Candidates for Harbor District float new ideas

To read the full article please visit the Daily Journal website.

by Michelle Durand

September 20, 2010

Brennan credits her love of her Moss Beach area home with growing up on the Gulf of Mexico. After moving from San Francisco, she became involved with county issues like the Charter Review Committee and joined the Midcoast Community Council because the unincorporated area had no cities. She planned to run for the commission in two years, but after learning of one open seat, pulled together the paperwork in a day. That enthusiasm and energy is what she’ll bring to the position, she said.

Brennan thinks she’s been automatically labeled as no-growth but said it’s a wrong assumption. An example is Pillar Point — she’s not against a new administrative building but first wants to see a wider plan that possibly renovates the entire area and provides cohesion rather than a Frankenstein-like approach to facilities. Visitors gravitate to newer buildings while harbor business is overlooked because it hasn’t kept up with the views and services tourists expect, she said.

She is also quite in favor of a restaurant at Oyster Point to serve the commuters and other businesses like Genentech.

Plans for both may be conceptual but Brennan said  it’s time to step it up because “the terminal is coming soon.”

She wants to pull good planning ideas from San Francisco and embrace suggestions for transit and planning.

Aside from new opportunities, Brennan also wants to revisit those already existing like fishing and see how to keep it afloat.

“This area has changed and the fishing industry has changed and something has to be done to keep it viable,” she said.

While Brennan is certain she’s the best fit for the commission, she believes all the candidates have the district’s best interests at heart.

“Whoever wins will be a good thing,” she said.

Endorsements for Harbor Commissioner

Tonight I received an endorsement from Senator Leland Yee, PhD at the Filipino American Coalition forum in Colma.

This week I received the endorsment of the San Mateo County Democratic Party.

Last week I was honored to receive an endorsement from the National Women's Political Caucus and the Sierra Club.

Individual endorsements include:

• Diane Howard, past Mayor of Redwood City and Water Transit Advocate
• Dr. Steven Howard, Redwood City Water Transit Advocate
• Dave Pine, Board President, San Mateo Union High School District
• Richard W. Holober, San Mateo County Community College Trustee
• Gina Papan, Mayor and City Councilwoman of Millbrae
• Duncan Maclean, President, Half Moon Bay Fishermen's Marketing Association
• Steve Truso, 29 years of Commercial Fishing from wild fisheries, El Granada
• Roy Salume, past member of the San Mateo County Grand Jury
• Deborah Ruddock, Legislative Affairs Coordinator at State Coastal Conservancy
• Chris Mickelsen, President, Coastside County Water District
• Lee and Tom Fernandez, Redwood Shores

New Campaign Artwork

Artwork by Maria Forde

Ferry Service is Coming Soon to the Harbor District

A ferry terminal at Oyster Point Marina is scheduled to open in 2011.

The following information was published in the July 2010 issue of the Urbanist and on the SPUR website.

In the event of a major earthquake Ferry Service would help transport people who currently use either BART or Bay Area bridges.

Image: Collapsed section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

If most or all major rail and highway links are disrupted, especially from the East and North Bay, a major upgrade in ferry service would be required. All existing and possible temporary landings would be employed on all shores. We would need to:

• Radically increase ferry service (additional docks would be needed, particularly at the downtown San Francisco Ferry Building)
• Add new routes of service. Some options include Richmond, Benicia and Redwood City, to spread the passenger load to new docks along existing San Francisco to Oakland routes
• Reroute bus lines from rail and highway networks to new ferry landings
• Add non-Bay Area ferry boats 

FERRIES: SOLUTIONS BY TIMEFRAME

ACTION ITEM	RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES
Inventory existing ferry fleets, commercial fleets, and ferry fleets at nearby cities (Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver), to assess whether each fleet would be able to adapt to current ferry landings. In the inventory, indicate a tier of different boat sizes and capacity.	WETA
Establish official disaster mutual aid agreements with other ferry operators so that the other ferry providers would be ready to offer some of their ferries to relieve the city in case of a disaster. Nearby boat and ferry agencies should be contacted first. Because some ferries may be seaworthy, cities at greater distances that would require an ocean journey for the ferry to reach the Bay Area also should be considered, but using ferries from some of these cities would present additional challenges: Los Angeles Seattle (nearby, but most ferries probably too big for docks in San Francisco) Vancouver (nearby, but some ferries probably too big and others too small for docks in San Francisco) In case of a catastrophic disaster in which most bridges collapse, other areas should be considered: New York City, Hong Kong, Sydney, Istanbul, Boston, Norway, Long Island Sound, Nova Scotia, Alaska The main challenge with ferry systems outside the Bay Area is that many of their boats are either too small to travel long distances to San Francisco, or are too big for San Francisco and other Bay Area docks. For those with larger ferries, only long-term solutions like building more docks could allow large ferries such as those in Vancouver, Seattle and New York to function in San Francisco.	WETA
Consider preparing docks and ferry landings that could accommodate larger vessels. Many of the San Francisco piers may be able to take a large ferry, including the cruise ship terminal. However, such landings may not exist on other, smaller properties. Consider funding the development of new terminals as long as further ferry fleet development is environmentally smart and economically viable. The Water Emergency Transportation Authority would be in charge.	WETA
Inventory existing Bay Area landings: boat landings at marinas, ports and ramps that could be easily adapted for ferries, should be researched and developed. Some landings could be adapted ahead of time, while others could be altered after a disaster to accommodate water taxis and larger ferry vehicles.	WETA
AFTER THE DISASTER: MANAGING THE MID-TERM
Increase ferry service where necessary	Caltrans, VTA
Consider adding water taxi services where possible and economically viable. Ferry landings could be added at sites that may not normally be viable for regular ferry services but would be critical in a disaster.	Caltrans
Reroute bus services to ferry landings if many or most links are disrupted. Ferry landings will also need large parking lots nearby and shuttle service from the parking lots to the ferry landing. Such parking lots include shopping centers, racetracks, empty lots, parks and universities.	Caltrans, MTC, local government
Source: SPUR analysis

New face coming to San Mateo County Harbor Commission

 San Mateo County Times  by Julia Scott, Sept 1, 2010 

Brennan said Pillar Point Harbor...already has everything needed to attract visitors: kayaking, coastal trails and excellent surfing. And most people know that during Dungeness crab season, fishermen sell fresh crab right off their boats.

Brennan would like to use social media to advertise the harbor's fresh catch of the day and update the district's website to make it more marketing-driven. She also suggested adding a coupon for a local business to the receipt boaters get when they use the boat launch at Pillar Point.

"It would be simple and easy to do," Brennan said.