The Burlingame Voice

Real Estate Recovery?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting a bit of a national housing price uptick

A gauge of U.S. home prices improved in January with many of the nation's most battered markets among the gainers.  The seasonally adjusted S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 major metropolitan areas increased 0.3% in January from a month earlier, the eighth consecutive monthly increase.

The WSJ shows SF as the top gainer at +9.1%  from a year ago and today's SF Examiner adds a quote in a similar article

"We're seeing multiple offers in most of the markets here in the San Francisco Bay Area," said David Kerr, an agent with ZIP Realty in Oakland.  "People are getting off the fence."

A search on a local real estate website shows about 57 single family residences for sale in B'game at the moment and there are "sale pending" signs appearing.  "Coming soon" signs are also appearing, so there may be some pent up inventory that has been waiting for a rebound.

High Cost Rail - Part 7 (EIR and Alternative Routes)

Next week there are three opportunities to get informed and involved in the High Cost Rail threat to the Peninsula.  On Wed., April 7th there are two public outreach sessions:

10:00 am to noon – Sheriff’s Auditorium, 55 West Younger Avenue, San Jose, CA

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose CA

that you can read a bit about at http://www.hsr-prep.blogspot.com/

Then the following day, Thursday April 8, the CA High Speed Rail Authority's monthly meeting is happening at the same 70 W. Hedding St. location.  This particular monthly meeting starts at 9 am and is loaded with committee reports (operations, finance, search, audit) as well as discussion of the Transbay Terminal in S.F. and an addendum to the Business Plan--which needs plenty of addending.

Item 11 is

Alternatives Analysis Report - San Francisco-San Jose

Staff will describe the alignment alternatives in the San Francisco - San Jose section, timed with the release of the Alternatives Analysis report for the section.

The Alternatives Analysis report will be posted at www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov by the morning of April 8.

That part should be most interesting, but it is hard to predict what time it will occur especially since the agenda says "items may be taken out of order".  Nice of them to put Public Comment first--we wouldn't want the pesky public to comment on what they have just heard.

Bike Improvements

Cities are starting to think about the next round of bicycle improvement grants from C/CAG and other organizations because applications are due April 16th.  The SF Examiner is discussing the minimum grant size that some cities are struggling with.  Burlingame has done quite well in recent years since the mayor became the first local official ever to join the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.  We never got any money before because we weren't in the game.  The Examiner notes 

Jane Gomery, programs manager for Burlingame, said her city, too, is having difficulty finding projects that fit C/CAG’s criteria.

“We’re hoping to pull a lot of projects together,” Gomery said. “We’re trying to make sure we pick projects that target requirements.”

Gomery said Burlingame has made a number of improvements during the past several years, including “sharrows” that were added to the length of California Avenue from downtown Burlingame to the Millbrae BART station and a lane over U.S. Highway 101 at Broadway. Sharrows are painted on the road to encourage vehicles to share the road because it’s not wide enough for an actual bike lane.

Howard Ave. is an example of the striping that can occur when there is enough room on a route.  It is surprisingly expensive because it has to hold up to the wear and tear of the traffic.

Taking Action on the Climate - Part 7 (Styrofoam)

Andrea Koskey of the SF Examiner is tracking the styrofoam issue and reports today that

An attempt to ban Styrofoam products throughout San Mateo County is in the works as cities continue to tackle the issue on their own in an effort to end environmental pollution.

Dean Peterson, San Mateo County’s director of environmental health, said a draft ordinance that would require businesses to discontinue using polystyrene-based products, or Styrofoam — often used for food storage or takeout — will go before the Board of Supervisors Environmental Quality Committee next month for discussion.

That action would affect the unincorporated parts of the County

Peterson said if successful, county officials would then approach cities to encourage adoption of a similar ordinance. Businesses that do not conform could face up to $500 fines for repeated offenses, according to the draft ordinance.

There are an estimated 200 businesses that would be affected in unincorporated San Mateo County. There are 3,500 food-related businesses in the county.

Three cities in San Mateo County — South San Francisco, Millbrae and Pacifica — already have bans in place.

I like the recyclable containers that Roti uses.  They look a bit like styrofoam but feel more like cardboard and have the recycling symbol on them.  They also hold up well to palak paneer.  I don't know if they are cost competitive with styrofoam.

High Cost Rail - Part 6 Letter to Editor

Mikhail A. Raklov from Menlo Park has a pointed letter to the editor in today's Daily Post.  Here is the first half of it:

There is a famous French saying, that of three ways to financial ruin, the most pleasant is women, the quickest is gambling and the surest is technology.  The last part of this saying is especially true if the technology is obsolete.  Applying this concept to the hotly debated proposition of building high-speed rail through the hearts of several peninsula cities, one wants to ask:  Did proponents of this project hear anything about telecommuting?  And what will be the percentage of people preferring telecommuting rather than real commuting in five or 10 years?

And who will be these mysterious millions of riders who will commute day after day, month after month, year after year between Los Angeles and San Francisco?

Everyone is still waiting for the next three shoes to drop as the ridership forecasts are cut, cut and cut again.  One of the main reasons the hybrid solution of a cross-platform transfer in San Jose wouldn't require as much right-of-way up the Peninsula is the ridership forecasts into and out of SF are pure fiction.

By the way, according to Wikipedia the population of SF in 1950 was 775,357.  In 2000, Wikipedia lists the population as 776,733.  That growth of 1,376 people is 1.8% in 50 years.

Alleged Embezzlement

Today's Daily Post is reporting:

A secretary at a Burlingame School is under investigation for allegedly embezzling $9,000, police said yesterday.  The secretary oversaw the SamTrans bus pass fund at Burlingame Intermediate School, but left her job last month, Capt. Mike Matteucci said yesterday.

School officals contacted police on Monday, reporting that $9,000 was unaccounted for, Matteucci said.  Police have yet to question the woman and wouldn't release her name.  "We want to talk to this lady because she's in charge of the fund, " said Matteucci.  Like many schools in San Mateo County, Burlingame Intermediate offers students monthly bus passes through SamTrans for $29, said Christine Dunn, spokeswoman for SamTrans.  In Burlingame Intermediate's case, the passes are for sale in the office before school, during recess, lunch and after school.

If you know the name of the person the police want to speak to, please DO NOT post it here so we won't have to delete it.

High Cost Rail - Part 5 (Eminent Domain)

An information pamphlet from the California High Speed Rail Authority on how the eminent domain process will work for High Cost Rail is circulating around the Peninsula.  You can read the piece titled Your Property, Your High Speed Rail here.

It addresses questions like

If it appears that your property will be affected, you may be wondering what will happen. Who will contact you? What will you be paid for your property?  Who will pay your moving costs?  Will the Rail Authority help you find a new place to live?

as well as the impact on your Prop. 13 cost basis.  Of course, the main question is "How much will they pay?"

At the time the offer is made to purchase your property, you may obtain your own appraisal and the Rail Authority will reimburse you up to $5,000 for the actual, reasonable costs of obtaining an independent appraisal. A state licensed appraiser must perform your appraisal.

These will likely be very tricky appraisals subject to all sorts of extraneous factors.  Forget "comps"--more like a dart toss.  The real discussion around Burlingame is among the homeowners who won't be getting bought out.  I've had several people tell me they are delaying home improvement projects due to the uncertainty about the project, the noise, the vibration, the traffic impact, etc.

$chool parcel tax certified

The "T's" have been crossed and Measure B is certified.  So now you last dozen people around town can take down the lawn signs.  The Daily Journal reports:

The results of the March 2 Burlingame Elementary School District March 2 all-mail ballot measure were certified as passed by the San Mateo County Elections Office.

The measure sought a $180 annual parcel tax for the district to replace two similar taxes scheduled to sunset next year. It is anticipated to generate $1.4 million a year for the district.

Congrats.  You don't need to be a realtor to understand how the quality of the town's schools support the town's brand.  And supporting local efforts is the key to a new perspective.  More on that to follow.

BPD Chief Update

The San Mateo Daily Journal has a piece on the replacement for recently retired Police Chief Jack Van Etten:

Burlingame will name San Mateo Deputy Police Chief Mike Callagy as its interim police chief in the coming weeks if the two city’s respective councils ratify the contract, Burlingame City Manager Jim Nantell said yesterday.

It is a move that one day may lead to a full merger of the two departments, Nantell said.

Callagy was brought in because he shares the vision of shared services between the two departments, a vision some Burlingame rank-and-file officers do not.

Burlingame police have been working without a contract now for 15 months and the force has been reduced by 25 percent, said Burlingame police Officer Jim Hutchings.

You should read the rest of the article to get more color on the potential for sharing police departments with San Mateo.

San Mateo Moves to #1

The SF Examiner is highlighting the .25 percent increase in San Mateo's sales tax rate that goes into effect on April Fool's Day.  The revenue impact might be:

According to San Mateo finance director Hossein Golestan, the city will receive an estimated $3.3 million in increased revenue each year for the next eight years from the tax.

And the merchants seem to be OK with it

 

Ed Kaufman, owner of “M” is for Mystery, a bookstore on Third Street, said if the increase benefits schools, fire and police, it is a small price to pay for services.

“If the city needs the money, I applaud it,” he said. “Most people that come in here don’t even know what the sales tax is and would only notice if it went from 9.25 percent to 10.25 percent.”

But it does move San Mateo to the top of the list:

 

San Mateo: 9.5 percent

Daly City: 9.25 percent

Burlingame: 9.25 percent

Redwood City: 9.25 percent

Is the increase negligible or death-by-a-thousand-cuts?