From the archives

The Federal Communication Commission ruled that KCSM would have to pay $15,000 for airing a program on the blues that featured profanity, and the San Mateo County Community College District decided it would fight the ruling the week of March 25, 2006.

The FCC fined KCSM, the College of San Mateo’s educational television station, for airing the entire documentary, "The Blues: Godfathers and Sons” between 8:42 p.m. and 9:32 p.m. on March 11, 2004. The prerecorded series was provided by the Public Broadcasting System and contained numerous obscenities, including the f-word, the s-word and various derivatives of those words.

Portables for Summit High

Redwood High’s dreams of staying put came true the week of March 25, 2006, as Summit Preparatory High was handed yet another plan for a new home for the next school year.

Summit was handed its plans for a new home that week as the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to keep Redwood at its current location and move Summit into portables on the Sequoia High campus.

It was all apologies from board members who recognized the emotional roller coaster the ever-changing plans have caused the three high schools over the previous year. When estimated costs for the latest plans ballooned from $1.5 million to $8.5 million, the school district decided on a new plan which would save money with the promise of continuing to look for a permanent home for the charter school.

Half Moon Bay

fire chief resigns

A day after telling officials he thought the Half Moon Bay Fire Department should be disbanded, Interim Fire Chief Pete Bonanos announced his resignation from the top coastside position the week of March 25, 2006.

That week, Bonanos told the Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District Board of Directors it should consider turning all fire services over to another agency. The fire department was fraught with problems associated with the firefighters’ union, management and its ability to provide adequate services.

Bonanos also said morale is low and a number of employees have quit, retired or were searching for jobs in other agencies.

Race track sues city

The Bay Meadows Land Company filed a lawsuit against the city of San Mateo the week of March 25, 2006 hoping to nullify a referendum petition aimed at preventing the development of its 83.5-acre race track.

The lawsuit argued the city failed to meet basic state election laws by allowing Friends of Bay Meadows to recirculate an incomplete referendum petition. If a San Mateo County judge ruled in favor of Bay Meadows, the referendum would be invalidated.

Bay Meadows filed a similar complaint the previous month when it asked a judge to include it in a lawsuit filed by Friends of Bay Meadows against the city and the San Mateo County Elections Office. Friends of Bay Meadows claimed about 150 votes were tallied incorrectly, causing their petition to fail. The judge refused Bay Meadows’ request and told the company it must argue its case in a separate lawsuit.

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