Monthly Archives: November 2010

The Redwood Shores Community Celebrates 40 Years

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Our 40th anniversary celebration has now come and gone and despite the rain we had a great turn out. If you weren’t able to attend there’s still ways you can check out what RSCA has done the last 40 years and how this area has developed.

We hope to have the historical boards displayed soon at the library for your enjoyment and you can try out the Historical Walk at any time. You can download the walk on RSCA.org or pick up a copy at the library and Sandpiper. We will post on the web site the various weeks the sign boards will be out on the walk but again the walk is easy to follow by the using the brochures or the download.

I wanted to personally thank my committee — Carol Mertens, Lynn Adams. Clemencia Rodriquez, Doug Crisman, Nina Boire and Pat Dixon. Also two people who worked incredibly hard on the event Harris Rogers who scanned every piece of material used and Marc Nix who put ALL the historical signs together and the Historical walk.

I also wanted to thank our exhibitors — Boy Scout Troop 27, Girl Scout Cadette Troop 724, Julie Wynn & Ray Tekamaki from Electronic Arts, Shellie Sakamoto & friends from The Lions Club, Mary Ellen and Jessica Hills and Carol Scola from Nine Lives Foundation, Provident Credit Union, Erica Spacher the Neighborhood Liason Coordinator from The City of Redwood City, Recology and Mike Mancusi, Shannon & Joe Guzzetta, Joanne Bruggemann, Yi Chinn, Kent Soo Hoo and Beth Godfrey from the Redwood Shores Emergency Response Team.

It seems as if RSCA has been a tremendous watch dog over the years for the Shores and will continue to strive to keep Redwood Shores a great place to live. Keep in touch using our website, The Pilot and our sign boards

CONGRATULATIONS for 40 years of service to Redwood Shores.

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— Sue Nix
— 40th Anniversary Celebration Chairperson

To help you learn more about Redwood Shores’ past and present, the Redwood Shores Community Association has created a Redwood Shores Historic Walk that takes you to various scenic and historic spots in the neighborhood. This two-mile walk is accessible at all of its points by foot, bicycle or car, and there will be signs out over the weekend to guide you through the tour.

Those with GPS-enabled smartphones (or those at home who are interested in what there is to see along the route) can also jump over to an interactive tour guide provided courtesy Google Maps. You can click for a Street View of each spot, and check out story text and photographs that explain the relevance of each spot.
 
Full-size guide signs will be posted on the 17th, so please take the tour and help celebrate our history!
View Redwood Shores Historic Walk in a larger map

Saltworks Open House EIR Scoping Meeting

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Redwood City is committed to an open and transparent review of the proposed Saltworks Project application, and this commitment includes keeping you informed, facilitating participation in the process, and supporting the community’s understanding of the proposed project. The environmental review process established by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a critical component of the City’s review of the proposal and supports the City’s commitment to a robust program of community involvement.

You are invited and encouraged to attend the first of several Open House EIR Scoping Meetings, which is this Saturday.

This first meeting will focus on Land Use and Housing, and will be held:

This Saturday, November 6th

9 am to 1 pm

Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Ave, Redwood City.

Childcare will be provided.

The purpose of the Open House EIR Scoping Meetings is to provide a forum where experts are available to discuss information directly with the public and explain the roles and responsibilities of their agency or City Department. Members of the public can speak directly to agency representatives, the project applicant, and experts in specific subject areas. Due to the more informal “open house” nature of these workshops, oral comments will not be accepted at the Open House meetings. Instead, community members have the opportunity to submit written scoping comments to be considered by the City in preparing the Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Representatives will be on hand from the City’s Environmental Review Team for the proposed Saltworks project, the project applicant, the Port of Redwood City, Redwood City’s Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Department, its Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, and Public Safety.

The Scoping Meetings allow the public to help identify the range of alternatives, environmental effects, methods of assessment, and mitigation measures to be analyzed in the EIR.

Following this Saturday’s Open House meeting, the next meeting and topic will be:

Open House Scoping Meeting focused on Water Supply, Wastewater, & Flooding

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 from 6:30 to 9 pm.

Sandpiper Community Center, 797 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City.

(Again, written comments only – due to the “open house” nature of this workshop.)

Based on the input the City receives from the community at the first Scoping Meetings, additional informational Scoping Meetings will be scheduled in early 2011.

The City will not make a decision regarding the Saltworks project application until the environmental review process has been completed and the EIR has been certified.

The City will continue to update its Saltworks website with more details about the application process, required studies, and schedule for the review process. For more information about the proposed Saltworks project, visit: www.redwoodcity.org/saltworks.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday morning.

Thanks,

— Malcolm Smith

— Public Communications Manager

City Council to Consider Increase in Solid Waste (Garbage/Recycling) Collection Rates

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The City Council of Redwood City will be considering an 18% increase in the residential and commercial rates for garbage and recycling collection within Redwood City. The proposed rate increase will be discussed at a public hearing on Monday, January 10th, 2011, beginning at 7 pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall. If approved by the Council, the rate increase would be effective the following day, January 11, 2011. Notices of the proposed increase have been sent to all garbage/recycling service customers in Redwood City. Customers have the opportunity to protest the proposed rate increase in advance of the public hearing by writing to the City. Details of the protest procedure were included in the mailing, and are available online at www.redwoodcity.org/finance/utility

Solid waste collection rates are adopted each year, and proposed rates are developed by the Board of Directors of the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA – the joint powers agency which oversees various cities’ contracts for solid waste collection). The City Council then considers the recommended new rates. Each year an analysis is done of the expenses and revenues from the prior year, along with projected expenses and revenues for the following year, and a recommendation is made concerning the following year’s rates.

The proposed 2011 rate increase is based on a financial evaluation of 2010 actual operating costs and revenues for the current carrier, Allied Waste, and projected operating costs and projected revenues for Recology San Mateo County, the new carrier which will begin service on January 1, 2011. The proposed rate increase is based on these factors:

  • A 10.1% increase in costs for providing new collection services in 2011 with Recology;
  • A 15.0% increase in costs for collection services provided in 2010, including balancing the account with Allied (the 2010 collector) to meet the contractual revenue level (primarily due to increases in Allied’s employee costs and disposal fees, and revenue shortfalls from loss or downsizing of commercial customers);
  • A 2.5% reduction in revenue due to known garbage/recycling bin size reductions (based on the number of customers who have already indicated they will use smaller bins, which are charged at a lower rate, resulting in lower revenue);
  • A 2.2% reduction in revenue due to projected 2011 bin size reductions (based on the projection of how many customers will change to a smaller bin size in 2011);

The above percentages are offset by 11.8% from the City’s rate stabilization fund to reduce the overall cost impact on customers. Without the City contributing from its rate stabilization fund, the total increase to customers would have been nearly 30%. The rate stabilization fund is used to lower the overall annual increase to customers, and reduce the “price shock” of the rate increase. It provides for smaller, but continuing, increases.

Scouting for Food

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“To Help Other People at All Times”
— from the Boy Scout Oath

Help the Boy Scouts of America help others as part of its annual food collection for local food banks and charities. Please place nonperishable goods in a recycled bag or box and put the package outside in view of the street by 9:00 A.M. on Saturday, November 20, 2010. Boy Scout Troop 27 will be picking these items up in Redwood Shores. 

Please, no glass containers or perishable foods. Please also no open containers or frozen foods.

Suggested foods include:

  • Canned Goods (tuna/chicken, fruit, vegetables, soups or chilli, spaghetti or ravioli)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Cereal or Pop Tarts
  • Pancake/Muffin Mixes
  • Crackers/Cookies
  • Instant Soup
  • Rice/Beans
  • Pasta
  • Powdered Juice/Milk
  • Dried Fruits
  • Snack Bars

A Hearty Thanks From Redwood Shores School

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At this time of year when we give thanks, Redwood Shores Elementary School is sending a heartfelt THANK YOU to the entire Redwood Shores Community for their outstanding support of our Build Our Library campaign.

Through your generous donations that came from so many Redwood Shores residents, we were able to meet our $10,000 goal! We placed our book order in October! We are equally delighted and thankful that now the Redwood Shores Community Association will match that book order, book for book, for a second $10,000 donation. Your community support is invaluable as we build a collection that will be used by our youth for many years to come. Thank you!

— Cheri Ho, Principal, Redwood Shores Elementary School

Before 2011 Comes…

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Sometimes turning of a page on your calendar becomes a catalyst for reinforcement of your goals. A New Year is often a time of new resolutions. So take this time before the New Year to ensure your financial slate is clean so you can focus on things that lead to your sense of fulfillment.

Maintain Sufficient Emergency Cash

This is your rainy day cash and no standard amount applies to everyone. It depends on many factors – how you spend, your dependents, your job, sources of income, your risk profile and current economy; to name a few. Roughly have six-to-nine months of cash needed to maintain your current life-style.

Manage Your Cash Flow

Easy it sounds, but often is most difficult. Managing cash flow involves managing your style of living. Important thing is to recognize that your cash flows control your expenses. Not the other way round. Contain your expenses within your income.

Manage Your Debt

Equally important to managing cash-flow is managing debt – both short term and long term. Credit card, car loans, the short term debts should not be more than your capacity to pay them off at any time. If these are high, try to pay off the high interest debt first and consolidate remaining ones at lower rate.

Mortgage is a long-term debt and helps build up your credit history. But even with mortgage, do not take more than you can handle.

Protect Your Assets

Protect everything that is precious. Have adequate life insurance. Ensure same for your spouse or partner. A non-working partner can still need life-insurance.

In addition, have adequate auto and home insurance. Consider an umbrella policy on top of home and auto insurances. Finally, have proper health care and long-term care insurances.

Have Clear Goals

It sounds fuzzy to talk of goals but write them down and monitor them. This is a very effective way of managing your finances. Clear goals are a motivation to save. Regular savings is a motivation to invest appropriately. And this leads to fulfilled goals. The joy and fun in achieving one’s goals are priceless.

Plan Your Estate

Finally, plan your estate. Have a living trust or a will. Do not forget to appoint a Power of Attorney for your health care. Finally, ensure all your beneficiary designations are correct and current.

— Lavina Nagar

— Lavina is a financial planner and founder of Maya Advisors, Inc. She can be reached on 650.704.3074 or

Disclaimer: This article is for information-purposes only, and may not apply to your unique situation. Nothing in this should be interpreted to be a recommendation to anyone to purchase, sell or hold any security or product. It does not replace a lawyer, accountant, financial planner, or other professional advice.

The Animals Are Going “Green”!

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We hear almost daily about the need to go “green”. It’s good for our planet. Did you know you can also go “green” with your companion animals? Here’s a list of 10 things you can implement now:

  1. Use biodegradable bags to pick up dog waste. Many of us have long used the plastic bags from the grocery store for this chore. Did you know there are several different brands of biodegradable bags on the market? Try a few and see which ones you prefer. Cat owners, can use them for scooping the litter box as well.
  2. If you bathe your dog yourself, use earth-friendly pet shampoos. Yes, there are pet grooming products on the market that are “green”. If you take your dog to your favorite groomer, encourage them to use “green” products if they don’t already.
  3. OK, we all do itÉwe get in the car with our dog and then drive to the dog park. Consider walking with your dog to the dog park. Not only will you get some great exercise, you will save on gas as well as wear and tear on your car.
  4. Use recycled paper towels for cleaning up of any messes your furry companions may have left for you.
  5. The next time Rover or Kitty need a new food bowl, consider getting a stainless steel or ceramic bowl instead of a plastic bowl. Stainless steel and ceramic also will last longer.
  6. Vacuum! Yes, you read correctly. Vacuuming is a great way to remove fleas and pet dander without having to resort to toxic chemicals.
  7. Buy only “green” toys. There are many toys made out of recycled materials and also use green methods in the production process.
  8. Buy cat litter made from recycled newspaper.
  9. Hopefully, the products you use in your home are also “green”. Fluffy and Fido will often walk on not-so-dry surfaces you just cleaned. These cleaning products can be accidentally ingested when they clean and wash their feet and paws. Read the ingredients on your cleaning products. As a general rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce it, it probably isn’t good for your animals either.
  10. Do you have old towels, bedding, or pet toys you no longer have a use for? Call your local humane society or animal rescue group. Most groups would love to have your donation of items you no longer need.

By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will be just around the corner. While I wish all of your animal family (and the humans also!) a Happy Thanksgiving, please remember — do not give your animals any cooked bones. They can splinter and cause choking. For those counter “surfers”, make sure you keep the garbage and other food goodies out of reach — I want you to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and not have to make an emergency trip to the vet.

— Jan Brown

— Jan is the Owner of Jan’s Pet Sitting & a Pet Tech Pet First Aid Instructor. She can be reached at

Community Festival Supports Budding Musicians

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The sun was shining and the children were laughing last month at the 8th Annual Save the Music Festival in Belmont, which boasted its highest attendance rate in recent years.

“This festival is unique compared to anything else on the Peninsula,” said Alan Sarver, Festival Chair. In addition to children’s games, international food and professional musicians, performers also included bands, orchestras, and choral groups from Ralston Middle School and Carlmont High School. “People stay all day because their friends and neighbors are here. It really illustrates how closely tied the Belmont-Redwood Shores community is.”

Since its inception in 2003, the Save the Music Festival has raised more than $500,000 through corporate sponsorships and community participation. Funds which have been used to retain music teachers, develop music curriculum, and purchase music instruments. “It’s a ripple effect — the older students have been successful because they were exposed to instrumental music in the 4th & 5th grades.”

The results speak for themselves. Throughout recent decades, Ralston Middle School and Carlmont High School bands, orchestras, choral groups, and soloists have consistently received Superior and Unanimous Superior ratings at California Music Educators’ Association (CMEA) Festivals, and many of the graduates have gone on to successful careers as professional musicians. “Nothing is more inspiring than seeing these talented children perform,” says Alan.

On behalf of the Save the Music Committee, we appreciate the Redwood Shores Community Association for their sponsorship and the community at large who shared their day with us. We also thank the premier community sponsors for their generosity: Oracle, Provident Credit Union, Wells Fargo, Arch & Beam, Janet Pepe Davis, Mistral Restaurant, San Carlos-Belmont Mothers Club, and Union Bank. A complete listing of School-Force business donors can be found at www.schoolforce.org . Thank you for supporting the businesses that support our schools!

— Cindy Carrasco

Wine Appreciation

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Let’s review some of the roads that one may roam trying to become an informed wine buyer. Some start out with the “intense staring and pick the prettiest label” route. This may introduce one to some great artwork, but little, if any, good wine. That route is a dead end. Also, buying solely on a price basis — nothing over, say $5.00 or $10.00 — will accommodate one’s wallet, but not one’s taste buds. That one-way street goes nowhere. And taking the short cut to the ABC’s of Wine — Always buy Cabernet, Always buy Chardonnay — while satisfactory for many wine buyers, can end up being a monotonous, round trip if the occasional vinous side trips are not explored.

Those periodic side trips are what I call the “Enlightened ABC’s of Wine” — Avoid buying Cabernet, Avoid buying Chardonnay (avoid buying ONLY them.) Alternately stated, try drinking something different every now and then. Sure, drink your favorites, but do your taste buds a favor and surprise them with some new flavors. There’s a world of wine varieties to be experienced and enjoyed. And grape variety — the wine’s name — is the flashing neon sign at the fork in the road that we will follow. Chardonnay is a distinct varietal wine, as is Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and others. They’re named after the primary grape variety from which they’re made.

There are many variables that affect a wine’s flavor — where it’s from, the soil it’s grown in, the climate of the area, the age of the vines, the winemaker’s skill or lack thereof, plus a host of other variables that fill “How To” books. But the single-most important item that determines the flavor of a wine is the primary grape variety from which it is made. Moreover, grape variety affects the wine’s profile by influencing attributes like acidity, concentration, aroma, body, and aging potential. It’s that individuality — that genetic blueprint — that distinguishes a Chardonnay from a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from a Pinot Noir.

Becoming familiar with the profiles of major and minor wine varietals, their similarities and differences, at least generally, is the first discriminating step — not wine snobbery — toward the increased and informed enjoyment of one of life’s more available and affordable pleasures of the table. And the good news is we live in California, which has, for all practical purposes, set the standard, and still follows the practice of wine labeling by grape variety, rather than the murky and challenging Appellation system of Europe.

Varietal labeling is inherently so easy to grasp and understand and so successful that many importers are now including the grape variety as a sub-heading on the bottle’s front label. A Bourgogne Blanc (White Burgundy), for example, will occasionally be labeled “Chardonnay,” for those not familiar with France’s appellation system. Do you suppose it’s similar to California Chardonnay? Do you think it’s different? Maybe it’s time to find out.

— Tom Barras

Beat the Holiday Bulge — Don’t Overindulge

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The holidays are notorious for helping us put on unwanted pounds. With all the parties and family gatherings, it’s easy to nosh on a few too many appetizers, eat an extra plateful at mealtime and sip on several high-calorie beverages.

The delicious, high-calorie foods and drinks that abound during the holidays make it easy to overindulge. In addition, stress levels tend to be higher during the holiday season — making us more prone to reach for comfort food or another cocktail.

There are a few things you can do to beat the urge to overindulge in food and drinks during the holiday season.

  • Get plenty of rest. When you don’t get the proper amount of sleep (eight hours is ideal for most people), the hormones that control your appetite can become off-balance, leading to overeating.
  • Recognize what causes you to overindulge. Some people overindulge in food and alcohol when they are stressed or “blue,” while others tend to eat or drink too much in social settings. Try to recognize your triggers and put a plan in place. For example, if youÕre feeling blue go for a walk instead of reaching for a cookie, or predetermine how many drinks you’ll have at a party.
  • Drink water between cocktails. It’s easy to have too many cocktails at a social event. You can slow yourself down by alternating cocktails with sparkling water.
  • Wait a few minutes before reaching for more. It takes our bodies about 20 minutes to process the calories we eat or drink. So if you’re feeling the urge to have a second serving of chips and dip, for example, tell yourself you can have more if you wait for 20 minutes. If you still want it after 20 minutes, you can have it, but in many cases the craving will subside and you’ll end up consuming fewer calories.
  • Don’t skip meals. If you don’t let yourself get really hungry, you’ll be less likely to binge eat or drink when the opportunities present themselves. Plan regular meals and snacks at approximately the same time each day — about two or three hours apart (three meals and two to three snacks a day). This enables your body to regulate hunger so you’re hungry at mealtimes, but not so hungry that you’ll overindulge. If your stomach is full, but you still have the munchies, reach for low-calorie snacks like air-popped popcorn, raw nuts, or raw veggies with balsamic vinegar or low-calorie dressing.
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself. When people try to completely avoid the foods they love, they often end up overindulging in them. Allow yourself to have a small piece of pie or cake — but not both. Select one decadent, high-calorie item from the buffet table and then load up the rest of your plate with healthy, low-calorie options.

These next couple months will be filled with opportunities to overindulge, but if you plan ahead, you can beat the temptation. I hope these practical tips will help you avoid the holiday bulge and enjoy a happy, healthy season.

— Karen Astrachan, M.S., R.D., CDE, CSSD

— The Palo Alto Medical Foundation and column editor Arian Dasmalchi provide this monthly column.