The Burlingame Voice

Save Peninsula Hospital Meeting

There will be a community meeting at the Burlingame Public Library Monday evening, 5/23/2005, at 7:00 PM to discuss the future of Peninsula Hospital. This meeting is open to the public. Patient care, Sutter Health's billing practices, and affordable healthcare for the community will be among the topics for discussion. Residents of San Mateo County deserve the best possible healthcare for an affordable price. See you on Monday!

- Written by nancyyar

New Voice

Most of our regular readers will have noticed a few minor changes to the Burlingame Voice. Over the past few months the Voice has been experiencing huge increase in readership and the old code base that ran the blog was beginning to have trouble coping with the volume of traffic.

We have now installed brand new blog software which provides us a base to enhance the Burlingame Voice considerably over the coming months. Of course none of the postings or comments from the past two years have been lost.

We have tested the code on Macs and PC's but inevitably there will be some teething issues and we ask that you email the editors if you experience any technical issues.

- Written by admin

First Glossy Arrival!

The first glossy campaign literature has hit our mailboxes - something about Safeway, parking and auto row. Yuck!

- Written by Fiona

Giants v. Cleveland Indians

Burlingame residents can purchase $17 bleacher tickets for the San Francisco Giants game against the Cleveland Indians on June 10 at 7:15 pm. $1 per ticket will be donated to a local nonprofit organization of the fan's choice, including the Burlingame Parks and Rec. Department, Youth Scholarship funds, local schools and service clubs.

There are 500 tickets available and must be purchased before June 3 through the Parks and Rec. Department at 850 Burlingame Avenue. Please call 558-7300 for further information.

- Written by Fiona

Web Site

I really love this site. Opinions,drama, fact & fiction.
However, I think the comments/contributions stay on here to long...way to long.
I would like to see a time limit, after the course is run.
I think it would stimulate "conversation".
And thank you for all that you do to keep this "hometown" web site alive!

- Written by Tee

Elementary TV Talk Shows

True gems are being broadcast on Channel 27 at 5:30 pm, in the month of May, hosted by Cathy Foxhoven. These feature kids at all of Burlingame's Elementary Schools. Monday: McKinley School (Historical Society), Tues, Washington School, Weds, Franklin School, Thurs. Roosevelt School, and Fridays, Lincoln School. Also coming up in the month of June, Cathy's program, "Women in History" will be broadcast at 8pm, Channel 27. This runs Monday thru Friday, and will feature actors playing the parts of Martha Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Polly Bemis, and Georgia O'Keefe. Lots of talent in our own town!

- Written by jenn

It was a Dark and Stormy Night ...

... and perhaps that is why both the Chamber mixer and mayor's city hall meeting were very poorly attended though the mayor was surrounded by a flotilla of city staff to help him answer the questions. Read more news about the meeting in the San Mateo County Times

There has been some discussion that because it is an election year, funds would magically appear from some just-found-bounty falling from heaven for the City to fund crossing guards. This is not so according to the mayor on Wednesday, May 18th around 7:00 pm. The School District have set aside $32,000 to cover some of the funds and the City will not be covering the rest. Something about police resources are better served being spent on a school liaison officer and the police concentrating on all those parolees living in Burlingame.

I have great trust in the Burlingame Police Department and hope they are watching the 13+ registered sex offenders who are living in the City of Trees and in particular the four near McKinley and two near St. Catherines - homes which our children have to pass walking to and from their schools.

- Written by Fiona

Accident at Blockbuster

I just happened to be attempting to return a video, yesterday, when I noticed the incident at Park Rd, yesterday afternoon, right at the Blockbuster building. Every few years, a car ends up becoming airborn and flys against a window of a business. In this case, the driver seemed to have pressed the accelerator, instead of the break, hitting another vehicle, which, in turn, hit another parked vehicle which jumped the curb and pinned a passerby against the Blockbuster building. I arrived after the injured woman had been brought away, so I have no idea what shape she may be in. I remember a few years back, I believe a heart-attack victim ran a car up over the curb and hit the restaurant "Buns" or one of the many restaurants that have followed. We can only rejoice in the fact that the Burlingame streets don't look like San Francisco's financial district and that more people weren't hurt.

- Written by jenn

A Class Act on the High Road

Congratulations to the DBID for a classy act. This evening's council meeting was a revelation in that former mayor o'mahoney thanked the key players who have together worked so hard, admitted that all her questions were answered (bar one which involves attorneys) and Galligan wrote in to say that some merchants had rescinded their protests when they heard the facts - over and above the lies and the propaganda.

Even though the DBID president Cheryl Enright said they had sufficient legal grounds to discount the protest, the DBID advisory board chose to take the high road and requested that the City not levy assessment fees this year. The DBID advisory board said they would work hard to deliver on their promise of a vibrant and collaborative business district and will continue to work for a better downtown for us all.

Also the DBID announced that their full financial statements, including their entire general ledger, is available on their web site at www.downtownburlingame.com.

Tonight was a redeeming moment for Burlingame.

- Written by Fiona

Same Old Safeway Story

The Daily News has another front page story today titled "Two Safeways, one remodel" by Liz Harrelson. The story contrasts the Burlingame experience with that of Menlo Park where a similarly outdated Safeway is scheduled for remodelling. The classic Safeway quote from Safeway PR person Jennifer Webber is "In Menlo Park the neighbors were willing to listen to our parameters about the site, and in turn we listened to them as well."

Of course, the story doesn't identify even one change made by Safeway in Menlo Park. They are going to get a 65,748-square-foot "hacienda-style" store with an attached 11,500 sq ft retail space. Sounds just like the "fried egg" design (a building in the middle of an ocean of parking) that was canned here in Burlingame. Let's hope Menlo Park doesn't suffer the same fate as Redwood City, but it seems inevitable.

So here's the open forum question for Safeway: What did Safeway change over the last eight years that this has been going on? Answer: there have only been about two years in total when anything was happening at all and the only change is to paste on a couple of small retail spaces on one side of a design that has the exact same size, orientation and access/egress problems it always has had. Ms. Webber should feel free to blog on (or perhaps she already has on some other postings).

Too bad reporter Harrelson didn't mention the real difference between Menlo Park and Burlingame: that in Burlingame there is a public land swap required to create the final parcel.

Safeway reiterated its "we're waiting to see what the community wants" nonsense at the end of the article. No developer anywhere gets this sort of pre-approval, but increasingly it would appear that Safeway is going to sit it out until the next election. Afterall, in Burlingame that's when we find out what the community really wants.

- Written by anson