Month: December 2006

  • Christmas Tree Trimming Volunteers

    Tree trimming offered – Allied Waste will only pick up Christmas trees that have been trimmed. Daily Journal

    To avoid streets littered with tinsel-covered Christmas trees in Burlingame, Boy Scouts Troop 156 is offering to cut trees into four-foot pieces this year. Last year, trees lined the streets since residents failed to realize a policy change by trash contractor Allied Waste. Although drivers for Allied Waste, the garbage company which serves Burlingame, picked up whole trees in the past, it now will only pick up trees cut up into four-foot or smaller increments. The scoutmaster said the scouts have this thing about saws. They just love saws,? said Mayor Terry Nagel. As a community service project the local Boy Scouts Troop will saw discarded trees beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2. Interested residents should call Scoutmaster Jim Latimer at 345-0841 or e-mail him at jlatimer@gilead.com at least two days prior to their tree recycling day. The service is free but those wishing to make a contribution to the troop can send a check made out to Boy Scout Troop 156 to Latimer at 2634 Isabelle Ave., San Mateo 94403.

    Cutting the trees can be difficult for older citizens. Allied Waste will honor special requests for those who cannot cut up their tree. For more information call 592-2411. The change was put in place for the safety of the drivers. There is no deadline but trees must be without a base, not in a bag, free of ornaments, cut into manageable pieces and outside before 6 a.m. on the scheduled recycling pickup day. Flocked trees cannot be accepted.

    Click here for press release on City website.

    – Written by Fiona

  • Crystal Ball for 2007

    A legislative crystal ball (full article in Burlingame Daily News)

    The cities of Burlingame, San Bruno and Millbrae will have full plates in the coming year, with flood control protection, mixed-use developments, new libraries and city streets on their agendas. Burlingame's City Council will take another crack in early 2007 at shoring up the city's aging flood control system by considering another bond measure to do the job, after one failed in November. City staff is working on three options – a measure for $32 million, one for $35 million, and one for $39 million. The $44 million Measure H failed in November by about 2 percent. The city needs to find a formula for funding the bond that people will support, and the council could choose another monetary amount, said City Manager Jim Nantell. "We did not anticipate having to go back to the ballot again and that just takes a lot of time in public education," he said.

    Burlingame also plans to assess what its downtown should look like with input from the public. "The next big issue for us is kicking off our downtown specific plan," Nantell said. "That whole process is to look at what is the future vision the community has and wants for its downtown. Right now we have retail and offices downtown, but a key issue that has been discussed on the Safeway site (on Howard Avenue) is, should it be mixed use? Doing so would bring in a new population (which) would add more economic power to the downtown area because you would have people who live there and shop there."

    And to add to the above crystal ball wish list for 2007 –

    A station remodel with the correct fencing and decent-sized trees, Sam's Trees, a new Safeway Plan, a cleaner downtown, a living centennial program of trees for future generations, a fair and gentle Council election and peace and love in the world!

    – Written by Fiona

  • Washington Park Trees – Dateline 12-19-06

    Residents say numbers of trees dwindling (Examiner)

    Burlingame, Calif. – The city is putting Washington Park under the microscope after some residents raised concerns that trees and open space were slowly disappearing from Burlingame's crown jewel. While some residents argue that deforestation is a growing problem, city officials say, that Washington Park is nearly filled to capacity with trees. Figures from the Parks and Recreation department also show that citywide, more trees have been planted than removed. Residents Charles Voltz said that over the last 20 years there appeared to be a slow loss of green space in the park. He and others, including resident Stephen Hamilton, are calling for the city to prepare a schedule and budget for replanting. There's an awful lot of deforestation, not just in Burlingame, but nationwide,? Hamilton said. But there doesn't seem to be a lot of reforestation.? Newly appointed Parks and Recreation Commissioner and Washington Park neighbor Susan Castner-Paine said that anticipating further in advance when trees will need to be replaced would be one option. The commission has asked city staff to prepare a report addressing Voltz' concerns, to be presented at a meeting in January. I want to make the commission aware that there are many Burlingame residents who care about the trees in this park,? Castner-Paine said. I expect city staff will be receptive to that as well.?

    Predicting when specific trees should come down, however, would be a tough task, particularly since the city likes to hold on to trees as long as possible, Parks Supervisor Bob Disco said. Disco, who keeps tabs on all the trees in Washington Park, said he has already identified some trees that are diseased. However, he can't tell exactly how long they will live or if and when they will start presenting safety issues. It could be three years, five years, it's really hard to tell,? Disco said. The city only removes trees if they become weak due to age or disease or present a safety threat. In 2006, the city has planted at least 16 trees, including oaks, maples and crabapple, and removed six in the 17-acre park, according to Parks Superintendent Tim Richmond. Two of those removed trees blew down in the storms earlier this year and others suffered from Pine Pitch Canker disease. The skyline of the park changes every time one of these big trees comes down,? Richmond said. I'm sure that's what regular park visitors have concerns about.?

    Trees have become a hot issue in the city lately, particularly with the planned removal of an Easton Drive eucalyptus tree that was chewing up the roadway and presenting public safety problems, according to city staff. A City Council hearing on that issue is scheduled in January.

    Trees in the park
    Removed: 504
    Planted: 736

    The next planting scheduled in mid-January should add approximately 57 more street trees, minus six to eight more removals. – Source: Burlingame Parks and Recreation Department

    I do not buy it that this City cannot work out within six/three months that a tree will be destroyed and have a tree ready to be planted at the same time or within a planting season.

    – Written by Fiona

  • Manufactured Budget Crisis-Blind, Deaf, and …?

    Trustees, open your eyes
    If departing board of trustees President Marcia Cohn-Lyle [of the San Mateo Union High School District] truly thinks that Superintendent Sam Johnson has performed "magnificently" and has not placed the blame on anyone, she has a future in the Bush administration as a consultant for its "stay the course" policy in Iraq. She is that out of touch with events going on in the district. As she states in your article, "District stands by embattled leader" (Dec. 16), she is ignoring the teachers' public declaration of concern over its present leadership.
    Ninety-six percent of district teachers know better. This administration manufactured a budget crisis in a time of rising revenues, and its mismanagement of the crisis it created has alienated its employees. Furthermore, both Johnson and [Associate Superintendent Ethel] Konopka have falsely and publicly blamed teachers on numerous occasions for the budget problems that resulted in firing teachers and classified staff. Until the trustees open their eyes and make a change, the real victims of their lack of oversight will continue to be the district's students.
    Craig Childress, president,
    San Mateo Union High School District
    Teachers Association,
    San Mateo
    San Mateo Daily News

    – Written by JC

  • One Man’s Nifty Nine

    John Horgan's Christmas Day column is a wonderful review of some beautiful and fun spots in Bay Area:

    There are few places on the planet that are blessed with such an abundance of natural beauty, creative people and enterprises and, of course, a steady diet of moderate weather.

    With that in mind, here is a list of places unique to the Peninsula. So, with 2007 on the horizon, let's herald the Nifty Nine now.

    Here goes:

    -Stage Road This pleasant rural byway winds through the quiet countryside from Pescadero through San Gregorio. It's like something out of another era. The two-lane route, as its name would suggest, was formerly used by stagecoaches on the Coastside. Just be mindful of the occasional farm equipment in either direction.

    -Pacifica Pier It's one of the county's landmarks. Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean, the structure, though buffeted by heavy wave action at this time of year and in need of ongoing TLC, is a favorite place for avid fishermen and casual strollers alike. There is no charge to use it and parking is free. Such a deal.

    -Coyote Point The county park encompasses a yacht harbor, picnic areas, playgrounds, hiking paths, wind surfing access and a nature museum. It is located adjacent to San Mateo and Burlingame so getting to it is a piece of cake. There is a public golf course there as well.

    -Molloy's Tavern Located on the border of Colma and South San Francisco, this hoary venue is much more than a traditional watering hole. It also contains a gallery of historic photos and memorable framed newspaper pages that make a trip to the place fulfilling and educational, with or without a dry martini and two green olives.

    -Foster's Freeze The last of what was once a chain of county hamburger joints, this Menlo Park establishment is facing the possibility of closure due to pending downtown development. So, if you want a root beer freeze, fries and a burger, you better high-tail it down there soon. The clock is ticking.

    -Radio Road Care to see a sweeping view of the entire Bay Area? Take this winding byway, off Guadalupe Canyon Parkway in Daly City, up the northwest slope of 1,300-foot San Bruno Mountain for a stunning look. On a clear day, you can check out vistas from the Marin Headlands to the north, to Silicon Valley to the south. It's really quite a sight.

    -Fogarty Winery Perched atop the coastal mountains above Woodside, this vineyard/tasting room off Skyline Boulevard has become a mecca for wine lovers and visitors alike. The views, as you would expect are spectacular.

    -Martin's Beach This actually is an eclectic collection of secluded private residences on the coast north of San Gregorio. The tiny community is situated on a stunning site that is worth seeing at least once.

    -Crystal Springs Dam More than a century-old, this stone structure west of Hillsborough and San Mateo has withstood more than one major earthquake with barely a shiver. A path that skirts the lake behind the dam is available nearby.

    – Written by admin

  • Take-off Uncertain for Virgin

    From the S.F. Chronicle's Business section on Dec. 23rd:

    Virgin America, the startup airline that plans to operate from San Francisco International Airport, says it expects that its application to begin service will be rejected by the Department of Transportation next week, a blow which would, at a minimum, postpone its launch.

    The airline believes it can submit a revised application and eventually win government approval, a company spokesman said.

    Virgin America Inc., a Burlingame company 25 percent owned by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, filed for Transportation Department approval in December 2005. It has since ordered aircraft and won Federal Aviation Administration clearance in a technical review. But the airline cannot begin service until the Transportation Department signs off in a separate procedure.

    Virgin America, which identifies itself as a low-cost carrier, has proposed to operate transcontinental flights between SFO and New York.

    Its bid has been snagged by objections made by Continental Airlines and other major U.S. carriers that Branson, a British citizen, will exercise actual control of the new carrier. That's contrary to U.S. law, which requires control of airlines to rest with U.S. citizens.

    Virgin America's Chief Executive Officer Fred Reid has insisted that Branson is simply an investor and that the U.S. company is licensing the Virgin brand.

    Reid told the Wall Street Journal online edition and Bloomberg News Friday that Virgin America had heard informally from contacts in the government that its application would be rejected and the news will be delivered next week.

    Virgin America's chief told Bloomberg that he expected the application eventually to be approved, but it's "theoretically possible" the government's objections could be so sweeping that the airline would not be able to get off the ground.

    Virgin America spokesman Gareth Edmonson-Jones said Friday that the company would not identify who told it to expect a confirmation delay but that it is bracing for a setback. He stressed that any government concerns would be addressed on appeal.

    – Written by admin

  • McMansion Trend Likely to Fade……….

    by Arrol Gellner, SF Chron, December 9, 2006
    McMansion trend likely to fade when people get tired of upkeep
    Like Victorians, they'll suffer an inevitable fall from grace

    *According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, the size of the average American house more than doubled between 1950 and 1999. From 1982 to 2004, the typical new single-family house grew about 40 percent larger, from 1,690 square feet to 2,366 square feet.

    In the face of these increases, however, the size of the average American household has shrunk from 3.3 to 2.6 people. This seeming paradox betrays the trend toward ever-larger houses for what it is: a real estate fashion, and an irrational one at that.

    And like all fashions, it's doomed to reverse eventually. If a huge house simply could be tossed out like an outmoded necktie, or even junked like an obsolete SUV, this wouldn't be much cause for concern. But buildings are a lot more permanent than neckties or gas-guzzlers. After the current taste for huge houses inevitably fades, our infrastructure will be burdened with untold thousands of residential white elephants for decades to come.

    What's so awful about these big, bad houses?

    Here's the usual litany of answers: They use more building materials, wasting natural resources. They take more energy to heat and cool than a comparable small home, consuming more nonrenewable heating oil or natural gas and more electricity (most of which is also generated by fossil fuels, creating more pollution).

    Big houses also cost more to buy — a fact that often seems curiously overlooked — so most people can only afford to buy one in a less expensive location, usually far from where they work, which requires longer commutes, which squander yet more fossil fuels, and ironically also absorb much of the free time people were hoping to spend in their big new house.

    So much for appealing to conscience. In reality, moral arguments won't dissuade people from buying big houses, just as they haven't dissuaded them from buying sport utility vehicles.

    Instead, big houses will be killed by the simple fact that people spend most of their time at home in just a couple of rooms. In a big house, that leaves an awful lot of space that needs to be paid for, heated, cleaned and maintained but that has little real function beyond bragging rights.

    Hence, the big house will go when exasperation trumps ego. While we may not have gained this insight yet, our forebears did so long ago. After 1900, with efficiency-minded magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal leading the charge, overworked homemakers rebelled against the large, ornate and hard-to-maintain homes of the Victorian era.

    Housing trends swung sharply back toward more modest houses, ushering in the phenomenally popular little houses we still call bungalows. As for those big old Victorians, they quickly came to be seen as the apex of vulgarity, and many were eventually carved up into rooming houses — a common strategy to make use of all that burdensome space. The remaining numbers that escaped demolition continued to be held in contempt for 60 more years. Today's McMansions, with their overbearing scale and frenetic ornamentation, are a pretty close match for Victorian excess. And after their inevitable fall from grace, time won't treat them any better.

    – Written by Jen

  • SM Times position on SMUHSD

    OUR OPINION
    There is plenty of blame to go around
    (San Mateo County Times)

    TEACHERS in the San Mateo Union High School District have expressed a decided lack of confidence in the leadership of their superintendent, Samuel Johnson Jr., and one of his primary deputies, Associate Superintendent Ethel Konopka.

    That's not surprising in light of the fact that Johnson, along with Konopka, who handles personnel matters (such as layoffs) for the district, is a primary architect of budget cuts which affect the unionized instructors.

    We can understand their frustration. But to blame Johnson, who has been employed by the district in a variety of capacities for 39 years, and Konopka entirely isn't fair. Furthermore, we're concerned that the degrading relationship between teachers and management will worsen, especially as both entities attempt to agree on a contract.

    As we have noted before, the board of trustees also bears a big share of the responsibility for the district's financial morass. After all, it was the trustees who voted 4-1 (with Peter Hanley dissenting) late last spring to OK a 2006-07 budget even though they knew they were in the red. Warnings about the district's perilous fiscal position projected expenditures appeared to exceed anticipated revenues significantly had been sounded. But the trustees (and Johnson) went ahead anyway.

    There is no question that Johnson and the trustees have handled the situation poorly. Johnson, Konopka and the board members are going to be painted as inept and uncaring.

    Are they incompetent?

    We don't think so. In today's climate of shifting education budgets, their task is not easy.

    It would be helpful if all sides could simmer down, step back and analyze dollars and cents, both today's and those owed in the future, in the cold light of day. Ongoing strife is not going to serve the district's 8,500 students or its taxpayers well at all.

    – Written by JC

  • RASH OF AUTO BURGLARIES BAFFLE POLICE

    Burlingame Daily News

    Burlingame police are investigating an increase in auto burglaries in which vehicles parked outside apartment complexes are being targeted.

    The rise in such crimes started in September and follows another rash of auto burglaries in which vehicles parked outside restaurants and hotels east of U.S. Highway 101 were burglarized between December 2005 and mid-July.

    Police said they believe the earlier crimes were connected to one another and that business travelers were targeted. The burglars broke into rental cars and stole laptop computers and other electronics. In the latest burglaries, the suspect or suspects are taking car stereos and are bypassing vehicles that have alarms.

    "I'm not sure if we are dealing with one group of people or several suspects," police Inspector Kevin Kashiwahara said of the latest burglaries. "It is a common MO (for the burglar) to do a window smash and grab. Obviously it is widespread enough in our city that we are looking into it.

    "Auto burglaries in and of themselves are pretty common. They go in spurts, but not quite as extensive as lately."

    The increase was enough for police to include a warning for residents in the department's online C.O.P.P.S. Connection newsletter. It advises people not to leave valuables in plain sight in vehicles and states that both locked and unlocked vehicles have been burglarized. The newsletter is accessible by visiting http://www.burlingame.org.

    The earlier burglaries on the east side of town involved burglars breaking into vehicles, popping the trunks and stealing laptop computers out of the trunk, Kashiwahara said. It is believed that the earlier burglaries stopped because the suspects got nervous that police were on to them, he said.

    One problem in solving the apartment parking lot burglaries is that the perpetrators aren't leaving much evidence behind, and police haven't been able to get any fingerprints, Kashiwahara said. The burglars appear to be targeting parking lots that are underground and easily accessible, as well as lots that are concealed behind bushes or a wall.

    "It is kind of silly what they will break into your car for," Kashiwahara said. "It's better to put it under your seat or in your trunk than to come back to a smashed window.

    "I think right now it is just one of those crimes that is up in most cities, just from talking to investigators elsewhere," Kashiwahara said.

    In neighboring San Mateo, police said that although they have not seen an increase in auto burglaries in apartment parking lots, there are often spikes in such crimes at this time of year. "It is not uncommon to see it increase during the holidays in shopping malls," San Mateo Police Lt. Tom Daughtry said. "We do notice a typical increase during the holiday season."

    Millbrae police could not be reached for comment.

    – Written by russ

  • CITIES MAY CAP FINANCE SPENDING.

    San Mateo County Times

    Officials hope to level playing field for individuals and businesses

    In the last election, a candidate spent $49,000 to get elected. That might not seem shocking in fact, it would seem paltry, if the candidate were running for state office. In this case it was Ann Keighran, who won a seat on the Burlingame City Council.

    That kind of spending and fundraising is excessive, in the view of some city officials throughout the county, who are taking up the issue with their respective councils in an effort to level the playing field.

    After weeks of discussion, the Half Moon Bay City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to change its municipal code relating to campaign contributions, capping the amount that any person, business or political action committee can contribute to $1,000 per candidate. Burlingame and Menlo Park could also take up similar issues soon.
    Contributions will now be counted on an aggregate basis, meaning that a resident who is also a small business owner canonly contribute $1,000 in total, whether it comes from his or her personal checkbook or office ledger.

    Under an ordinance passed last year, individuals were allowed to contribute $250 and businesses $500, allowing some to stack personal and small business contributions on top of each other for an advantageous $750 limit.
    "My whole push was to see money aggregated and not have a different limit for businesses and individuals. That was saying that business money was more important than individuals' money," said Vice Mayor Bonnie McClung. "In terms of reform,

    I think that's an important reform principle. It levels things, and people can't give from a variety of sources."
    Another key change was subjecting political action committees (PACs) to the same restrictions; previously there were no dollar limits placed on them.

    "We've seen in the last couple of elections that PACs have had more influence because of a limitless amount of money, and if we're restricting our residents, that makes it harder," said Councilwoman Marina Fraser, who just completed a term as mayor. "A lot of outside influence from over the hill now has come to the Coastside. It's not just from money from local businesses or the neighbor down the street."

    Fraser said she couldn't pinpoint a reason, but suspected that a smaller Coastside population from which to draw support could make dollars from outsiders more attractive.
    The changes, which will be formally approved at the council's meeting Jan. 16, also include raising the threshold for reporting donations to $100 or more, bringing it in line with other cities and the state. The previous ordinance required reporting any contribution of $50 or more, which Fraser and McClung both described as a bookkeeping nightmare.

    The changes, however, will not apply to contributions received for costs associated with a recount.

    Councilman Jim Grady was the lone dissenter on the changes, and ostensibly over the dollar amounts, but did not return a call seeking comment.
    Fraser said the new limit set to $1,000 takes into account the increased costs for printing, mailing and advertising.

    "That was my reason for shifting to the $1,000," Fraser said. "I went back and counted it up. It's expensive."
    Other cities may also begin to look at reforming their campaign contribution rules in the aftermath of election controversies from this year and the previous race.

    Burlingame has a study session for campaign finance reform set for 6 p.m. Jan. 2 at City Hall.

    Its City Council began discussing the issue in April after noting that more than $200,000 was spent in the November 2005 election, which had four seats up for grabs.
    The city does not have limits on campaign contributions or spending.

    The impetus for possible change is about "trying to keep the playing field level so that you don't wind up with one category of candidates," said Councilman Russ Cohen. "I don't know tactically what we will address, but I think it's healthy to discuss the issue."

    Cohen said campaign dollars have grown noticeably in the last couple of elections.
    "The signal that has been sent to candidates is, 'Don't even think about it unless you can raise a certain amount,'" he said. "I think that's where the concern rose from."

    In Menlo Park, Vice Mayor Andy Cohen has also made suggestions for campaign reform that he hopes might get some traction in the coming year.

    Though he said he is still weighing exactly what he wants any reform to look like, the key sticking point for him is hefty campaign contributions from developers with potential business before the city.

    Mickie Winkler, Lee Duboc and John Boyle drew the ire of some in November's heated City Council election after each accepted $4,000 donations from Sand Hill Property Management Co., which is scheduled to bring a condo-commercial project on El Camino Real before the council next year.

    "Developers are welcome in our city as long as they follow the rules," Cohen said. "But large contributions designed to get people elected who are sympathetic to their laissez-faire attitude to the General Plan and zoning ordinances ought to be tightly restricted."

    – Written by russ

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