Author Archives: RSCA

Disaster Preparedness Tips for February

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This month’s focus is on the Big Turn-Off: knowing where your utility boxes are and how to shut them off in case of an emergency.


UTILITY SHUT-OFFS

LOCATE YOUR GAS AND WATER SHUTOFF VALVES AND THE ELECTRIC FUSE BOX. The gas and water shutoffs are usually outside and the fuse box will be in the garage or inside a closet.

KNOW HOW TO TURN OFF THE GAS AND WATER. In general, the water shutoff will be a round handle like the handle for the garden hose.. Turn it clockwise to turn the water supply for the house off. The gas valve will require a wrench. A quarter turn will close it off. Note that the water and/or gas valves may be housed in a cool dark place frequented by spiders and other nasties, so WEAR HEAVY GLOVES when working in those spaces.

IF YOU CANNOT LOCATE YOUR UTILITY SHUTOFFS OR DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TURN THEM OFF, contact your homeowner’s association if you have one.

DO NOT TURN OFF THE GAS UTILITY UNLESS YOU SMELL GAS OR HAVE REASONS TO SUSPECT A LINE IS BROKEN. Once the gas is turned off, you will need to contact PG&E to turn it back on and that could take several days.

KEEP A WRENCH ENCLOSED IN A PLASTIC BAG NEXT TO THE GAS VALVE. As the valve tends to freeze over time, a longer wrench will give you a better chance of closing it off.

TOOLS AND CLOTHING

KEEP A PAIR OF STURDY (heavy rubber soled) SHOES BESIDE YOUR BED. Quakes can occur at night and most of us sleep barefoot! Include a warm sweater/jacket, rain gear (vinyl parka), heavy gloves and a change or clothes for each household member in your quake supplies.

INCLUDE A CROWBAR, PICK, HAMMER, ROPE AND LOTS OF FLASHLIGHTS in your list of tools and hardware to have on hand. Keep flashlights everywhere – each room and vehicle. Also, have at least one battery operated radio near by. Check the batteries in flashlights and radios often. Keep extra batteries on hand at all times.

INVOLVE ALL HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS IN QUAKE PREPARATION!

— Mike Mancusi

—  Mike Mancusi

A (re)Balancing Act

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Buy low, sell high – the most common tenet of the investment world. Sounds very basic but how does one do this in the absence of a crystal ball? Well, there is one technique – rebalance your portfolio. Not only this lends you a discipline that leads to buying low and selling high, it also ensures that your portfolio reflects your investment goals and your risk profile.

Let us take a simple example of this. Say on Jan 1, 2010, your target asset allocation was 30% fixed income and 70% equity and you had $100,000 to invest. You decided to implement your portfolio using ETFs AGG, a bond ETF that represents the total United States investment-grade bond market and SPY, another ETF, which represents S&P 500 Index. However, by the middle of Jan 2011, AGG had gained ~2.7% whereas SPY had gained ~13.50%. This resulted in your portfolio being 28.00% in AGG and 72.00% in SPY. So what do you do? You sell the extra 2% in SPY and buy AGG with that cash. Now your portfolio is back to its target of 30% in fixed income and 70% in equity. And in the process, you have taken the gains that SPY rise had given and bought AGG which had performed less spectacularly than equities.

So, why rebalance now? The bounce in stocks in 2010 and drop in bond prices in last few months would have definitely had its impact on most of the portfolios. Also, there are still a number of investors who are in cash. This can be a good opportunity to decide how you would like to deploy and invest that cash. There is no perfect time to rebalance but once a year is a good frequency for most investors. This gives them a discipline and an opportunity to review their asset allocation. An asset allocation reflects each investor’s personal financial situation, their investment goals and their risk profile among other things. As time passes, we should make time to review whether our asset allocation still represents our current personal and financial situation correctly. A time allocated for rebalancing can give a framework in which to make this decision. It is almost like setting the clock in spring and fall. Make this a habit and you will be glad you did it.

— 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.

Wine Appreciation

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Robert M. Parker describes it best: “. . . narrow, winding roads, sleepy valleys, photogenic hillsides . . . quaint old villages . . . enchanted mountainsides . . . one of France’s two most beautiful viticultural regions.” But Rudolph Chelminski, author of I’ll Drink To That who fleshes out the details—geological, historical, political, cultural, gastronomical—including crucial historical personalities like the 14th Century Philippe the Bold and the 20th Century Marketing Wizard, Georges Duboeuf.

Wine enthusiasts with a curiosity for the story behind a wine, will recognize those teases as pointing directly at Beaujolais, that bucolic, thirty-four mile long region in east-central France between Macon and Lyon. Philippe the Bold banished the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc grape from his Duchy, the northernmost area of Burgundy now known as the Cote d’Or. Duboeuf, the marketing genius behind Nouveau Beaujolais, is the dominant producer/negociant in Beaujolais, the southernmost section of Burgundy. (The Cote d’Or remains home to Pinot Noir, while the exiled Gamay found its ideal terroir south in Beaujolais.)

Like most French wines, Beaujolais is a wine—and a region. And much like Bordeaux, which includes Pauillac, Margaux, St. Julien and other appellations, so too does Beaujolais have its own sub-appellations. Ascending the structure and complexity ladder, they are Beaujolais (where Nouveau is made), Beaujolais-Villages and the Ten Beaujolais Crus (crews). While the first two produce juicy, low tannin quaffs, it is with the Crus—virtually unknown in America—where complex wines of substance and character are to be found. They are as follows: Brouilly, Régnié, Côte-de-Brouilly, Chiroubles, Saint Amour, Fleurie, Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, with the last two being the most structured and age-worthy. Also, inasmuch as each Cru has earned its own appellation status, you will seldom, if ever, see the word “Beaujolais” anywhere on the label. “Red Burgundy Wine” occasionally appears in small print.

The word from France and career wine journalists, is that the 2009 Beaujolais vintage is quite special, if not spectacular. Georges Duboeuf proclaimed it the “Vintage of his lifetime.” He describes the Crus as, “Opulent, exceptionally full bodied and fabulous.” I have sampled many of them and tend to agree that they are something special—well balanced, nicely structured, age-worthy wines. They are not confected, steroid versions of Nouveau. Lastly, if your wine preference leans toward high alcohol, sledgehammer reds that are as dense as Port and nearly as viscous, the Beaujolais Crus are not for you. If, however, you yearn for a $15 to $30 wine that’s easy on the palate and pairs well with food, definitely consider pairing one of “Burgundy’s Other Red Wines” with your next roast beef recipe.

– Tom Barras

www.TomBarrasWineCommentary.blogspot.com/

Sandpiper Spotlight: February 2011

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Health and wellness are very important concerns for all parents and teachers. One of the best ways to instill a lifelong appreciation for good nutrition and exercise is through exposing children to working in a garden. Not only do they learn where food comes from, but they also have an opportunity to be involved in physical exercise that is both enjoyable and relaxing. There is nothing so rewarding as pulling out a carrot from your garden to taste its sweet, earthy flavor, unlike anything you can find in a store (even organic). Each time we dig a patch of dirt it is like a new adventure — what worms and bugs are we going to discover this time? Gardening is an activity that wakes up all our senses and constantly sparks our curiosity.

Sandpiper Elementary is in the process of developing a school garden with these ideas in mind. In order for our project to succeed we will need help from our Redwood Shores community. Are you a landscape designer (or do you know one) who could donate some time and expertise to help us design a useful and beautiful garden that will be the pride of our community? Are you a contractor with some spare time to help us build structurally sound elements of our garden? We will definitely accept all the help you can offer. Do you have untreated redwood or cedar 1x6s, 2x6s, 4x4s leftover from your projects? Are you planning to rip out your old deck and don’t know what to do with all the wood that still can be used? We might be able to use it in the construction of planter boxes, benches, and other structures in our garden. Are you an avid gardener whose garden is too small? This is a project for you, for we will need help and guidance in planting and maintaining our garden. If you are interested in participating in our project, please contact our science teacher Ms. Nicole La Count at

Redwood Shores Tennis Club Update

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Although the rain and chill seems relentless these days, it isn’t too early to start thinking about tennis!  The pros at the Australian Open will inspire us soon with displays of power and skill on the hard courts down under.  If nothing else, the images of hot sun and reports of 80 degree weather will have us dreaming for the start of our own tennis season in the Bay Area.  In the meantime, what to do?  Well, some players are getting racquets restrung and new grips put on.  I’m testing some new racquets (you can get the latest racquets to try out for free from racquet shops such as Zalles in Foster City.  Working out in the gym is good for both your New Year’s Resolutions and your tennis game.  Don’t neglect your wrists – do some wrist flexion exercises to put more snap in your topspin!

The Redwood Shores Tennis Club is holding our holiday party in a few weeks and then we’ll be looking ahead to the new season.  We are currently working on dates for this year’s events.  Once we have them confirmed, we’ll post on www.rstc.org.  If you sign up for a membership now, you’ll get automated notifications of all events, including Membership Mania which will be our first event.  If you’re interested but not ready to become a member, keep an eye on our website, and the next issue of the Pilot, for more information.

Speaking of the Australian Open, USTA Norcal is offering a FREE promotional event for Entry Level Adult Tennis Players (aka beginners or 2.5 rated players) in association with the Grand Slam event.  All you need to do is bring your racquet.  It will be Jan 23 1-4pm at the Sequoia High School tennis courts in Redwood City.  The courts are accessed from James Street.  Contact Hilary Somers at 415-407-8452 for more information.

Happy New Year!

— Karen Brodersen, President, Redwood Shores Tennis Club

On My Soapbox

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I don’t know quite where to start. Actually a re-run of the January Pilot would work very well. So if you still have it handy, do read it again! Firstly, I have received e-mails relating to the RSCA President’s article on me, for which I heartily thanked him. These past 25 + years have had many ups and downs, but most were good ones. Most of the calls were again about our seemingly thoughtless drivers, but after Tuesday evening this message is for both drivers and pedestrians. I was returning from a Reception at the County Center and was in the northbound exit lane from Whipple up the 101. Since I would be exiting at Holly I stayed in that lane, but just where it makes the right side exit was where the “problem” started. Because of some work being done on the Dumbarton Bridge, all northbound drivers were being sent up to the San Mateo Bridge, and the traffic was truly horrendous. Because of this I was watching for the cars turning into the exit lane from the main 101 and just as I was making my right turn a pedestrian literally stepped out to cross the exit lane directly in front of me. My problem was the person did not have any type of light that could really be seen or at least that he was showing. Fortunately my passenger saw him “flipping” some type of light and told me he was there. He scurried across and I braked and the others with him waited until it was clear before they started across. So the moral of this is to look carefully BEFORE you try to cross a very busy exit, and CARRY and SHOW a light that can be seen. It is difficult for a driver to slow down that fast when in an exit lane.

Some very pleasant calls were about an abundance of the Cedar Waxwing birds in the trees along Shell Blvd. between RWShore Pkway and the main water channel. It’s very nice to know they are back and that the trees there are blossoming so well for them.

Again a number of the calls were about “reminders” for those walking their dogs and not picking up their feces. When you take your dog out for your stroll, do please remember that it is illegal here in the Shores, and any other part of Redwood City, to just leave them.

Yes, I am the one changing the signs on our two medians – RWS Parkway and Marine, and your “toots” and a wave as you drive by are noticed and I do thank you. But I will tell you this, when I am doing the sign on Marine, I am always amazed at the speed the drivers are doing when they come around the curve by the library and heading to the 101. It is certainly not the posted 35 ! As I have said many times, and also while at some DMV Seminars I have attended, it may be the right time now to require a physical driving test every four years or so, when renewing your license. It is because of the excessive speed I keep ‘harping’ on this subject and also suggest that you should set your clocks ahead a bit so that you do not have to race. If you were requested to take a physical driving test the next time you renew your license, do you think you could do it AND PASS? Please call and leave a yes or a no. What really scares me the most is the speed when our kids are on their way to school – walking, not being driven.

As a final, think about the others out there driving, do your best to follow our speed limits, avoid a ticket, AND REMEMBER: if RAINING HEADLIGHTS SHOULD BE ON IF YOUR WIPERS ARE … that’s a law !! See you next month and have a Good and Careful One until then !!

— Pat Dixon, the Swan Lady

(Note that Pat’s phone number for calls to contribute to “On My Soapbox” are usually included in The Pilot; the number has been omitted from the website version of this article. You can send a message to Pat by emailing  with the words “For Swan Lady” in the subject line. )

Proposed Bay Plan Amendments

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Like many of you, Redwood City is concerned with the long-term impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and its potential effect on our community. No matter what its underlying causes, potential sea level rise (estimated by some at one-to-two feet by 2050) must be addressed in a coordinated strategy with local and regional governments, other involved agencies, the business community, and the public.

The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is a California State Commission formed by the legislature in 1965, whose mission is the protection, enhancement, and responsible use of the San Francisco Bay, and the preparation of a plan for the long-term use of the Bay – the San Francisco Bay Plan (Bay Plan). BCDC’s objectives are accomplished through its authority and efforts in the areas of Planning, Dredging and Sediment Management, Permits, and Enforcement. You can learn more about BCDC at www.bcdc.ca.gov

Over the last couple of years, BCDC has been developing proposed amendments to the Bay Plan to address sea level rise. Redwood City, along with other cities and stakeholder groups such as the Bay Planning Coalition, the Bay Area Council, and others feel that the proposed amendments are burdened with a number of issues of great concern.

In summary, there is concern with:

  1. The unnecessary rush by BCDC to approve the amended Bay Plan/new regulations
  2. Vague language, undefined prohibitions and mandates, unclear authority for application, and ambiguous standards
  3. A lack of incorporation of comments by groups such as the Bay Planning Coalition, the Bay Area Council, and others, into the draft policies
  4. Apparent over-reaching of BCDC authority, in the draft policies, and related potential legislative expansion of BCDC authority and its impacts on local control over local development
  5. Lack of input from local government and the public
  6. Lack of a balanced approach between the State regulatory environment, local control, and economic development.

These issues prompted Redwood City and other stakeholders to urge BCDC to slow down the process of approving those amendments, extend the public comment hearing and outreach period, and fully take into consideration the issues raised by local government. Fortunately, BCDC has consented to this request.

The timeframe for BCDC to take action on the proposed amendments to the Bay Plan is unclear, but they have said that they will be holding a number of special meetings and public workshops over the next few months, and everyone is encouraged to participate in this dialog.

As a stakeholder in this issue, Redwood City will continue to be involved and vigilant of the process, offer substantial input, and keep our community informed, especially about upcoming opportunities for the community to be involved and make comment.

— Jeff Ira,, Mayor, Redwood City

Redwood City PAL Names “Citizen of the Year” Award Winner

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The Board of Directors of the Redwood City Police Activities League (PAL) has announced that the 2010 PAL Citizen of the Year Award has been conferred upon Perry Garcia, an officer with the Redwood City Police Department. This award is in recognition of Officer Garcia’s many contributions to PAL, and his high standards of community involvement.

“The PAL Board recognizes and is grateful for Perry’s 12 years of volunteer service with over 2,400 hours as the PAL karate instructor,” said Board President Jim Gordon. “With his own black belt in karate, Perry’s efforts and passion to pass along his knowledge, skill, and life lessons to our youth has been outstanding. On behalf of the Board of Directors, it’s Members at Large, the PAL Advisory Board, and the community of Redwood City, I congratulate Perry as the 2010 PAL Citizen of the Year.”

Officer Garcia’s volunteer service with PAL is exemplified by his mentoring of over 700 youth who have participated in the PAL karate program over the years. His well-known patience as an instructor, his dedication to working with new students, and his encouragement of them to achieve their best in both karate and in life, make him an outstanding role model. Under Office Garcia’s leadership, students competed in local and regional tournaments, with eight of his students graduating with black belts. He’s well-known throughout the PAL community, and the greater Redwood City community, for his generous commitment to helping the youth of Redwood City reach their goals, and in helping PAL to fulfill its core purpose of “Helping youth learn honest values, develop assets, and increase life skills.”

Redwood City PAL focuses on intervention, prevention, and alternative programs for at-risk and economically challenged youth in Redwood City. PAL provides a positive influence on thousands of children and teen lives each year with its many youth programs and its great volunteers who give their time and energy to help build a great community. PAL’s website is www.redwoodcitypal.com.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s electronic newsletter or other City documents at www.redwoodcity.org/egov.

Inagural Redwood City Lunar New Year Event

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I am very excited to share with you that Redwood City International (RCI), the Redwood City Civic Cultural (CCC) Commission, and AT&T (our lead sponsor) are teaming up to host Redwood City’s Inaugural Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 5th, 2011, welcoming the Year of the Rabbit! The celebration will be at Courthouse Plaza, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The purpose of the Festival is to provide cultural understanding through celebration and experiences; provide exposure to RCI and our sister-city, Zhuhai, China; and to bring more people to Downtown Redwood City. The Festival will have many activities for the whole family to enjoy, including performances, lion dances, music, children’s activities, demonstrations, and food.

I hope that you will consider being a part of this celebration by being a sponsor, vendor, performer, or just coming by to enjoy the day. This is a great opportunity to help Redwood City with another “first.” Redwood City is quickly becoming recognized as the “Arts and Entertainment Destination of the Peninsula” and we hope that you will join us to be a part of this exciting transformation of our Downtown.

For questions, please contact Lucas Wilder, Special Events Coordinator, at or at (650) 780-7340.

— Jeff Gee, Redwood City Councilperson

RSCA Annual Meeting

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Wednesday, February 9th
7:30PM at the Redwood Shores Library
339 Marine Parkway (at Bridge Parkway)

Get the latest update on “The State of the Shores” and FEMA
Certification of our levees.

You’ll hear from Redwood City’s Mayor, Police Chief,
interim City Manager, City Councilman and Shores
resident Jeff Gee,  and our Superintendent of Schools.

RSCA will also elect its new Board of Directors.

Join us for this community discussion of the issues that affect
your home and the family of every Shores resident.