neighbors

I wanted to take a moment as we begin this New Year 2012 to recognize the important contributions that our local businesses make to the high quality of life we enjoy here in Redwood Shores. Redwood City has for many years worked hard to create a great business climate, and we are fortunate to have many great business neighbors here in the Shores.

We have large companies like EA and Oracle with their global headquarters here, and satellite offices of several multi-nationals, but we also have many smaller businesses which provide important services to our local community.

Many of these smaller businesses, with their advertising sponsorship, support RSCA’s communications outreach to the Shores. This includes the (significant) cost of printing & mailing these issues of The PILOT every month to every household and most businesses in the Shores at no cost to you.

Please look carefully through this issue and take special note of those local businesses which support RSCA in The PILOT.

Make an effort to patronize these local businesses whenever possible.

If it ain’t one thing…

We were making every effort to begin to disseminate the information we’ve gathered about the Canada goose situation in late January, but, as Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say, “If it ain’t one thing, it’s another.” (If you’re not old enough to understand the reference, google it.)

The Redwood City Attorney’s office, in their review of the information we had compiled so far, discovered that there is an old City ordinance that contradicts the very recommendations of the CA Dept of Fish & Game and US Fish & Wildlife service. The City, though, has already started the process of amending that ordinance to bring it in alignment with state and federal wildlife policies. The first reading of the amendment is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 6, so that’s our next target date.

The information and recommendations we provide will be mostly applicable to the property managers for our local HOAs and commercial business properties and to Redwood City for the park areas, especially those on the waterways. But we’ll also provide information on the national scope of the problem caused by these “no longer migrating” birds.

As I’d said time and again: we have been working closely with federal and state wildlife officials on what we can and can NOT do to help mitigate the problem of the increasing amount of goose feces left in our parks and on our walkways and open lawns. We are following their recommendations closely and working closely with the City on solutions for our parks and other public areas.

… it’s another — now Crows ?

Yes, both RSCA and the City are aware of the flocks of crows that seemed to have recently descended upon several neighborhoods in the Shores. They’ve recently decided to peck away at the skylight in my office when I’m trying to work. I found it interesting that a flock of crows is also called a “murder”, and I don’t think the derivation of that term was in any way meant to be humorous.

We do know that the common American crow is considered by wildlife officials a “species of least concern”, that is, not in any way threatened or in need of protection. You would think that would make finding a solution easy, wouldn’t you?

Lock Up!

Again, we have recent “property crimes” that can’t be called “break-ins” because doors were left unlocked with valuable items in plain sight. Please, please…

  • LOCK your cars, even in your driveway.
  • LOCK your home (front AND back doors), even if you only step out for a few minutes.
  • Don’t leave valuables like cell phones, laptops/iPads, and GPS units in plain sight, either in your car or at home.

Be safe, be smart. Let’s not make it so easy.

Let’s Be Careful Out There

The winter rains are finally here. Our streets are wet and slick, but we are still seeing speeds of 45-50 mph on the main roadways in the residential areas east of Bridge Pky. This is just way too fast in our residential neighborhoods. Take a few extra seconds to get where you’re going and slow down on your way in or out of the Shores.

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

The Fear of Flying Clinic

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“Are You Uncomfortable Flying?”

The Fear of Flying Clinic is private non-profit public service corporation, who, for the past thirty-five years has helped thousands of clients, from California to New York become more comfortable flying.

The classes are held at San Francisco International Airport. We are staffed by volunteers from the airlines, maintenance bases, Federal Aviation Association and past clients. We offer two types of programs each year. One is a four-day, held on two weekends, with an optional flight on the last day and the other one is a one-day workshop without the flight.

The Fear of Flying Clinic is hosting a two weekend clinic starting on Saturday, March 17th, continuing on the 18th, again on the 24th with the optional flight on March 25th. This Clinic has helped thousands of our Clients get more comfortable flying. The cost of the clinic is $595.00 not including the optional flight. We feel that the decision to fly should be up to each client. We do offer a $50.00 discount if signed up by February 25th. The classes are held at San Francisco International Airport from 9 AM to 5 PM. Pre registration is required. For more information or to register go to FOFC.com or call 650-341-1595