Benjamin Franklin is known for many things but most people are unaware that in Philadelphia in 1757 he originated the idea that cities needed to collect garbage and clean the streets. His plan was interrupted by the Revolutionary War, and street cleaning didn’t gear up for another hundred years.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has selected Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana to become the new county health officer effective Aug. 7. She will replace Pacifica resident Dr. Scott Morrow who is retiring after working for the county for 31 years.
At its May meeting the California Coastal Commission approved an agreement with the city of Pacifica that revises permitting procedures for surf camps and schools at Linda Mar Beach. The new policies make it easier for nonprofit surf schools to gain access to the coast with the goal of incre…
Parent-volunteer Jesse Patterson helped students from Ocean Shore School build stone sculptures called inuksuit at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica recently as part of the school’s annual Oceans Week. Made by stacking flat stones, inuksuit are used by Indigenous peoples in the Arctic region of No…
Sarah Daeuber, of Half Moon Bay, bakes with quality ingredients like fresh-ground peanut butter, hand-grated carrots and honey from Pacifica-based NorCal Bees, but the treats she makes are not for humans. They’re for dogs.
The San Mateo County Fair returns on Saturday, offering visitors a cornucopia of attractions and activities including live concerts, carnival rides and culinary pleasures. The annual event will also showcase the talents of dozens of county residents who compete for blue ribbons in a variety …
Pacifica Hot Rodz, a club for vintage car enthusiasts, will host the first annual Jeff Shives Memorial Cruise on Friday.
Police looking for seat belts
From left, Aaron Reif, Jim Sullivan, Arlene Patton, chair of the Open Space and Parkland Advisory Committee, and committee member Amanda Skaggs. Sullivan was granted the Open Space and Parkland Advisory Committee annual Open Space Preservation Award for his outstanding contributions toward t…
Waiting patiently
Pacifica Police arrested seven teenage boys on Thursday who officers said were trying to burglarize a classroom at the former Oddstad Elementary School.
“It's been a long time since those days back in Westview!" Larry Foster's elementary school classmate Suzy Baker wrote on The Virtual Wall, an online version of the Vietnam War Memorial, on Valentine's Day, 2008. "We all had a lot of fun, didn't we? I never thought we would lose you. You wer…
For the first time in its history, Jefferson Union High School District will be observing Lunar New Year as an official school holiday. Starting in the 2023-2024 school year students will have another three-day weekend to celebrate the holiday — and for that they can thank one of their own.
After 27 years of serving the Pacifica community, the Vallemar Station restaurant is looking for help.
Police seek burglary suspect
A truly wild border is marked by the foaming waterline along every beach on the West Coast, where millions of animals thrive in the unseen ecosystems that exist in the Pacific Ocean. It is not unheard of to spot graceful seals, enormous whales and even the occasional great white shark in the…
Misty weather did not deter more than 275 gearheads from rolling out their classic cars at the annual Terra Nova Tech Car Show in Pacifica on Saturday. Stretching across the baseball field at Terra Nova High School were several rows of automotive eye candy, with ever-popular Ford Mustangs an…
▸ Government body: Pacifica City Council special meeting
▸ Government body: Pacifica City Council
President Joe Biden is right. The massive tax cuts under the Trump administration turned out to be nothing more than a giant giveaway to the world’s largest corporations.
Say cheese!
Thirty seniors who are active in the Pacifica Senior Center enjoyed a field trip to Oracle Park on May 17. Waving rally rags from their seats on the Promenade Level right behind home plate they saw the San Francisco Giants defeat the Philadelphia Phillies. For some of the seniors it was thei…
The Half Moon Bay branch of AAUW proudly boasts of being vital and enthusiastic here on the coast since 1967. And how do we keep our members engaged and connected? By connecting and engaging with young people.
A Las Vegas man was arrested Friday on suspicion of setting a window on fire at a Pacifica classroom, then breaking the window to get into the classroom and stealing numerous items, police said.
In 2021 Cal Fire recorded 7,396 wildfires that damaged or destroyed 3,846 structures. Last year nearly the same number of wildfires ravaged the state, but those 7,490 blazes impacted only 876 structures. The major reason for the decline in the number of homes burned, according to Cal Fire Ca…
The city of Pacifica and the Pacifica Police Department offered their heartfelt welcome last week to the city’s new police chief. Chief Maria Sarasua was sworn in and gave a speech to a roomful of officers, friends and family after she took her oath of office.
Connie Johnson and Isaias Ramirez, students at Skyline High School in Oakland, were both musicians. Now, they’re actors, too. “It’s like a dream come true,” says Johnson about being cast as one of the band members in “School of Rock,” a musical by the Spindrift School of Performing Arts that…
The office of County Controller Juan Raigoza has released detailed information about property tax revenues and disbursements for fiscal year 2021-22 — once again there is more value in county land than ever before.
Kerrigan Bull, my granddaughter, asked me, “Pa, how many states have you been in?”
▸ Government body: Pacifica Planning Commission
▸ Government body: Pacifica School Board
City woman sentenced for weapons
On May 18, the Pacifica Climate Committee, 350 Silicon Valley and the city of Pacifica are hosting the “Electrify Your Home” event at the Pacifica Pedro Point Firehouse.
Pacifica’s staff and City Council have been working on a plan to address rising sea levels since 2018. After a three-year back-and-forth with the California Coastal Commission that had stalled significant progress, the council’s new work plan commits to working closely with the Coastal Commi…
“Little Angel Needlepoint,” a handmade tapestry of a young, winged angel, is currently the only object at the Sanchez Adobe Historic Site in Pacifica that is known to have belonged to the Francisco Sanchez family, who built the house in the mid-19th century. Docent Terry Sherar explained how…
Ladies and gentlemen, the Bard is back. After a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and, later, construction delays at its home venue, the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. has started rehearsing for its new season at a new Pacifica venue.
Million-dollar view
It can be very disconcerting to feel a new lump or mass on your pet. A common reason to visit a veterinarian is to determine if a new mass is something to worry about. Dogs and cats generally get masses either on their skin (epidermal/dermal), or under the skin (subcutaneous).
Pacifican Elly Suraya Greenfield stood basting a row of sizzling satay skewers with canola oil on Sunday morning, as visitors to the Alameda Antiques Faire in Alameda started lining up outside her family’s food truck “Satay by the Bay.”
▸ Government body: Pacifica City Council
More than 200 weapons are surrendered
These are the Elna Flynn award winners from Pacifica School District. Each of these women volunteered countless hours before earning an award named after a grandmother who volunteered at Portola School, formerly part of the Pacifica School District, now part of San Bruno Park School District…
Former Tribune sports editor Horace Hinshaw is among a half-dozen local sports legends who together comprise the 2023 class of the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame.
The Terra Nova Tigers softball team won a thrilling, come from behind, walk-off game on Senior Night Friday over the Mills Vikings to remain in first place in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division.
Students who have artistic ambitions have two opportunities to shine, while also helping take care of the Earth.
Silicon Valley Open Studios will be held the first three weekends in May, highlighting artists from a different region each weekend. First up: close to 30 artists from the coast.
After two contentious meetings, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance on second reading that prohibits county departments from using any resources or personnel to assist or cooperate with requests from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcemen…
Jesus Rodriguez Jr. was homeless for more than a year while struggling to find an apartment he could afford with his salary as a cafeteria worker at Terra Nova High School. Nothing in his price range opened up close enough to allow him to walk or take transit to campus, a necessity since he …
Visitors to Pacifica who park by the Community Center before heading to the beach might notice the angular statue and wonder what it commemorates. The plaque identifies the subject as Gaspar de Portola, “discoverer of the Bay of San Francisco.” If visitors stop to examine it, they might be i…
