Things To Know: Speak Up - Project Tomorrow Survey - Take It!

Things To Know: Coats For Kids Give Away; Take School Survey

FEATURE SUBJECT:  Speak Up – Project Tomorrow Survey –

“Speak Up” is the annual research project conducted by Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit group that collects and reports on the views of K-12 students, teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders on 21st education and technology.  This email is to encourage you to participate in this optional, but extremely valuable survey.  The purpose is gather data in the formulation of gaining a greater level of insight from all stakeholders.

The online survey is open to students, educators, parents, and other stakeholders. The survey has been translated for parents into Spanish.  It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.  You will find multiple choice and open-ended questions.  All information is 100% confidential.  Take the survey by following the instructions below:

1.        Go to www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013

2.       Select the appropriate survey

3.       Select your state

4.       Enter your school name

*5.  If using this activity as a teachable opportunity, students will be required to enter in the “secret” word:  Excellence Together (case sensitive)

“Speak Up” is open for input between now and December 20th. 

Every participating school and district receives free online access to their own participant data in February, 2014 including the national and state data for comparison.  “Speak Up” provides national data for “benchmarking.  Additionally, Project Tomorrow shares the nationally aggregated data with Congress, the US Department of Education, research organizations, and many state governments.

San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program:  Hallo-green Tips

From where we sit, there’s nothing scarier than litter. Here are a few ways to make sure you have a green Halloween:

1. Decorate with nature using straw bales and pumpkins instead of plastic decorations, which often can’t be recycled and turn into litter.

2. Make your own reusable decorations. Old bed sheets become ghoulish ghosts and tattered flannel shirts can be stuffed to make a spooky scarecrow.

3. Choose decorations that you can hang year after year. Avoid decorations that are too light and can blow away and become litter.

4. Stay away from Styrofoam gravestones! Styrofoam breaks into tiny pieces over time and it’s very hard to recover if it enters waterways. Last Halloween, it took a volunteer more than two hours to remove a Styrofoam gravestone from a local creek.

5. Don’t drop those candy wrappers. They’re one of the top five items collected during cleanup events in San Mateo County.  For more information about cleanup events, go to flowstobay.org/litter and sign up for our calendar too

Be safe and have fun!

Follow us on Social Media @flowstobay

2000 Alameda de las Pulgas, Suite 100
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: (650) 372-6200
Email: pollutionprevention@smcgov.org
Website: http://www.flowstobay.org/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/flowstobay
Twitter: www.twitter.com/flowstobay
Instagram: @flowstobay

Sunday, November 3rd -  The San Bruno Chamber and West Coast Farmers Market on San Mateo Avenue between Jennevein and Sylvan between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Additional details:  588-0180

Coats for Kids

Sponsored by: Recology San Bruno and the City of San Bruno

Coat Give Away Day

Date & Time:           Thursday, November 21st, 4:00-7:00pm

Where:                   National Guard Armory, 455 3rd Avenue

All are Welcome! Limit ONE coat per person. Children MUST be present to receive a coat.

*      California National Guard                                       

*     Our Wonderful Volunteers

*      San Bruno Residents and Businesses                     

*     San Bruno Donation Sites

Volunteer at Coat Give Away Day!

Would you like to help children and their families find a new warm coat for the winter?

Please contact Recology San Bruno at 650-583-8536 for more information.

In addition to reading the San Bruno Patch on line, the Peninsula Progress is available in hard copy with additional useful information.  I hope you pick up copies, subscribe, and support their advertisers.  San Bruno CAN support both medias.

The Peninsula Progress

1001 Bayhill Drive # 200

San Bruno, CA 94066

Editorial:  650-219-4313

Circulation: 650-219-4057

Advertising: 650-616-4090

Victoria Monroe – Owner, Editor, Publisher

Subscriptions: $16.00 annually

The Peninsula Progress can be picked up FREE in SAN BRUNO at:

City Hall

Sam’s Barber Shop

Carma Hair

Recreation Center

Denise’s Laundry

IHOP

Police Station

J and Di Laundry

UPS Store

Library

Starbucks

Rolling Pin Donuts

Camino Corner

Costa’s Just Things

Jack’s

Don Pico’s

San Bruno Chamber

Russo Dental

Café’ Grillades

Molly Stone’s

Shari’s

Big Joe’s

Grand Leader Market

White Ivey Pet Hospital

Never Too Latte

7 – Eleven

Kaiser Medical Offices

Skyline College

San Bruno Senior Center

This writer submits a column for each issue.  The Peninsula Progress is a small twice a month actual paper newspaper carrying information of value to the local residents, much of which is not available in other newspapers and easily found on line.  This paper needs YOUR support.

Mondays, Tuesdays, & Wednesdays – Homework Center – 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Thursdays – 1:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  The Homework Center is a free, drop-in program for students in grades K-8. Students and parents must sign a registration form before a student attends. The Homework Center provides students with computers to complete assignments, access to online tutoring and an atmosphere conducive to studying, as well as homework help as time permits. It is recommended that parents of children younger than 10 years old remain in the library building while the child is at the Center. The Homework Center does not provide after-school-care or one-on-one tutoring. For more information about the Homework Center, contact the library at 650-616-7078.

Monday November 11th – Veterans Day – City Offices Closed

Monday, November 18th -   Senator Hill Calls Nov. 18 Hearing on Safety and the California Public Utilities Commission

New Report Highlights CPUC Weaknesses in Safety Oversight, Questions Agency Priorities

Jerry Hill Calls November 18 Hearing

The California Senate’s Subcommittee on Gas and Electric Infrastructure Safety released a report this week criticizing the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC’s) lack of progress on safety since the September 2010 natural gas explosion in San Bruno that killed eight and destroyed 38 homes.  The report, “Slow Progress in Safety Regulation: Improving Priorities and Safety Plans of the California Public Utilities Commission,” finds that the CPUC’s priorities do not include safety, that safety isn’t adequately considered in utility proposals for rate increases, and that the CPUC’s safety enforcement programs are in disarray. Senator Jerry Hill, chair of the subcommittee, has called a hearing on November 18 to discuss the report with the CPUC.

Included in the report are criticisms that the CPUC has:

• Ignored safety in its recent decision to bill customers potentially billions of dollars for new energy storage projects despite recent high-profile accidents.  
• Walked away without follow-up after completing safety audits of PG&E, even when PG&E has challenged its conclusions.
• Not produced an annual report on gas and electric safety for any years after 2009.
• Dragged its feet in investigating fatal electrocutions, failing to finish investigations in the deaths of a San Mateo man when a power line fell in his front yard a year and a half ago and of three San Bernardino residents when another power line fell in their backyard nearly three years ago.

The report finds that commissioners must take a greater role in prioritizing safety and ensuring that the CPUC’s actions and operations reflect this priority. Furthermore, the report finds that the commissioners have sent the wrong message by ceding safety responsibility to CPUC management staff. Specifically, the report recommends that the CPUC:

• Develop plans to implement safety measures that include goals, actions to meet those goals, and metrics to gauge success.
• Consider safety-related findings, developed through a risk analysis, in making decisions.
• Develop a system for tracking its directives to utilities so that it can follow up to make sure the utilities follow CPUC orders. 

Hill, in a letter to Senate Energy Committee Chair Alex Padilla, observed that the CPUC “simply is not organized for success” and “appears to be a year behind where it should be.”  Despite the weaknesses in CPUC leadership, Hill finds “reason to be hopeful” in the talent and dedication of the agency’s staff. 

View the report here.

View Hill’s letter to Senator Padilla here.

The report was released Monday following Hill’s subcommittee hearing, “Improving Safety Communication Among Cities, Utilities and CPUC” in which the cities of San Bruno, San Carlos, and Burlingame discussed their concerns with Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s outreach efforts. These concerns were raised anew with the court-ordered shutdown of a high pressure natural gas line running through San Carlos. View a webcast of the hearing here. Hearing materials can be found here.  

Leslie Guevarra

Office of State Senator Jerry Hill

Office: 650-212-3313

Cell: 415-298-3404

Friday, November 22nd:  FREE International Business Seminar and Resource Expo

Learn about building a successful business through international trade from experts and exhibitors and discover opportunities in foreign trade at the International Business Seminar and Resource Expo.

Date/Time:
Friday, November 22, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Location:
San Mateo Event Center
1346 Saratoga Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94403
Parking: 10 dollars (cash only)

REGISTER NOW! No cost to attend.
Online at: www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/sbf.htm
Or by phone: 1-888-847-9652

To view the full invitation: www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pdf/International_Seminar_11-22-13_web.pdf

For a preview of the agenda: www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/pdf/AGENDA_International_Business_Seminar_and_Resource_Expo.pdf

Space is limited. Reservations recommended.

CONTINUING EVENT NEEDING YOUR SUPPORT:

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties

Who We Are

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger. Since its inception in 1974, Second Harvest has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to an average of nearly one quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies, and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need. Nearly half of the food distributed is fresh produce. Second Harvest also plays a leading role in promoting federal nutrition programs and educating families on how to make healthier food choices.

What We Do

In fiscal year 2013 (July 2012 - June 2013), we distributed nearly 52 million pounds of nutritious food to low-income people in need in every zip code of our service area from Daly City to Gilroy, and from the ocean to the bay.

We provide food efficiently through our innovative direct-service programs (see below) and by collaborating with a network of more than 300 partner non-profit agencies operating at 740 different food distribution sites. Partner agencies include shelters, pantries, soup kitchens, children's programs, senior meal sites, and residential programs.

Throughout the fiscal year, volunteers contributed nearly 310,000 hours of service, which saved us $6.2 million in equivalent personnel costs.

Who We Serve

During the fiscal year, we served an average of more than 253,000 people per month. The majority of people we serve are seniors and low-income families with children.

Food Bank Programs

Second Harvest operates direct service programs for seniors, families with children, and individuals:

·        Family Harvest provides monthly food assistance to low-income families with children.

·        Brown Bag provides weekly food assistance to low-income seniors.

·        Kids NOW (Nutrition on Weekends) provides children ages 6-18 with an assortment of food items to take home every Friday.

·        Partners in Need (PIN) provides weekly food assistance to low-income Food Bank volunteers.

·        Produce Mobile delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income households with limited access to community markets.

·        Mobile Pantry delivers food to geographically-isolated communities and those with limited services.

We also help individuals find food assistance programs, learn about proper nutrition, and gain access to resources available to them:

·        Food Connection Hotline connects callers to multilingual operators who refer them to local food assistance programs.

·        Nutrition Education provides nutrition, health, and food safety workshops to agencies and clients.

·        Food Stamp Outreach helps eligible households apply for food stamps and receive benefits within days.

Curtner Center

750 Curtner Avenue, San Jose CA 95125
Using a GPS? Be sure to choose SAN JOSE when you type in the address!
Printable Directions | Google Maps

Phone: (408) 266-8866
Fax: (408) 266-9042

Regular Business Office Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Cypress Center

4001 North 1st Street, San Jose CA 95134
Printable Directions | Google Maps

Phone: (408) 266-8866
Fax: (408) 266-9042

Regular Business Office Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Bing Center

1051 Bing Street, San Carlos, CA 94070
Printable Directions | Google Maps

Phone: (650) 610-0800
Fax: (650) 610-0808

Regular Business Office Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.

San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District:

The San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District continues to remind all residents to continue to dump all standing water, so there are fewer possible locations where mosquitoes may breed.

Questions or concerns about how the District is working to prevent mosquito breeding and to curtail the possible spread of WNV can be obtained by contacting District Manager Robert Gay at 650-344-8952.  Additional info:  http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/index.html   The District’s Monthly Report is posted here: http://www.smcmad.org/entomology_reports.htm  Select the month of interest.  The reports are usually uploaded the month after the cover date.  Usually there is no August report and sometimes there is no November report.  Questions on items in the reports should be directed to District Manager Robert Gay 344-8592.  Mr. Gay is available to speak to your group or organization on the District’s programs.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS:

Sunday October 27th the San Bruno Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with their WCFMA's Sunday Farmers Market on San Mateo Avenue between Jenevein and Sylvan between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. held its 3rd Annual Trick or Treating along the Avenue and thru the Farmers Market.  Chamber CEO Jamie Monozon dressed the part and reports that over 70 participated in the event.  A couple of photos attached.

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