By Michael G. Stogner & Sarah Navratil
Stephen M. Wagstaffe
That is all we are going to say for now. More as we get it.
Letter to the Editor
Sabrina Brennan
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
California is shrinking
It’s time to accept that coastal California is shrinking. A new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists predicts chronic Bay Area flooding from rising seas as early as 2060. “Cities around the San Francisco Bay will begin to experience more frequent and disruptive flooding in the coming decades and will have to make tough decisions around whether to defend existing homes and businesses or to retreat,” said Erika Spanger-Siegfried, senior analyst in the Climate and Energy Program at UCS and a report author.
The Pacific Institute calculates that San Mateo County will lose more in property value than any other county in the state. Property damage in the county is estimated to be in the region of $39 billion, with sea level rise projected to affect more than 100,000 residents.
In July, the Mercury News reported that San Mateo and Marin Counties and the City of Imperial Beach filed a lawsuit in Marin County Superior Court. The suit alleges that, “major corporate members of the fossil fuel industry, have known for nearly a half century that unrestricted production and use of their fossil fuel products creates greenhouse gas pollution that warms the planet and changes climate.”
The suit argues that 37 oil, gas and coal companies actively worked to “discredit the growing body of publicly available scientific evidence and persistently create doubt” in “a coordinated, multi-front effort.”
The suit asserts what many of us already accept as fact, that fossil fuel companies “have promoted and profited from a massive increase in the extraction and consumption of oil, coal and natural gas, which has in turn caused an enormous, foreseeable, and avoidable increase in global greenhouse gas pollution.”
Armoring the coast and building levees in the Bay will be an unimaginably expensive public undertaking, and that doesn’t include relocating highways, railways, airports, and other critical infrastructure.
Last month, the Guardian reported that Mayor Serge Dedina said that up to 30% of Imperial Beach could be affected by climate change. “As the lowest-income, highest poverty-rate city in San Diego County, we have no capacity to pay for the extensive adaptation measures.” Within 15 years flooding could affect tens of thousands of Marin County residents and cause upwards of $15.5 billion in property damage. “This lawsuit is intended to shift those costs back where they belong – on the fossil fuel companies,” says Marin County supervisor Kate Sears.
A well-funded army of lawyers is organizing to defend deep-pocketed multinationals that include San Ramon-based Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell, while at the same time the Plaintiffs continue to approve new development within sea level rise inundation areas. These new developments will add to the already huge cost of removal and replacement of hospitals, schools, airports, fire stations, police stations, ports, roads, railroad tracks, pump stations, sewage treatment facilities, power plants, utilities, hazardous material sites, and more.
As communities become dependent on costly levee systems to stay dry, and climate projections continue to worsen, we will soon be spending exponentially larger sums of money to protect development now being built in inundation zones. One good example is the 8-mile long levee do-over in Foster City that is now budgeted for $90 million. That levee must be rebuilt three feet higher or residents will be required to buy costly flood insurance.
In addition to suing oil companies our elected representatives have a responsibility to protect the public from the huge financial burden sea level rise will bring to coastal California. They can do this by using their powers to implement policies that limit development in known inundation areas and to prohibit future shoreline armoring in favor or wetland restoration.
Suing the fossil fuel companies is a great start to holding those responsible for the coming disaster to account, but that must only be a beginning. Without common sense and practical pragmatic legislating any legal action becomes nothing more than a show. If they really want to leave a lasting legacy current local legislative bodies must show through use of their powers that they have an understanding that development in inundation zones is literally pouring money down the drain. Anything less is going to be an expensive and complex disaster.
Sabrina Brennan is a resident of Moss Beach
This op-ed does not represent the views of the San Mateo County Harbor Commission
Filed under Board of Supervisors, Carole Groom, Dave Canepa, Dave Pine, Don Horsley, Letters to Editors, Plan Bay Area, Sabrina Brennan, San Mateo County, San Mateo County Clerk to Supervisors, San Mateo County Harbor District, San Mateo County Manager, San Mateo County News, T. Jack Foster, Tax Payer's Advocate, Uncategorized, Warren Slocum
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors give $350,000 of Measure A money to Samtrans to “Educate the Public”
By Michael G. Stogner & Sarah Navratil
Measure A was promoted to assure the public that Critical Services would continue. We are not sure how giving Jim Hartnett $350,000 to pay for outreach to see what is needed to pass a Tax Measure in November 2018 has to do with critical services. One of the speakers in favor of this terrible idea was Jim Hartnett’s wife, Rosanne Foust representing SAMCEDA. If the Supervisors had any interest in honesty or transparency they would have acknowledged that relationship upfront. SAMTRANS is spending a total of $650,000 for the Education Campaign. This is the same organization that had several accountants meet with the District Attorney’s Office to report that they were ordered to commit fraud, They told the DA where to find $2.5M and he did find it exactly where they said it was. The idea that Taxpayer money would be used against Taxpayers to pass another Tax Measure is typical for San Mateo County. The 2012 Grand Jury warned the public it’s leaders were misleading them, it’s now up to them.
SamTrans has hired two consulting firms to help with outreach and creating a technical as well as stakeholder working groups leading up to the November 2018 election. What’s not in this group is the residents of San Mateo County who will be paying for this and who’s Quality of Life is being destroyed.
Filed under Board of Supervisors, Caltrain, Carole Groom, Dave Canepa, Dave Pine, Don Horsley, High Speed Rail, John Beiers, John Maltbie, Plan Bay Area, San Mateo County, San Mateo County Clerk to Supervisors, San Mateo County Manager, San Mateo County News, Those Who Matter, Victim's Advocate, Warren Slocum
Surf Air to pay $75 per landing at San Carlos Airport.
The Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance this morning effective today charing $75 per landing of commercial flights and also a $10 per night parking fee.
SMCHD Commissioner Sabrina Brennan not allowed to speak as a Private Citizen. Here is the real reason.
Sabrina Brennan has done it again, she has demonstrated that she looks out for the close to 800,000 residents and taxpayers of San Mateo County. She was concerned and she had good reason to be concerned. She was Not allowed to speak as a Private Citizen at the meeting, Here is her letter.
Dear Mayor Gupta, President Mattusch, Mr. Futrell and Mr. McGrath,
I’m concerned about public safety and the safety of Harbor District employees.On Wednesday, Oyster Point Marina fuel system hazards were not discussed during a Special Meeting held at South San Francisco City Hall at 2:00pm. The meeting was specifically about the attached Draft Agreement.The fuel system appears to be in extreme disrepair. As you know the fuel system is located in an area exposed to significant flooding. Please see the attached photo.The public and the unidentified people currently operating the fuel system are unaware of the safety concerns raised in the attached May 26, 2017 Fuel Dock Condition Assessment.For years Drake Marine operated the fuel system at Oyster Point. Jim Drake sub-leased from Oyster Point Development. On Wednesday, I learned from Mike Futrell that the Drake Marine lease has been terminated. However some people are still operating the Fuel System at Oyster Point Marina. I’m not sure who these people are but they don’t appear to work for Oyster Point Development (the current lease holder), the City of South San Francisco, or the SMC Harbor District.Who is providing oversight for the fuel system operation?Yesterday, I learned that the City of South San Francisco has performed a number of Fuel System inspections at Oyster Point. It’s my understanding that the Harbor District requested the inspection reports some time ago and has some of them but not the most recent inspection report. I would like to read all fuel system inspection reports including the most recent report. Please provide them unredacted.Yesterday, I also learned that Steven Miller, general counsel for the Harbor District sent a strongly worded letter regarding concerns about the fuel system at Oyster Point. Please provide Miller’s letter unredacted.Link to related documents: http://sabrinabrennan.com/blog/2017/8/3/fuel-dock-at-oyster-point-marinaSincerely,Sabrina Brennan
Filed under Board of Supervisors, Carole Groom, Dave Canepa, Dave Pine, David Silberman, Don Horsley, John Beiers, John Maltbie, Letters to Editors, Sabrina Brennan, San Mateo County, San Mateo County Harbor District, San Mateo County News, Tax Payer's Advocate, Those Who Matter, Uncategorized, Victim's Advocate, Warren Slocum
