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S (continued from page 9) -town and around. Parents and youths alike would visit the shops and stop for something else along the way, which is how it works in successful shopping districts. 32 If the downtown businesses are going to see the kind of foot traffic that they were promised, there has got to be an emphasis on bringing more retail shops and services there. After all, the anchor was labeled as a cinema/retail complex. The current restaurants are surviving on lunch business (county employees, mostly) but afternoons and evenings need a boost. That is where the retail component is supposed to come into play. Who is trying to attract those needed businesses? As far as I can tell, no one. Another issue the City Council has got to discuss is the parking for and ticketing of visitors downtown. The meters are definitely a deterrent to those choosing between a movie at the new cinema or one at the old theaters across the freeway. Talk about confusion. Why haven’t the parking meters been changed in the lot behind Powerhouse Gym but the ones in the small lot behind City Pub have? The new ones require more money. There is not proper signage to explain parking procedures in the Caltrans lot behind City Pub and there has got to be 20 tickets issued there each day to those eating and shopping at local businesses — many of whom I am sure will never return. Are the fees collected from the meters evenly matching the sales tax dollars lost from frustrated visitors? We will never know, but it would be something to study or at least recognize. We have a problem. The problem is lack of planning and execution — everyone is confused. I say, let’s just dump the meters before visitors to town dump us! City consultants have told the council that (a) a lack of parking means success, and (b) parking is a limited resource and should not be free. Those consultants should look no further than Palo Alto, Menlo Park or even San Carlos to be proven wrong. And while I am on the subject, why aren’t the parking enforcement officers ticketing those parking for extended amounts of time in the nonmetered spaces on Jefferson and Broadway? The lack of enforcement has given employees of local businesses the opportunity to park there during their shifts, eliminating those spots for shoppers and diners. Also, enforcement was strong during the first two weeks of the cinema opening, but now you can park in the “dropoff” spaces on Broadway without any consequences. All of this does not make sense to me. What about you? * * * * * The California Center for Public Health Advocacy has just issued a statement saying that 31 percent of all Redwood City students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades were overweight during the 2003/2004 school year. No word on whether they have lost any weight during the past three years. * * * * * After six months of negotiations, teachers in the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) will see their checkbook balances getting a little bigger soon. The district trustees and teachers association came to terms on issues including management and THE SPECTRUM organizational rights as well as updated hours and benefits. The new agreement will net teachers an immediate 2 percent raise retroactive to July 2006. The agreement will then cost the district $694,000 in 2006/2007, $1,041,000 in 2007/2008 and $1,388,000 in 2008/2009 school years. If the local tax projections hold true, the district will be in fine shape. If not, your guess is as good as mine. * * * * * It’s become a national phenomenon and now it seems that dance fever has hit Redwood City. Just by looking in the windows of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio on Broadway, you can tell that there are a lot of potential dancers enjoying themselves. Among those are City Manager Ed Everett and his companion, Mary Welch; former San Mateo County Sheriff Officer Rick Gutierrez and his wife, Tracey; and Alex and Cherlene Wright. Hey, if they can do it, maybe I can too. Who knows, I could be the next Emmitt Smith! In the dancing world, there will be what is called a District Showcase at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City, and none other than “Dancing With the Stars” dancers Nick Kosovich and his partner, Lena — they are a big deal! — will be performing there. Call the studio at (650) 216-7501 and see how you can attend. * * * * * Congratulations to Steve Krause of the Redwood City Fire Department, who worked his last shift on Jan. 11 and then retired after 34 years of service to our community. Good luck! * * * * * Spotted here and there: Council Member Alicia Aguirre and former Mayor Fernando Vega (not together) at the new restaurant Flaming Fresco on Hamilton Street. Mayor Barbara Pierce and husband, Jerry, at The Diving Pelican Cafe. Former Council Member Paul Sanfilipo at Bob’s Court House Coffee Shop. * * * * * Redwood City’s new Police Chief Louis Cobarruviaz was sworn into office on Thursday, Jan. 18, and it could not have come at a better time as the Police Officers Association (POA) and the city reached a contract agreement. They have been working without a contract since Sept. 1, 2005. In the contract, which former Police Chief Carlos Bolanos helped negotiate, the POA voted in favor of a new three-year contract that will provide vision and dental coverage and a raise equivalent to 8 percent, covering one year of salary freeze. It also adjusts the compensation formula the city uses each year to determine whether the department is being paid like other similarly sized cities. The contract allows officers with 30 years experience to get 90 percent of their pay when they retire at age 50. If the contract is retroactive to 2005 and is a three-year contract, that means we can expect to start this whole process over in September 2008. As I have reported, there has been a literal standoff between the POA and the city for the past 16 months. One might wonder why a settlement came so fast in the New Year. Could it have something to do with the fact that there are four council seats up for grabs in this November’s election? If I were an incumbent running for re-election, I would not want to be faced with constant inquires from constituents asking why the police officers are not being properly compensated. Regardless, let’s be optimistic and hope that this ends or at least repairs some of the ill will that has been going on for years between the POA, City Council and City Manager Ed Everett. * * * * * There are some great nonprofit fundraisers coming up. Check them out and support them. All you can eat crab? I am so there. As I was saying… THANK YOU, REDWOOD CITY! is now the largest distributed paid subscription publication in our city! ADVERTISING: (650)368-2434 www.spectrummagazine.net WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
(continued from page 7) of the Grateful Dead is delighting Deadheads, folkies, jam-band fans and adventurous music lovers alike across North America. Adam Traum has been performing in clubs and festivals for 18 years. A versatile musician, he plays many styles as well as multiple instruments, including mandolin, bass and lap steel, though he is most fluent on the guitar. Unauthorized Rolling Stones plus Heavy Petty Saturday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. $12 adv./$14 door Five incredible musicians from the U.K., New York City, Denver and San Francisco have pooled their talents to create “The World’s Greatest Tribute to the World’s Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band.” Their successful collective backgrounds include Top 40 hits, nationwide tours, countless sessions, concerts and club dates. Together they re-create the energy, attitude and spectacle of a real Rolling Stones concert. Experience what it’s like to be up close and personal with Mick, Keith and the boys. Heather Combs Band plus opener TBA Friday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m. $14 adv./$16 door Join the Heather Combs Band for their only Bay Area appearance this winter. They have been voted “Best Band of the Bay Area” by San Francisco Magazine and have opened for the Go-Go’s, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Joan Osborne, The Who, Steve Earle, Kasey Chambers, Todd Snider and Joan Jett, to name just a few. Loyal followers know that the HCB loves to play four-hour-plus shows and won’t quit until last call. They get sweaty on stage. They make fun of themselves. They drink beer. Celtic Music Fest! Tempest plus Molly’s Revenge Saturday, Feb. 10, 8 p.m. $14 adv./$16 door Based in Northern California, Tempest is recognized as a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement. Fusing traditional material with high-energy rock intensity, the band is renowned for its dynamic and electrifying concerts. The group’s brand-new studio CD, “The Double-Cross,” finds the band in peak form as it showcases inventive original and traditional material. Tempest’s members hail from five countries across three continents. Redwood City Blues Jam Wednesday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. Free admission! Join Kenny “Blue” Ray for an evening of quality blues music from the area’s best musicians, where audience blues musicians are invited to “jam” on stage. The music is real, the mood collegial and the doors open to the community to enjoy this uniquely American music. New: The Jam now meets on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Bring your friends! Dance! The Cheeseballs Friday, Feb. 16, 9 p.m. $18 adv./$20 door The Cheeseballs. The name says it all: groovy, funky, danceable fun! Just ask the tens of thousands of fans who have already experienced them. They will tell you stories of standing on the bar singing “I Will Survive” at the top of their lungs or dancing so hard to “We Are Family” that getting out of bed the next day was quite an event. That’s what The Cheeseballs do; they make you “Shake Your Booty” like it hasn’t been shaken in years. Dance! Lydia Pense & Cold Blood plus Ron Thompson Saturday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. $14 adv./$16 door After nearly 25 years, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood have embarked on a resurgent CD and tour project. Popular in the mid-’70s with five albums, Pense and Cold Blood reflect a blend of “blue-eyed soul music” reminiscent of the Bay Area funk music genre led by Tower of Power. Originally signed by legendary rock impresario Bill Graham, Cold Blood was a mainstay at concert venues like Winterland and the Fillmore West during the post–“summer of love” years. Redwood City Blues Jam Wednesday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. Free admission! Join Steve Freund for an evening of quality blues music from the area’s best musicians, where audience blues musicians are invited to “jam” on stage. The music is real, the mood collegial and the doors open to the community to enjoy this uniquely American music. New: The Jam now meets on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Bring your friends! Cathie Ryan of Cherish the Ladies Thursday, Feb. 22, 8 p.m. $16 adv./$18 door Irish-American Cathie Ryan, with her crystalline vocals and insightful songwriting, is an original and distinctive voice in Celtic music. Since her acclaimed seven-year tenure as lead singer of Cherish the Ladies, the Detroitborn Ryan has established herself as one of Celtic music’s most popular and enduring singer-songwriters. The S Boston Globe recently wrote, “Cathie Ryan is a thrilling traditional vocalist whose honey-pure soprano is equally at home on probing original ballads about a woman’s place in the modern world.” Stung: A Tribute to The Police This Charming Band: A Tribute to The Smiths Little Bitches: A Tribute to Weezer Friday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m. $12 adv./$14 door Stung is here to fill a void we all long for — the sound of The Police, live! This Bay Area band has quickly made a buzz wowing audiences at the hottest area night clubs and events around the bay (SF Black & White Ball, Bay to Breakers “Footstock” Concert, Bimbo’s 365 Club) and around the world (Holland Tribute Band Festival). This trio of gifted musicians has even been blessed by a sit-in performance by Police founder/drummer Stewart Copeland at his Beverly Hills birthday party. Presented by Voices of Latin Rock Tony Lindsay plus opener TBA Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. $14 adv./$16 door Grammy-winner, singer, songwriter and producer Tony Lindsay will present his long-awaited third album tonight at the Little Fox. Guitar great Chris Cain and Santana members Andy Vargas on vocals and Karl Perazzo on percussion have joined Lindsay in his newest effort, lending their talents to an already classic project. Lindsay is internationally known as the lead singer for guitar legend Carlos Santana and can be heard on such hit albums as “Milagro,” “Shaman,” “Ceremony,” “Food for Thought” and “Super Natural,” for which he received 11 Grammys. CD Release Party! Welcomed by Fiddling Cricket Concerts Laurence Juber Sunday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. $18 adv./$20 door Although an accomplished composer in his own right, Laurence Juber has recently gained much attention for his fine interpretations of Beatles’ and Paul McCartney’s music. Now he focuses on the music of an earlier era, arranging and playing some of Harold Arlen’s most well-known tunes on his latest release, “I’ve Got the World on Six Strings.” Arlen’s songs, such as “Over the Rainbow,” are musical icons, and many others are true standards of the golden era of American theater and movie songs. 33 WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
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