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Keep The Greats Running At Historic Bay Meadows!
(Harry Aleo's Lost in the Fog at Bay Meadows October 1, 2005--after winning his 10th straight victory-- 2005 Eclipse Award for best sprinter in the U.S.)
Thank you to Mr. Harry Aleo and his great horse Lost in the Fog for their very special contribution to the sport of horse racing. The Fog's courage, heart and blazing speed will always inspire us.
Breaking News:
A hearing date for the Friends of Bay Meadows EIR Lawsuit has been set for October 10th, 2008.
We mourn the loss of Harry Aleo. His spirit and courage will be with us always.
That's their story and they are sticking to it! The Bay Meadows Land Company's spokes person Adam Abereti continues to tell the media the BMLC will not wait for a legal resolution to the CEQA lawsuit, and will proceed with a fall demolition of the grandstand. We don't think so. We do believe the BMLC and our City Council would like for you to give-up hope for saving Bay Meadows. Tell them you are not giving up by making a donation to the lawsuit fund--address below.
Friends of Bay Meadows filed a lawsuit Tuesday May 20th, 2008 against the city of San Mateo challenging the City Council's approval of the Environmental Impact Report that would allow demolition and construction to begin on the redevelopment of Bay Meadows Race track. The suit does not legally stop the scheduled demolition scheduled for September, but developers seldom proceed when their is a legal challenge to the EIR. If a developer should proceed with demolition and the court rules that more environmental study is needed, the developer must restore the damages to the property. Friends' believes that there are serious environmental, cutural and historical issues that must be examined before the redevelopment goes forward.
Because of the delay in demolitiion and construction, we believe that the Bay Meadows Land Company/Stockbridge Captial Partners will apply for 2009 racing dated in June 2008.
If you would like to help with the Friends fight to preserve historic Bay Meadows Race Track and to see a better future for the citizens of San Mateo and neighboring communities please consider a donation to the Friends of Bay Meadows Legal Fund.
make checks payable to:
Friends of Bay Meadows
mail to :
Friends of Bay Meadows 201 A S. Delaware #210 San Mateo, CA 94401
Thanks for your help!
There are many things in the Bay Meadows Redevelopment story that should not have happened--the only thing worst would be if those wrong doings had gone unchallenged.
First District Court of Appeal Division 2, San Franciso, CA (Oral arguments were heard on the 19th and a written opinion must be given by the court within 60 days) The State Apellate Court heard the Friends of Bay Meadows Referendum Appeal September 19th. A decision favoring the referendum is the only opportunity that citizens of San Mateo will have to vote on the future of the 83.5 acre property.
The Court is being asked to review 95 signatures that we believe were incorrectly disallowed by the San Mateo County Elections Office including one petition section that was disallowed by San Mateo's City Clerk. In November and December 2005 San Mateo citizens gathered close to 6,000 signatures and "Friends" believe that the required 10% of the registered voters in San Mateo, 4.661--has been met.
Nearly 6,000 signatures were collected in less than 30 days in the face of significant physical interference from the developer. We contend that citizens should have the right to disagree with a City Council decision and exercise the right to peacefully collect referendum signatures to place an issue on the ballot. Our San Mateo City Council gave a 5-0 approval vote to the Bay Meadows redevelopment project redevelopment project and has chosen to remain silent regarding the appressive attempt by the developer, Stockbridge Capital (AKA Bay Meadows Land Company), to prevent citizens from voting on the project. As of the end of June 2006--Stockbridge has spent approximatley one million four hundred thousand dollars to prevent the redevelopment question going to the ballot. Given that the developer's behavior has been termed "seemingly reprehensible" by Bruce McPherson, the Secretary of State of California, it is clear that San Mateo citizens are in danger of having been robbed of the opportunity to vote on the future of their city. San Mateo's most important historical landmark and our right to vote are at issue in the Bay Meadow's battle.
The San Francisco Examiner reported 05/25 the Bay Meadows Redevelopment Plan has been reduced in size resulting in a major loss of potential revenue to the city of San Mateo (planned office space has been cut from 1,200,000 sq. feet to 750,000, cuts have also been made in retail and housing). Appears to be a serious question if City can afford the "reduced" redevelopment plan? click on Smaller Bay Meadows Plan May Be Costly
Estimates of revenue Bay Meadows provides to the city of San Mateo yearly (and at the moment we have figures ranging from $600,000 to $1,200,000 (the high figure given by a County Official at May 22 CHRB meeting) may suggest that Bay Meadows, even an under promoted Bay Meadows is the better source of tax revenue vis-a'vis the "reduced redevelopment"
Bay Meadows will Race In 2008
May 22, 2007 Richard Shapiro and the California Horse Racing Board at their Sacramento meeting agreed to give Bay Meadow's President Jack Liebau racing dates for 2008 with an exemption from installing the synthetic surface in exchange for a committment to race the given dates. An examination of the meeting transcripts for March 22--when Bay Meadows was denied an "opened ended" two year exemption which would not have committed the Bay Meadows Land Company to actually race the given dates. Friends of Bay Meadows agrees with Shapiro and the CHRB that the March 22 request by the Land Company--for an exemption--with no committment to use the granted race dates would not have been in the best interest of horse racing in Northern California. Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and the two fair tracks will present the Board with a racing calendar for 2008 at the June 19th meeting where it is expected the CHRB will take action to approve the schedule. July 6th the CHRB approved a 2008 race calendar for Bay Meadows. To read more of the efforts of Terry Francher, head of the Bay Meadows Land Company, to undermine the CHRB and Mr. Francher's connections with State Senator Leland Yee please see Dan Walter's article in the Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/217291.html
Stockbridge and Bay Meadows President Jack Liebau threaten to close track in November 2007
The anticipated showdown between the California State Horse Racing Board-which is requiring major tracks in California to install one of the new synthetic surfaces by 2008--and Stockbridge Capital Partners, the owner and potential redeveloper of the race track occured on Thursday March 22, 2007. The Racing Board with a 4-2 vote rejected Stockbridges' request for an "exemption" which the developer has requested because of the proposed redevelopment of Bay Meadows.
As local newspapers report, City, County and State politicians are now decrying the loss of revenue, from taxes and the track's approximate 600 job payroll a November 2007 closure would bring. State Senator Leeland Yee has even gone so far as to call for the resignation of Richard Shapiro--the Racing Board Chair. The Racing Board meets again the third week of April and it appears that the 2008 racing season for Bay Meadows will be back on the agenda.
The closure of Bay Meadows would not only impact our local economy--but would have a major negative impact on horse racing in Northern California. Stay tuned--we are hopeful that a solution will be found and the 2008 racing season will not be lost! ****
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Assembly Member Gene Mullin 916-319-2019 Assemblymember.Mullin@assembly.ca.gov
Assembly Member George Plescia 916-319-2075 Assemblymember.Plescia@assembly.ca.gov
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 916-445-2841
View Friends' visit to San Mateo County Board of Supervisors' meeting Feb. 6 '07 see Youtube video "Bay Meadows Gate: Assualt On History" Several members of "Friends" asked the County Board of Supervisor why Historic Bay Meadows Race Track was not included in the documentary produced by the San Mateo Historical Society with $75,000 of public money prodvided by the Board. Could political redevelopment pressure subtracted Bay Meadows from the film of local history. Supervisor Jerry Hill has been a vocal advocate of demolishing the track and Supervisor Mark Church has received contributions from Stockbridge Capital Partners. The Supervisors' are telling us they had no influence or resonsibility for film's content??? please click to view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgd2wfAtsAc
Friends of Bay Meadows Community Meeting Watch this space for date and time of next meeting.
Join us for an information session on:
info phone 650-344-5424 or 650-533-5235
June 29th, 2006--Superior Court Judge in Redwood City ruled in favor of the city of San Mateo and Friends of Bay Meadows that the "structure of the referendum" was not defective.
Friends of Bay Meadows are very happy to have won this lawsuit and pleased that in disagreeing with the Land Company's arguments the Judge did not allow the bar to be set so high that it might have become impossible for other citizens groups to produce acceptable referendum/initiative documentation. The "Friends" referendum petition was 170 pages--printed double sided to make it fit on a volunteers clip board. Imagine if Friends had been required to include the entire EIR and City General Plan--making each petition section several thousand pages in length?
Stockbridge's Land Company, the developer, (doing business in San Mateo as the Bay Meadows Land Company-BMLC) lawsuit to stop the referendum against the city of San Mateo and Friends of Bay Meadows is scheduled for a June 29th hearing.---Stockbridge, June 29th 2006, lost their lawsuit which challenged the validity of the Friends of Bay Meadows Referendum petition-which was signed by close to 6,000 citizens in 28 days inspite of significant physical interference from the developer.
CBS 5 News May 18th
March 7th a Superior Court in Redwood City decided the Bay Meadows Land Company will be not be allowed into the "Friends" lawsuit as an interested party. The judge did offer to let the developer into the lawsuit but Stockbrige would be limited to contesting the signature question and not allowed to contest the structure of the referendum. Stockbridge's attorney rejected this offer. We recommend "letters to the editor" supporting the court's decision. A developer should not be allowed to hijack the public's right to have a voice in land use. (May 2006--the Land Company is appealing the March 7th decision--we don't believe the appeal will be successful. June 2006--Land Co. request for an "expedited appeal hearing was rejected by the District 2 State Appeals Court--Friends Lawsuit with the Elections Office will probably be heard before Land Company's appeal will be heard.
Dollars for Democarcy Fundraiser October 28th, 2007--A Fun Success--thanks to all who made it possible!
Tuesday, Jan 10th "Friends" completed a review of the Referendum Petition at the San Mateo County Elections Office. We believe many of the 1183 disallowed signatures, a number of whom are registered San Mateo voters, should be counted. On Monday, Jan 23rd, Friends filed a lawsuit (a required procedure to correct even clerical errors made by the electons office which discounted valid signatures) to request a Superior Court review of approximately 160 disallowed signatures in question. The Stockbridges' Land Company (BMLC) immediately hired a one of the top "elections law firms" in CA with the intention of requesting that the Court allow the Land Company to become one of the opponents of the Friends' lawsuit. Friends' attorney Stuart Flashman is in the process of filing a motion requesting that the Land Company not be allowed to participate in the legal proceedings. This move on the part of the BMLC is yet an other attempt to deny the citizens of San Mateo the right to vote on the Bay Meadows Redevelopment Project.
Wednesday Dec. 28th at 11 A.M. Friends of Bay Meadows was notified by Norma Gomez, City Clerk, that the Referendum Petition was "136" signatures short of the needed 4,661 to qualify for the ballot. Because the short-fall was small in relation to the possible 5,708 possible valid signatures, "Friends" told City Clerk Gomez that a challenge of the total vaild signatures was likely pending consultation with our attorney. Wednesday Jan. 4th Friends along with the help of our attorney will begin an examination of the 1,183 signatures found to be "not sufficient" at the County Elections Office. We had requested to begin this process on Tues. Dec. 3rd, but were informed by the City Clerk that the petitions had already been transported back to City Hall from the Tower Rd. Elections Office. The City has requested Tues. Jan 3rd to return the petitions to the Elections Office. Elections Office Records will of course be needed to examined signatures. Friends is under a time constraint because referendum petitions are required by law to be destoryed within 60 days unless the documents have become evidence in a court procedure.
Because Friends of Bay Meadows believes that the developer, Stockbridge Capital Partners (aka Bay Meadows Land Company) used not only unethical means, such as planting "cigarrette tax initative" tables at most major San Mateo Businesses to block out our referendum tables, placing their own "Bay Meadows Petitiion" tables in an effort to confuse citizens into thinking they had signed the referendum petition etc., but employed several other "methods" to foil the San Mateo citizen's referendum that were illegal-- we are in the process of gathering documentation for legal review. In addition to asking witnesses to write-down their observations, using the California Public Records Act we have requested all records of communication between public officials at San Mateo City Hall and the Bay Meadows Land Company and or the Land Company's sponsored "Committee to Recycle Bay Meadows" or "San Mateo Together" from November 1, 2005 to December 19, 2005. We do not mean to suggest that the City may have participated in any possible illegal activites, our concerns are with any undue influence that Stockbridge Capital (aka BLMC) may have had with the city of San Mateo during this time period. City Attorney Shawn Mason, in a prompt reply, has told us that our requested records will be available Jan 3rd. We are being told that we will probably be not be given records of telephone bills paid by the City due to "deliberative process privilege, in the public interest". We will be asking the City Attorney to consider the relevance of these phone bills to our exmination of communication records.
On Wednesday, Dec. 7th approximately 6,000 referendum signatures were delivered to San Mateo City Hall at 3:45 PM. The City Clerk and an assistant soon began a count of the "possible valid" signatures: a process which eliminates all the cross-offs, Belmont, San Carlos residents etc. A "Certificate Of Sufficiency" was issued for 5.696 signatures. We were told that the petitiions would be transfered Thursday to the County Elections Office on Tower Road for the registered voter certification process. Late Friday morning ,Dec. 9th, we recieved a phone call from David Smith at the San Mateo Daily News informing us that Norma Gomez, our City Clerk, had called a press conference that morning with a representative from the Bay Meadows Land Company present. At the press conference Ms. Gomez apparently announced that a legal expert was being retained to examine the petitions. No reason was given for the needed "legal examination". As of Monday Dec. 12th, the City is still refusing to comment on why the petitions are being held for "legal examination". Our attorney does advise us that delays are not uncommon in referendum situations. We have been told that the Elections Office has hired extra help and is ready to begin the count. The matter will not be decided by the City's legal experts, but will instead head for a court decision should the city decide to claim a "legal defect" with the petition.
Please contact Friends of Bay Meadows at 650-344-5424 or write to our P.O. Box 201 S. Delaware #210, San Mateo. CA 94401 if you witnessed or experienced any problems while attempting to sign the Bay Meadows Referendum. This may have occurred while you were shopping at Safeway on 17th Ave, Trags or Trader Joes or other locatons around San Mateo from Nov. 9th to Dec. 7th. Thank you for your help.
As expected, Nov. 7th the San Mateo City Council voted 5-0 in favor of the redevelopment project that will result in the demolition of Bay Meadows Racetrack. On Nov. 9th San Mateo citizens volunteers began collecting the required 4800 (4661)--revised number based on currrent registered voters)valid signatures to place the Bay Meadows redevelopment question on a Spring 2006 ballot.
On Nov. 9th, as reported in local newspapers, the developer, Stockbridge Captial Partners (which does business in San Mateo as the Bay Meadows Land Company) sent in paid "goons" to interfere with signature gathering efforts. The Land Company has paid "blockers" handing out a flyer "Make An Informed Decision--Know The Facts Before You Sign". These "blockers" stand in front of Friends of Bay Meadows tables and attempt to prevent interested citizens from signing the referedum petitiion by interupting communication betweem volunteers and those citizens interested in signing referendum and poking the "facts flyers" in the face of citizens while they are attempting to sign--a process that must be done with accuracy. The Land Company's "citizen's group "San Mateo Together" co-chaired by Rick Hedges along with members of the Sierra Club and Greenbelt Alliance (who's members, we believe, are also being paid by the Land Company) participating in efforts to stop the referendum process. We suggest that citizens of San Mateo think twice about donating money to any environmental group that participates in sending in "green washed goons" in an attempt to prevent local citizens from making democratic choices about the future of their community. "The Bay Meadows Land Company is going to great expense to stop citizens from placing the Redevelopment question on the ballot because the developer knows the lack of support for replacing the racetrack with the proposed project.
The Sept. 19th Council meeting has been continued to Oct. 17th at 7 PM. At the Sept. 19th meeting 44 citizens made public comments. Our City Council did not even bother to thank these concerned citizens for their time, and without commenting on "one" concern raised by citizens, ended the public comment period and began discussing where to place a hotel within the Bay Meadows redevelopment area! Because we are certain that this Council is going to approve redeveloping Bay Meadows with a 5 to 0 vote, we suggest attending the Oct 17th meeting only if you need to take one more look at "San Mateo City government run a muck".
Important Event: Oct. 1, 2005
Lost in the Fog electrified a packed crowd at Bay Meadows!
The Bay Area colt led wire to wire for his 10th win in 10 starts. The speed sensation is headed to New York's Belmont Park for the Breeder's Cup October 29th. A win in the Breeder's Cup will make "Fog" a strong candidate for "Horse of the Year". A title not claimed by a Bay Area horse since Seabiscuit in 1938.
How ironic that the most exciting story in horse racing, which has horse racing fans across the United States focusing on Bay Area based "Fog" (undefeated in 9 starts and a set of "speed ratings" that have never been seen before in a 3 year old), his San Francisco owner Mr. Harry Aleo and Bay Meadow's own Russel Baze , who will be featured at the Bay Meadows Speed Handicap Oct. 1, "a prep" race for the Oct. 29th Breeder's Cup at Belmont Park, at a time that our City Council is eager to demolish the cornerstone San Mateo business. How does a San Mateo City Council come to be so out of touch with the importance ot the California horse racing industry: an industry that made San Mateo the commerical center of San Mateo County? It is not the horse that is "lost in the fog"!
As expected, on June 6th, the San Mateo City Council adopted the 603 acre redevelopment zone known as the "Rail or Transit Corridor".
June 6, 2005, at the Monday 7: PM Session at San Mateo's City Hall, without much thought, our San Mateo City Council is expected to approve the 603 acre redevelopment project known as the "Rail or Transit Corridor Project". This developer driven agenda will favor "big development projects" at the expense of independent merchants with no financial commitment to improving public transportation. We believe the citizens of San Mateo should be allowed to vote on this critical San Mateo Planning Decision.
May 24, 2005 Planning Commission Study Session for the Bay Meadows Specific Plan at 7:30 PM Conference Rm C, City Hall The City and the redeveloper, Stockbridge Capital have been making a pitch to the Sierra Club for an endorsement of the Bay Meadows Redevelopment. We believe the only thing "green" about the Bay Meadows Redevelopment plan is the "one billion" dollar profit Stockbridge Capital (Bay Meadows Land Company) Hopes to make on the deal. San Mateo Planning Commission voted 3 to 1 March 22, 2005 to send the FEIR that is known to contain false data (for the 600+ acre Rail Corridor Plan that approves the demolition of Bay Meadows) to the City Council for Approval. The San Mateo City Council at their first FEIR session on April 4th made it obvious they are anxious to approve the Rail Corridor Plan and the demolition of Bay Meadows. Mayor Epstein admonished citizens not to refer to "false data' in the FEIR documents, proclaiming "this is a good EIR". We must ask good for whom??? ************************************ We believe the Council made up their minds long ago to approve this flawed EIR
The Planning Commission, at the Feb. 23, 2005 Public Hearing, rejected by a 3-2 vote the Final Enviromental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Bay Meadows project. Had this seriously flawed FEIR been approved, it would have given a green light for the demolition of Bay Meadows. There is some confusion as to what steps the city will take next. The EDAW, Inc. firm of San Francisco "cooked" the books on the cultural resource sections of the Bay Meadows Environmental Impact Reports to suggest that Bay Meadows did not have historical integrity. In addition a 2004 "Historic Architecture Evaluation" prepared by Ward Hill and Majorie Dobkin for the city of San Mateo and Senior Planner Steve Scott was also fabricated with regard to its conclusion that Bay Meadows lacked historical integrity. Stay tuned as "Bay Meadows Gate unfolds". March 5, 2005 The fabricated Bay Meadows EIRs (reference the "cultural resource sections") and the fabricated 2004 Historic Architecture Evaluation are available at the San Mateo City Library (temporary location). We especially urge members of the media to take a look at these influential documents. False statements such as the "original 1934 grandstand was virtually demolished in the 1950s" and in the FEIR and 2004 City Study "the original north and south grandstand facades were completely removed and 2/3 of the west was removed... are easily spotted. (the north facade still stands, as does most of the west facade). The city of San Mateo's "Historic Architecture Evaluation 2004" produced by Ward Hill and Marjorie Dobkin is a deceptive document designed to convince the reader that Bay Meadows is not a candidate to the State or National Historic Registers. And even the very name of the Final EIR is deceptive: it is linked to the Rail Corridor in name, but no mention is made that this document is the approval for the demolition of Bay Meadows. A link we believe the city of San Mateo is afraid to make too public.
July 1, 2004 Bay Meadows was nominated to the National Registry of Historic Places. Learn more about the nomination
Way To Go Bay Meadows!
To learn more about the fascinating history of Bay Meadows we highly recommend Herb Phipps' book published in 1978 "Bill Kyne of Bay Meadows: The Man Who Brought Horse Racing Back to California".
This terrific book is available online from Amazon.com. Copies are also located at the San Mateo City Library and the San Mateo County History Museum (located at the old courthouse in Redwood City). Phipps, who worked at Bay Meadows for a number of years, outlines the development of modern horsing racing in Califorina, important events that helped to shape San Mateo, and fun facts: such as "Where did the first flying race horse landed?" You just might be suprised!
To learn more about the incredible story that is Bay Meadows see the Committee To Preserve Historic Bay Meadows history exhibit at the Burlingame Public Library during the month of November 2004. check this site for future (July) location of the exhibit
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