Reporters' Notebook

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Brisbane Mayor Sepi Richardson was one of 19 Republican California mayors who sent an open letter to state leaders, asking them to keep local funds local. Borrowing local funds — money that pays for law enforcement, fire protection and street maintenance — to balance the budget is "outrageous,” according to the letter. The groups of leaders instead favor reducing the size of government and implore leaders to "keep local revenues local — where the voters believe they belong.”

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Talk about making work for oneself: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was busy Monday putting out flames at the Stanford Linear Accelerator. The only hitch is that CDF workers are the ones who allegedly started the fire when sparks from their equipment ignited clippings.

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Olympics fans won’t have to buy a ticket to Beijing to check out the 2008 opening ceremonies. Redwood City is transforming downtown into the Beijing Night Market on Friday, Aug. 8, complete with vendors echoing a real Chinese marketplace and a free "lucky draw” with a variety of Olympic souvenirs for lucky winners. The Olympic telecast begins live at 8:08 p.m. at the Courthouse Square.

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The San Mateo County Environmental Quality Committee had one small technical problem when Supervisor Rich Gordon wanted to give public speakers two-and-a-half minutes to offer views on proposed watershed protection recommendations — the timer used only allowed whole numbers. Gordon’s solution was to set the time to two minutes with the assumption speakers would go over.

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Each month, the San Carlos Youth Center holds a drive for something to benefit others in need. This month, the center is seeking used and new books. Next month, the drive is for household appliances. Items can be brought to the Youth Center at 1001 Chestnut St. in San Carlos. For more information call 802-4471.

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The Peninsula Young Democrats is hosting "Passing the Torch: Raising the Dough 2.0,” a fundraising training to organize people to raise $250,000 for the Barack Obama campaign. The event features Democratic leaders such as Obama’s campaign co-chair and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris and 2004 Kerry-Edwards Campaign Finance Chair Mark Gorenberg. Preregistration is required at peninsulayd.org or 283-5625 and a $10 donation is asked. The training is 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 24 at campaign headquarters, 628 El Camino Real, San Carlos.

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The Cargill Saltworks’ 50/50 balanced plan has itself more support from nine organization who announced their endorsements for the idea to use half the 1,433-acre property for development and half for open space. The newest backers are the Bay Area Gardeners Association, Redwood City National Little League, Redwood City Girls Softball League, Sequoia Hospital Community Advisory Council, Bair Island Aquatic Center, Canada 4-H Club, Casa de Redwood, Highlanders Little League and Kainos.

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Here’s a promotion worth drinking to — Refuge, the wine-pastrami bar in downtown San Carlos, is offering a complimentary glass of Belgian ale De Koninck with the purchase of one entree during lunchtime hours through Aug. 9.

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It’s a good week for former Burlingame-based Virgin America Inc. CEO Fred Reid who landed a job running private aviation companies Skyjet and Flexjet.

Reid will start as president of the Dallas-based companies Aug. 25. Replacing Reid, the former Delta Air Lines Inc. president hired by British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of London-based Virgin Atlantic Airways, was a requirement set by the Department of Transportation to allow Virgin America to take flight.

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Burlingame Mayor Rosalie O’Mahony had an interesting comment after Councilwoman Cathy Baylock expressed concerns about tall buildings meshing with the smaller, quaint feeling structures already in the downtown.

"Well, it’s just like having big dogs next to small dogs,” she said. "They’ll just need to get along.”

The reporters’ notebook is a weekly collection of facts culled from the notebooks of the Daily Journal staff. It appears in the Thursday edition.