The Burlingame Voice

Best of 2009....what category?

As 2009 stumbles to a close, let's consider the trite but true "best of" selections for Burlingame.  I have a few and you should feel free to add more:

Best fine dining restaurant:  Rocca

Best grocery store:  Mollie's

Best elementary school fundraiser:  Washington Dad's Club wine auction

Best lunch:  Bonne Sante, but Sam's does the job just fine

Best baby clothing store on Burlingame Ave:  who cares?

Best hike/bike:  the Bayfront edges out Mills Canyon by a view

Best architect:  TRG Associates

Best new building:  it looks like Walgreen's will turn out OK after all

Best Chinese food:  Hot Wok, just over the border in San Mateo, but so close they win

Can't wait to hear your selections.

Downsize Your Ambitions!

Not to put too much of a damper on the holiday spirit especially when retail sales appear to have been OK, but this piece in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend caught my eye.  It is titled "As Slump Hits Home, Cities Downsize Their Ambitions".  It starts with a vignette from Arizona:

MESA, Ariz. -- The police department in this city of 470,000 has lost about 50 officers, and is hiring lower-paid civilians to do investigative work. The Little League has to pay the city $15 an hour to turn on ball-field lights. The library now closes its main location on Sundays, and city offices are open only four days a week. This holiday season, the city didn't put up festive lights along the downtown streets.

And goes on to note that "months after economists declared the recession over, cities are only now beginning to feel the full brunt of it".  The position being advanced says that property and sales tax slumps follow the general decline (and recovery).

The Voice will take a look at the early indicators of how B'game's finances will look in 2010 as soon as we get the next update, but one can guess that it won't be all peaches and cream for '10.

Merry Christmas, One and All

Kopp Has More to Say

On December 14^th, the revised Business Plan for the California High Speed Rail project was released and was met with less than open-arms by many.  From San Diego to Oakland, a flurry of opinions appeared in the press decrying the document as no more substantial than the original PR presentation delivered in 2008.

 

Quentin Kopp of the California High Speed Rail Authority had this to say, in an Opinion piece printed in the December 22^nd issue of the San Mateo County Times:

“Whether it’s fear mongering about risking federal dollars by examining legitimate alternatives for the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco or clamoring on the Peninsula about a so-called “no build” option north of San Jose’s intermodal station, it’s a venerable heyday for naysayers and a minority of high-speed rail opponents.”

 

I have noticed that the “fear-mongering” and “naysaying,” is spreading.  Now, citizens from around the state including the Central Valley, Gilroy, San Diego and the East Bay have awaken to the disaster we may be facing if this project gets off the ground.  This is not a Peninsula issue but rather a massive fiscal disaster for the State of California.  With the lowest bond rating in the nation we pay higher interest rates on bonds.  This has increased the cost of servicing our State’s debt by 143% in the last decade.  Has anyone noticed that we are broke yet we are talking about spending $43Billion, like its chump-change?

 

Kopp goes on to say:

“Now, as the alternatives identified for inclusion in the EIR/EIS appear closer to a final format, people have begun to participate fully in the decision-making process and embrace the issues and opportunities that high-speed rail brings to the Bay Area and the state of California.”

 

There are many who feel the decisions have long been made, starting with the choice of the Pacheco Pass rather than the Altamont Pass, a route that many believe makes the most environmental and transportation sense.  Due to the underfunding of this project, we expect that the plan for the Peninsula is the cheapest and fastest alternative – an Ariel structure or retained fill wall.  Engagement at this point is far too late in the process.  Without a CHSRA member from the Peninsula and the outreach that was supposed to happen in advance of the ballot measure in November 2008, we on the Peninsula are still woefully in the dark.

 

From here Kopp embarks on a diatribe in which even the most avid HSR buff would get lost and concludes by stating:

“Broad support doesn’t mean unanimity and those trying to derail the project will seek to convince the media and public otherwise. I’m reminded of Jawaharlal Nehru, the longest-serving prime minister of India, who once observed: “The only alternative to coexistence is co-destruction.”  

 

Since Nehru was referring to the threat of nuclear war, I am compelled to question Kopp’s comparison.  I contend that this project will, in fact, lead to our co-destruction – the destruction of the fiscal viability of California and the destruction of everything that makes our state and communities a draw to visitors from around the world.  I would love to see High Speed Rail come our way.  If I could honestly believe that HSR as planned, will live up to the magical thinking of the new business plan and obtain adequate funding to construct in a way that does not devastate our neighborhoods, while not bankrupting our state, I would be the first one on board.

 

 

Read it all, at:

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&id=121538

What is Q-ball Smokin'?

I was going to post a synopsis of the medical marjiuana issue that is starting to raise its head in San Mateo County since the Times has a front page article about it today.  When I went to Assemblyman Jerry Hill's local coffee event, that was one of the questions he asked the audience since it appears he is struggling with the issue as well.  BUT...then I read Quentin Kopp's letter to the editor in the Times about High Speed Rail.   You old timers will recall that the revered San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen called Kopp "Q-ball" in his scribblings.  Now more than ever, the nickname ScreQball seems to fit old Quentin.  Here is his letter with a couple of comments:

Wrong on high-speed rail

I WAS disappointed to read the Dec. 16 editorial, "It's time we put brakes on high-speed rail," about California's high-speed rail project.

Sadly, it's unsurprisingly consistent with the paper's historic opposition to building high-speed rail in California, a position soundly rejected by state and East Bay voters last fall.

What the High-Speed Rail Authority's report submitted to the Legislature shows is that, under different scenarios, a high-speed rail system in California is a practical project that will make money and not require taxpayer subsidies.

What business plan are you reading?  Nevermind that obvious question.  Can you name ANY public transportation system anywhere in the world that does not "require taxpayer subsidies"? 

We have a realistic price tag, a viable financing plan, and a solid timeline of engineering and construction to ensure passenger service from Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2020.

Really?  Where are these realistic, viable statements?  They are not in the latest business plan. 

Any discussion of ticket prices and ridership is largely academic. I challenge anyone to tell me how much a Southwest flight from the Bay Area to Southern California will cost next month, much less what a ticket will cost 10 years from now on a train system that hasn't broken ground on construction yet.

In answer to your challenge, I predict the Southwest tickets next month will be within $20 of what they are now.  And in 10 years, I predict Southwest will be a helluva lot cheaper than any unsubsidized, cost-based ticket on a high-speed rail system that has to recover $50+ billion dollars of capital investment.  You don't have to be an investment banker to know THAT.  Why doesn't the business plan published last week not contain a cash flow statement?  

We all know that a transportation alternative is needed for California. And we know once it opens for revenue service that fares will be competitive with airfares and gasoline prices.

Sorry.  "We", that is not the royal "we" from San Franciso but only the plebeian "we" from the 'burbs know nothing of the sort.  The HSR passenger forecasts appear to emanate from an EssEff pot club.

The business plan the authority has conscientiously prepared demonstrates that with the tremendous momentum behind high-speed rail provided by the Congress, President Barack Obama, and California voters, we'll soon have tens of thousands of new jobs and ultimately an environmentally friendly way to travel throughout the state. That's worthy of the paper's support.

Nobody in the US Congress has given one iota of thought to HSR in months.  California voters are in a far different mood and place than they were when this simplistically written ballot measure passed.  If HSR "creates" tens of thousands of new jobs, it will be even more of a money loser than the skeptics imagine.

Judge Quentin Kopp

San Francisco

Q-ball, this dog don't hunt.

Chief Retires

Chief Jack Van Etten retired yesterday after 36 years with the Burlingame Police Department.  A Burlingame resident, the Chief rose through the ranks in B'game and was known for his approachable demeanor and his straight-arrow lawman outlook.  The Daily Journal has an article about his retirement and the appointment of Capt. Ed Woods as the acting chief.  Best wishes, Jack and welcome, Ed.

Here's Chief Van Etten at his last City Council meeting.

B'game Sports Have Good Week

The BHS girl's soccer team beat Pioneer 5-0 this week and Taylor McCann scored four of the goals.  That earned her Athlete of the Week honors from the San Mateo County Times.

The BHS wrestling team followed with an impressive 54-22 victory over Menlo-Atherton with six Panther wrestlers recording pins.

Last night Burlingame pulled-off that rarest of feats in any school sport--a win over Serra.  The Daily Journal reports:

As the final buzzer sounded, Burlingame High 6-foot-4 post players Kyle Shaffer and Rodrigo Pulicemo were engulfed by their fellow student body in a raucous on-court celebration.

With all zeros on the clock, the scoreboard — amazingly, shockingly — confirmed the Panthers had beaten the Padres — yes, in basketball — for what is believed to be the first time in school history.

All in all a good start for winter athletics!

Retirement Benefits In Jeopardy

The on-going saga about SMUHSD retired teachers' benefits does not appear to be getting resolved.  Heather Murtagh at the SM Daily Journal has the latest news on the negotiations

Former employees facing a sharp rise in health care costs say they will only accept what was promised to them when they retired, despite an announcement that the San Mateo Union High School District is willing to increase its contribution, cover deductibles up to $1,500 per insured for one year and form a special hardship fund.

“I think it’s an insult to us to even offer this, said retired classified employee Lucy Cerecedes.

Early retirees, former employees who retired before 65, previously were provided health care from the same pool as current employees. Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees decided to separate the group of about 70 people to save the district money. The decision, however, meant dramatically higher health care costs for the small but increasingly angry group.

Complaints from those facing costs that were set to quadruple next month resulted in the board creating some concessions to try and ease the financial impact. Those affected, however, want to be added back into the current employee health benefit pool, a move they say was promised to them prior to making the decision to retire early.

Some local parents are quite upset as well, but as with any of these benefit issues, it's complicated.

Drop the High-Speed Plan

The San Mateo Times has reached the conclusion that it is time to mothball plans for high-speed rail in California.  Here's the rationale they list:

The high-speed rail system was flawed from the start. California does not have population densities close to those in Japan and Europe, which have successful high-speed rail systems.

Also, California has a poor record of accomplishing large construction projects anywhere near original estimates or completion forecasts.

Rail transportation funds would be far better spent on metropolitan transit systems like BART extensions to San Jose and eBART in the East Bay.

It's nice to see more parties paying attention to this and reaching a solid conclusion.

Another Burlingame Bungalow Bites the Dust

The home stood on Douglas Avenue for more than 100 years, along with a century of memories. Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Gone also would be the stories the building itself could have told. Nothing, that I could tell, was salvaged. Not the original fixtures like the home’s oak entry door, the old growth shingle siding, the original crown moldings, none of the bricks that flanked the porch entry. All gone--off to the landfill.

A description of the home from a survey conducted by architectural historians Carey & Company as part of the city’s proposed Downtown Specific Area Plan.

1134 Douglas Avenue
Constructed in 1910, this shingle-clad residence has a full-width porch with thick, square, brick- clad supports and a pyramidal hipped lantern with four wood-sash, one-over-one, double-hung windows on each side. The building stands adjacent to 1124, 1128 and 1132 Douglas Avenue, which appear to be California Register-eligible, and 1138 Douglas Avenue, another notable building. City directories list R. F. Allan, the owner of the Burlingame Dry Goods Company, as the occupant from 1918 to 1922. 
This building appears to be of local interest as one of five adjacent homes constructed around the time of Burlingame’s incorporation in 1908. 

I guess that’s called progress. I guess there’s a demand for more housing along with the unintended consequences-- more traffic, more noise, more congestion. I guess that’s what the future of Burlingame looks like. More density. More height. Gone will be the starter homes, the small” affordable” homes. Gone will be the homes with backyards and front yards and sometimes even a side yard. Gone too, I fear, will be the sense of community some of us moved here for.

Are we destroying the very essence of our town when we tear a small home down and replace it with one three or four times its size?

Below image from Google earth.

Below: December 12, 2009