Edition 3 April 2024
Calendar
| MON 4/8 7 PM | City Council, Council Chambers |
| MON 4/8-MON 4/15 | HIP Housing calendar art at Sharp Park Library. See post. |
| TU 4/9 3-4:45 PM | Aging in Pacifica Town Hall at the Community Center. See post. |
| MON 4/15 5:30 PM | Special Joint Session, City Council and Planning Commission, LCLUP, Council Chambers |
| MON 4/15 6:30-7:30 PM | Coastside United in Action Launch zoom link – Click Here |
| TU 4/16 6:30 PM | Climate Task Force at Council Chambers |
| SAT 4/20 | Earth Day Take Action 9-11 AM multiple sites, WhaleFest 10:30-1:30 Linda Mar Beach |
| SUN 4/21 1-5PM | Pacific Coast Television Open House, 580 Crespi Drive Unit E |
| SUN 4/21 4-7 PM | Pacifica Pride Fund Raiser. See flier. |
| MON 4/22 7 PM | City Council, Council Chambers |
| SAT 4/27 1-5 PM | Blues and Brews, Pacificans Care Fund Raiser. See post. |
| TH 5/2 | Coastside Hope Fund Raiser. See post. |
| SUN 5/5 1-4 PM | Mizpah Tea and Craft Fair, Shelldance Nursery. See post. |
| MON 5/6 7 PM | Planning Commission, confirm agenda – public hearing on the quarry, Council Chambers |
| SAVE THE DATES: SUN 6/2 2-4 PM Pacificans Care Double Gold Day at San Pedro Firehouse SAT 9/21 Palm-A-Palooza 50th Anniversary Celebration Pacifica Resource Center | |
See posted calendars for:
- Sanchez Art Gallery
- Pacific Beach Coalition
- Pacifica Sharp Park Library Events
- Pacifica Sanchez Library Events
Photos have been contributed by Leo Leon and Mark Hubbell
Pacifica Voice is eager to receive articles on issues important to our community. Please send them to editor@pacvoice.org for consideration.
To receive press releases and periodic messages from the Pacifica Voice please add your name and email address to our subscriber list – SUBSCRIBE HERE. FREE
FOR CONSIDERATION
HONORING AN AMAZING WOMAN!
By Mizpah Fellowship
Each year at its Tea and Craft Fair, Pacifica’s oldest community service organization, Mizpah Fellowship, designates a person or organization who has contributed to the community and made a positive difference in the lives of those who live here. This year’s honoree is Shirlee Gibbs who has made Pacifica her home since 1956.
Shirlee raised her three children here but found time to lead a Girl Scout troop, be President of the Oceana High School Parent Teacher Organization, and sit on the San Mateo County Grand Jury. In addition, Shirlee served on the California Park & Recreation Society and was a founding member of Fog Fest, acting first as vice president and then president. Shirlee has been a long-standing member of the Lions Club, served as its President three times, and remains on its current Board of Directors.
Most recently, Shirlee was instrumental as the Restoration Chair in converting the Little Brown Church—destined for destruction by the City—to the beautiful Coastside Museum, now run by the Pacifica Historical Society (PHS). Shirlee served as President of the PHS and is currently on the Board of Directors. If you stop by the monthly rummage sales at the museum, you will see Shirlee in action! Shirlee’s most recent project for PHS is to raise funds to restore Ocean Shore Railroad car #1409.
The Tea and Craft Fair is scheduled Sunday, May 5 th, from 1 to 4 pm at the beautiful Shelldance Orchid Gardens on 2000 Coast Highway. Please join us for complimentary tea and refreshments while you browse handmade crafts and beautiful plants for sale. Proceeds benefit Mizpah scholarships and other local community service projects. Admission is free.
The PEG Revolution Pacifica Coast Television (PCT)
And Why You Should Join Us by Martin Anaya
What Is PEG? PEG is short for Public, Education, and Government Access.
Pacific Coast Television (PCT) is the oldest Community Media Center (i.e. PEG center) in the United States. As such, we have won numerous awards and remain at the forefront of education on Community Media, setting many of the precedents that define PEG as we know it. PCT has even hosted visitors from as far away as Ireland and Japan interested in learning about PEG for the benefit of their home communities.
A PEG Center is a Cable TV station that produces Government and Educational content and facilitates programs made by the Public for Cablecast. In recent years, PEG centers have expanded to teach Podcasting, Community Radio, and a host of other web-based communications services like the alternative Social Media Network you are reading from now. We also exist to help communities become more media literate. There are over 3,000 PEG stations in the US, PCT is the oldest.
The “Golden Era”
So, how do we describe the value of PEG given the current state of media? It may help to look at the past. Before cable or the internet, there was old-fashioned, ‘over-the-air’ broadcasting. Because everyone could get these signals, the Federal Communications Commission was chartered to require broadcasters to operate in the “Public Interest”. Broadcasters were required to carry news and public affairs programming. TV’s early years were punctuated with insightful programs like “Face the Nation” and Edward R. Murrow’s “See It Now”. Even the entertainment was educational, as in the 1957 re-creation of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” or programs like “Playhouse 90” and “Kraft Television Theatre”. For 30 + years, this form of TV broadcasting reigned supreme.
The Private Network
With the 1980s came Cable TV, a completely paid “private network”. This meant that cable broadcasters were not subject to the same rules as ‘over-the-air’ broadcasters. Gone were the FCC requirements. And cablecasters were quick to offer programming their audiences would enjoy, free from regulations. Over time though, it became clear that some of the public benefit was being lost.
A “Revolutionary” Idea
To address the lack of public interest programming on cable, the industry created C-Span, a non-profit corporation funded by cable subscribers to bring gavel-to-gavel coverage of the US Senate and House of Representatives proceedings, as well as other government affairs programs. This was advertised as radically transparent “Public Access” to the political process. According to authors Stephan Frantzich and John Sullivan, in their book, “The C-Span Revolution”, the network revolutionized TV from pure entertainment to a method of unfiltered information delivery. Of course, the notion of TV as an educational medium wasn’t so revolutionary to those who remembered history.
So perhaps C-Span is less a revolutionary idea and more a call back to an earlier time. Still, when Brian Lamb and friends invented C-SPAN, their mission of making government more available to its citizens was considered a radical idea.
A Local C- Span?
If C-Span is such a revolution on the national level, doesn’t that concept deserve a local counterpart? Shouldn’t we have a local community affairs channel? Well, we do! By federal law, Cable companies are required to carry PEG channels for the local good. These channels are ALSO funded by cable subscribers through a special PEG fee that appears on the bill and can ONLY be used for these services. Some communities have channels run by the local government. C-Span however, is independent. As such their coverage is both impartial and insightful in a way a government-run operation could never be. And on the local level, there is also a hunger for communities to see and hear their own concerns and stories, without filters. That’s where stations like PCT come in; private non-profits, just like C-Span, charted to provide certain essential community benefits:
Benefits like…
- Creating a more transparent democracy
- Allowing a forum for public views and opinions about the body politic
- Creating community togetherness and opportunities to engage elected leaders
- Creating space for local culture and art to flourish
Your Rights
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution established our right to free speech as law. It fosters open debate, better political decisions, and, as Professor Lee Bollinger of Columbia Law School puts it, “social tolerance” that we all may be more accountable and civil to each other. However, the First Amendment was adopted in 1791. Fast-forward two hundred and many years and we again ask ourselves the question: “What is Freedom of Speech in the 21st century?” What does freedom look like in this electronic era? More importantly: “Who can speak?”
The Failings of Social Media
Of course, many people point to social media as a “fix-all” for modern society’s communications needs. Trouble is, as recent events have shown us, Social Media is often populated by anonymous trolls, whose main goal is not to enlighten but to disrupt. As we’ve discovered, sometimes these are even state actors disguised as community members. Even more troubling is Social Media’s “algorithm”, which disproportionately weights voices of discord over discussion. Controversy over conversation. The negative effects of these networks on our mental health and well-being, particularly for our kids, have been well documented.
Big Media and the “Little Guy”
As the internet slowly begins to resemble TV, consolidation is happening at a rapid pace. Greater pressure is squeezing the common voice off of the Social Media space as companies increasingly adopt a “pay-to-play” model that limits an individual’s ability to reach an audience while simultaneously using their data as a means of control. Privacy too, for all intents, is lost. To make matters even worse, local governments themselves have found it increasingly tempting to seize PEG funds allocated to Community Media Centers and hasten the demise of public voices. All that said, at least Cable IS required to carry AND fund PEG So local communities that want PEG access, can still have it! In many parts of the country, PEG is the only place where the common man or woman has a real, unfiltered voice.
Electronic Green Space
To be certain, the big media corporations will continue trying to retain the top real estate and squeezing the common voice off the basic cable spectrum. Yet, if we think of these companies as “developers” who use our public rights of way to build private businesses on public land, then we see PEG as our electronic “green space”. And websites like this one you are on as alternative “Social Networks” where the emphasis is on community, not commerce. So just as real estate developers are required to establish parks and public amenities, so too are Cable Operators required to pay for PEG services, per state and federal law.
Cable companies are licensed to operate by our state government to do a service for all of us. Requiring them to provide a space for local voices, just like C-Span at the national level, is the least we should expect as citizens. And it is our responsibility as citizens to protect that “Public Access”. Think of all the local news, opinions, and culture that could be lost if we don’t. For some communities, this is already a reality.
We Need a Revolution
Who can imagine cable TV without C-Span? It’s heresy to even think it, right? Well, friend, that’s the attitude we need in the PEG world. We need a revolution to create a sea-change of greater awareness and freedom of speech with more voices at the table. As our country goes through election cycles, keep something in mind: Those in power profit when those without power have no voice. Conversely, all of society profits when all have access to unfiltered, real information, plus the ability to speak freely, regardless of our ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability to pay. What we need now is a revolution, a PEG revolution!
So how can you help? For starters, you can take our survey. Are these words I speak merely empty platitudes or do the services a PEG center provides matter? Tell us what you think:
Soon PCT will be negotiating a new contract with our city. We’ll find out if they also value what we do. Either way, we’ll need your support. For now, please take this survey. And give us your contact info in case a public hearing is required.
YOUR VOICE COUNTS! So please, do what you can and help us grow this idea, this notion that ”Truth, Freedom, and independence in TV” (as my good friend Bruce Latimer calls it) really matters.
Questions? Want to help? Call us today: 650-355-8001
Climate Action and Adaptation Task Force Survey Results
by Rick Nahass, Pacifica Climate Action and Adaptation (CAAP) Task Force Member
Did you know in 2014 the City of Pacifica published the “2014 Climate Action Plan” that catalogues existing emissions, analyzes the value of actions which will reduce emissions, sets reduction goals and plans other ways to adapt to climate changes? See what Pacificans think about effects of climate change:
The Pacifica CAAP Task Force is chartered to update and publish a Pacifica CAAP plan and holds public meeting the 3rd Tuesday of every month (Click here for access to members and agenda.) To subscribe to notices click here.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
On Tribal Consultation: A response at the 3/18/24 Pacifica Planning Commission
By Pat Kremer
“Staff has reviewed applicable law and also consulted with the Native American Heritage Commission in relation to the subject of tribal consultation request, and concluded that tribal consultation is not required or available at this time.“
(p.12 “Tribal Consultation”)
Questions and comments at a hearing about Quarry Reclamation last year led to a formal request by a participant for what is termed “Tribal Consultation”. In response to that request, the City has asserted that they have already fulfilled all their legal obligations and do not need any “Tribal Consultation” with any native people who claim to be descendants of the original local inhabitants of this area.
“Tribal Consultation” is a technical term but its use here is disingenuous, a “Catch 22”. Tribal recognition is a necessary pre-requisite to meet the conditions necessary for “Tribal Consultation”. Therefore the conditions necessary to meet a request for “Tribal Consultation” are impossible for local indigenous people because they are unable to meet the strict requirements for status as a tribe. This “letter of the law” precludes following its intent.
The local Rammaytush people can document their heritage based on records from Mission Delores, back to the small village of Timiktak on Calera Creek. Why are they denied ”standing” and not allowed to represent their people?
A very short, superficial summary of the period from 1770’s-1850’s helps to explain why most California Indians were never given tribal recognition, so now are unable to qualify for “Tribal Consultation”.
- When Portola first saw SF Bay in 1769 it was estimated there were about 10,000 people living around the Bay. The population began to decline dramatically as soon as Mission Dolores was established in 1776 and eventually nearly all the Rammaytush Indians moved into the mission system. The missions were authorized by the Spanish Crown to subject these people to religious “conversion” during a 10-year period. Thereafter the Indians were to become good colonists, citizens with own their land. But it didn’t turn out that way. Mortality of native people was very high with less than 50% survival rate.
- There is evidence that our local quarry played a role at Mission Delores from its inception, with quarry materials providing whitewash for the mission.
- In 1823 secular MEXICO took over control of the mission lands from Spain. Originally, the Catholic Church had controlled about 1/6 of the area of present-day California. Secularization by Mexico meant the church controlled only the mission buildings, and the large tracts of mission land were allotted to local Mexican officials, like Pacifica’s own Francisco Sanchez. The Indians, who had originally been promised the land from the Church were displaced.
- It only got worse when the Americans took over after the Mexican-American War and California became a State. In 1849 emissaries were sent to CA by Washington D.C. to work on the matter of Indian land titles. In January 1852, despite an underfunded and haphazard process, 18 treaties were negotiated. The federal Government promised to reserve 7 million acres for the native people. But CA State officials refused to ratify the treaties.
- On the federal level, in an all too familiar story, Native Americans were supposed to file claims to receive their land titles, but Indians were not informed about this requirement. Most California natives were then left landless, swindled and without tribal recognition.
Today, it is impossible to be a “Tribal Representative” without being a member of a recognized tribe. When tribal status has been denied, it is therefore not possible to meet the requirement for “Tribal Consultation”. I get irritated when the City of Pacifica repeatedly hides behind legal technicalities claiming they have met all legal requirements. Perhaps they have met the “letter of the law”, but the spirit of the law is ignored. Our Land Acknowledgement becomes a farce.
Even though Cata Gomes and Jonathan Cordero can document their ancestry through Mission Dolores records, linking them to the small village of Timiktak on Calera creek, that is not good enough in the eyes of the City of Pacifica for them to be true “representatives”, or at least be treated with a bit more respect than ordinary citizens.
Thank you for your attention. I hope I have been able to explain why the long-standing lack of tribal recognition has stifled representation of native peoples in the decision making process about present day land use. This is unacceptable. We should be able to do better.
Why He is Gone
Why He is Gone
The coastal community that existed here for thousands of years didn’t just “exist” here; the people actively cultivated a healthy ecosystem that allowed all life forms to flourish. They tended the lands, now referred to as the San Francisco Bay Peninsula, and practiced life ways that focused on respect, reciprocity, interconnectedness and being in good relationship with all life forms in the natural world that they were an integral part of. They regarded all life as sacred, deserving of their understanding and respect, and they valued relating in a good and beneficial way to the community at large – a community that extended beyond the two legged.
Following the coming of the big ships, life here radically changed. The people who arrived didn’t bother to ask the people who were born on to this land and these waterways, “How should we live here?” Instead, new concepts and practices were brought ashore. Patriarchy, brutality and greed were all things that didn’t exist in the ancestors’ homelands and were foreign concepts to our life ways. I will speak more on the policies of genocide of California Natives at another time. Undeniably, the results of colonization were terribly detrimental to our community (they almost disappeared us!):
I am very old….My people were once around me like the sands of the shore … many … many. They have all passed away. They have died like the grass…. I do not complain, the antelope falls with the arrow. I had a son. I loved him…. I do not know where he is….I am alone.*
*Native Californian from Dolores Mission, ca. 1850
The dominant culture today is rapidly realizing how harmful and dangerous the acts of settler colonialism have been and are on the entire planet. Thankfully, there is now a global awareness and appreciation of Indigenous values of life and Indigenous understanding of how to be in right relationship with the natural world. While this relationship had been suppressed by the colonizers, today it seems to be the most viable means of surviving as a species in the global crisis that we are all faced with. If together we can move forward practicing respect, reciprocity and being in good relationship with the natural world – this will be the key to our survival!
My relatives and I are grateful for your time, your open heart and for your support in our efforts to revitalize our culture, educate the community and take care of our homelands. Let’s see what we can do together. Thank you!
‘Ek raakat Cata Gomes
Kanna-k Rammaytush, Te’po’ta’ahl (People of the Oaks), and Saklan
Kanna-k Cata Gomes
Founder & Director, Muchia Te’ Indigenous Land Trust
muchiateilt.org
muchiate.ilt@gmail.com
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
No Landfill in the Quarry TAKE ACTION!
The Quarry, Episode Three
by Mark Hubbell
Once again, on Monday, May 6th, Pacifica Citizens will be asked to voice their opinions on the idea of filling The Quarry with 874,000 cubic of ‘excess’—unwanted—soil from a wide variety of undisclosed locations around the Bay Area, and potentially the entire state. Filling that bill requires 151,840 diesel dump-truck trips, up and down HWY 1 in Pacifica, over the course of 4 years.
Up to this point in the previous meetings, justification for pursuing this project from this applicant have been based on the values of private property rights. However, the reality in this case is that most risks of any tragically hazardous imperilment would exist outside of the Quarry boundaries:
— According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: “Truck braking capability can be a factor in truck crashes. Loaded tractor-trailers require 20%-40% more distance than cars to stop, and the discrepancy is greater on wet and slippery roads or with poorly maintained brakes…. A total of 4,714 people died in large truck crashes in 2021, a 17% increase compared with 2020. Sixteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 68% were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 15% were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.” Highway 1 in Pacifica is particularly dangerous, with long steep grades diminishing traction and visibility in the frequent fog and rain.
— Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust: “As we breathe, the toxic gases and small particles of diesel exhaust are drawn into the lungs. The microscopic particles in diesel exhaust are less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, where they contribute to a range of health problems. Diesel exhaust and many individual substances contained in it (including arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, and nickel) have the potential to contribute to mutations in cells that can lead to cancer. In fact, long-term exposure to diesel exhaust particles poses the highest cancer risk of any toxic air contaminant evaluated by OEHHA. ARB estimates that about 70 percent of the cancer risk that the average Californian faces from breathing toxic air pollutants stems from diesel exhaust particles.” These toxins will be spread across at least a half dozen elementary, pre-school, and day care centers in Pacifica within close proximity to Highway 1.
— Potential inability to Obtain Emergency Services: Traffic delays resulting from stalled vehicles, accidents, or gridlock due to the massive increase in vehicle traffic caused by dump-truck routing through the Quarry…blocking HWY 1 south of Sharp Park Road may block access to ambulance service destinations outside of Pacifica. These unforeseen conditions could prevent Pacifica citizens, their family members, or friends living or visiting in Districts 3, 4, 5 from obtaining needed hospital services for emergency healthcare.
It is a mystery as to why our city is so adamantly pursuing this plan to fill the Quarry with soil at such a potentially high cost to the health and safety of its citizens. The reclamation “law” applying here only requires the Quarry to be returned to a condition of “safe for recreational purposes” — as clearly stated by the California Department of Conservation / Division of Mine Reclamation. A well-defined plan already exists to achieve this desirable condition. If there are other plans for additional development driving their decisions, shouldn’t our City Staff make us aware of these? After all, our taxes pay their salaries.
Earth Day is Coming Pacific Beach Coalition
Are you ready for Earth Day of Action 2024?
Each year, in honor of Earth Day, the Pacific Beach Coalition mobilizes thousands of volunteers and hosts a multi-site day of action and education calling attention to our coastal environment. This year, our day of action is April 20th.
Who can participate?
Adults, kids, families, seniors, teachers, students, groups, teams, businesses — everyone! Choose an organized location from the orange button below OR register your own cleanup or gardening location by contacting Jim.
Where will cleanups, gardening and restoration take place?
Sites include our monthly beach cleanup/restoration sites, neighborhood streets, creeks, bluffs, parks, shopping centers, and needy spots adopted by families and teams.
If you’re unable to volunteer on April 20th, you can still participate! Consider donating or become a Supporting Member. You can also Join our Street to Beach Cleanup program and take action any time, anywhere.
City of Pacifica Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) Information
by Cindy Abbott
The next City of Pacifica meeting regarding the update to the City’s Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) is Monday, April 15, during a City Council study session scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm, 2212 Beach Blvd.
With an intention to broaden understanding of the voter initiated Coastal Act and California Coastal Commission that was empowered to ensure compliance with the act and protect the coast, Pacifica’s Environmental Family presented an engaging talk by Dr. Charles Lester, director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center in the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara, who previously worked for the California Coastal Commission for twenty years, including serving as the agency’s fourth executive director from 2011 to 2016.
Following that well attended program, a second program “Pacifica Against the Sea?” with author and L.A. Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia and Dr. Gary Griggs, distinguished professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences & Director, Marine Science Institute, UCSC, was presented by the Pacifica Climate Committee, Pacifica’s Environmental Family, Pacifica Historical Society and the Pedro Point Community Association. This program, that focused on the book by Xia, “California Against the Sea, Visions for a Vanishing Coastline” invites the audience to dream and create a new approach that celebrates the dynamic California coast. Instead of trying to hold back a fluctuating and fluid body of water with hard armoring that destroys beaches and has been shown over the decades all along the coast to require considerable sums of money and is short-lived as to “protection”, what if we allowed the water to retake it’s space and moved away from the shore to provide natural protection for future generations? How can we restore parts of Pacifica’s shoreline that has been lost to armoring and development ensuring our beaches and the beauty of nature will be here for future generations to enjoy?
Both of these programs are available to be viewed so that the discussions can continue to vision a new approach.
Click HERE for the Pacifica’s Environmental Families website to see both programs (under the Programs & Projects, “The Coastal Act and CCC”, and “Pacifica Against the Sea?” pages).
What can you do to support the Coastal Act, the CCC and a new and exciting vision for Pacifica? Speak out!
Attend the City Council Study Session on April 15. AND, share your voice during Public Comment at the California Coastal Commission’s monthly meetings. Meetings are monthly, with the next one having opportunity for public comment on Wednesday, April 10 and Friday, April 12. Click HERE for the meeting agenda and how to register for the morning’s public comment (two minutes per commenter).
At the March 15, 2024, California Coastal Commission meeting, the following was presented during public comment.
“After more than a decade of starts and stops, the City of Pacifica has been working on an update to the 1980 Local Coastal Land Use Plan.
Over the years, California Coastal Commission (CCC) staff has provided consistent input on the plan and how the City’s approach cannot be found consistent with Coastal Act Sections 30235 and 30253. To quote from the Commission’s staff report released in February 2023, for a then proposed March 2023 hearing:
“The City’s proposal does not actually take on the difficult coastal hazards questions facing this community and is most aptly described as a “full-armoring” adaptation plan that would essentially commit the city in the long run to the detrimental effects of the same.”
Thoughtful suggested modifications were put forth by Coastal Commission staff last year, that provide a balanced approach that could lead to plan approval, however these are still to be robustly discussed with the Pacifica community.
Instead, city staff has developed a strategy called “Special Resilience Areas” or SRAs that are anything but a plan for resiliency. Special Resiliency Areas are instead:
- a plan to armor at least two areas of Pacifica – West Sharp Park and Rockaway Beach, into perpetuity;
- entertains the possibility of extending the approach to the entire Pacifica coastline, AND,
- intensifies development in the coastal hazard zone placing even more people and future generations in harms way.
In the spirit of working together, CCC staff has noted that this approach has come out of the “neighborhood scale adaptation planning” concept discussed with the Local Government Working Group.
Let’s not be misled — this is not a resilience strategy but a novel way of re-packaging a continued armoring plan, and not beginning the action needed to protect our beaches, public trust lands, and the natural coast.
Stay strong and committed to standing up for the coast and Coastal Act. There are many in Pacifica supporting you and your good work.
April is Citizen Science Month
Pacifica Sharp Park library hosted an April 6 tabling and panel event highlighting programs and actions you can take to advance environment and health scientific research.
Pacifica Environmental Family
Download the iNaturalist App to you phone and take photos on your hikes. Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. iNaturalist shares your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.
University of California “All of Us”
Sign up to be part of a 10 year research program to share information about your health habits and what it’s like where you live. By looking at patterns in your DNA, health and climate you live in researchers may learn more about what affects people’s health and how to target treatments to the diversity of all people across data types and ways of life.
Sci Stater “One Million Acts of Science”
Find a project and volunteer. Citizen Science is open to ALL and involves curious and concerned people whose individual acts contribute to collective impact that’s accelerating scientific research, discoveries, and local actions that improve the world. From sharing photos of nature to help communities, planners, and scientists document biodiversity, to browsing images on your computer to help speed up research about Alzheimer’s disease, to using your phone to help track microplastic and air quality, each of these Acts of Science is important
HOUSING
Tenant Protection Ordinances for Half Moon Bay
By Joanne Rokoky, Coastside resident
Underway in Half Moon Bay is a series of ordinances which intend to limit rent increases, educate renters about their rights, and provide support for renter relocation. The Half Moon Bay City Council 2023 to 2025 Work Plan inspires these actions which prioritize support for renters.
As its initial step, the City adopted a requirement for landlords to register rental units. City staff believe that rental registration will enable quantification, analysis, and monitoring of the existing rental supply, renter characteristics, and current rental rates in Half Moon Bay. Landlord and tenant-specific data will be kept private, but the aggregate findings will inform decision-making about a maximum annual rent increase.
The ordinance, approved on February 6, 2024, requires landlords to register each rental unit within the Half Moon Bay City limits. Beginning July 1, 2024, annual registration is required. The registration process can be completed on-line through a registration/payment portal. To encourage early registration, landlords will pay no fee between June 1 and June 30, 2024. Thereafter, the annual fee will be $75. Registration is required for all types of rental units including single-family homes, mobile and manufactured homes, duplexes, triplexes, apartments, rented accessory dwelling units, and rooms rented in a homeshare situation.
On March 19, 2024, the City Council held a public work session in order to provide staff direction for drafting ordinances for rent stabilization and other tenant protections. Under the state’s Costa-Hawkins Act, rent control measures are limited to duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and multi-family buildings built prior to 1995. Deed-restricted units are also exempt because rent limitations are already in place for these units. Although there are only about 400 eligible rental units in Half Moon Bay, City staff believe the impact of rent control could be significant – many low-income families double or even triple up within a single unit. Staff recommended an annual maximum rent increase of whichever is less: three percent or 60 to 80 percent of the change in Consumer Price Index.
Half Moon Bay City staff plan to introduce ordinances for rental stabilization and tenant protection April 12. If approved, the rent control measures would be implemented in Fall, 2024.
Tenants Rights in San Mateo County
ALAS on 555 Kelly
HIP HOUSING Calendar Art Display
By Daniel Barrera, HIP Housing
HIP Housing’s Annual Calendar features artwork from children across San Mateo County describing what home means to them. Since 2001 our calendars have recognized young artists across the Peninsula while also bringing warmth to thousands of homes. Now, in partnership with the SMCL, the works of these young artists are coming to a branch near you!
From April 1 – May 28, the HIP Housing Calendar Art Display will make its way to eight San Mateo County Library Branches, including Pacifica’s Sharp Park Library from April 8 – April 15. On Thursday, April 11, from 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM, a representative from HIP Housing will be available to answer questions as well.
Featured in the display are 13 illustrations from the 2024 Calendar, along with information about HIP Housing and the affordable housing programs offered by the local non-profit. Information about how to enter the upcoming 2025 contest will also be available. For more information contact Daniel Barrera at dbarrera@hiphousing.org. See you at the library!
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Affordable Subsidized Child Care
Do you need Preschool or School-Age Afterschool Care for your child? Look no further, the City of Pacifica Child Care Division has openings right now! Families may be eligible for FREE or Reduced cost of care. Children learn best through PLAY! Our program provides a fun and supportive environment for children to gain social skills, create long lasting friendships, exploring, and work on the skills necessary to succeed in their future. We focus on children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. All you need to do to apply; complete an application, submit monthly household income and your family size. Once we review your documents, we can let you know if you are eligible within 48 hours. For more information, please contact Mindy Tiet at 650-302-9219 or email: mtiet@pacifica.gov. You can also scan the QR code below to submit an application through our online portal.
Pacifica Pride
2024 Left Coast Annual + 2023 LCA Awards Exhibition at Sanchez Art Center
The 2024 Left Coast Annual Juried Exhibition on view from April 12 through May 12, at Sanchez Art Center, will open with an evening reception Friday, April 12 from 7 – 9 pm. Juror Janna Keegan, Associate Curator, contemporary art and programming, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, selected 55 pieces from more than 1000 entries by artists on the left coast (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington). The exhibition brings forth feelings of connection and relationships, society and cultures, as well as transformation and possibilities.
Through the artworks in the show, gallery visitors will be able to visualize and explore relevant societal issues spanning environmental concerns, urbanization, consumerism, womens rights and more, that are brought together with a diversity of styles. Representational works blend with the abstract. Vintage photographic techniques are included with modern digital methods. Traditional mediums, including oil, acrylic and watercolor on a variety of substrates are interspersed with bronze and other metals, textiles, weavings, spray paint, charcoal made from money and natural materials, colorful intricate beading, found objects, and even concrete, reflecting the variety of media being used by contemporary artists today to create their work.
Dora Lisa Rosenbaum, reflecting on women without shelter, created “Burdens, Green Shoulder Bag” noting that she was “struck not only by the importance of their material belongings but also by the burden these become. There is a heaviness and hardness to every aspect of their lives”. Taking on the topic of misinformation, Michael E. Goldman states that “truth and what rules apply to whom has become fluid. What we once took for granted is now flipped, chopped, reorganized and sent back to us from a new point of view.” The artist presents this concept through the transformation of road signs that scrambles their original meaning. From her Plant Messengers series of botanical contact prints on fabric, Anne Mavor is showing “I Am Floating” with the intention of honoring and connecting with the energy and imagery of plants around her and to heal ancestral grief and separation from place caused by war, colonization, genocide, and migration. Artist and sculptor Gadget’s piece “Urban Sprawl” from the series “Questioning Cities” combines individual unique functional parts that have been retired from their past use, posing questions about their origins, lifespan, and long-term impact, and unites them to form familiar landscapes to explore and reflect on. Lorraine Woodruff-Long worked with data from 1850 to 2022, collected by a British climate scientist who encourages artists to use his research, to illustrate global temperature change
Don’t miss the Juror’s Virtual Talk and Artists Gallery Walk on Zoom at 3:00 pm on Sunday, April 14. Juror Janna Keegan will share about her work, experience jurying the show and her selections, with the artists in the show speaking to their selected works. A link to the talk will be available on the Sanchez Art Center Facebook page and via emails.
In the East Gallery, the 2023 LCA Exhibition Awards Show will present the works of Tara Daly and Uma Rani Iyli. These two exciting Bay Area artists were chosen by the 2023 Left Coast Annual juror, Renee Cyla Villasenor, Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco.
Tara Daly makes textiles, paintings, and ceramic sculptures. She notes that, “The diversity of my approaches to art making are tributaries to a river of sense making in a deluge of apocalypse. I sculpt objects that reflect breakdown, and I weave pieces that are about beauty and balance. My sculptures are born from the terror of falling apart, and my textiles and paintings are attempts at mending and repair. Feminism and craft practices are touchstones in my practice.”
She is drawn to weaving as both labor and as a metaphor. Self-taught, she began weaving on improvised, wall mounted looms as a way to connect with something ancient and human. Daly states “I begin “blind,” without pattern or cartoon, and my compositions are borrowed from what has been emerging in my paintings. I make paintings of geometric shapes that have a spiritual feeling, like diagrams of balance and connection. Symmetry plays into that, reflecting that there is an opposite and equal effect from each cause. Making these works is a receptive, intuitive process, and a striving for harmony.”
A graduate of the Santa Monica College of Design, Art and Architecture and the San Francisco Art Institute, Tara creates through a materials driven process. Continually stretching herself, she has been an artist in residence at Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts, Penland School of Crafts, the Santa Fe Art Institute and was a recipient of Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center.
tarakdaly.com/#1
Uma Rani Iyli is an interdisciplinary San Francisco Bay Area artist. Highlighted in this exhibition are selected work from several series Winding and UnWinding Series, Garlands Series, Silk Brocades Series, and Fortune Teller Series, created over a period of 7 years in unison with exchanges of themes, marking and materials. One media feeds into another, serving as bridges between her Indian roots and contemporary culture. Examining ancient cultures and focusing on notions of women’s work, her scalable artwork investigates linking these practices with a contemporary context. By sharing Uma’s own stories and visions, this exhibition instigates an exchange of ideas, pushing the boundaries of what is perceived and what results in her studio.
Having grown up in India’s traditional caste-based society, Uma Rani Iyli identifies belonging to the weaver’s community. With that identity, she references weaving, stitching and pattern making in her art using remnant thread sourced directly from weaver communities collected during her annual trips to Eastern India. In a more literal sense, the meaning of this directly sourced material is growing in significance in her work. Intertwining all these elements are at the foundation of her practice as an artist and what inspires her to pursue the layered direction of her multi-media approach towards creating.
Born in Bangalore, India, Uma Rani Iyli’s studio practice has been based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1996. She received her foundational art education at the College of Fine Arts, Bangalore. At the age of twenty-one, she moved to the United States and continued her studies at California College of Arts graduating in 2003 with a BFA in Sculpture. In 2019, her work was recognized with a nomination for the TOSA Award by Minnesota Street Project and the SECA award nomination by the SFMOMA.
umaraniiyli.com
Both the 2024 Left Coast Annual and the LCA Exhibition Awards Show open Friday, April 12, with an evening reception from 7 – 9 pm, with live music by the Don Rowell Trio. Following opening night, gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1–5 pm, through Sunday, May 12, with exceptions during special events (SVOS and Art x Nature x Art). Also following opening night, the artworks selected for the 2024 Left Coast Annual will be available online in the Sanchez Art Center virtual gallery accessible through the website.
Art x Nature x Art, our spring fundraiser, pairs natural floral creations inspired by art in the 2024 Left Coast Annual, created specifically for this event by talented local floral designers. This annual event will be held the final weekend of the Left Coast Annual exhibits, Fri, May 10 – Sat. 11. Tickets, by timed entry, will be available on Eventbrite, $35.00 in advance, and includes live music, special floral mocktails, and a hands-on corsage/boutonniere making activity to create as a gift or for yourself. On Sunday, May 12, the last day of the exhibitions, entry will be $10.00, with the natural floral creations still available to view, as we continue the celebration of spring, art and Moms! Funds raised will provide ongoing opportunities for the community to view outstanding exhibitions and participate in community creative engagement activities.
Sanchez Art Center is located at 1220 Linda Mar Boulevard in Pacifica, about a mile east of Highway 1. For more information, visit SanchezArtCenter.org or email info@sanchezartcenter.org.
Pacifica Library Events
AARP Driver Safety Course
Tuesday, April 9 & Thursday, April 11 from 10am-2pm at Sharp Park
The AARP Smart Driver course teaches valuable defensive driving strategies and provides a refresher of the rules of the road. Since 1979, the course has helped more than 20 million drivers learn research-based tips to adapt their driving to compensate for physical and cognitive changes that may occur with aging. The course has also been recently updated with new content, so you will have the most up-to-date information for your state. Plus, you may qualify for a multi-year automobile insurance discount by completing the course (check with your auto insurance agent for details). This course takes place over two days and participants must attend both days. REGISTER HERE (Adults 19+ years old)
HIP Housing Calendar Art Display
Tuesday, April 9 – Sunday, April 14 at Sharp Park
Come visit the HIP Housing Calendar Art Display to view the artwork of the 2024 calendar winners and find out what home means to them! Featured in the display are 13 illustrations from the 2024 calendar, along with information about HIP Housing and the affordable housing programs offered by the local non-profit. Information about the upcoming 2025 contest will also be available
Cartooning: Make Comics & Comic Strips with Khalid Birdsong
Tuesday, April 9 at 3pm at Sanchez Library
Have fun learning to create characters and comic pages just like the professionals with step-by-step help from cartoonist Khalid Birdsong. This workshop is for you, even if this is your first time making a comic
REGISTER HERE (6-11 years old) Teens (12-18 years old)
Carpet Creatures Writing Workshop
Saturday, April 13 at 1:30pm at Sharp Park
It all started with a carpet and a sketchpad. Using portraits inspired by the play of light and shadow in carpets (“Carpet Creatures”) by illustrator Thomas A. Ekkens (TAE Gallery), storyteller Joanne Shwed (Backspace Ink) invites you to let your imagination flow and write your reactions to these fictional faces. There will be no judgment or critique, and there is no right or wrong way to interpret them. Write about whatever you see and feel. Most of all, have fun and be creative! Bring a pen and paper and/or your favorite electronic device for writing.
REGISTER HERE (19+ years old)
Conversations in Haiks
Tuesday, April 16 at 12:15pm at Sanchez
Haiku poems are short, “little” poems, first written in Japan, now enjoyed worldwide. In this writing workshop, we will talk about the history and characteristics of haiku, learn how to write our haiku and how to write them with others. The workshop is an introduction, a group learning project, where everyone can find their place and a way to participate comfortably. No prior writing or poetry experience is necessary to enjoy this workshop.
REGISTER HERE Children (6-11 years old) Teens (12-18 years old) Adults (19+ years old)
Music & Movement with Mr. Daniel
Saturday, April 20 at 11:15am at Sanchez After creating and publishing two crossword puzzle books, Joanne Mr. Daniel has played music for children and adults in every place he’s lived –California, Miami, New York City, Mozambique, and Zambia. He now plays in libraries around the Bay Area inviting children of all ages to sing and dance along to classic songs in Spanish, English and Portuguese.
Jazz at the Library: Ryan Trujillo Jazz
Sunday, April 21 at 3:30pm at Sharp Park
Come enjoy the performance by Ryan Trujllo. A California native, Ryan Trujillo is a full-time musician and music educator. He combines his jazz training with his love for the musical traditions of Latin America
Swan Lake with the Academy of Ballet & Etiquette
Monday, April 22 at 3:30pm at Sharp Park
Join us for an active program inspired by Swan Lake. In this ballet class your dancers will BALANCE like the Swan Princess Odette, STRETCH like the heroic Prince Siegfried and LEAP like the villainous Count von Roth Bart, and in the process learn the technique, manners and romantic drama of Tchaikovsky’s great ballet. This program is for young children aged 3-7 Children.
REGISTER HERE (6-11 years old) Preschoolers (0-5 years old)
Computer Security Basics
Tuesday, April 23 at 1:30pm at Sharp Park
In this introductory class on Computer Security Basics, you’ll embark on a journey to safeguard your digital world. We’ll start by demystifying fundamental security concepts, ensuring you grasp key terms like malware, viruses, and trojan horses. By the end of this class, you’ll have a solid foundation in Computer Security Basics, empowering you to navigate the digital realm with confidence and protect your digital life effectively. Don’t miss this essential step towards online security! You may bring your device to the class.
REGISTER HERE Adults (19+ years old)
Paws for Tales
Tuesday, April 23 at 3:45pm at Sanchez
Do you have a reluctant reader? Sign your child up to practice reading to a therapy dog in the library. Space is limited, so register early for your 10-minute slot.
REGISTER HERE (6-11 years old))
Meditative Drawing Workshop with Kenneth Tan
Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30pm at Sharp Park
Looking for a creative balm for life’s stressors? In this workshop, Bay Area artist Kenneth Tan will lead you through the soothing process of drawing simple line patterns inspired by Filipino tattoos and weaving. He will then invite you to use those patterns to draw banigs, which are Filipino woven mats. Enjoy calming music throughout the program, quieting your mind while your hands do gentle work. Kenneth will also give a brief presentation about the art project he began with his grandmother, Lola. Learn more at lolaxkenneth.com
DROP IN Adults (19+ years old) Teens (12-18 years old)
Restorative Yoga and Sound Healing
Wednesday, April 24 at 5:30pm at Sharp Park
The Restorative Yoga and Sound Healing event is designed to provide space for you to slow down, relax, rest, and replenish yourself. In Restorative Yoga, poses are made comfortable with the support of props and held for long periods to allow for the relaxation of your mind and body. A sound bath accompanies these supportive poses. Singing bowls enhance this practice and are also played on the body to further relax your emotional and physical well-being. This class starts with centering then gentle stretching and incorporates mindfulness techniques into each restorative pose. No prior yoga experience is necessary. Please bring a yoga mat, blanket and bolster.
REGISTER HERE Adults (19+ years old)
Anime & Video Game Concert with fun’SQ
Saturday, April 27 at 3:30pm at Sanchez
Embark on a musical adventure with fun’SQ where the digital realms of video games and the enchanting melodies of anime collide! Whether you’re a dedicated gamer, an anime enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates music, join us for a concert at the library.
DROP IN All Ages (Appeals to all ages)
Science Action Club: Bird ScoutsSaturday
April 11 (REGISTER), 18 (REGISTER), 25 (REGISTER) at 3:30-4:30pm Sharp Park
Explore feathers, flight, and the features that make birds unique. Using tools and technology, identify local species and investigate environmental changes that impact bird behavior. Help scientists track changes in bird distribution and abundance across the globe! Children (6-11 years old) Teens (12-18 years old)
Dungeons & Dragons
Wednesday, April 17 at 2:30pm at Sharp Park REGISTER HERE
Saturday, April 20 at 2:30pm at Sharp Park REGISTER HERE
Challenge yourself to a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot! Intended for middle and high school
students. Handbooks and dice are provided; bring a character sheet or use one of our premade
sheets. Space is limited, please register online to reserve your spot. (12-18 years old)
Magic the Gathering
Wednesday, April 10 at 2:30pm at Sharp Park
Wednesday, April 24 at 2:30pm at Sharp Park
Learn how to play the fantasy card game Magic the Gathering! This program is geared towards middle school and high school students. You will have the chance to sort cards, build a deck, and play a match. The best part? You get to keep the deck you build!
April Pacificans Care Highlights
Welcome Pacificans Care’s New Officers
The Pacificans Care board recently elected officers to lead the organization from 2024 to 26. Meet Christine Stahl, Pacificans Care’s newly elected President. Christine is a long time Pacificans Care board member and founder of the Rockaway Ricky Memorial Fund to support the care of pets of seniors and the unhoused in need. Christine is a realtor and partner of the Lommori/Stahl Group at REMAX Star Properties and an active supporter of several Pacifica nonprofit programs. Joining her as officers will be Bruce Banco, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Janine Galligani, Corresponding Secretary, Piper Hanson, and James Crowe, Webmaster.
Visit Pacificans Care at the Blues and Brew’s Festival
Pacifica’s Economic Development Committee is presenting the Blues and Brew’s Festival on Saturday, April 27th from 1:00 to 5:00pm on Palmetto Avenue featuring several blues bands and promoting Palmetto Avenue businesses. Pacificans Care will be operating the beverage booth and was selected as the recipient of proceeds from the sales. Come join us and enjoy a Saturday afternoon of live music, food vendors, beer, fun activities for children and Palmetto businesses to visit.
Pacificans Care Supports CORA SPEAK UP Program
CORA is the only agency in San Mateo County solely dedicated to helping those affected by intimate partner abuse. From counseling to emergency housing, to legal assistance, CORA services are designed to provide safety, support, and healing. Pacificans Care joined the City of Pacifica in supporting CORA’s SPEAK-UP program with a community grant to educate and train local business owners about the signs of domestic violence and provide resources for those in need.
Double Gold Day is Back – Mark your Calendars!
The Pacificans Care Double Gold Day is scheduled for Sunday, June 23rd at the Pedro Point Firehouse from 2:00 to 4:00pm featuring Double Gold and Gold wines from the San Francisco International Wine Competition for tasting. Music, great food, and lots of surprises await you at this special event to support Pacifica Senior Services, Pacifica Child Care Services, Pacifica Resource Center, and the Pacifica Youth Service Bureau. Details available soon on our website.
Rockaway Ricky Memorial Fund 2025 Calendar Contest
Here’s your chance to show off your favorite canine in the 2025 Rockaway Ricky Memorial Calendar that raises funds to support the needs of pets of senior and the unhoused.
For more information on how to submit your pet’s application to appear in the calendar go:
For more information about Pacificans Care visit our website or email pacificanscare1982@gmail.com.
PacificansCare.com
P.O. Box 875
Pacifica, California 94044
facebook.com/pacificanscare
Pacificans Care, EIN 77-0004308, an exempt organization permitted by Section 501(c.)(3.) of the Internal Revenue Code
Pacifica’s Inaugural Age Friendly Community Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
3:00 pm to 4:45 pm
@ Pacifica Community Center 540 Crespi Drive
RSVP: AgeFriendlyPacifica@gmail.com or 650-738-7384
Coastside Hope Coastside Gives
Coastside Hope will be participating in Coastside Gives! This great event brings all coastside residents from Montara to Pescadero together as one to raise funds and awareness for all the amazing work local non-profits like Coastside Hope are doing in our community.
Funds raised from Coastside Gives will be used to assist clients with food, clothing, shelter, and other critical services such as rental assistance, utility assistance, public benefits assistance, and infant needs. Neighbors Helping Neighbors is how we build a strong community where neighbors prosper together.
Coastside Gives is Thursday, May 2nd! Coastside Hope has $20,000 in challenge grants from Judy and Denis O’Leary, Dell Williams, Jotham Stein, Nancy and Deryck Marsh, and two anonymous contributors. For every dollar you give, your gift will be matched!
Give by May 2nd to double your gift!
Give hope to our neighbors!
Puente Farmworker Convention!
THANK YOU to all who made the Farmworker Convention “Harvesting Dreams” possible!
This event, by farmworkers for farmworkers was led by the members of the planning committee: Ana Luisa Ruiz Vilchis, Gabriel Gutierrez, Marcos Jaimes, Rogelio Nabor, Ari Sandi Garcia and Tanya Ramirez with support from Puente and Coastside Hope.
Thank you to all the partners, volunteers and staff from both organizations that contributed to a day of advocacy and inspiration.
This event had two special guests, Jose M. Hernandez, former NASA astronaut and Sarahi Espinoza Salamaca, Founder and CEO of Dreamers Roadmap, whose heartfelt words and stories resonated deeply with farmworkers.
We will be sharing more highlights and outcomes of the convention in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!
We are excited to announce that Puente will participate in Coastside Gives this spring!
Coastside Gives is a day long celebration and 24-hour giving challenge for nonprofits on the San Mateo County coast. Since its inception, Coastside Gives donors and sponsors have raised over $7 million dollars for nonprofit organizations that participate.
Early giving starts on April 1st!
Will you support Puente by donating through Coastside Gives? A generous donor will match your gift dollar-for-dollar up to $75,000! Double the impact of your gift by making a donation today!
This campaign brings together our neighbors and partners to support essential services for children and youth who live in our South Coast communities of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio.
All funds raised through Coastside Gives this year will support the following initiatives:
Make your gift to our Coastside Gives campaign starting April 1st, through Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, by visiting coastsidegives.org/mypuente.
You can also make your donation by mail to Puente, P.O. Box 554, Pescadero, CA 94060.
For more information about Coastside Gives, or to volunteer your time for this campaign, contact Bridgitte Deacon, Fund Development Associate at 650-262-5998 or bdeacon@mypuente.org.
