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Tuesday
 Jan.28, 2014
Vol XIII,Edition 140
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TATEOFTHEUNION
NATION PAGE 7
 
CSM BASEBALLBEGINS TODA
SPORTS PAGE 11
POLL:NEGATIVE VIEWOF HEATH CARE EASES
HEALTH PAGE 19
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO FOCUS ON WHAT’S ACTUALLYACHIEVABLE
By Angela Swartz
DAILY JOURNAL STAFF
Longtime San Mateo city man-ager Arne Croce is now sharinghis time helping get the corrup-tion-ridden city of Bell back on itsfeet.Croce, who has 35 years of experience as a city manager,served as SanMateo’s citymanager for 18years beforegoing on toother roles,which includedhis position asinterim citymanager of Bell. He recently spoke to theRotary Club of San Mateo abouthis experiences with the city,which experienced several yearsof misappropriation of publicfunds by eight city officials.Former city manager Robert Rizzoand his assistant siphoned off more than $6.7 million before thepublic scandal emerged in the sum-mer of 2010. “It’s the first time I’ve been ableto talk about Bell since the storyhas concluded,” said Croce, 62,who spent 10 months rehabilitat-ing Bell. “The justice system hasrun its course.”The officials in the small LosAngeles County city were con-victed of their crimes in 2013.Sentencing is still being awaitedfor some though. The case wasdescribed as “corruption onsteroids.” Councilmembersreceived “special compensation”for heading districts and pensionswere enriched.“I had just celebrated my 60th
Lessons learned from scandal-plagued Bell
Former San Mateo city manager helped rebuild city dismantled of civic system’
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — AHouse planto make major cuts to food stampswould be scaled back under a bipar-tisan agreement on a massive farmbill, a near end to a more than two-year fight that has threatened tohurt rural lawmakers in an electionyear.The measure announced Mondayby the House and SenateAgriculture committees preservesfood stamp benefits for mostAmericans who receive them andcontinues generous subsidies forfarmers. The House was expectedto vote on the bill Wednesday,with the Senate following shortlyafter.The compromise was expectedto cut food stamps by about $800million a year, or around 1 per-cent. The House in September
House findscompromiseon farm bill
Deal would cut food stamps by $800M ayear,continue generous farm subsidies
Arne Croce
 MICHELLE DURAND/DAILY JOURNAL
Dean Peterson,the county’s director of environmental health,talks about the highlights of his 25 years with thedepartment as he readies to retire in March.
By Michelle Durand
DAILY JOURNAL STAFF
Two weeks was all DeanPeterson needed to figure out atheart he’s a public servant.That was how long the county’scurrent director of environmentalhealth spent at a private consult-ing firm before realizing he pre-ferred his former spot with SanMateo County. Less than fourweeks after saying goodbye,Peterson was back in the spotwhere he’d rise through the ranksand come March retire.“I prefer developing policyrather than following it,”Peterson said, sitting in his SanMateo office surrounded by theaccouterments of a job that coversneeds as diverse as restaurant codeenforcement, hazardous wastecleanup and, most recently,checking radiation spikes on the
Environmental health director retiring
Dean Petersons career full of new challenges,surprises
By Samantha Weigel
DAILY JOURNAL STAFF
AFoster City councilman ispushing for action on pedestriansafety after a 17-year-old girl wasseriously injured by a car in anintersection early Friday morning. “Foster City is a family-centriccity. It’s a walkable and bikeablecommunity, and it’s meant to be,”said Foster CityCouncilmanHerb Perez. “I’mmaking this mypersonal cause.I will absolutelysee somethingthere becausethe amount of complaints we
Safety in questionafter injury collision
Foster City councilman wantsadditional measures in place
Herb Perez
See
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Police say shooting suspect used baby as shield
LOS ANGELES — Agunman used hisbaby son as a shield while he fired atdeputies, who did not return fire untilafter the man’s ex-girlfriend took thechild away from him, the Los AngelesCounty Sheriff’s Department saidMonday.The 43-year-old man was hit by mul-tiple gunshots but was expected to sur-vive, a department statement said. The drama that unfolded late Sundayin unincorporated Willowbrook wasdescribed by sheriff’s Lt. John Corinaas a combination love triangle andattempted suicide by cop.The suspect confronted his ex-girl-friend’s new boyfriend around 10 p.m.outside a house on East 126th Streetand shot him in the face with arevolver, then drove off with the 1-year-old baby, according to the depart-ment statement, which did not releaseany identities of those involved. Deputies spotted the car and attempt-ed to stop it, but the driver led them ona chase that finally ended up back at thehouse. The man stopped his car and got out,holding the baby in one arm and therevolver in the other hand, pointing itat deputies who did not fire for fear of hitting the child, the statement said.Failing to get into the ex-girlfriend’shouse through a locked side door, theman fired one shot at deputies, who stillheld their fire as he tried and failed toget in through the locked front door andonce again fired at deputies, accordingto the account. The ex-girlfriend, who is the baby’smother, finally opened the front door,took the baby away from the suspectand went back inside the house.“Once the ex-girlfriend had the baby,the suspect again pointed his handgunat the deputies and that is when adeputy-involved shooting occurred,”the department statement said. The new boyfriend who was shot atthe outset was taken to a hospital andwas expected to survive. No deputies were hurt.
76,000 pounds of ribs burn in highway truck fire
LUDLOW— ASouthern Californiafreeway smelled like a cookout when abig rig carrying 76,000 pounds of beef ribs caught fire.The San Bernardino Sun reports therear wheels of the truck ignited Saturdaynight on Interstate 40 in Ludlow. San Bernardino County Firespokesman Al Franco says that by thetime firefighters arrived, the truck wasunhooked from the trailer, whichbecame engulfed in flames. He says the fire emanated “a wonder-ful BBQ beef rib odor.”It also shut down traffic for about twohours.No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
THC-Hawks? Pot puns pack this Super Bowl
SEATTLE — The way Bryan Weinmansees it, he and his friends already wontheir Super Bowl bet.Two weeks ago, the nightclub DJ anda few buddies were sitting at a sports barin Denver, joking about how funny itwould be if the Seattle Seahawks andDenver Broncos — the NFLteams fromthe two states that have legalized mari- juana — made it to the big game.They decided to plunk down a $44wager — the fee for registering theInternet domain www.stonerbowl.org— just before the Seahawks andBroncos won their conference champi-onships.It paid off. They’re now using the siteto hawk T-shirts and hats celebratingthe coincidence. One shirt features theVince Lombardi Trophy, reserved forthe game’s victors, refashioned into abong. Another features a spoof of theleague’s logo, with the letters “THC”— for marijuana’s active compound —replacing “NFL.”From weed-themed Super Bowl par-ties to a Denver company’s “StonerBowl” tours of recreational pot shops,this year’s Super Bowl offers a twist ona sporting event better known for itsbeer commercials. Thanks to the recre-ational marijuana laws passed by vot-ers in 2012, sales of taxed pot to adultsover 21 began at Colorado pot shopsJan. 1 and are due to begin inWashington later this year.
FOR THE RECORD2
Tuesday
 Jan.28,2014
 THEDAILYJOURNAL
The San Mateo Daily Journal
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Actor Elijah Woodis 33.
This Day in HistoryThought for the Day
1986
The space shuttle Challenger explod-ed 73 seconds after liftoff from CapeCanaveral, killing all seven crewmembers, including schoolteacherChrista McAuliffe.
“In dreams begin responsibilities.” 
— William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Singer SarahMcLachlan is 46.Actress Ariel Winter is 16.
Birthdays
REUTERS
A performer rides a horse during an equestrian show choreographed by Bartabas for the ‘Nuit de Chine’(Night of China) eventat the Grand Palais in Paris,France.
Tuesday
: Mostly cloudy. Highs in thelower 60s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday night:
Cloudy. Lows in thelower 50s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.Wednesday...Cloudy. Aslight chance of rain. Highs around 60. Northwest winds 5to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Wednesday night
: Cloudy. Achance of rain. Lows in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.Chance of rain 50 percent.
Thursday
: Mostly cloudy. Achance of rain. Highs in themid 50s.
Thursday night and Friday
: Mostly cloudy. Achance of rain. Lows in the upper 40s. Highs in the mid 50s.
Friday night through Saturday night:
Partly cloudy.Lows in the mid 40s. Highs in the mid 50s.
Local Weather Forecast
In A.D. 814, 
Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne died inAachen in present-day Germany.
In 1547
, England’s King Henry VIII died; he was succeededby his 9-year-old son, Edward VI.
In 1813, 
the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austenwas first published anonymously in London.
In 1853
, Cuban revolutionary Jose Marti was born inHavana.
In 1909
, the United States withdrew its forces from Cuba asJose Miguel Gomez became president.
In 1915
, the United States Coast Guard was created asPresident Woodrow Wilson signed a bill merging the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service.
In 1939
, Irish poet-dramatist William Butler Yeats died inMenton, France.In 1945, during World War II, Allied supplies began reach-ing China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
In 1958
, Elvis Presley made his first national TVappear-ance on “Stage Show,” a CBS program hosted by Tommy andJimmy Dorsey.
In 1973
, a cease-fire officially went into effect in theVietnam War.
In 1980
, six U.S. diplomats who had avoided being takenhostage at their embassy in Tehran flew out of Iran with thehelp of Canadian diplomats.
In 1982
, Italian anti-terrorism forces rescued U.S. Brig.Gen. James L. Dozier, 42 days after he had been kidnappedby the Red Brigades.
Ten years ago:
British Prime Minister Tony Blair won alegal victory when a judge said the BBC was wrong to reportthe government had “sexed up” intelligence to justify war inIraq.
In other news ...
(Answers tomorrow)VERGE THANK BELLOW SLEIGHYesterday’sJumbles:Answer:Their view of the Caribbean was — AT“SEE” LEVELNow arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, assuggested by the above cartoon.
THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Unscramble these four Jumbles,one letter to each square,to form four ordinary words.
LEECXLODFOSIMRYEBINLEB
©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLCAll Rights Reserved.
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A:
Lotto
 The Daily Derby race winners are Gold Rush,No.1,in first place;Cakifornia Classic,No.5,in secondplace;and Gorgeous George,No.8,in third place. The race time was clocked at 1:46.28.
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Actor-dancer John Ronald Dennis is 89. Musician-compos-er Acker Bilk is 85. Actor Nicholas Pryor is 79. Actor AlanAlda is 78. Actress Susan Howard is 72. Actress Marthe (cq)Keller is 69. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is 67. Actress-singer Barbi Benton is 64. Evangelical pastor Rick Warren is60. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is 59. ActressHarley Jane Kozak is 57. Movie director Frank Darabont is55. Rock musician Dave Sharp is 55. Rock singer SamPhillips is 52. Rock musician Dan Spitz is 51. Country musi-cian Greg Cook (Ricochet) is 49. Gospel singer Marvin Sappis 47. Rapper Rakim is 46. DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill) is 46.
 
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Tuesday
 Jan.28,2014
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SAN MATEO
Suspicious person.
An extremelyaggressive male was ejected for drinking abottle of wine at the Hillsdale ShoppingCenter before 6:40 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.
Disturbance
. Acustomer refused to pay acab on 23rd Avenue and El Camino before11:43 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.
Disturbance
. Ahomeless couple werefound throwing things on East ThirdAvenue before 10:23 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.
Disturbance
. Three people were reporteddrinking and playing loud music on the400 block of Rogell Court before 12:12a.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.
Burglary
. Acar’s window was smashed onthe 700 block of 25th Avenue before 7:03p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
MILLBRAE
Vandalism
. Property was vandalized onthe 110 block of El Camino Real before7:10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.
Driving with suspended license.
Aperson was found driving with a suspendeddriver’s license on Center Street and SanAnselmo before 11:48 p.m. Sunday, Jan.26.
Speeding
. Aperson was racing on ElCamino Real and Millwood Avenue before10:31 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
Police reports
No.1,stop it
An intoxicated person tried to urinate insomeone’s yard and was stopped by theowner on the 300 block of NorthDelaware Street before 10:45 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 25.
By Angela Swartz
DAILY JOURNAL STAFF
Afall election could be what determinesthe replacement for a longtime South SanFrancisco Unified School District trusteewho recently stepped down due to ongoinghealth concerns. Although Trustee Philip Weise willalready be on the ballot for re-election Nov.4, and newly appointed member PatrickLucy will be up for election, a third spacewill now be on the same ballot for TrusteeShirlee Hoch’s replacement. Hoch firstbecame a trustee in 1990 and her resigna-tion took effect Jan. 1. The board unani-mously approved Monday having herreplacement chosen by a vote in theNovember election.“I think we arrived at the best outcome forour community, one that ensures we are gov-erning responsibly and being inclusive indetermining the future composition of ourboard,” board President Maurice Goodmansaid in a press release. “ANovember elec-tion date affords the largest segment of theelectorate the rightful opportunity to fill thevacancy with a candidate they best feel willrepresent their interests on the Board of Trustees while, at the same time, minimiz-ing expense to the taxpayers by avoiding acostly special election.”The decision to go forward with electionwas more of a statutory measure, Goodmansaid. The board previously announced itsintention to fill the vacancy through a boardappointment like that of Liza Normandy,who recently left to serve on the South SanFrancisco City Council. Normandy wasreplaced by parent Patrick Lucy, who theboard appointed. California Education Codenecessitates that appointment processbeing initiated within 60 days of Hoch’s fil-ing her deferred designation, which occurredNov. 18, 2013. Since that 60-day period hasalready passed, the board decided it mostprudent and cost-effective to fill the vacancyduring November general election, at thesame time two other board seats would be onthe ballot.“With the replacement of Liza, it wassomething we anticipated and we hadalready started that process,” Goodman said.“The Shirlee thing took us by surprise and itwas not something we were used to. The SanMateo [County] Community CollegeDistrict had a similar situation and theyattempted to replace her (Helen Hausman),then went back to look at other candidatesand it was past 60 days, so they went for-ward with an election.”Hoch’s health issues date back to January2011 when she first had a stroke. Then inMay 2011, she suffered three strokes in thesame day resulting in brain surgery. Becauseof this, Hoch had to relearn to talk and read.Her left side was also impaired.There will be no interim to fill Hoch’sposition until November, said RolandoBonilla of Ford and Bonilla LLC, who han-dles communications for the district. Superintendent Alejandro Hogan contendsthe board continues to aggressively pursuepolicies and initiatives aimed at improvingstudent performance and the district’s serv-ice of students, parents and the South SanFrancisco community.“We have much to accomplish this yearand I look forward to continuing to workwith our board and all of our local stake-holders to advance our mission and prepareour students for future success,” he said inthe release.The recommendation for an election to fillHoch’s vacancy will now be forwarded to theSan Mateo County Office of Education,which will ultimately determine when thevacant seat will be placed on the ballot.
Uber sued for wrongful death of 6-year-old S.F.girl
The family of a 6-year-old girl killed whilein a San Francisco crosswalk on New Year’sEve intends to file a wrongful-death lawsuitMonday against the Internet ride-sharingservice company Uber.The lawsuit to be filed in San FranciscoSuperior Court on behalf of Sofia Liu claimsthat Uber and its driver at the time, SyedMuzaffar, are responsible for the girl’s death,the girl’s family attorney, ChristopherDolan, said Monday. Dolan believes it is the first wrongful-deathlawsuit of its kind against the company.The girl was crossing the street along withher mother and younger brother in SanFrancisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood lastmonth when they were struck by a Hondadriven by Muzaffar, authorities said.Police arrested Muzaffar, 57, of Union City,who they say was logged onto the Uber appli-cation at the time of the accident. He facescharges of vehicular manslaughter with grossnegligence and failure to yield to pedestriansin a crosswalk.
Election could determine vacant board seat
Shirlee Hoch resigned in late 2013 because of health considerations
 
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