The Burlingame Voice

Parking is Expen$ive

I really like the idea of having a full-service Post Office downtown, but the realities of the USPS financial system are what they are and it ain't good.  So if they need to sell something, there is lots of expen$ive parking spaces on the property.  Is there any reason why they can't keep the post office and trim the parking capacity?  There are 35 spaces here:

Space Available

The old Walgreen's site is coming along nicely.  Cassidy Turley BT Commercial has the listing for the spaces in the new building.  Perusing their web site, we note that there is some interesting stuff for sale in town.

The Walgreen's site is pretty well spoken for with the tenants we have noted before, like Five Guys' Burgers & Fries, but apparently the top floor is still available.  Should be pretty cool space and the outdoor patio area with a view of the hills at sunset should be nice too!

BIS Survey - Low Morale

There are some interesting, albeit it not totally conclusive, results in a recent survey of BIS folks as reported in the Daily Journal

On Tuesday, the Burlingame Elementary School District Board of Trustees will accept results from a school climate survey completed by Pivot Learning Partners. On the consent calendar, the third party study was requested after a teacher survey to assess Principal Pam Scott’s leadership and managerial skills had negative findings. The results were not shared. Instead, the district completed its own survey which questioned staff, parents and students. Staff will present recommendations of next steps at a board meeting at the beginning of the next school year.

Ninety-two percent of the staff reported low morale, according to the study. Just over half reported enjoying going to work on most days. Thirty-three percent described the staff as “respectful and collegial with one another.” And, 75 percent of the staff indicated they do not feel safe to openly share their ideas and opinions.

Students and staff both perceived cheating as a problem. Just over half the students surveyed agreed they rarely see cheating on tests and assignments compared to 17 percent of the staff.

I think it's statistically safe to say 92% with low morale is an issue, but for some of the other response rates you would need some multi-school similar baseline to know if there is an outlier issue.

Farewell to a Good Guy

This morning I attended Father Edward Inyanwachi's last official Mass at St. Catherine's.  He's been reassigned to St. Isabella's in San Raphael/Novato after serving in B'game for about four years.

As Father John Ryan said at the end, Fr. Edward was very helpful during Fr. Al's health challenges that eventually took him and the parish will miss Fr. Edward.  Good luck at St. Izzy's and do come back an visit.

Leaf Blower Ban?

From the current e-newsletter from the City we learn

In July the Burlingame City Council will be discussing a proposal to further restrict and possibly completely ban the use of leaf blowers. In preparation for the study session we would appreciate your feedback by responding to a survey that you can take by clicking on the following link.

As usual with SurveyMonkey surveys put together by non-professionals, the survey is a bit disjointed but basically gets the options on the table.  Comments welcome here, too.

JD selected for JPB

B'game finally has representation on the Joint Powers Board that owns and operates Caltrain.  Last night Jerry Deal was selected to fill the seat that was formerly held by the San Carlos mayor who recently passed away.  Deal had been neck-and-neck in the voting the last time and was able to gain the seat this time around.

Given that the B'game City Council's views on High-cost Rail are pretty well known around the County, Deal's selection could be interpreted as a vote by a majority of the other cities for much closer inspection, if not out-and-out challenges, to the California High-cost Rail Authority.  About time!

This also means Deal's re-election to the council this Fall gains importance beyond the city borders.

Ortiz' Hat is in the Ring

Some of us insiders have known for awhile that Ricardo Ortiz was planning to run for B'game City Council.  He has now made a public announcement of sorts by sending out an email that asks people to forward it to friends in town.  Ricardo's opening platform, per the email, is

This is a crucial time for Burlingame.  I will bring the unique perspective of resident, businessman and parent when finding solutions that are best for all.  We need to protect our neighborhoods, we need to create a strong business environment and we need to maintain our excellent schools.  I have lived here for seventeen years and plan to remain for many more. I want to make sure we focus on long-term solutions not just band aids to our problems.

He certainly knows much of the mechanics of running a campaign having assisted Rosalie O'Mahony's campaigns over the years.  He also notes in his email how difficult it can be to beat an incumbent (he expects both Terry Nagel and Jerry Deal to run again for their seats), but getting an early start is a necessity.  June 22nd and the race is on!

St. C's Parking Swap Approved

The Daily Journal has a brief piece on the City-church land swap that was approved by the Council.  It notes

A proposal to swap land between the city of Burlingame and St. Catherine of Siena Church, which raised concerns by those who live and work around the Primrose Road lot, was approved by the City Council Monday.

Under the proposal, the city would acquire a 75 foot by 150 foot property at 161 Highland Ave., adjacent to city parking lot N. St. Catherine of Siena Church would acquire a 67.5 foot by 155.25 foot portion of parking lot G, located on Primrose Road between Howard and Bayswater avenues, adjacent to the property of the church, which plans to build a multi-purpose facility

This is the first step towards building out the parish campus for more activities.

 

Thirsty Trees

The City is reminding everyone to water their greenery.  Thankfully there should be plenty of water to go around since the Tahoe ski areas are able to open over the Fourth of July weekend for mid-summer skiing!  Here's how to take care of our 16,250 trees per the City

The Parks Division encourages residents to water their City trees as well as their private property trees especially during these warm summer months. This will assist us in maintaining our beautiful urban forest. Younger trees should receive at least 5 gallons of water once each week, not only to keep the tree from dying, but also to help the young tree grow and remain healthy throughout its life cycle.

I'm also worried about gophers going for the roots of trees and shrubs.  Anyone else noticing a lot more gopher holes this summer?

Friends With Benefits - Part 11 San Jose Acts

The SacBee is editorializing on San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed's move to address pension reform.  We've tracked various moves for some time like here.  The Bee notes

Reed wants to put a measure on the November ballot that would cut pension benefits for current workers. Under the proposal people working for the city now would keep the value of the pensions they've earned to date, but accrue any additional benefits at a reduced rate.

The mayor also wants to raise the retirement ages for most workers to 65, and to 60 for police and firefighters.

Similar to the bombshell recommendation in the Little Hoover Commission's controversial pension report released in February, Reed's ballot proposal would test the vested rights of current workers.

I've only heard Reed speak in sound bites on the radio, but I like him.