The Burlingame Voice

Voter Turnout

Interesting figures from the Daily Journal on the election:

Voter turnout in San Mateo County shot up to 55.12 percent, substantially higher than other off-year elections, according to a final tally released by Warren Slocum, chief elections officer for San Mateo County. Slocum speculated that the turnout was due to the controversial statewide ballot measures that drew people to the polls. Of 351,506 registered voters, 193,739 voters cast ballots. The number of people voting at the polls slightly outnumbered those that chose to vote by mail, a growing phenomenon. Only 52 percent of the total vote was cast at the polls on Election Day, Slocum said, while 48 percent of the voters cast their votes by mail.

- Written by Fiona

Complacent - Not!

From the Daily Journal about one of our new councilmembers:

Curiosity and a need for change first brought newly elected Burlingame Councilman Russ Cohen to community involvement. As a creative director for an advertising firm based in Los Angeles, Cohen was doing work in San Francisco when he was introduced to Burlingame about 13 years ago. A coworker invited him to dinner before heading back to the airport, and Cohen then decided a place like Burlingame would be the best fit if Northern California was in his future. He said the area was perfect, with tree-lined streets and restaurants within walking distance. When the San Francisco office asked him to stay, he knew he would be living in Burlingame.

Today Cohen, 46, is a pretty involved guy working with the Burlingame Voice, the Historical Society and the Traffic, Parking and Safety Commission. On Dec. 5, he will take on a two-year City Council seat left open after Mike Coffey resigned July 1. However, his true interest in the city began because of a marquee saying on the Encore Theater. It was used as a church and the priest used to put funny sayings on the marquee. One day it said, Goodbye Burlingame.' I stopped and the priest showed me inside. I'd never been inside because I wasn't a member of the church. It was beautiful,? he said. The church was set to be demolished, but Cohen found out the demolition permits were not yet in place. He went to work that day confident he had time to return and photograph the building before its demise. When he returned home that night the building was already half gone. It opened Cohen's eyes to the problems in the local government process or that there might not be a process at all. If there wasn't a process, he wondered what else could use improvement. Since then, Cohen spent much time in front of the City Council expressing his concerns, at times with luck others without.

This experience, Cohen said, will make him more empathetic to the experience other citizens get while using their three minutes to address the council. If he could accomplish anything during his term, Cohen would like to see more involvement and discussion between the citizens and the City Council. If we can take the council and make it proactive rather than reactive, I'd be happy,? he said. Since citizens addressing the council are not always answered at that time, Cohen would like to see town hall meetings held a few times a year or whenever warranted. This would give citizens an opportunity to share their concerns and ideas to the council in an informal setting where a conversation could take place. It's really about the quality of life, the small things like noise complaints and trash, that make a town, said Cohen. Cohen hopes these little things will encourage more people to become active volunteers in the community. They may even use the City Council as a means to connect people to such opportunities. To me public input is strong here. Civic engagement is usually highest when people aren't satisfied. I hope people don't disengage and become complacent [when things go well],? he said.

I would like to think that the demise of the Encore would not happen today but maybe that is my naivete - and optimism! The voters have voted the good guys in but, Russ, I don't think many of us will get complacent. We will still be watching you!

- Written by Fiona

If Music be the Food of Love ...

... play on.

Two upcoming musical events worth noting:

(1) The Peninsula Girls Chorus will be singing in the main library on December 6 at 7:00 pm
(2) Family Sing Along by the Fireside - join singer Jim Stevens in our fabulous Easton library on December 21st at 7:00 pm

Don't cha just love our two libraries!

- Written by Fiona

Holidays on Broadway

December 8th:

5pm - 7pm
Featuring
Mills High School Jazz Band
BIS Choir
A Bell Choir
Santa Claus

plus Il Picollo radio drama show

- Written by admin

Auto Row: Vision that looks Good

Don't miss the Chron, (Bay Area: Chip Johnson) today, "Auto Row: Vision that Looks Good" about the future of Oakland's Auto Row. City Planners will be assessing future land use where there are currently a dozen or so auto dealers, that have been on Broadway since the mid 50's. The city would like to create a new auto row on a former Army base, south of the Bay Bridge, and along interstate 880, where there is more room than on Broadway. The idea would be akin to Fremont's Auto Mall and give dealers greater visibility. A potential issue could be the huge signage necessary to draw shoppers from the freeway. However, freeing up valuable land on Broadway is seen as a great benefit by Oakland Planners and residents, who would like to see more shopping opportunities along Broadway.

- Written by Jen

Support your local commerce...(window shopping doesn't pay the rent)

There has been a lot of hoopla of late about the pros and cons of the shops on Broadway. People have made it quite clear as to what they want and don't want with regards to local shopping choices.

It is one thing to ask for something and it is another to actually use it...

That is why I'm suggesting that we pledge our support for our local 'mom & pops' by committing a certain percentage of our holiday shopping to the businesses of our community.

With a budget and a list let the shopping season begin!

- Written by Susie

More Ants Needed

From the Examiner: Burlingame police expect rowdy weekend. Officers regularly seeking outside aid

BURLINGAME Thanks largely to raucous weekend patrons in the city's downtown bars and nightclubs, local police are regularly relying upon assistance from outside agencies and they expect this weekend to be one of their busiest of the year. Police say that between their brawls and public drunkenness, rowdy drinkers have long been a problem on Burlingame Avenue, where a cluster of five bars draws large crowds each weekend. The situation peaked late October, when police officers were struck with beer bottles while responding to reports of a disturbance, patrol commander Brad Floyd said.

I've likened it to ants,? Floyd said. When an ant gets in trouble, he sends a message for more ants to come we can get assistance from four or five officers to four or five hundred officers.? Floyd said the mutual aid brings officers from Hillsborough, San Mateo, San Bruno and Millbrae to Burlingame. Though problems have been cropping up in the past year on the eastern edge of town, where partygoers find plenty of room for large get-togethers, Floyd said holidays usually mean the department will need backup because of downtown revelers. There are certain holidays that are worse,? Floyd said. Thanksgiving has a reputation for drawing a lot of outsiders into every community.? Patrol commander Mike Matteucci recently said the assistance is needed every couple of weeks or so.? While Burlingame officers rarely get the chance to return the favor to quiet communities such as Hillsborough, Millbrae sometimes requests assistance, often due to local drag racing, Matteucci said. With 40 sworn officers, Burlingame's staff levels are short, just like every other department in the county, he said. If it wasn't for the bars, we probably wouldn't ever have to call for mutual aid,? Matteucci said.

Rob Doss, owner of the Blush Nightclub, said downtown bars are caught in a difficult situation. Though 99 percent of customers have a good time and don't cause trouble, the remaining 1 percent can get drunk and ugly,? he said. As with any nightclub or bar, there are some people who can't control themselves,? Doss said. We do everything we can to mitigate it.? Doss said it wasn't fair to blame venues such as his for the disturbances, as local owners regularly meet with police regarding fights and provide significant tax funding for the police coverage they receive each weekend

Love to hear more about the "tax funding for police coverage"

- Written by Fiona

A Cast of Characters

Thanks to Cathy Foxhoven, there is a new addition to our holiday celebrations - a special first annual performance of "Ye Old Fashioned Radio Drama" of the 1952 production of "A Christmas Carol" and the 1939 "Plot to Overthrow Christmas".

DATE: Thursday, December 8
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Il Piccolo
ENTRANCE: Free
INFORMATION: Cathy at 697-6936
FILMED: By Jack Corcoran

There will be special sound effects, a great group of local talent and two very talented kids, Derek and Ben. You won't believe who plays Scrooge, Marley, Charles Dickens, Fezziwig, Calgula, the narrator, etc? It is a cast of true Burlingame characters!

- Written by Fiona

Santa Arrives by Train!

Santa will be visiting us on Caltrains! There is nothing better than seeing him, Mrs. Claus and friends get off the train to greet the kids with a Salvation Army brass band leading the holiday sing along:

WHEN: Saturday, December 3rd
WHERE: Burlingame Avanue Train Station
TIME: 5:35 PM

Please bring a new unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots Program

For more information, please see www.caltrain.com

- Written by Fiona

Holiday Tree Lighting

The City of Burlingame will be holding its Annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony to welcome the holiday season:

WHEN: Friday, December 2nd
WHERE: In front of City Hall
TIME: 4:15 p.m.

For those party poopers who complain about the roads being closed off - yes the streets surrounding City Hall will be closed starting at 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

Excitement continues downtown after the tree is lit.

Does anyone remember one year many years ago when there was a puppet show in one of the shop windows and the kids were inside and outside watching? Wish the Walden Puppets could do a repeat performance of the show they did for the Library Foundation Bash. Now that was magic!

- Written by Fiona