Featured - page 48

These three Redwood City School District schools will now largely be powered by the sun.

In late February, the school district held ribbon cutting ceremonies for solar panel installations at Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School, Clifford School and Roosevelt School. The panels were funded by the California Clean Energy Jobs Act (Prop. 39). Prop. 39 was approved by voters in 2012 and allocated new tax revenue paid by out-of-state corporations toward energy efficiency and clean energy projects in public schools.

Students helped cut the ribbons and “powered on” each solar panel, the school district said.

Due to the solar panels, the district said it will save money on electricity. The panels will offset electricity consumption by 91 percent at Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School, by 95 percent at Clifford School and by 92 percent at Roosevelt School, according to the district.

“The carbon dioxide offset is equivalent to planting 11,874 trees per year,” the district said.

Another benefit: The panels provide shade over playgrounds and parking.The California Clean Energy Job Act was approved by voters in 2012 and allocated tax revenue paid by out-of-state corporations  toward energy efficiency and clean energy projects in public schools.

Residents near Fire Station 17 in Highlands-Baywood Park may have heard a loud explosion at about 1:10 this afternoon. The explosion, it turns out, involved an “old jar of ether,” according to Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz.

The ether was brought into the Households Hazardous Waste Building on Tower Road. Out of an abundance of caution, officials cordoned off the area called for the San Mateo County bomb squad.

“Old ether can form crystals which can combust upon friction,” Cal Fire officials said.

The bomb squad brought the bucket of ether up the street to dispose of it. Cal Fire posted photos and video of the events on Facebook and Twitter.

UPDATE: The ribbon cutting ceremony on March 9 has been postponed by the County due to projected inclement weather.

The nearly-finished animal shelter at Coyote Point is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony soon.

A ceremony had been planned for this Monday, March 9, but was postponed due to “projected inclement weather,” County spokesperson Michelle Durand said in an email. “We will alert you when a new date is selected.”

Construction remains underway at the center at 12 Airport Blvd. in San Mateo. Final completion is set for June. This month, the County expects to receive a temporary certificate of occupancy to operate in the facility while construction finishes up.

The project, which was slated to cost roughly $20 million, broke ground in October 2017. It aims to modernize the shelter first constructed in 1952. The new facility will take up about 40,000 square feet, including kennels. It will be designed to house large animals such as horses as well as cats, dogs, birds, reptiles and small animals, the County stated during the groundbreaking event.

On social media last month, the County released a video aerial tour of the construction progress:

Before the project’s 2017 groundbreaking, a San Mateo County grand jury raised issues about the aging shelter. At the time, the nonprofit Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, which operates the shelter in partnership with the county, faced scrutiny in the local news media over shelter conditions. A subsequent inspection found that animals appeared well cared for. But the grand jury report identified some problems. The problems included “roof issues, insufficient ventilation, seasonal flooding in the parking lot, and outdated plumbing and electrical systems,” the report stated. Also, dog barking was clearly audible in the cat wards, stressing out the cats. And multiple species were housed in the exotic animal room, presenting challenges for maintaining appropriate temperatures, humidity, sanitation, and disease prevention, the report said.

The County fast-tracked renovations following the critical reports.

“When officially open, this new facility will embrace current best practices for animal care services and provide some community, clinic and administrative services,” the County said last month.

Photo credited to San Mateo County

A new ‘presumptive positive’ case for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in San Mateo County involves a patient who wasn’t exposed to the virus by travel or other known sources, the County said.

The patient, described only as an adult resident of San Mateo, has been hospitalized and is in isolation while health officials await confirmatory testing by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This marks the second coronavirus case in San Mateo County, health officials said. The previous case is an individual who was repatriated to the U.S. by the CDC. That patient is currently in isolation and in good condition, the County said.

Both cases are among dozens reported nationally as the virus that originated in China spreads within the U.S. Today, the CDC reported 91 confirmed or presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., up from just over 60 cases yesterday. Six people in the U.S. have died from the illness, including four people in Washington state, according to USA Today. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) today reported about 90,000 confirmed cases, of which 90 percent are in China, and over 3,000 deaths. The outbreak originated in Wuhan, China as early as December. While the virus is spreading internationally, the number of cases reported in China is on the decline, WHO stated.

Today, San Mateo County activated its Regional Operations Center in Redwood City, providing a centralized location to coordinate resources and communicate with local and state governments.

San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow urged community members to take preventative measures “including washing your hands frequently, covering your sneeze, and staying home when sick.”

“Also, please dust off your personal emergency plans to make sure you have proper provisions at your home including water, medications, and food,” Dr. Morrow said.

The CDC’s guidance indicates having casual contact with a case, such as being in the same shop or restaurant, puts people at minimal risk of developing infection, and that current risk of local transmission remains relatively low. But “the landscape is likely to change rapidly in the coming days, weeks and months,” County officials said.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. They appear in as few as 2 days or up to 14 days after exposure.For general information about novel coronavirus, visit www.cdc.gov or https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus.

“Your pup chewed up your ballot? Don’t panic!”

Today, San Mateo County Elections Chief Mark Church issued that message to voters on Twitter. While Election Day is Tuesday, Church reminded residents there are opportunities to vote in the March 3 Presidential Primary both today and tomorrow, even if you lost your ballot or have not yet registered.

Although this is a vote-by-mail election, eligible voters can cast their ballot in person at one of 42 Vote Centers. They are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The County website provides a useful map of all Vote Center locations along with live updated wait times at each. Also, the website includes ballot drop-off locations.

Not yet registered?

At Vote Centers, registered voters will be able to submit their ballots, obtain a replacement ballot or cast their votes digitally on a ballot marking tablet. For those who are not yet registered, you can still vote by visiting any of the Vote Centers. You will complete an affidavit of registration before receiving a conditional voter registration provisional ballot to vote. In such cases, the ballot will be counted after the Elections Office confirms your voter eligibility.

What you will be voting on.

Need to brush up on local issues? The County Elections Office provides information on six school district funding measures, as well as a measure aiming to recall a Foster City councilmember, here.

This election includes primary races for U.S. President and U.S. Representative in the 14th and 18th districts. Also, it features primary races for State Senator in the 11th and 13th districts and State Assembly in the 19th, 22nd and 24th districts. Moreover, the election includes San Mateo County Board of Supervisor races in the 1st, 4th and 5th districts.

The California Elections Office provides information on the lone state proposition on the ballot, Prop. 13, a public education construction bond measure.

Photo credit: San Mateo County

San Carlos community members are invited to an open house to learn more about the Fire Station 16 replacement project.

The free event will take place Wednesday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m. The fire station is located at 1280 Alameda De Las Pulgas, at Howard Avenue.

“This community meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to provide input and feedback on the developing design,” according to the city.

The existing single-story fire station is 61-year-old, aging and needs significant upgrades, city officials said. Also, the existing structure doesn’t meet current building codes and seismic standards. Moreover, the height of the existing apparatus bay is too low and lacks adequate clearance for the modern equipment on fire engines, the city said.

The city is proposing a modern, two-story station. Last year at City Council, the cost for the new station was pegged at about $11 million.

For more information, please contact Vatsal Patel, Senior Engineer, at vpatel@cityofsancarlos.org.

Owners of a San Mateo beauty salon have been ordered to pay $50,000 in penalties in connection with allegations of illegally providing body art services.

At K&K Beauty Salon at 108 W. 25th Ave., Bruce and Kelly Dinger offer a number of cosmetology services that are not at issue. However, prosecutors said the Dingers illegally provided body art services to their customers. Services found in violation included cosmetic tattooing of eyebrows and lips, which involve piercing the skin with needles and injection of ink, according to prosecutors.

In 2016, Kelly Dinger obtained a permit to perform body art and registered as a practitioner. Subsequently, the county’s Environmental Health Services (EHS) found a number of health and safety violations at K&K Beauty Salon. The salon failed to properly handle and dispose of sharps, prosecutors said. It also allegedly failed to maintain required records of procedures and of equipment sterilization. And it used unapproved equipment, prosecutors said.

As a result, EHS revoked the facility permit in Febuarary 2017. However, the salon continued to operate the body art facility, prosecutors said.  Following a complain filed in 2018, the defendants agreed to the final judgment, which included no findings or admissions of liability, prosecutors said. The judgment requires the Dingers to pay $43,000 in civil penalties and $7,000 for the investigation. Also, it allows for EHS inspection to confirm compliance.

Redwood City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz has promoted Alex Khojikian to the role of assistant city manager of Redwood City.

Khojikian previously served as the city’s deputy since manager since 2016. His responsibilities now include “housing, economic development, communications and community engagement, and real estate transactions,” city officials said.

Khojikian will also oversee City Manager’s Office initiatives such as the city’s strategic plan, financial sustainability efforts, legislative advocacy and transition to district elections. He will also support emerging policy issues such as the City Council’s safe parking initiative.

Diaz called Khojikian “tremendously effective in his role” and able to take on a wide variety of complex issues.

Khojikian has 17 years of experience in municipal government. He’s served as deputy city manager for Half Moon Bay and also in various roles for the cities of Paramount and Anaheim in Southern California. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of California, Berkeley. He also has master’s in public administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Photo credit: City of Redwood City