The Burlingame Voice

Welcome to Burlingame Sign

"A great place to visit, greater place to live, the greatest place to shop!" The sign includes space for advertisements and has been restored "to better than its former glory", according to the Daily Journal today.

Can you believe that the property owner upped the rent of this sign in the mid-90s from $1 a year to $28,000 a year. This sounds like sheer greed to me and not surprising the City declined to pay. I have often wondered why the sign had been allowed to blight the Highway for so long and now we know! Even The Burlingame Voice readers had an opinion!

- Written by Rosaline

Tree Hugger of a Complex

There is a very interesting article in the Chronicle today - Thursday - about Walnut Creek and how big business rode into their town and wanted to destroy an oak but plant trees elsewhere. Deja vu! Well because of strong City leadership, the developers worked around the tree and the tree went from being an obstacle to a design centerpiece. Cobblestone paths lead up to the oak and this expands the pedestrian downtown. As the article says, "the Walnut Creek placed a higher value on a local oak than Tiffanys - and they got both. Walnut Creek has found a way to plan for the future that allows room for the things that residents want - including a glimpse of a fine old tree that predates us all".

It is like duh! Safeway listen up!

- Written by Fiona

1120 Sanchez

A very important home is back on the real estate market. This home built by Gaston Rognier in 1910 has some wonderful architectural details and craftsmanship. It is "only" a two bedroom room home and priced at $880.000. It would be a perfect home or a perfect office - though not zoned for a business. This important house was featured in "Here Today, San Francisco's Architectural Heritage" and also included in the Preliminary Burlingame Historic Inventory, 1982. A building worth a look and a travesty if it is destroyed by the wrecker's ball.

- Written by Fiona

Commerce & Coffee

Interesting meeting to learn about the new hospital proposal and to hear Mayor Rosalie's update on City news. One interesting note was that she asked that Safeway clean up their corner of Burlingame - "the blighted corner of Burlingame" as Safeway's attorney described it. Let us hope that Hudak, who was present, will take that message back to "that little store on El Camino and Howard" (as referenced by Bud Harrison!)

Yesterday our family went to Safeway to buy a lettuce and the produce was so pathetic, they ended up at Mollie Stones where the produce is always perfect.

- Written by Fiona

Get your hands off!

Given the current loss of $1.3 annually of local property tax and the very likely loss of anywhere between $2.6 and $7 million annual to State take aways of Burlingame revenues Burlingame City Council unanimously voted to support The Local Taxpayers and Public Safety Protection Act.

The League of California Cities, the umbrella organization for all 478 California cities, is sponsoring an initiative for the November 2004 ballot. The initiative is also being sponsored by the California Association of Special Districts and is endorsed by The Executive Committee of the California State Association of Counties. The purpose of this initiative is very simple: to allow voters to decide whether local tax funds should be taken, confiscated, shifted, diverted, or otherwise used to fund State government operations and responsibilities.

This initiative does not impose any new taxes. It does not take funds away from any other service or program. It will not restore what our communities have already lost. It will simply put voters in control to decide whether they want any more of their local taxes to go to State to balance their budget which were mismanaged during better financial times.

The measure is currently in the signature generation process which requires 1 million signatures to qualify for the ballot. Make sure you and your neighbors sign the petition.

- Written by admin

Murray Field

For everyone who admires Jim and Pauline Murray, as our family does, there will be a Dedication Ceremony for Murray Field.

WHEN: Saturday, March 27, 2004
WHERE: Murray Field, 250 Anza Boulevard (adjacent to the Burlingame Golf Center)
TIME: 11:00 AM

For anyone who would like to say a few words during the dedication ceremony, contact Randy Schwartz at [email protected]

Jim and Pauline were the epitome of the very best.

- Written by Calendar

Come to a Complete Stop

Margaret Raye, our crossing Guard at Washington Elementary School, asked me to pass this letter along. I do so with pleasure. I feel extremely fortunate to have Margaret in the Washington Community both as a parent and our crossing guard. I have witnessed her save the lives of more than one child while crossing them on our neighborhood street and I have seen how she watches over the children at the corner because their parents are running late to pick them up from school. In light of the fact that some members of our City Council seem intent on cutting our crossing guards, I thought that Margaret's words were worth reading. - Liz Gindraux


A Message From Your Crossing Guard

As a parent and as your crossing guard, I'm asking for some decency for the pedestrian, young or old.

If every family in this community would tell a friend and that friends would tell another -- to please come to a complete stop at the stop signs. To look both ways. By some chance there is a person standing on the corner, they most likely want to cross. Let the pedestrian cross.

I decided to write this because as I stood in the middle of the intersection of Arundel and Howard, my Stop Sign extended, a lone child started to cross. I yelled for him to stop. The driver of the car had started to cross the intersection.

In my mind, I wanted to know what was that person thinking? I myself was devastated.

SO please take your time. COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND LET THE PEDESTRIAN CROSS.

There is a good possibility that next year the Crossing Guard will not be here at Washington Elementary School. So please pass my message along. Also, please teach your children to stop before they cross and to look both ways.

Pass it along.

- Margaret Raye, Washington Parent and Crossing Guard

- Written by Liz

Budget Crunch

Saturday's public meeting to discuss the dire condition of Burlingame's finances was - as usual -very interesting. Two highlights for me were that certain council members want to cut the school crossing guards and would ask the schools to pay for the privilege of keeping their students safe. Having fought like crazy 10+ years ago to get a crossing guard for one of the most dangerous intersections (Cypress/ElCamino/Bayswater, etc) I hope our children's safety is a priority - even - and especially - while we are "in crisis mode". The other highlight was Galligan wanting the City to run the Lions Hall - where did that silly idea come from? Who knows!

- Written by Fiona