Hotel Halfmoon Bay California

Idyllic Half Moon Bay caught in coastal war between Norteños and Sureños

HALF MOON BAY -- Luis Alcala is 11, but he already knows kids his age who are in a gang. And he's already been offered drugs.

That's reality for kids in Half Moon Bay today, where many young Latinos are sorted into rival gangs by the time they graduate from middle school.

That's not the image of a peaceful coastal town that Half Moon Bay likes to promote. People move here to get away from urban problems, including gang violence.

But the bubble burst on Aug. 14, when a group of teenage Norteño gang members pulled out a gun and shot two rival Sureños on a quiet residential street in broad daylight.

Fear prompted Luis' mother, Teresa Mendez, to bring him and his sister Noela to a community meeting Tuesday night, which was organized by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office in the wake of the shooting.

"I want to know how to prevent situations like this," said Mendez, who believes there are gang members on her son's youth soccer team. Luis has told her he knows kids in his class who have already become Norteños and Sureños like their older brothers or cousins.

But she didn't know her son had been offered drugs until a reporter asked him about it. It was at the Pillar Ridge mobile home community, a known gang hotspot, Luis said.

"They were, like, 15 or 16," he said. "They told me they had some extra if I wanted it."

More than 300 Coastsiders packed into a meeting room Tuesday for a series of presentations that amounted to a master class on gang warfare. Locals were shocked to learn that Half Moon Bay is immersed in an all-out coastal battle between Norteños and Sureños, who have been threatening each other for months with coded graffiti in plain sight.

One recent tagger painted the number "187," a reference to the California Penal Code section on murder.

Retaliation is now a major concern and the Sheriff's Office has beefed up patrols.

"It's a war that's going to be going on for some time, but it's a war that's worth fighting," Sheriff Greg Munks said.

California Pumpkins are Growing and Getting Ready to Set Records ...

Pumpkins love California sunshine, and they grow abundantly throughout the land. There are very few places where you probably can’t grow a pumpkin in California, in fact, and growing them is the basis of a celebration in Half Moon Bay called Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival .  The annual event includes many pumpkin themed events, including a contest to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin. Does 1,500+ pounds sound big enough? Pity the poor child who has to help his dad or mom pick that one up and put it in a truck to take to the festival!

Though Half Moon Bay is a beach city known for its famed Mavericks where the world’s top surfers go to ride the BIG WAVES measuring up to 70-80 feet, it’s also known for its big pumpkins. It’s a place where people like to live life large.

One such resident is Farmer John, who has grown pumpkins and other plants, vegetables and fruits on a beach-close farm  that his family cherishes as a tradition. The farmer is passionate about his heritage and strong roots, living and working on the land in Half Moon Bay. He struggles like so many small farmers in California to keep his venture going as big conglomerates dominate everything from genetically modified (GMO) corn and seeds to managed foods that you never really know where they came from. You can visit and see Farmer John’s Pumpkins, his fields, and even watch the flowers, vegetables and fruits grow!  Location: 850 North Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay, CA. Call: (650) 726-4980. farmerjohnspumpkins.com

Farmer John says it’s hard to compete, but he continues on because he loves growing on the land–and he loves pumpkin season. His pumpkins include Atlantic Giants: 250-500+ lbs grown on the farm, Cinderella and Fairy Tale, Pump ke mon and Carnival, Blues and Greens, Whites and Reds, Funny Face, Jack Be Little, Lumina (White), Red (Red Kabocha, Red Kuri), Speckled, Howden, Sugar Pie and Jumpin’ Jack and Mini Pumpkins of different shapes and sizes.

Democracy in California, Politics and Government in the Golden State

California, A History

California, America's High-Stakes Experiment

Hotel

Hotel and restaurant design