Category Archives: News

President’s Memo: January 2012

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Join Our Email List (please?)

Why do we keep asking for your email address? It’s all about MONEY!

It costs RSCA a minimum of about 45¢ just to send a postcard, and almost triple that to send a letter. An email takes less time to prepare, and there are no printing or postage costs. Each email costs just fractions of a penny. So we can send information much more frequently than we do postcards or letters, and…

Each email address you provide saves RSCA more than $2.00 each year!

That’s money the we can use for events like our Eggstravaganza egg hunt, the Summer Concerts, Halloween Walk for our children, and Santa Comes to the Shores. With over 5,300 residences and 700 business in the Shores, we use our email list to keep more people informed about our community and events during the year. If you would like to be on our email list, simply go to RSCA.org and under “Feedback”, click on the “Join our email list” button to sign up.

HERE’S OUR PRIVACY POLICY:

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

Once More on Our “Resident” Canada Geese

In addition to emails, I’ve had several people approach me at Nob Hill and at our recent Santa event with criticism that our December PILOT gave the impression that opinions in the Shores regarding our “Canada Goose problem” were fairly evenly divided. That criticism was justified. In an attempt to provide a forum for differing opinions, we over-compensated.

Let me say again, as I have said several times before, that when we polled Shores resident last winter well over 80% ranked the issue of goose feces as one of the highest issues affecting the quality of life in the Shores. The only issue that ranked higher was public safety, e.g., police and fire protection.

We have been working closely with federal and state wildlife officials since last spring to find out 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.

I think that even some of those who presently “disagree” with what we are trying to do will be surprised at some of the simple things we can do around our open areas that should make a big difference to the cleanliness of our parks, walkways and lawn areas.

We are making every effort to begin to disseminate the information we’ve gathered later in January. This information will be mostly applicable to property managers for our local HOAs and 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.

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 Activities League (PAL) Names Martin Cooper as Recipient of the 2011 “Alpio Barbara Citizen of the Year” Award

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The Board of Directors of the Redwood City Police Activities League (PAL) has announced that the recipient of the 2011 “Alpio Barbara Citizen of the Year” Award is Martin Cooper, a reserve officer with the Redwood City Police Department, and PAL volunteer.

“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the many years of service Marty has provided to PAL,” said Jim Gordon, President of the PAL Board of Directors. “His meaningful contributions of time and energy, high standards of community involvement, and many skills and talents have been of great value to the entire community of Redwood City.”

During his more than 14 years of service to PAL, Marty Cooper has performed as a board member, accountant, and Treasurer. This award recognizes his exemplary efforts and passion to help manage PAL’s financial health, significantly helping the organization to grow from its earlier years of serving 200 kids, to its present level of success with over 3,500 youth and community members involved each year.

The Alpio Barbara Citizen of the Year Award honors and commends Mr. Cooper’s tireless efforts in establishing a strong information technology system and set of process for PAL, helping it to be much more efficient and therefore better able to serve the community. As a ‘jack of all trades’ for PAL, Mr. Cooper willingly stepped up and worked in many areas of PAL including establishing a new payroll system, securing insurance coverage, and setting up the PAL Document Binder — in effect helping to further organize the PAL operation and maximize its efficiency. Additionally, for many years Mr. Cooper has been directly involved in PAL’s annual Blues Festival fundraiser in Downtown Redwood City, making sure that this special day goes off smoothly.

Known throughout the PAL community for his generous commitment to helping the organization reach its goals, Marty Cooper’s work has had a lasting, positive impact on how PAL serves the community.

The annual Alpio Barbara Citizen of the Year Award, named after long-time PAL supporter, past president and Redwood City businessman Alpio Barbara, recognizes the most admirable and commendable individuals for their exemplary efforts to bring PAL and its programs to the greater community.

With the help of the great volunteers who give of their time and energy, Redwood City PAL focuses on intervention, prevention, and alternative programs for at-risk and economically challenged youth in Redwood City, offering a positive influence to thousands of children and teens each year. Visit the PAL website at www.redwoodcitypal.com.

— Tom Cronin, Executive Director, Redwood City Police Activities League

A Message From Vice Mayor Gee

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I want to thank my council colleagues for your support and confidence. I am humbled and honored to serve as your Vice Mayor. I look forward to supporting Mayor Aguirre as the new mayor of our great city, and working together with the Council.

For me, being a council member is about being a member of a Team of seven, working hard to make Redwood City a great place to live, work, raise a family, and retire. I know that each one of us is committed to preserving and improving our quality of life in our own ways. However, it takes all seven of us working together to make real progress and positive change.

It is that spirit of teamwork and commitment to collaboration that makes me most proud of being a member of this city council. One of the things that I am most proud of is when a member of our community, whether it be our Redwood City community or the greater San Mateo County community, comments on the respectful way in which we lead, listen, disagree, and make decisions. We don’t yell at each other or engage in hurtful behavior because we are the voices of the community at city hall.

We must set the example for respecting your neighbor, finding common ground, listening, and making common sense decisions that are in the best interest of Redwood City. I cannot imagine conducting ourselves any other way.

As a team, we work well together and we get things done. I have appreciated the opportunity to work…

  • with Council members Bain and Pierce in looking for solutions to our flooding issues;
  • with Council members Pierce and Foust on high speed rail,
  • with Council members Foust and Ira on economic development
  • with Mayor Aguirre on promoting and celebrating our community’s diversity, and
  • with Council member Seybert on Depot Circle, land use and development.

These are just examples of us working together, making Redwood City a better place to live and work.

I would also like to thank the community, which came together on Election Day to support the future of Redwood City by approving Measures I and M to generate critical new revenue for Redwood City’s budget.

Asking our community to help generate new revenue in this economy was not an easy task. The Council laid out a 3-point vision towards achieving financial sustainability: improve how we deliver city services, ask our employee groups to help with increased employee contributions to healthcare and retirements, and finally, some very modest revenue increases.

Working together as a council, with the Chamber, our local businesses and our residents, BOTH Measures I and M were passed with solid voter support. I want to thank my council colleagues, Council member Seybert, the Chamber, our local business community, our employee groups, and our residents for their help and support in passing I and M.

Beyond just passing I and M, I look at the passage of these two measures as more than just a major step towards financial sustainability. I see the support for I and M as a commitment that we as a council need to uphold. We have been entrusted with more of our community’s dollars. For the trust that we have been given, we must act with integrity, trust and confidence and be worthy stewards of our City.

As your Vice Mayor, I pledge to each of you, my council colleagues, our residents and our businesses to continue to lead our community with integrity, trust and confidence. We need to live in the present, but we also need to keep an eye out on the future so that future generations can enjoy the same quality of life and sense of community we cherish about Redwood City today.

— Jeff Gee, Redwood City Vice Mayor

Recycling Center Now Collects Clothing, Other Reusable Items

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The Shoreway Recycling Center in San Carlos is now accepting used clothing from San Mateo County residents at its public recycling center, along with other items previously not collected, including hard and soft cover books, working household goods (dishes/utensils, pots/pans, kids toys and games, lamps, fans, etc.), car batteries, and scrap metal.

South Bay Recycling, which operates the Shoreway facility on behalf of RethinkWaste, has partnered with St. Vincent De Paul to collect the reusable clothing, books and household goods for their programs.

The goal is to reuse or recycle as many of the items brought to the center as possible.

The Recycling Center is open to the general public, including businesses, for buy-back items and some drop off items. Some limitations apply to waste items such as batteries and fluorescent tubes.

Here’s a list of other items the center will accept at no charge to San Mateo County residents:

  • Cardboard
  • Mixed paper
  • Glass
  • Cans
  • Plastic containers
  • Used motor oil filters
  • Used motor oil (up to 15 gallons)
  • Used motor antifreeze (up to 10 gallons)
  • Latex paint (up to 10 gallons)
  • Electronics (computers, TVs, cell phones, etc.)
  • Batteries
  • Sharps (must be in authorized sharps container)
  • Residential cooking oil (up to 15 gallons)
  • Fluorescent light tubes (household only, 6 tubes per visit, must be less than 6ft)

The Public Recycling Center is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30a.m. to 4:30 pm, and is located at 333 Shoreway Rd., San Carlos, just off Highway 101 at Ralston Avenue.

Free First Fridays At the San Mateo County History Museum

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Starting January 2012, admission will be free at the San Mateo County History Museum of the first Friday of each month! Explore the entire museum, enjoy a storytime, and embark on a guided history tour. For more information and tour times, call the museum at 650-299-0104.

Free First Fridays sponsored by AT&T.

The San Mateo County History Museum is located at 2200 Broadway in Redwood City.

Info: www.historysmc.org

Redwood City Appoints New Police Chief

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Concluding a rigorous, exhaustive search and evaluation process, Redwood City has appointed a new police chief. Meynard “J.R.” Gamez, currently a Captain with the San Jose Police Department, will begin work as Redwood City’s new Police Chief on December 2, 2011. His annual salary will be $186,984.

Mr. Gamez has been with the San Jose Police Department for over 25 years, where he rose through the ranks from patrol officer to Captain. During his tenure there, he gained the extensive professional experience, knowledge, skill and commitment to community that made him the top candidate to oversee the Redwood City Police Department.

“J.R.’s track record is exemplary, across the entire range of key attributes that contribute to a dedicated, creative, and successful leader,” said Bob Bell, City Manager of Redwood City. “We had a number of truly excellent candidates for this position and it was a very difficult decision. J.R.’s focus on creating partnerships, bridge-building, and community involvement, as well as his vast experience in San Jose, showed us that he’s the right choice for our community.”

Throughout his career in law enforcement, Mr. Gamez has consistently exhibited the highest professional standards, and has achieved an outstanding reputation for innovation, creative problem-solving, and mentoring. Among the accomplishments of which he is most proud, Mr. Gamez points to his leadership in Community Policing and Safe Neighborhoods initiatives, his groundbreaking work in gang suppression and rebuilding programs, mentoring youth with the Hispanic Development Corporation’s Youth Leadership Conference and in various elementary school programs, and his role as a divisional co-chair of the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force. “This opportunity to lead the forward-thinking, talented, professional staff of the Redwood City Police Department is unparalleled, and I’m very excited about becoming part of this very special city” said Mr. Gamez. “I’m a big believer in building long-term, trusting partnerships that facilitate cooperation and directly address quality-of -life issues, and I know this belief is shared throughout the Redwood City community. The men and women of the Redwood City Police Department have an exceptional reputation as a professional and dedicated organization, and it’s a privilege to serve on the same team. The future looks very bright here, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to contribute.”

The Redwood City Police Chief position has been filled on an interim basis internally since the retirement of former chief Louis Cobarruviaz in January of this year.

President’s Memo: December 2011

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Disaster Preparedness in the Shores

First I want to thank the following Shores residents for organizing another great November event on Disaster Preparedness:

* Ramona Ambrozic
* Shannon Guzzeta
* Mike Mancusi

Hopefully we can hold this event at least once each year. Given the overwhelming response, maybe more often?

I do want to reinforce one more time the need for you and your family to be personally prepared. We live on an island that is physically separated from our neighbors by water on three sides and a multi-lane freeway on the fourth. In a large disaster, we will be on our own!

I don’t think we can begin to understand the total disruption that a truly large seismic event would bring. You MUST assume that:

  • There will be NO emergency services in the Shores. ALL remaining fire & police resources will be pulled toward hospitals or other centers deemed more critical than our neighborhood.
  • You will have NO electricity or gas service.
  • You will have NO city water.
  • You may have absolutely NO way to communicate with the outside world! NO telephone or cell phone service, NO cable television, NO internet service!
  • Your ONLY source of information may be AM radio (KCBS).

All Shores residents should plan for such a disaster as though we will be without the most basic services for some period of time, possibly a week or more. Again, BE PREPARED!

How Can You Help in an Emergency?

Think about what skills or equipment you have that might be of use to your neighbors in an emergency.

  • If you have military or any medical training, you can help.
  • If have a ham radio and are not already a member of our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), you can help.
  • If you have a motorcycle or ATV that might be able to get around on broken or blocked streets, you can help.
  • If you have a gas-powered chain saw that could clear downed trees, you can help.

Be prepared to find and go to the local emergency response center. (This may not be a shelter, just a coordination center.) That spot will probably be next to the fire station on Redwood Shores Pky, or it might be one of our schools, the library, or one of the commercial buildings in the Shores. It will depend on what location best survived. Listen to AM radio for the exact location.

RSCA’s Median Signs

The roadway median signs on Marine Pky and Redwood Shores Pky just before you reach Bridge Pky belong to your community association. RSCA has maintained and posted the messages on these signs for over 30 years.

Almost every resident of the Shores passes RSCA’s roadway median signs on the way home, and we use these signs as one more way to keep you informed (and sometimes reminded) about events and issues important to Shores residents.

Annual Meeting

Save the date for RSCA’s annual meeting, which will be held at the Redwood Shores Branch Library the evening of Wednesday, February 8, 2012. Come to hear from our City and school officials on issues that matter to the Shores. Look for more details in The PILOT in January.

Update on the Canada Geese: Other Opinions

We have been working closely with federal and state wildlife officials for almost six months now to find out 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. We do appreciate the many notes & emails of support received from both residents and businesses in the Shores. But we also respect and appreciate that this is a diverse community with varying opinions about both “the problem” and any proposed solutions.

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 PILOT: December 2011

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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, December 2011 Issue

Click to view full-screen

Light Up the Shores

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Dress up your home and yard with lights, Santa, reindeer, snowmen and win prizes! Winning homes will be featured in The Pilot and on the web.

If you want to be sure our judges see your lighted home, email RSCA when your lights are up and give us your street address and name.

Judging ends on Thursday, December 15th (7PM), so if your house is lighting up your neighborhood, be sure to let us know before the time limit has passed.

Good luck!

An Important Message from The Redwood City Police

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As we draw closer to the holidays, we are continuing to see an increase in day time residential burglaries throughout our beautiful city. As our investigations unit continues to actively investigate each and every case, we’re continuing to seeing that the majority of these burglaries are occurring during the day when people are typically at work, as the suspect(s) enter unsecured rear yards, and enter un-occupied homes via an unlocked sliding glass, garage door, unlocked, or open windows. These suspects are simply looking for easy access to your homes. They typically take laptops, cash that’s been left out, iPods/iPads, and jewelry that they can quickly sell to a pawn shop for cash.

The pattern of these suspect(s) is that they usually knock at the front door to see if your home. When they get no response at the door, they move to the backyard and start checking for unlocked doors, removing screens, and checking for unsecured windows. If by chance you answer the door and ask what they want, the suspect(s) will come up with an excuse for being at your door, leave you scratching your head, and simply move on to the next quiet house. These burglars rarely travel alone and typically have at least one other person with them as the “look-out,” somewhere on the sidewalk, or riding around on a bicycle in the street. Of the more than a dozen arrests that our patrol staff and detectives have made in the past few months, the age range of the suspects has been 15 to 21-years-old.

You and your neighbors are the eyes and ears for the police department. Be vigilant of this behavior and don’t hesitate to call 911 for anything you believe to be suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Some of our recent arrests of these burglars have occurred because of a great neighbor who was observant and called in what they believed to be suspicious activity or in fact a burglary in progress. Our department is actively working on solving these crimes as we send undercover units out on a regular basis to patrol your neighborhoods and looking for subjects casing your neighborhoods.

Please share this information with your neighbors and help us in reducing these very intrusive crimes. Please lock your gates to your backyards and be sure to lock all doors and windows. If its with in your budget, burglar alarms are a very good deterrent. You can go to our website http://www.redwoodcity.org/police/ to see other great prevention tips and hotlines for reporting graffiti, crime tips, or parking enforcement. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for facts and helpful resources to help keep your neighborhoods safe and beautiful.

— Ken Faljean
— Community Policing
— Redwood City Police Department