The Burlingame Voice

Friends with Benefits - Part 20 New Year's Wish

Our local scribe John Horgan has his "six-pack" of wishes for 2013 that does a nice job of mirroring my own.  Mr. Horgan has been watching the local pension issue as well and has the following to say here

The latest extensive audit performed by the county's controller is somewhat encouraging on the subject of long-term public employee pension requirements. Still, the figures are rather stark. According to the report, county government (the county's second-biggest employer, by the way) has a long-term, unfunded public pension liability of 28 percent as of the close of the past fiscal year. Add in the public retirees' unfunded health insurance liability and the total dollar figure comes to about $1 billion. County supervisors have been trying to trim those costs but more work needs to be done.

Aside from the disappointing idea that the county is the second largest employer in the county, with a population around 727,000 the $1 billion figure runs about $1,375 per person.  And that assumes they got the estimated rate of return even close to a real world figure.  Sounds like a good place to put some of that "extra" Measure A cash.

Historic Euc Casualty

This Christmas Day storm didn't pack that much wind especially compared to the prior couple of storms last week.  But the heavy rainfall (6+ inches or 230% of typical season to date rainfall) can play havoc with some of our historic eucalyptus trees' roots.  The key seems to be how well the drainage is near the trunk and the key to that is sometimes how well Caltrans maintains the drains.

Here's a historic euc casualty being cleared away today just south of Sanchez Ave.  And below that is one of the now common signs on El Camino.

San Francisco Magazine - B'game "Utopia"

I like reading San Francisco magazine.  I especially like that for some reason they mail it to me for free while Mollie Stone's sells it on the rack and they offer annual subscriptions for $24, but a gift horse is always welcome.  The January issue is especially welcome since it has a cover article titled "Project Utopia" where they "polled 200 Bay Areans about the qualities that define their dream neighborhood and selected 10 precincts that match those criteria--no Craigslist trolling required."  And guess what?  Two "precincts" were not in EssEff and one of those is "Burlingame Terrace"!  The description on page 79 reads

Because...maybe Pleasantville isn't lame after all.  Was it the combination of $72 parking tickets and having three bikes swiped in two years?  Or was it the warm summer night you visited friends in Burlingame Terrace and noted, when you pulled up to their sitcom-ready clapboard, that their kid's Trek was just lying in teh driveway, decidedly unstolen?

A decade after the first portents shimmered into view, Burlingame is calling out to disenchanted urbanites. (I guess they missed the '06 earthquake and B'game's subsequent growth spurt)  Its main avenue is proving to be more than a suburban sweet spot, and not with any old coffee-shop tuna melt, either, we're talking tuna conserva with cannellini beans.

Pizzeria Delfina, Blue Line pizza, Sephora and La Boulange get mentions, along with our "smallish lots--a legacy of its roots as a summer colony--pay a nice divident: human-scaled streets with neighborly houses."  Well at least that aspect of B'game looks greener from the other side of the monster house divide.

Here are our "grades":  Affordability  B-, Walkability B, Public transportation B, Weather A, Safety A- ...and "the bummer:  It's a far cry from being culturally diverse".

Recent arrival Soni Obinger notes "The one downside is that there is no nightlife" and I can agree on that one.  All I want for Christmas are a downtown jazz/folk club and a pocket movie theater (with one or two screens).  Heck they could even be in the same establishment on different nights of the week.

Thanks San Francisco magazine.  You pretty much nailed it!

 

SF Mag - Down on Marin

As a small coda to the post above this one, the San Francisco magazine makes a special note on page 76 about why none of its "Project Utopia" selections are in Marin County.  They name three things:

1.  It's a public transportation black hole.

2.  It's tough on the middle class.

3.  It's not much fun after sunset.  That's where they write about the struggles a couple of restaurants have had with regulations and neighbors.  They conclude by saying "No wonder Delfina is expanding to Burlingame instead".

Supervisor Pine Reaching Out

Our District One County Supe, Dave Pine, has just instituted an email newsletter to inform district residents of what's up in Redwood City at the County government level.  If you didn't get it today, ping Dave at [email protected] and I am sure he can add you to his list.

One of the e-newsletter's items is this announcement

Measure A will provide approximately $60 million a year for the next ten years for a range of services.

To gather input for the use of this new revenue the Board of Supervisors will begin holding public hearings in January to help set funding priorities. The hearings will focus on community needs in such areas as: (1) health and human services including the possible funding of seismic improvements at Seton Medical Center, (2) parks, (3) public works and capital projects, and (4) housing and transportation.

If I might, can I add option (5)?  Pay down the debt, fund the unfunded pension liabilities and look for ways to spend less?  Just because a new source of funds is starting that doesn't mean we need to find new things to spend it on.

High-Cost Rail Part 84 To The Point

I'll squeeze this in just before the Christmas break since it is decidedly not of the seasonal ethos :-)

I believe it is sponsored by a farmer near High-cost Rail Ground Zero--Corcoran--so he has a lot to lose right away.  He gets right to the point!

Jerry's Kids

As California taxpayers (those of you who actually pay some taxes) we are the new Jerry's Kids.  Your special recognition will come on April 15th, not on Labor Day as when Jerry Lewis did his charity gigs on TV.  Jerry Brown will be recognizing us on Tax Day.  Yesterday's Wall Street Journal highlighted how the states with the highest state income taxes are most at risk as the Fed wrangle over the federal tax rates.  Here's the essence: of the $249.7 billion that was federally deducted for state income taxes

$51 billion of those writeoff were claimed by residents of one state, California....a mere five states accounted for nearly half the federal revenue lost from this tax deduction....we believe in federalism, and if affluent liberals want to pay 13.3% of their income to live in San Francisco, that's their foolish privilege.  But it becomes everyone's problem if some of that tax burden is effectively borne by residents of Knoxville, Lubbock and Orlando because of the federal tax deduction.

So our little, local band of Jerry's Kids had better watch out.  If the Journal is in favor of eliminating a deduction where 20% goes to good old California, it's no great leap of faith to think that a bunch of Congressional bean counters will come up with the same plan--or worse.  Throw in elimination of part or all of the mortgage deduction on all of our "jumbo" loans and you will see a cliff the size of Half Dome on the horizon.

A gift that keeps on giving

The B-Voice rarely announces a commerical opprtunity, but this one is different.

Here's a way to "shop local"  and support a local non-profit at the same time. 

The perfect gift this year will be the book, "Burlingame Centennial" available at Books Inc. on Burlingame Avenue. It's a fund raiser for The Burlingame Historical Society and is available directly from the Burlingame Historical Society as well. Lastly it's available on Amazon, but that wouldn't be shopping local and the historical society does not benefit as much from a sale thorough Amazon. Happy Holidays and happy reading.

City Manager Nantell has a habit

This evening a crowd gathered to bid farewell to 12 year veteran Burlingame city manager Jim Nantell.

Typical of these events, there was some gentle roasting. Tonight's gathering was no exception, although most of the roasting was done by Jim himself. He entered the room wearing a nun's habit then proceeded to make fun of himself as well as those in attendance.

Some in attendance paid tribute to Jim, after the sister schtick was over, including current and former councilmembers and colleagues. Vice Mayor Brownrigg commented that Jim followed the advice of former GE Chairman Jack Welch by surrounding himself with people that were smarter than he was. Not sure the Vice Mayor meant it to come out quite that way..he transitioned with the old adage, "but seriously..."

Many did express heartfelt sentiments about Jim's service to both San Mateo and Burlingame. 

Jim steered the Burlingame staff through several complicated issues from Safeway to storm drain measures to the downtown specific plan and more...too many to list, actually.

Happy retirement Jim.

Connecticut Service

I was wavering on whether to post about tonight's memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook-Newtown, CT attack before the event or after attending it, but decided to give advance notice and then follow-up if I can make it.  Rev. Paul Watermulder at First Presbyterian put out this message

Responding to the murder of school children and adults in Connecticut, area churches have banded together to invite the Burlingame-Hillsborough community to a time of remembrance, prayer, hope and healing.

The service will be Monday evening (i.e. tonight) at 7pm at First Presbyterian Church (El Camino at Easton).  Its leadership will include local pastors and representatives from local school boards.

I have several friends who live in Newtown and one is right in the Sandy Hook section with kids who graduated from Sandy Hook Elementary.  He and his wife have been very involved in their school community.  His emails about the situation are heartbreaking.

UPDATE:  It was a very warm ceremony.  The listing of all of the names of the victims and the lighting of a candle for each (see photo below) was a fitting recognition for all.  Rev. Watermulder's opening comments about the various ways people react to these types of events resonated with me.  So too, did Rev. Dr. Beth Frykberg comments just prior to the closing.  Thanks to all of those who organized and conducted the ceremony.  Here are a couple of updated photos