2004 should be an interesting year

Here's the rest of our predictions for 2004.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will find a way to balance the budget, but it will be through methods that seem to be a combination of the policies of former governors Gray Davis and Pete Wilson. The car tax increase will not return, but social services and education will be cut.

However, the economy will begin to take off again in late spring and coffers will begin to fill. Southern California will see the turnaround first since Northern California has more to recover from. City coffers in San Mateo County will still be hurting and more dire cuts will take place. Look for more public safety taxes to hit the ballots. The city of San Mateo will be watching to see how Millbrae's public safety tax fares with voters in May or June before contemplating a measure for November.

Talks will begin about merging fire services between Belmont, San Carlos and San Mateo.

School districts will also face another round of budget cuts and teachers will be laid off. Last year, parcel taxes saved the day, but voters will be turned off by another request for a handout.

Indictments will come down in the BALCO steroid scandal in early February. Victor Conte and Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' personal trainer, will be indicted for selling steroids. Conte will be offered a deal to avoid prison time if he tells authorities who supplied him. Conte will reject the offer and continue to deny all allegations. Bonds' home run record will stand uncontested since there will be no proof he ever took steroids.

San Francisco International Airport will beat out Boston and Virginia to become Virgin USA's new headquarters.

The San Mateo City Council will approve a project to redevelop the Bay Meadows race track into 2.1 million square feet of offices, 1,500 housing units, 100,000 square feet of retail and a 15-acre park.

The California Public Utilities Commission will approve a project to place a new 230 kilovolt power line underground down Trousdale Boulevard in Burlingame.

The Burlingame City Council will reject a plan to build a new 67,000-square-foot Safeway building at Howard Avenue.

The Peninsula Heathcare District will vote in favor of allowing Sutter Health to reconstruct a $400 million medical center on El Camino Real.

There will be no decision on where to rebuild Sequoia Hospital.

Foster City resident Eddie Rapoza will be found guilty of murdering his wife, his daughter and unborn fetus. Rapoza is accused of driving his minivan off a coastal cliff, killing his family. He will not get the death penalty since prosecutors cannot prove that the crime was premeditated.

Seti Scanlan will get the death penalty for the murder of Burlingame bank manager Alice Martel during a robbery in October 2002.

Lousa Mataele will be found guilty of murdering Davinder Singh, a Redwood City cab driver who was shot and killed while working in September. He will not get the death penalty since prosecutors will be unable to prove it was a hate crime.

On the national front, Kobe Bryant will be found not guilty, Scott Peterson will get the death penalty, Martha Stewart will be found guilty and Michael Jackson will serve six months for contributing to the delinquency of a minor (for giving the boy wine).

Howard Dean will win the Democratic nomination for president, followed closely by Dick Gephardt. Dean will choose Wesley Clark to be his running mate and will be defeated by George W. Bush in November.

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