Cal-Am has lost roughly 70% of its rights to Carmel River water. We have a few more years to come up with alternatives to the water we have lost. If Cal-Am tries to build it independently, without low-interest municipal-bond funding, the costs (to say nothing of the public opposition) would be astronomical. Our water leadership studied the dam proposal in great detail, presented it to the people, and the people said no. The process worked. … more →

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Santa Barbara is the California dream. I’ve been enjoying the city for over 40 years, having attended San Marcos high school in the 1970s, lived in Goleta in the 1980s after graduate school, and visited family and friends in the 1990s and 2000s. Here’s a list of my top 10 Santa Barbara experiences: East Beach volleyball, early morning runs, and sunsets. East Beach is one of the most magical beaches on the planet. It’s not … more →

The news stunned. To a parent, it was horrifying, unimaginable: Dear Ones: I can’t believe I must do this but I must. Tell you that our dear sweet Timmy left this world yesterday, April 25, 2010. Timmy took a hard fall off his skateboard in the wee hours of the morning in Capitola, returning home from a party the night before (but ever mindful not to drink and drive). He hit his head hard, lost … more →

Palo Alto is … Explore Stanford, land at Stanford sand courts Watching Stanford basketball, volleyball or any other sport Hike the Dish – bike and hike University Avenue Fry’s Train to San Francisco Breakfast or coffee at Coupa Cafe Lunch at Empire Grill and Tap Room Beers at the Old Pro or if its sunny at Zots * Dinner at Bistro Elan – back porch

Kipling’s maxim – “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” – fits elegantly the human paradox of today. According to the Worldwatch Institute, while the Standard and Poor’s Index of 500 widely held stocks tripled during the 1980’s, nearly every measure of the Earth’s environmental health declined. By the end of the decade, the world’s forests were shrinking by an estimated 16 million acres a year, six billion tons … more →

In the summer 2010, my family and I spent a month in Spain. After our first week in Barcelona we rented a car and traveled throughout the country, with stops in Costa Brava, Zaragoza, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Salamanca, Segovia, Toledo, Madrid, Granada, Tarifa, and Ronda (in that order). We also took a one-day excursion from Tarifa to Tangier, Morocco. Here’s a list of our top 10 experiences from the trip: In the Toledo bullring … more →

For the past 30 years I’ve been playing volleyball on some of the best and worst beaches on the planet. What makes a great beach volleyball experience? First and foremost, great people – folks who you want to share a beer with after you win or lose and who you stay in touch with. Second, a beautiful location, something you’ll remember your entire life. Third, the sand (the deeper, the better), standards (straight), and net … more →

Two Texas oil companies are spending millions to push Proposition 23, the Dirty Energy Proposition, on the November 2010 ballot. Prop. 23 would allow polluters to avoid our state’s clean energy standards, kill competition and jobs from California’s clean technology companies, and keep us addicted to dirty fossil fuels. Here are 10 things your nonprofit can do to help California Stop the Dirty Energy Proposition. (Please note disclaimer at the end of this.) 1. Email … more →

Two Texas oil companies are spending millions to push Proposition 23, the Dirty Energy Proposition, on the November 2010 ballot. Prop. 23 would overturn our state’s landmark global warming law and allow polluters to avoid our state’s clean energy standards, kill competition and jobs from California’s clean technology companies, and keep us addicted to dirty fossil fuels. Two Texas oil companies are spending millions trying to get this passed. The Los Angeles Times reports that “the … more →