The Burlingame Voice

Figuring Out Test Scores

The Daily Journal reported on the statewide test scores, but the reporting was a bit muddled.  They really need to separate the three levels (elementary, middle and high school) and any cities they want to focus on.  The only clear result with B'game implications was

When it comes to high schools, Mills took the top spot scoring 852 followed by Aragon in San Mateo with 840 then Carlmont in Belmont with 835.

Congrats to Mills for continuing to raise the bar at the high school level!

Puzzling pole in park.

Can anyone tell me what this pole is? The photo shows the light post at Washington Field near the batting cage, but next to it is another pole--is it a cell phone tower?

  
 

High Cost Rail - Part 30 - Arnold's Travels

Local Mary Hunt poses an excellent question in a Letter to the Editor in the Daily Journal. It goes like so:

Question: While our state budget crisis deepens and the state is forced to defer payments to schools and vendors, what will our lame-duck governor Arnold Schwarzenegger be doing to help resolve the worst budget crisis in decades?

Answer: Our governor will be AWOL — taking a trade junket to China, Japan and South Korea from Sept. 9 to Sept. 15 (This is also the period for the governor to decide the fate of hundreds of bills recently passed by the Legislature). That’s bad enough. But there’s more reason for concern: Traveling with the governor will be the new CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority, Roelof van Ark. This gives credence to the talk that Gov. Schwarzenegger wants China to invest tens of billions of dollars to make up the huge investment shortfall that many experts predict in the funding of California’s high-speed rail system. Why would China invest tens of billions of dollars in a project that — according to our state treasurer— Wall Street investors are, “convinced that no one can finance the routes from Los Angeles to the Bay Area?” That question needs to be answered, not in the California governor’s office, but in the president’s National Security Council.

Mary L. Hunt

And a guest opinion in the Chronicle hits on another aspect of the private investment needed

those investors will need to see a potential return. The hitch? The way the phasing or building of the system is currently proposed may not produce a return.

And the proposal which is quite logical is

The cost to build the 30 miles from Los Angeles to Anaheim and the 50 miles from San Francisco to San Jose is estimated at $9.9 billion. I suggest a less risky approach: Build the Bakersfield to Merced segment first.

At an estimated cost of $6.75 billion for the 168 miles, the third segment is cheaper to build per mile ($40.2 million) than the other segments. Also, by extending the third segment an additional 114 miles to Sacramento, the state would tap the largest travel market in the state, within and between the San Joaquin Valleyand major California cities.

This plan would create a viable showcase of high-speed rail that could help generate the outside investment needed to complete the system.

Is anyone at the CHSRA listening?  Do their calculators even work?

BID or No BID?

The Daily Journal piece on this week's BID discussion and merchants' concerns notes

More than 270 protests against the creation of a Burlingame Avenue business improvement district were filed, but it is not yet known if there are enough votes to disqualify the effort.

About 60 percent of a small sample of the protests were deemed valid and the rest will be examined in more detail since

Votes from the estimated 550 businesses in the Burlingame Avenue area are weighted based on the amount of money a business would pay should the BID go into effect.

It could be a close vote.

Doggie Doo -- Not

The Daily Post picked up on the discussion at the last City Council meeting about Pet Food Express's offer to donate doggie waste stations to the city.  The new merchant has offered to place the stations anywhere the city wants them and Broadway merchants are apparently jumping for joy about them.

The piece notes:

However, Nantell said, "The question becomes--who maintains them and who picks up the litter."  In other words, either the city disposes of the bagged feces or the county's garbage haulers.

There will be some more study of possibly taking the baggie stations without the waste receptacles and asking people to use the cans that already exist on the streets.

High Cost Rail - Part 29 Twisting Survey Results

Recall from Part 25 of our High Cost Rail series, that the CSHRA's survey results needed some external review.  A modest synopsis of the survey results has finally surfaced.  It may take several installments to find all of the gems in the report, but here are a couple that just jump off the page

In general, which of the following methods do you currently prefer to use for long-distance travel within California:

Taking an airplane ------------------------ 30%

Amtrak or other rail lines ---------------- 12%

Driving in your own car ------------------ 75%

Riding a bus ---------------------------------- 4%

"In general" is right since it really matters how far one is going and what the origin and destinations are.  Does 12% taking some form of train sound even close to you?  Here's another question:

Here are some statements from people who support the planned high-speed rail line. After hearing each statement, please tell me whether you find it very convincing, somewhat convincing, or not convincing as a reason to support the project. If you do not believe the statement, please tell me that too.

"The high-speed rail line will attract large amounts of public and private investment to California. The state received over two billion dollars in federal funding. And California’s nine billion dollar investment will generate 34 billion dollars of investment from non-state sources."

Amazingly, 34% are Very Convinced of this and another 37% are Somewhat Convinced!  13% are Not Convinced and 12% Don't Believe the statement.  I'm not sure what the difference is between not being convinced and not believing it, so let's add those two for a 25% total.  Now the wrinkle:  HSR has been in the works for years and has yet to attract a single dime of private investment--yet 71% of respondents apparently want to ignore this private money boycott.  Yikes.  Maybe you didn't need to be told this, but 38% of the respondents get their news about HSR from.....the TV.  Oh well.

 

Jerry Hill Survey

Assemblyman Jerry Hill released the results of a poll he has taken on some state budget issues.  I seem to recall the survey being solicited off of his e-mail list which isn't really a representative sample (no pun intended), but nonetheless here are some results:

Should the deficit be solved using only cuts to state programs?
Yes 31.3%
No 68.7%

Should the deficit be solved using a combination of cuts to state programs and other solutions such as borrowing, fees and taxes?
Yes 65.4%
No 34.6%

Should corrections and our state prison system be the main priority area for reductions in state spending during this deficit?
Yes 54.7%
No 45.3%

Should we reduce funding to K-12 education and community college, CSU and UC funding in this year's budget?
Yes 23.4%
No 76.6%

Should the main focus of the budget be job creation and economic development?
Yes 67.8%
No 32.2%

Should state programs like environmental regulation and health services take a back seat to education funding and economic development in this year's budget?
Yes 49.2%
No 50.8%

I disagree with Jerry about removing the 2/3 vote requirement to pass a budget.  It's there for a reason and in a state with so many "safe" seats I think it is one lever we have to get representatives to negotiate.

SmartMeter Report Shows Accuracy

The SmartMeter debate we have been following took another turn yesterday as reported on KCBS and the Daily Journal.

The five-month study was released at a meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission, which ordered the review after receiving a flood of reports last year about skyrocketing electricity costs and bill estimates that were higher than what customers actually owed.

However, the analysis by The Structure Group of Houston found smart meters were accurately gauging electricity use.

The SF Chronicle piece has a bit more detail

Investigators with Structure Consulting Group of Houston, a utility consulting firm, tested 613 SmartMeters in the field and 156 in the lab, finding just two that didn't work.

But, of course, some publicity-seeking pol had to get in the act with a comment that doesn't seem show any understanding of what testing 750+ meters shows 

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter (Kern County) said "I think it is key that we take the time now to have an extensive and detailed hearing on Structure's work product. So far what is missing from the report is any sense that this was a true 'investigation,' as opposed to a review of PG&E's SmartMeters."

If you want more testing details, here is the consultant's press release.  I'm sure we haven't heard the end of this and that PG&E will have to respond to the report's findings about poor communications and customer service.