The Burlingame Voice

Grab your paintbrushes. Paint Burlingame is almost here!

It's fun to paint, and it's fun to watch painters paint. It's also fun to come look at the finished paintings at the end of the day. On Sunday, it's Paint Burlingame Day and you will see lots of artists throughout town painting. You can too, just come by and register beginning at 8am in front of the Burlingame Train Station or you can come to the reception beginning at 4pm inside the old Malouf's store at 1426 Burlingame Avenue and maybe buy some of the finished art. There will be food from Sapore, Alana's, Tea Cakes and Mollie Stone's. Come on by. The more the merrier. 10% of art sales benefit The Burlingame Historical Society.

For more info: www.paintburlingame.wordpress.com

32 Is For You...and Me...and Everyone Else, Too

We are a little over a month away from a typical California election with lots of ballot propositions and some that are hard to decipher (like #31).  But one Proposition is clear and critical to righting the ship that is California.  Recall my comments about Gloria Romero's brave statements here--well this is how her point of view can become reality.

Proposition 32 goes to the heart of the money trail that leads to Sacramento by changing the union payroll deduction process to be voluntary.  What could be more fair than that?  Voluntary.

The Yes on 32 website states

The measure prohibits unions, corporations, government contractors, and state and local government employers from spending money deducted from an employee’s paycheck for “political purposes.” Under the measure, this term would include political contributions, independent expenditures, member communications related to campaigns, and other 33 expenditures to influence voters. This measure would not affect unions’ existing authority to use payroll deductions to pay for other activities, including collective bargaining and political spending in federal campaigns.

The other way to put it is union members would have the right to opt out of having their paychecks docked for lobbying that they may not agree with or want to fund even if they do agree.

Remember what Deep Throat said to Bob Woodward in All The President's Men:  "Follow the money".  We are a half trillion in the hole on pension funding with no changes in sight, we are being asked to raise income tax rates while companies leave the state in droves, and student test scores are not improving but the tracking mechanism is being watered down. 

It's time to change how things work in Sac.  Vote yes on 32...for you, me and everyone.

BCE Pledge Day

Here's your reminder that tomorrow (Sept. 25th) is BCE Pledge Day.  You can do it online here

High-Cost Rail Part 81 Fed Money Flowing

We've managed to go a full month without a high-cost rail posting, but the recent Federal government announcement has to serve as a wake-up call that indeed this boondoggle is really happening.  The most common reaction I get from people these days is "it's not really going to happen, is it?"  When they look at the fiscal problems in the state, it's hard to believe that we will drop $100 billion on this, but.....

The federal government on Wednesday approved the start of construction for California's $69 billion high-speed rail line, capping years of planning on the first leg of tracks in the Central Valley and likely kicking off a new round of lawsuits from opponents.

The state has been eagerly awaiting the Federal Railroad Administration's endorsement of the Merced-to-Fresno section of the bullet train line since Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature gave the go-ahead two months ago.

Even with the polls showing declining support this thing keeps chugging along.  Last weekend, I was part of a long interview with Fox News from L.A. that is investigating several aspects of the project--not least of which is the long term financial viability.  Some local experts have nailed it with this report

Mills-Peninsula Changes

The Mercury Times is reporting on changes to the San Mateo emergency room services:

SAN MATEO -- Mills-Peninsula Health Services will close its standby emergency room in downtown San Mateo and convert it to an urgent care clinic to avoid a state-mandated seismic upgrade that could cost as much as $80 million, the health care group announced.

The standby emergency department at Mills Health Center will close Dec. 1 and be replaced late next year with a facility that provides many of the same services as well as primary care, Mills-Peninsula officials said this week. The new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, which opened in 2011, has enough capacity to handle any extra emergency visits that arise from now on, they said.

This is never an easy decision--$80 million or make adjustments to fit under the letter of the law regarding what constitutes an ER.  Keep this in mind the next time you have to go to one.

Going Green in 2012

After the morning fog cleared the 2012 Green Fair was quite an affair.  The energy builds because of the adjacent Farmers' Market that has been doing well all year.  My overall impression was that the definition of "green" is expanding and appears to be profitable.  Some would call this "green washing" but the crowd seemed into it.  The first pic is the recycling area which had a steady flow of drop-offs.  The second is the fair itself.  All in all, a great B'game event.

The Next City Manager

The City is actively recruiting our next City Manager.  Here is the advertisement in the Western City magazine which is the monthly magazine of the League of Western Cities.

The salary is Dependent on Qualifications (COQ) and the retirement package is listed right there as an incentive.  Y'all have til a week from Monday to apply (Sept. 24th).

The Other Candy Store

There are a couple of great candy stores in B'game.  Preston's on B'way is the classic.  Powell's is doing a nice business just south of B'game Avenue.  But the most intriguing one in town doesn't have any sugary treats.  It's the Candy Store across from the tennis courts in Washington Park and is filled with the best-of-the-best collectible cars.  The club does rent out the facility for events, but after 20+ years in town, last night was my first visit.  As the website notes:

The elegant Spanish style building was designed in 1928 as a Packard Dealership for Earl C. Anthony.

And it houses several Packards to this day along with Ferraris, Jags and a gorgeous Duesenberg.  Here's a view of the center aisle.  Notice how the truss work reflects the design of time.

Truly a gem of B'game.

Two Wheeling It in B'game

I know there have been complaints about bicyclists on sidewalks in town.  I have even been one to complain when I nearly got hit on B'way, yet the blanket prohibition worries parents in some neighborhoods so this survey from the City will help the BPD figure out a new approach.  From the e-Newsletter

Currently the City's Ordinance prohibits bike riding on sidewalks. Recently the City of Burlingame has received concerns from residents regarding bicycle riding on sidewalks from two different perspectives. From those that are concerned that riding in the streets can be dangerous and from those that feeling riding on the sidewalks can be dangerous for pedestrians. This survey is designed to get feedback from a broader spectrum of our community relative what should be the City's policy.

You can go here to take the survey.

Here and There - Part 1 Greenwich, Conn.

When I'm travelling I often like to compare my environs with B'game.  So I spent the afternoon reacquainting myself with Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, CT.  Greenwich is a bit more upscale than B'game, but if Hillsborough had not seceded years ago our combined demographics would be pretty close--and Hill People do think of the Avenew as their downtown.

Greenwich Avenue has a lot of similarities to our Avenue.  An old, even historic, train stop anchors one end and the other end goes up hill to very, very pricey residential neighborhoods.  It has the obligatory new Apple store, Sephora, Talbots, Lululemon, various upscale womens' clothing stores and nice restaurants.  It also had a very traditional post office sitting on pricey real estate shown here

This location was closed in March and moved off the Avenue to a much less expensive, leased location a couple blocks away.  Here is the new post office

It will be interesting to watch what happens to their old post office since Greenwich has had a Historic District around its Avenue since 1989.  The Greenwich Times noted the sale in 2011 for $15 million and reported

There is no shortage of rumors about what would move into the space. Some observers speculated high-end retailers Bergdorf Goodman or Neiman Marcus would take over, but no plans are listed in the sale contract.  A preservation covenant is attached to the sale of the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The new owners must preserve the building's neoclassical facade to ensure it is still eligible to be listed on the National Register. The Connecticut Historic PresRead more:ervation and Museum Division would have to approve any changes to historic features of the property.

Looks like we are more similar to Greenwich than I thought when I started my visit this afternoon!