COW has just learned from Senator Barbara Boxer’s office that Congress has just approved $600,000 in federal funds to help the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office improve its criminal justice and evidence laboratory. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Forensic Laboratory provides support to a wide variety of criminal justice agencies and is badly in need of up-dating. With this funding, the lab will be able to offer more scientific support to criminal justice agencies including local law enforcement, state agencies and federal agencies including the FBI. Since Woodside is policed under contract with the County Sheriff, this will directly benefit us. We applaud the efforts of the Sheriff to modernize this important function.

No Bull: County Sheriff’s Office Website

An article in the Almanac, on November 23rd, (http://www.almanacnews.com/morgue/2005/2005_11_23.wstanner.shtml) tells of a complaint from Concerned Citizens of Woodside and leaves the impression that the complaint comes from COW. It most emphatically does not.

We do believe that that Council member Tanner was legally and ethically a candidate for his new seat based on his purchase of a new home and his intent to live there. What we exclusively objected to was the timing of his resignation from his old seat. Our beef is that Dave Tanner’s resignation came too late for the seat to be included in an open election and that it seems to us that the timing was designed to avoid public participation and to deprive Woodside residents the chance to elect Town representatives. See “Is The Barn Empty?”.

While we support the democratic tradition of anonymous political commentary. See “Is A COW By Any Other Day”.

Please be assured all of our complaints and comments, emails and communications will be in the name of Citizens of Woodside or COW and will appear on this site. We welcome the participation of other groups and individuals in the political debate even when we disagree with them but please do not confuse them with us.