Week in review

The downtown San Mateo post office once held office space for Leo Ryan before he was a congressman. It was a place the then-assemblyman learned more about the people he represented for more than a decade.

The post office was officially renamed in his honor Monday, 30 years after he was shot to death on a Guyana tarmac and more than 900 followers of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple committed suicide nearby.

The honor was the work of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, who, as Ryan’s political aide, was seriously injured in the attack.

Speier, D-San Mateo, started her venture into politics as a high school volunteer for Ryan’s campaign. Naming the post office after Ryan is a fitting tribute to a "consummate civil servant,” Speier told a crowd gathered in front of the post office Monday morning.

On Nov. 18, 1978, Ryan paid the ultimate price for his unwavering quest for the truth. While on a fact-finding mission to the jungles of Guyana, he and a coalition of staff members and press were gunned down on an airstrip near Jonestown by members of the People’s Temple.

Board tackles vacancy plans

The Board of Supervisors will only call a special election to replace Supervisor Jerry Hill, recently elected to the state Assembly, if it does find an appropriate candidate among those applying for an appointment.

The board opted for the two-pronged approach Tuesday in hopes of avoiding a special election which is estimated to cost upwards of $1.6 million if it is the only item on the ballot.

A special election could be held March 3, any Tuesday during the month of April or June 2 with any state measures, said County Counsel Mike Murphy.

A state election would help defray the cost but there is no guarantee one will be held and the county might not know the answer by the time it needs to make a decision about filling the vacancy, Murphy said.

The approved plan doesn’t preclude an election but lets the board move forward immediately with a possible appointment, said Supervisor Rich Gordon.

"It allows us to keep all options on the table,” Gordon said.

Unlicensed contracting sting nabs 22

Twenty-two unlicensed contractors bid on home improvement jobs valued at more than $500 during a two-day sting last week, the District Attorney’s Office announced this week.

The problem with using an unlicensed contractor is they may perform substandard work or abandon jobs, rarely have workers compensation and if hurt on the job may come after homeowners for cover medical expenses, according to John Wilson, the prosecutor in charge of the Consumer and Environmental Unit.

The 22 contractors were either arrested or issued citations in the undercover bust held last Thursday and Friday at homes in Belmont and Menlo Park.

Crab season starts with a whimper

The beginning of crab season was as bad — or worse — than fishermen expected.

Fishermen were returning to harbor with an average of one to three crabs per pot Saturday. In normal seasons, fishermen haul in approximately 15 crabs per pot.

The haul confirms what everyone was already fearing — that in a common occurrence, crab did not settle in the area this year, said Duncan MacLean, president of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Association.

The low crab count already has some fishermen selling crab for $5 to $5.50 per pound straight off their boats. MacLean said selling the crab at a price too high for the public could actually hurt more than it helps.

For fishermen, it is a balancing act between earning enough money to meet their bottom line and pricing the crab at a rate that attracts customers, MacLean said.