Local Briefs

The first 5,000 new customers who open a FasTrak electronic toll collection account will receive a credit of $15 added to their pre-paid toll balance. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, in its role as the Bay Area Toll Authority, and the California Department of Transportation are urging motorists to sign up for FasTrak and take advantage of the sweetened deal.

Woman saved by smoke alarm

The South County Fire Authority is crediting a smoke alarm and a nearby fire unit on a medical call with saving the life of a Belmont woman yesterday morning.

The two-alarm fire in a married couple's apartment at 2431 Carlmont Drive began around 7:05 a.m. in the couple's microwave, Battalion Chief Richard Price said. The husband had been cooking breakfast in the kitchen before he left for work.

The man's wife woke up to her smoke alarm going off, Price said. Smoke filled the home and fire blocked her exit. Without panicking, the woman contacted the fire department.

"That smoke detector saved her life," Price said.

At the same time, a fire crew was responding to an unrelated medical call in the 2400 block of Carlmont Drive, Price said. The unit heard the call and was able to run across the street to rescue the woman from her balcony.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by 7:30 a.m., Price said. Price estimated that the fire caused approximately $60,000 to the apartment and its contents.

CCCBOS nixes acronyms

The language of politicians and bureaucrats - such as EIR for Environmental Impact Report or RFP for Request for Proposal - has become a mainstay at government meetings.

But the alphabet soup and incessant acronyms that routinely bog down the public's understanding of government may be a thing of the past, or will at least cost $1 a pop in Contra Costa County.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors yesterday voted 5-0 to adopt a new policy that urges all supervisors and county employees to refrain from using acronyms when referring to the multitude of government agencies and procedures that the county deals with.

If a supervisor or county employee reverts to his or her old ways and uses an acronym or abbreviation, they will be asked to voluntarily donate $1 to a charity of the board's choosing.

The policy also refers to all written materials and agenda packets.

"I believe this practice will make the workings of government easier to understand," said Supervisor John Gioia, who introduced the policy to the board yesterday.

"The goal is to encourage all presentations by county staff to the board to be acronym free," he said.

"If we get through a meeting without using acronyms or abbreviations, I'll donate $10 to charity," he said.

In Washington, the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners adopted a similar practice earlier this year.

Democrats plan would bring $28 million for local schools

Public schools in San Francisco and San Mateo counties will gain nearly $28 million in new funds if a bill backed by Assembly Democrats is passed by the Legislature, said Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee, D-San Francisco.

Assembly Republicans voted unanimously against Assembly Bill 6 June 15. The bill would have restored the 10 and 11 percent tax brackets on high income earners that existed during the administrations of former governors Ronald Reagan and Pete Wilson. Needing a two-thirds super-majority for passage, AB 6 failed on a 46-32 party line vote.

AB 6, if approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, would provide an additional $2.2 billion in funding for California's K-14 education system by increasing the income tax rates on California's wealthiest taxpayers. Ongoing funding provided by AB 6 would total $1.3 billion to school districts and community colleges and another $900 million in one-time funding.

Assembly Democrats plan to bring the bill up for another vote later this session.

Additional funding available to local school districts under AB 6:

· San Bruno Park Elementary $583,503

· San Mateo Union High $1,159,098

· San Mateo-Foster City Elem. $1,662,613

· Jefferson Elementary $1,641,109

· Sequoia Union High $1,070,309

· Jefferson Union High $1,063,487

· South San Francisco Unified $1,774,897

· Belmont-Redwood Shores $486,917

· Burlingame Elementary $365,337

· Menlo Park City Elementary $253,778

· Cabrillo Unified $755,852

· Portola Valley Elementary $168,545

· Hillsborough City Elementary $218,496

· Ravenswood City Elementary $729,782

· La Honda-Pescadero Unified $91,659

· Redwood City Elementary $1,163,557

· Millbrae Elementary $363,227

· San Carlos Elementary $172,374

· Laguna Salada Union $558,276

· Sequoia Union High $1,070,309