This specious lawsuit is a total waste of county time and resources. Would you fools be happier if every energy company simply pulled out of California? Fine. I'll see you walking everywhere and using paper fans.

Great use of county resources. Idiots!

I'm looking forward to voting against Supervisors Dave Pine and Don Horsley.

What an incredible waste of the County's resources. Resources that would be better spent on actively enforcing the rules that we currently have rather than easter egging around on what is nothing other than grandstanding or a blatant money grab.
WADR - I would suggest that you practice one of the fundamentals of systems thinking and pull away a few more layers of the onion until you get closer to the root cause of CO2 production. It comes down to simply too many human beings putting unsustainable demands on the resources of the planet and in doing so creating waste heat and waste products that tend to trap that heat. Energy production is merely a symptom of the underlying root cause. Denying the root cause is merely a symptom of ignorance.

The Climate Deniers step forward!

Today, from ABC:

"The first half of 2017 was the second warmest on record for Earth, only behind last year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday Earth's average temperature from January to June was 57.9 degrees (14.4 degrees Celsius). That's 1.6 degrees warmer than the 20th century average."

Keep denying - nothing to see here; you'll be gone soon and it will be your children's problem!

I am impressed by and delighted with the San Mateo County Supervisors for taking this action. Thank you.

Oil companies don't cause climate change, it is people who drive cars and take planes. I just got back from Europe. Blame me. Sue me.

BTW, I don't own a car and I commute to work on a bike (2 hours each day). So I might not be the biggest carbon criminal, but that is no excuse.

I doubt if 'big oil' would pump a drop if it weren't for consumers. That's you and me. Lets sue ourselves.

I am very worried about climate change. But suing the oil companies only makes us feel good, when in reality WE are the problem.

johngslater: I doubt if 'big oil' would pump a drop if it weren't for consumers.

So we should also exonerate tobacco companies?

"Supervisor Pine said Sher Edling is working on a contingency basis, and will not be paid unless the county receives monetary damages." It would be rare for a law firm to also advance costs, including filing and service fees (which could be pretty healthy with 37 defendants) court costs, expert witnesses, etc. Plus, as stated, the county's own legal staff will be utilized. In my opinion there should be a very accurate accounting of every dollar spent on this windmill-tilt, calculated and published quarterly, including the hours spent by the in-house staff. My guess is its going to be very significant. Why not let the State of Ca. take the lead? Maybe because of politics?

BRAVO! BRAVO!

Thank you San Mateo County. I am overwhelmingly impressed that you are standing up for our environment during this period of great peril to life as we've known it.

Please know I am feeling extremely grateful to you for your high principles and values. You are truly genuine heroes during an essential time.

With deep felt appreciation

Mike - You are absolutely correct in demanding a complete accounting of the actual $$ spent by San Mateo taxpayers. Internal staff lawyers are not free.

This may be a noble cause & one that builds Dave Pine's reputation for future campaigns for higher offices. But, I believe we taxpayers in San Mateo have much more pressing problems that demand money & attention. We should start with traffic, high taxes, extremely high energy costs, declining school performance, rampant drug use and rising crime -- just for a start.

I wish Dave Pine would focus our $, legal staff and his efforts on those!

"Denial" wrote:
"The Climate Deniers step forward!"

People can believe that climate change exists, that humans contribute to it, and that humans should take action to eliminate our contributions to it...yet still think a county suing oil companies is a stupid, wasteful and unproductive way to achieve a cleaner environment.

San Mateo County is just plane dumb at worst, grandstanding at best.

Mr/Ms Denial: It's always easy to denigrate people who don't agree with your point of view by labeling them with some broad brush term like "Denier". It that floats your boat, so be it. I happen to agree that humans have contributed to climate change. Maybe to you every penny spent in any way, whether actually useful or not is goodness. But others of us us see many of these efforts as being akin to shoveling sand against the tide. You may feel good that you are doing something useful, but in reality you are totally wasting your energy and time. If you want to throw your personal resources into it, then set up a fund to which you and those like-minded can contribute to this lawsuit. As a taxpayer I resent my elected officials supporting such action.

More political theater from our board. Throw money at something you can do ZERO about just so you can claim you're "doing something." Total waste of tax payer money. AGAIN.

Along with Jane Gill, I too look forward to voting against Supervisors Dave Pine and Don Horsley who have been instrumental in suing the companies we all use to provide our gasoline. I'd like to know the research figures showing an exact link and percentage of contribution attributed to these oil companies. Hasn't the climate been changing since the earth was formed. haven't we had several ice ages in the past, long before humans drilled for and burned oil products? And then warming in between?

"Hasn't the climate been changing since the earth was formed."

Science Deniers everywhere.

Exxon couldn't have asked for more compliant naivete - "...who have been instrumental in suing the companies we all use to provide our gasoline."

NOAA: The first half of 2017 was the second warmest on record for Earth, behind only 2016.

Here's a modest suggest for Supervisors Pine and Horsley:

Since you have directed SMC resources (staff, money, time) at your "Climate Reimbursement Suit," why don't both of you forego any Supervisor salaries until your suit pays off? Seems only fair. Put some of your own skin in the game!

"Put some of your own skin in the game!"

We have 57.7 miles of coast that is subject to rapidly rising sea levels.

Fair to say - WE ALL HAVE SKIN in this 'game'. Especially our children's skin. And their livelihood. And their children's welfare.

Let's save the future for our kids and grandkids. Let's show them how to stand up and fight.

I know, let's listen to the warming denialists and DO NOTHING.

Yeah, that'll work. Exxon and BP know best!!

It was government run amok day in the Daily Post. The 63 cent/gallon gas tax increase was noted the same day. Pretty regressive tax for a state that prides itself on how blue it is. Won't impact the wealthy with their short commutes and electric cars. That one's gonna hit the poorest of us, like those already commuting from out in the valley.

Meanwhile these same agencies push for ever increasing population growth and density when the root cause of climate change is population. For those who cite carbon emissions you've only asked why once. Now ask why again. Repeat three more times. At some point you'll get to population. How about a "Zero Population Growth" initiative?

And I recommend taking a look at the climate record. It seems to me the warming isn't the part you have to worry about. In the climate cycle, warming seems to precede much more rapid cold snaps that are the big killers. I'd hypothesize increased carbon levels and temps spawn algae blooms that cause precipitous drops in CO2 and the sudden cooling repeated time and again over the ages. Just a guess, though.

Personally, I could use some global warming. The garden produced from March thru December last year with all that heat. Facebook will have to build the levies for our stretch of the bay anyways.

I saw notation that the SM lawyers don't get paid unless SM wins, but who pays what will likely be astronomical legal fees of 37 of the largest companies on the planet when SM Loses this ridiculous lawsuit?

Definitely a waste of taxpayer's money, and our elected officials time. We have many challenges in the county, and the state. How about we stop the grandstanding from ridiculous activities such as these, and work for the people of San Mateo County. This is a big time slippery slope. Our "environmentally friendly" electric cars could possibly be even worse of an environmental hazard. Who's going to go sue those manufacturers??

"This is a big time slippery slope."

Hope all you science nonbelievers are up in the hills. Otherwise, the slippery slope may be your driveway in foster city or San Bruno.

Or epa.

"Science and Math", I think you're missing my point. Funny how you resort to name calling. Bottom line, my/our tax dollars should be spent on better things. This again IS a slippery slope. Who's to stop people from suing lumber yards for perpetuating the killing of trees, all car companies for knowing about exhaust pollution for X amount of years, then we can sue windmill manufactures knowing that they kill birds, states and the federal government for building dams that create energy but prohibit Salmon from spawning.......and on and on and on aka slippery slope. We ALL know the costs v. benefits in these examples, and these are just a few. It will be interesting to see if our elected politicians continue to pursue this, while using the very energy these companies supply 24/7. Hypocrisy at it's best.

"science nonbelievers" is now "name calling"? Guess the Almanac should put in trigger warnings.

One either believes in the science or they don't. Statements like "Our "environmentally friendly" electric cars could possibly be even worse of an environmental hazard" are indicative.

Do you know what is goofy about your insinuations? I happen to believe in global warning, AND I own an electric car. Your assumptions are typical of those going right to the fight, pulling out the old "science nonbeliever" type comments, before an actual back and forth conversation can happen. And YES, go ahead and Google any conversation about the batteries being produced now, and what they're attempting to build in the future. They ARE trying to make them environmentally friendly to produce, and to dispose of, right now its a bit controversial. Any time you want to debate the real topic of wasting tax payer dollars on frivolous lawsuits, I'm game. This is NOT the tobacco industry type lawsuit. Please don't forget that most of us did not smoke tobacco, ALL of use the energy that is being produced (you're using it right now) by the companies you want to sue.