Week in review

The San Mateo County Harbor District Commission will likely search nationwide for a new harbormaster with more managerial experience than the longtime position holder who departed earlier this month, the commission vice president this week.

The district, which includes both Pillar Point and Oyster Point harbors, has a lot of projects on its plate in the future including the new operation of the Maverick’s surf competition and possible construction of a new office complex.

The commission will receive a scope of employment from General Manager Peter Grenell at its Oct. 5 meeting and Tucker anticipates the description will more specifically spell out that desire for management experience.

Former harbormaster Robert Johnson resigned from his post in mid-September although Tucker said the exit was more akin to retirement after 30-odd years of service under his belt.

Johnson, 59, began as harbormaster at Oyster Point Marina in 1989 and added Pillar Point Harbor in January 2010 after its harbormaster, Dan Temko, retired. The district chose not to replace Temko as a cost-savings measure.

Builders donate big to college bond effort

Campaign contribution filings due Thursday showed more than $250,000 was donated to the effort to pass a $564 million community college bond measure — mostly from those in the building industry — but so far the campaign has spent practically nothing.

Other school measures also showed financial support. Donations from groups supporting three local school measures — the San Mateo County Community College District bond measure, a $30 million bond measure for the Millbrae Elementary School District and a $76 annual parcel tax benefiting Burlingame schools — showed lots of financial support. Bond measures could mean new and updated facilities while a parcel tax would raise funds for programs.

Supporters of the community college district bond, Measure H, raised $251,641 thus far this year, $117,500 of which was collected since July 1. Among the donations are: $1,000 from Flad and Associates, Inc. from Madison, Wis.; $2,500 from Q Builders, Inc. in Palo Alto; $25,000 from Hansel Phelps in San Jose; $5,000 from InterMountain Electric Co. in San Carlos; $50,000 from Robert Bothman, Inc. in San Jose; $2,500 from Blach Construction in Santa Clara; $25,000 from Swinerton Management and Consulting, Inc. in San Francisco; $5,000 from CIS, Inc. in Pacifica; and $1,500 from Sugimura, Finny Architecture in San Jose. Only $205 was spent so far this year.

County passes $1.75B budget

The Board of Supervisors Tuesday signed off on a roughly $1.75 billion budget that includes using $11 million for a variety of one-time needs like upgrading its chambers, helping employees relocate and installing information kiosks throughout the county.

The fiscal year 2011-12 budget adopted by the Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting is increased from the tentative budget crafted in June. The changes include $47.7 million in final adjustments and $5.1 million in September revisions. Of the adjustments, $19.2 million will be added to reserves and the remaining $18.7 million used for one-time needs.

The one-time expenses include $11 million in non-departmental ERAF reserves for a laundry list of items, such as $110,000 to modernize Board Chambers with tablets and docking stations and better audio. The budget also includes $4.87 million for information technology projects, $43,000 for countywide information kiosks, $739,085 to operate the recently acquired Circle Star properties and $2.3 million for the June 2012 primary election.

ERAF, shorthand for Educational Revenue Augmentation Funds, is money collected for schools by the state. The excess after meeting funding mandates can be used by the county for other needs.

Altogether, the budget changes mean an increase in net county costs of $414,034.

Obama visits Bay Area

President Barack Obama said Monday that the optimism and forward-looking attitudes in Silicon Valley are what can help steer the American economy away from recession and get people back to work.

Obama took questions on health care, Social Security, job-training programs, taxes and business regulations during an hour-long, town-hall-style meeting hosted by LinkedIn, the career-oriented social networking site.

Looking out over the enthusiastic, high-tech crowd at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Obama said, "what you see is ... a belief that if you have a good idea, and you want to put in the sweat and blood and tears to make it happen, that not only can you succeed for yourself but grow the economy for everybody.”

"It’s that driving spirit that has made America an economic superpower,” Obama said.

His appearance at the LinkedIn event followed a series of fundraisers Sunday on the West Coast and more deeply entrenched him among the high tech movers and shakers of the area. He did a town hall at Facebook earlier this year and sent his first tweet from the White House over the summer.