Author Archives: RSCA

Disaster Preparedness Open House

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Water. Power. Food. Are You Prepared to be Without … for 7 days?

Redwood City Fire Department personnel, CERT volunteers, and Shores neighbors are giving their time to help Shores families prepare for what we hope will never happen. Come learn the simple steps you can take to prepare your family to survive a disaster. Mark your calendar now!

Disaster Preparedness Open House

Saturday, November 5

2:00 – 3:30 pm

Redwood Shores Library

Bridge and Marine Parkway

 

Due to many requests, this is a repeat of a Disaster Prep Open House held on April 30th. If you need further information call 650-832-1132 or email

Redwood Shores E-Recycling

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Take advantage of this FREE opportunity to clean house!

On Saturday, September 10, RSCA is pleased to sponsor E-waste recycling. Goodwill Industries returns to the Shores and will be accepting donations from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM!

Where: Redwood Shores Public Library – Parking Lot

399 Marine Parkway @ Bridge Parkway

Help reduce e-waste and other disposables. Goodwill will accept:

  • Consumer electronics
  • Clothing
  • Books, CD’s, & videotapes
  • Boots and shoes
  • Kitchenware and small appliances
  • Bicycles

* Sorry, but NO large appliances, toys, mattresses, sofas, snow skis, auto parts, or large furniture.

Too many consumer electronics are disposed of improperly. Help keep them out of landfill! This is a great opportunity to clear out computers, stereos, televisions, outdated phones and more… properly and safely. Goodwill will take almost anything in good, clean, working condition. As a guideline, if you would give it to a friend or hand it down to a relative, it is perfect for Goodwill. For further information please call 415-575-2116.

Water Efficient Landscape Classes

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The City of Redwood City and the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) are presenting a series of FREE Water Efficient Landscape Classes for the community. There are over 20 classes offered throughout the peninsula, south bay, and east bay, with two of them in Redwood City. Attend one, attend all, or any number you’d like!

These classes offer interesting and useful classroom lectures and/or hands-on workshops across a wide range of water efficient landscaping practices for your yard, including sustainable landscaping, use of California native and drought tolerant plants, creating healthy soil, understanding water conservation, alternatives to lawn, habitat gardening, edible landscaping, parent/child gardening workshop, water efficient irrigation practices, and hardscape design.

 

The two Redwood City workshops are:

  • “Hardscape Design” – Saturday, September 17th, 2011, 9 am to noon. Participants will learn about permeable surfaces and their water conserving benefits. This hands-on workshop will teach how to design and install pathways and patios using decomposed granite, gravel, flagstone and pavers. Instruction provided by Lyngso Garden Materials. Location: Lyngso Garden Materials, 19 Seaport Boulevard.
  • “Graywater for Landscape Irrigation” – Saturday, October 22, 9 am to noon. Graywater is water from the shower, clothes washer and bathroom sink that is re-used for landscape irrigation. Participants will find out how graywater systems might work for their households. Instruction provided by Deva Luna. Location: Redwood City Public Works Services, 1400 Broadway

 

Registration is required – call (650) 349-3000 or email . For more information about water conservation in Redwood City, visit www.redwoodcity.org/conservation

There are lots of other great water efficient landscape workshops and classes scheduled through October – the complete schedule and much more information on water wise gardening for your home is online at http://bawsca.org/water-conservation/residential-water-conservation-programs/residential-outdoor/.

Redwood City Presents the Annual Salsa Festival!

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The Fourth Annual Redwood City Salsa Festival is Saturday, September 24th from noon to 8 pm in Downtown Redwood City. This wildly popular event guarantees a fun-filled day of tongue-tingling salsa, exciting activities, music and entertainment, food, beverages, and a wonderful time for the entire family! And it’s an opportunity for amateur and professional salsa chefs to compete for fun, prizes, and Salsa Glory in the City’s mouth-watering and exciting Salsa Tasting & Competition.

Everyone will enjoy four music stages including featuring Latin Jazz, Latin Rock, and Salsa, plus DJ Salsa music. The entertainment will fire up Redwood City with music and dancing (including free Salsa lessons) all day long! Adults can enjoy tequila tasting and microbrew tasting, and everyone will love the free, exciting hands-on art projects and special family area with carnival rides, along with community and civic booths. This family festival also hosts our famous Art on the Square, where artists and artisans exhibit their inspirational work, transforming the streets surrounding Courthouse Square into a beautiful outdoor gallery. And of course there are many nearby restaurants offering their delicious fares throughout the day.

Much of the event takes place on Broadway between Middlefield and Hamilton, at Courthouse Square, and on beautiful Theatre Way with its retail shops and restaurants complete with outdoor dining. Theatre Way and parts of Broadway will be pedestrian-only, making this a walkable family-friendly event not to miss! Redwood City’s Caltrain station is just a short walk from all the action, making it simple to get there without a car. Go to www.redwoodcity.org/events for the entire schedule of great activities at the Fourth Annual Redwood City Salsa Festival, presented by Chavez Supermarkets, and sponsored by Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services, Xfinity, Telemundo 48, La Raza 93.3, and the Redwood City Downtown Business Group.

CALL FOR ENTRIES – Salsa Tasting Competition

Teams can enter the salsa challenge as individuals, or businesses. Choose either Mild or Hot category. Festival goers will be able to purchase a tasting kit in order to cast their vote for the “People’s Choice Award.” Salsa will be judged by a qualified panel of judges based on aroma, consistency, color, appropriate heat level, taste and after-taste. This panel will also judge each team booth for Best Decorated. Deadline for entries is August 26, 2011 (entries must be postmarked by this date). Fees are $75.00 for professionals and $50.00 for amateur teams. Space is limited, first come, first served.

Please print & fill out the entry form at www.redwoodcity.org/events/salsafest_entries.html

and mail it along with check made out to Redwood City Salsa Tasting Competition, 1400 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94061. For more information please call or email Lucas Wilder 650.780.7340 or

Contestants must bring all equipment necessary for making their salsa. The Salsa, including prep work, must be done on-site at the event. Canned ingredients are acceptable including tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, onions, garlic, salt, lime, and various spices, however all ingredients must be mixed together on-site. Pre-made or pre-mixed salsa will be disqualified from the competition.

Neighborhood Watch

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RSCA wants to thank Ken Faljean, Captain Ed Hernandez and Captain Eric Staziak for attending and putting on our safety meeting on August 16, 2011.

We also want to thank the various members of the Shores community that took the time to come out for the meeting. It’s people working together for a safe neighborhood that makes us such a great community to live in. For those who were not able to attend, please review the Neighborhood Watch notice below for information about the program — informational packets about Neighborhood Watch are available upon request, so please email us if you are interested.

 

 

 

To combat crime in communities everywhere, cities are banding together to fight crime through Neighborhood Watch programs. Unfortunately, there are still a large number of areas left unprotected. If yours is one of them, here are some guidelines will help you to organize your own Neighborhood Watch. It usually takes up to a month to get started, and here are some ways you might start:

Define the Neighborhood

Determine the area your Watch group will cover. Keep in mind that the bigger the area, the bigger the group will be. That means you will need a larger space for meetings, more materials for flyers, more time to organize, etc.

Secure a Meeting Spot

If your Watch only covers your street, meetings can probably be held in a private home. If your area is much bigger, you may need to obtain permission to use a school or church in the area.

Identify Crime In Your Area

No area is completely free of crime and knowing just what crimes you are up against will greatly improve the chances of a successful Watch. The Memphis Police Department Crime Mapper will allow you to view crime activity in a given area searchable by zip code or address. After viewing these statistics, be sure to print them out as they will help you in creating your Watch group.

Get Help From Law Enforcement

Contact your neighborhood’s police precinct and ask for the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator. The coordinator will set up times to host two Neighborhood Watch meetings and give you tips on organizing your group. The Memphis Police Department Precinct phone numbers are:

Recruit Neighbors

The most effective way to get others involved is to convince them that there is a real need for a Watch. Many people erroneously believe that they live in a safe neighborhood. Using your data on crime for your location, you can effectively convince your neighbors to participate.

Stay Active

Set up a yearly meeting to receive new tips and updates from the police department. Throughout the year, touch base with your neighbors and encourage them to remain active. While it takes diligence and hard work to bring it all together, organizing a Neighborhood Watch can be a very effective way to reduce crime and make a difference in your community.

Tips: Delegate the responsibility of this task, utilize law enforcement, and stay informed on crime in the area.

 

What you need is a neighborhood without this program, a church, school or a home to hold meetings, some willing neighbors to assist you, and a printer and paper to print flyers and other informative materials.

The benefits are many of a Neighborhood Watch are many — beyond preventing crime and reducing fear, Neighborhood Watch (NW) builds pride, forges bonds among block residents – by really getting to know and look out for neighbors, improves citizen-police relations, and can address other block issues and concerns like child safety, youth development, senior citizen welfare, and quality-of-life.

President’s Memo: September 2011

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Get Registered and VOTE !!

There are over 8,000 residents of voting age in Redwood Shores. In recent years the winners of Redwood City elections have won with totals of less than 4,000 votes. It’s easy to see with those numbers that voters in Redwood Shores can have a significant impact on the outcome of races that affect us — IF WE VOTE!

If you are eligible, make sure you are registered to vote. You can check your voter status at shapethefuture.org . There are links under “Voter Registration” that let you check your registration and, if you’re NOT registered, provide a guide to getting registered.

Again, 8,000 potential voters in Redwood Shores with winners in local elections receiving 4,000-5,000 votes. It’s clear that every Shores vote counts and makes a difference!

And don’t forget to join us on Sept.13 and meet the candidates for Redwood City Council. With five candidates for just four open Council seats, this should be both an interesting and informative evening.

Then VOTE on November 3rd !

 

More on the Canada Geese Problem

In early August I met again with state & federal wildlife officials, and we are also working closely with Redwood City staff.

We have two goals. One is to contain the movement of the geese and – hopefully – reduce their feeding/pooping area within the Shores. Second is to begin to reduce the numbers of resident Canada geese here instead of tolerating continually increasing numbers. Here’s a brief outline of what we are trying to do:

  1. Work with US & CA wildlife officials to be sure we have “validated” information about what we can and can’t do (now in process).
  2. Work with the City on a coordinated & “officially recommended actions” plan to present to BOTH the business & residential communities (next few months).
  3. Identify “hot spots” that might need special attention or additional measures.
  4. Provide information to the business property owners/managers on the problem & the recommended actions. This is information we expect they will pass along to their tenants and employees in order to reduce as much as possible any complaints about what we will be asking the community to do (target date ~ January 2012… next breeding season is March-June`12).
  5. Meet as needed with business property owners & managers to inform and solicit their support (no later than mid January 2012). We will also seek assistance from our local Chamber of Commerce and the Shores Business Center Association.

You should know that U.S. Fish & Wildlife and CA Dept. of Fish & Game are being especially helpful. Since we don’t want to simply move the problem from one area to another, we are going to need cooperation from all of the business property owners/managers and their tenants and employees of our Shores businesses. At this point we don’t expect the solutions to be particularly burdensome to either businesses or the residential HOAs, and there seems to be an almost consensus interest in finding some way to begin to reduce the numbers of geese and the excrement they leave all over the Shores.

 

Our Logo Art

Have you ever looked at our logo and wondered what it’s all about? The background is an abstraction of the waves on the waterways in and around the Shores. The birds represent the pair of swans (names ??) that used to habit our lagoons. The male (name) of this pair was killed in an act of vandalism in (year?). The female (name) can still be seen swimming along in our interior waterways.

 

RSCA Can Always Use Your Help

RSCA is entirely a volunteer organization, and we need more help. The list of things that we could be doing – things we would like to be doing – continues to grow. .

If you have areas of specific interest 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 help each other. RSCA can provide support and a platform for action that you might not have as a single individual. We can find a way to use just about any skills you might have that you could volunteer for 1-2 hours a week.

Right now one specific area of interest is the (ugly) entrance to the Shores coming off Hwy.101 at Holly/Redwood Shores Pky. (It’s just not as nice as the impression you get coming into the Shores off of the Ralston exit.) Coming off the Holly exit, CalTrans, the City of San Carlos, San Mateo County, and Redwood City all own some of the property between Hwy.101 and the “beginning’ of the Shores at Twin Dolphin Drive. We need at least one person who would be willing work with these agencies to look into what might be done to “clean up” this area as CalTrans is planning new work on the Holly/101 interchange.

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.

Wellness Tip – Improving Your Posture

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We often hear that good posture is essential for good health. We recognize poor posture when we see it formed as a result of bad habits carried out over years and evident in many adults. But only few people have a real grasp of the importance and necessity of good posture.

Good posture is important to help us stand, walk, sit, and lie in positions that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement and weight-bearing activities.

Several factors contribute to poor posture-most commonly, stress, obesity, pregnancy, weak postural muscles, abnormally tight muscles, and high-heeled shoes.

In addition, decreased flexibility, a poor work environment, incorrect working posture, and unhealthy sitting and standing habits can also contribute to poor body positioning

How do I sit properly?

  • Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest, if they don’t reach the floor.
  • Don’t cross your legs. Your ankles should be in front of your knees.
  • Keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat.
  • Your knees should be at or below the level of your hips.
  • Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your low- and mid-back or use a back support.
  • Relax your shoulders and keep your forearms parallel to the ground.
  • Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

How do I stand properly?

  • Bear your weight primarily on the balls of your feet.
  • Keep your knees slightly bent.
  • Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart.
  • Let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
  • Stand straight and tall with your shoulders pulled backward.
  • Tuck your stomach in.
  • Keep your head level-your earlobes should be in line with your shoulders. Do not push your head forward, backward, or to the side.
  • Shift your weight from your toes to your heels, or one foot to the other, if you have to stand for a long time.

Can I correct my poor posture?

In a word, yes. Remember, however, that long-standing postural problems will typically take longer to address than short-lived ones, as often the joints have adapted to your long-standing poor posture. Conscious awareness of your own posture and knowing what posture is correct will help you consciously correct yourself.

— Steven Sprague D.C. practices at Premier Chiropractic Clinic in Redwood Shores.

— Information provided courtesy of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). www.amerchiro.org

Types of Life Insurance

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Term life is the simplest and least expensive type of policy. It’s pure insurance with no cash value account. A term life policy has only one function: to pay a specific lump sum to whoever you’ve designated, upon a specific event – – your death. The death benefit and the policy limit are the same – – a $200,000 policy pays a $200,000 death benefit. The policy protects your family by providing money they can invest to replace your salary, as well as to cover final expenses incurred by your death. Term life insurance policies are not permanent policies, The premiums are only guaranteed for a specified number of years, such as 10, 15, 20, or 30 years.

Other types of life insurance provide both a death benefit and cash value account. Their premiums are higher than term life premiums, because they fund a savings account in addition to buying life insurance. These policies are often referred to as cash value policies. Cash value policies are permanent life insurance policies. They include: Whole life, Variable life, Universal life, Universal Variable life.

Whole Life:

It provides permanent protection for your dependents while building cash value account. With this type of insurance, the insurance company manages the policies various accounts.

  • It pays a death benefit to the beneficiary you name and offers you a low risk cash value account and tax-deferred cash accumulation. It provides a fixed premium that will not increase during your lifetime as long as you continue to pay the planned amount. It provides you the option to receive dividends from your policy or apply them to reduce payments.

Variable Life:

It provides permanent protection for your dependents while building cash value account. It is the type of life insurance with cash account flexibility for the more risk-oriented policy holder.

  • It pays a death benefit to the beneficiary you name and offers you low-risk, tax-free cash accumulation. It offers you the right to borrow or withdraw from the policy during your lifetime. It allows the death benefit to vary in relation to the fund returns of the cash value account.

Universal Life:

It provides permanent protection for your dependents and is more flexible than whole or variable life.

  • It pays a death benefit to the beneficiary you name and offers you low risk cash value account and tax deferred accumulation. It allows you to earn market rates of interest on your cash value account. It offers the right to borrow or withdraw from the policy during your lifetime. It allows you premium flexibility. It offers death benefit flexibility.

Universal Variable Life:

It is the type of insurance that gives you more control of cash value account policy features than any other insurance type.

It pays a death benefit to the beneficiary you name and offers you low risk tax deferred cash value options. It offers separate accounts for you to invest in such as money market, stock, and bond funds. It offers premium flexibility. It allows you to make withdrawals or to borrow from the policy during your lifetime. It stipulates that if you terminate the contract in early years you will receive less cash value total return than in a whole contract.

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

A good rule of thumb is to aim for a policy that will cover 2-10 times your annual income. If your yearly income is $50,000, then a policy from $100,000 – $500,000 should be sufficient. Again, it depends on your personal situation. Take into consideration the rate of inflation, potential college tuition costs, or large loans and home mortgages. If you have two children who plan on attending college, current tuition prices range anywhere from $10,000 – $30,000 per year, with the high end range focusing on private universities. Expect that range to increase anywhere from 5-10% within the next 5 years.

— Submitted by Mozhe Jalali

In Memory of Connie Morgan

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Our beloved teacher, Connie Morgan, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 8, at 5:35 p.m. surrounded by her devoted husband, children, extended family members and a lifetime friend. I am thankful that I was able to visit with Mrs. Morgan prior to my departure for vacation. I took a copy of the yearbook to share with her the many thank you notes from the fifth grade class.

Mrs. Morgan was an extraordinary teacher who touched the lives of each of her students in a very special way. She had an incredible gift for being able to bring out the best in every child who crossed the threshold of her classroom door. The children in Mrs. Morgan’s classroom will remember her as the teacher who believed in them and prepared them for success in school. 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.

Even as Mrs. Morgan battled her illness at the beginning of the 2009 school year, she had planned the entire year for her students. She had made the initial entries in the memory books that she prepared for students every year and scheduled the annual class play on the master calendar. Mrs. Morgan’s smile brightened the office every day. We were fortunate to be able to share her love for teaching and learning. Her passion for art will never be forgotten, as we continue to carry on the annual Art in Action display at Open House.

We know how difficult it was for Mrs. Morgan to let go of her commitment at Sandpiper School to take care of her health and we were grateful when she returned to school in June 2010 to say good-bye to her students. In her own way, she brought closure to her 20 years of service in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. Mrs. Morgan was more than a colleague, she was a friend for life. As she now rests in peace, we will find comfort in knowing she was loved by all who were connected to Sandpiper School and we loved her too. Our deepest sympathy and condolences are extended to Mrs. Morgan’s family.

A memorial service for Mrs. Morgan was held on Sunday, July 24, at 3:00 p.m. at the Sandpiper Community Center. Her family invited the Sandpiper School community to join them in this celebration of her life. Plans are underway for a special tribute to Mrs. Morgan at Sandpiper School.

— Submitted by Linda Mc Daniel, Sandpiper School Principal