From the archives

The Redwood City POA voted in favor a new three-year contract to provide vision and dental coverage and a raise equivalent to 8 percent, covering two years of salary freezes. It also adjusted the compensation formula the city used each year to determine whether the department is being paid like other similarly sized cities.

New airline cuts British influence

Virgin America planned to cut the power of its British counterpart Virgin Group to meet federal regulations barring the company from taking off, the company said in a comprehensive reply to DOT concerns about ownership the week of Jan. 20, 2007.

The U.S. Department of Transportation in December 2006 tentatively denied the Burlingame-based company rights to operate until it could prove 75 percent of the company is owned or controlled by U.S. citizens. A response issued the week of Jan. 20, 2007 made key changes downplaying the power of the U.K.-based Virgin Group. Local leaders joined in the company’s letter writing effort to allow the company to take to the sky.

Under federal law, a U.S. airline must prove that the president, two-thirds of the board of directors and at least 75 percent of the voting interest are made up of U.S. citizens. The DOT questioned Virgin America’s close ties to the U.K.-based Virgin Group.

City to tackle global warming

The San Mateo City Council took the first step the week of Jan. 20, 2007 toward an ambitious goal of reducing the effects of global warming by considering a plan that would create a special green ribbon committee and set up new regulations for green policies.

Members of the Sierra Club, Unitarian Universalists and the League of Woman Voters urged the council to pursue green policy and create a special green ribbon task force to spearhead the effort. The council ultimately directed city staff to draft a report on ways San Mateo can realistically encourage energy efficiency without breaking the bank.

Parks to get $6.2M makeover

A $6.2 million makeover of Sugarloaf Mountain and Laurelwood Park was approved the week of Jan. 20, 2007 by the San Mateo City Council, ending years of planning for the highly regarded open space.

Laurelwood Park and Sugarloaf Mountain make up the 225-acre property nestled in the hills on the west side of the city. Laurelwood Park sits at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain with not much more than some footpaths, the outdated playground and a soppy field. A plan years in the making would upgrade paths, pave some for disability access, upgrade a play area and create rest rooms at Laurelwood Park.

The city changed the plans based on resident concerns about how trails are routed up the steep Sugarloaf Mountain.

From the archives highlights stories originally printed five years ago this week. It appears in the Thursday edition of the Daily Journal.from