The Burlingame Voice

Middle Eastern Reflections

I had to hop out to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and back this week for work.  It's 15 hours each way and gives one plenty of time for reflection.  When I am overseas I often ponder how the place de jour is the same and different than B'game.  The UAE is, as its name implies, a combination of historically independent emirates--notably Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  As you can see from the photo below, they are brand new cities rising from the desert.  A central location and gold trading were the historical advantages.  Today oil, the central location and an open economy with no taxes are the fuel for amazing growth.  Nothing in the picture below existed 15 years ago!  And there is another city just like it about 60 miles away.

So I was left to ponder how California is reacting--competing, really--in this global economy.  The Dubai airport took over the #2 slot for international traffic from Paris de Gaulle last month and expects to dethrone Heathrow in 2015.  Governor Moonbeam, aided and abetted by some clueless voters, is busy raising tax rates.  The newspapers are reminding everyone to make those big purchases before the sales tax rate rises next week.  The guy in the article says it's not a big deal because people are used to the increases--evidence of another clueless voter--myopic and under-educated.

And we can say the same about energy costs.  Today's Wall Street Journal editorial titled "California's Coming Green-Outs" discusses the 2006 law that requires our utilities to get 20% of their power from renewables by 2010 which was then increased to 33% by 2020.  There are just a couple of wrinkles

California residents and businesses already pay rates that are 25% to 60% higher than the national average.  Excessive energy costs have helped to obliterate the state's manufacturing base.

And the push for legislated percentages of renewables will only exacerbate that exodus.  Meanwhile we are competing with the UAE, Oman, Quatar, Singapore and the next wave of developing nations.  We have our advantages for sure, but why are so many of our weaknesses self-inflicted?  It is going to be interesting (scary) to see if the "barbell economy" can carry its weight.

Local featured on CBS Sunday morning

If you are an early riser on Sunday mornings, you might turn on the telly for a peaceful view of the world through the stories on CBS Sunday Morning. Today, while watching I heard a recognizeable name. The story was about the shared economy and the opening of the story featured Burlingame's own Doug Studebaker talking about his treehouse B & B.

Here are two links. One to the story and one to his rental listing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57575953/welcome-to-the-new-economy-built-on-sharing/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57575953/welcome-to-the-new-economy-built-on-sharing/ 

This video features Linda Studebaker as well.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/86456

Skimmers on the Ave

The Daily Journal is reporting on a relatively sophisticated scam that was being run on the Avenue

A card-skimming device attached to an ATM at the U.S. Bank branch at 1423 Burlingame Ave. was confirmed to have compromised the accounts of several Hillsborough and Burlingame residents, Hillsborough police Capt. Doug Davis said.

Though it is sophisticated gear, the installation is apparently pretty easy

A card-skimming device, if done well, can blend in seamlessly with a bank’s ATM machine, according to Davis. The device is placed over the part of the ATM where the card is inserted, and the scammer can later use the information stored on the card to make purchases or steal an identity, he said.

Through a joint police investigation, Hillsborough and Burlingame police detectives confirmed that the skimmer was in place on the ATM on Jan. 26 and 27, as well as Feb. 3, Davis said.

So check your US Bank statements closely.

Related articles

ATM fraud on the rise, analysts say

High Cost Rail - Part 87 Kopp Finally Flip-Flops

I have not been posting the blow-by-blow legal and funding maneuvering that accompanies the High Cost Rail boondoggle, but Quentin Kopp's turning point is notable.  You can find some of the background here, here and here.  Kopp is quoted as saying

"The plan has been distorted in a way directly contrary to the high-speed rail plan the Authority attempted to implement while I was Chairman, namely, a true HSR system containing all the features, terms and protections desired by the Legislature and honoring restrictions placed upon use of Proposition 1A bond proceeds by the Legislature."

I suppose a hearty "Better Late Than Never" is in order.  Will it matter?  Probably not.  Do I wish the B'game City Council had voted to spend $5,000 supporting the suit?  Absolutely.  But we may still end up with a little section of a railroad to nowhere down in the Central Valley.  It will be a Brown spot on the state's reputation for a long time.

Quick Update:  Could it be that Quentin Kopp and the SF Chronicle wake up in the same week?  Check out this cartoon from the March 21 Chron:

Bag It....But Only in Paper

The Daily Journal is commenting on the spread of the plastic bag ban here.

By this summer, almost all cities in San Mateo County will have adopted a reusable bag ordinance, banning plastic bags at most retail stores.

The ordinance that is being adopted by most cities — which is based on one that was passed by the county and enacted in unincorporated areas last year — will require grocery stores to use paper bags made of at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled materials. Stores must charge at least 10 cents per paper bag.

“If anything, it’s going to help businesses,” said Chris Delios, manager of Trag’s Market in San Mateo.  Charging 10 cents per paper bag will cut store costs.  “Right now, we are giving away bags,” he said.

But I have heard one interesting counter argument:  for a dime a bag some customers will choose to not take any bag and then the merchant's other staff are left to wonder if the item leaving the store was shoplifted or not!  Good point that I'm guessing those who voted for this did not consider.

Safeway Part 74 - First Miscue

I've been very pleased with the new Safeway and the surrounding businesses.  The fact that there are surrounding businesses is still gratifying to those of us who recall how this all started.  But the latest "signage" is a disappointing misstep.  These look like miniature boat sails flapping in the breeze (one has already fallen over) and are really pretty ugly.  Let this post serve as a request to Code Enforcement to check them out.  Plus they are proliferating to the Chevron station on Carolan Ave. due to the advertising connection.  There's enough signage on Safeway already.

What makes Burlingame Burlingame?

I think Burlingame's charm is what makes it so great. Sure, it's the quaint neighborhoods and the architecture and the trees, but it's the people that contribute the most to that charm. Some ofthose people are local businesspeople. Case in point are Rino Betti and June Williams. They own and run Sam's Italian Sandwiches, opened 41 years ago yesterday. But lately it's been rough going. Very rough. Many more new franchise competitors than ever before, the cost of capital improvements when they moved from their original location, the rise in the cost of goods and rent.

They need help. Oh sure, you can stop in more often and grab the best sandwich this side of San Francisco, but they need more than that right now. Please consider logging onto www.savesams.com and hitting the donation button. Do it now and help save a Burlingame institution. Don't let another Mom and Pop disappear.

Bocce Anyone?

It looks like the new bocce courts in Washington Park are coming along well.  Bocce (or boules for Francophiles) adds a great ambiance to a park...much more so than horseshoes--not that I ever saw anyone playing horseshoes on those old pitches.

I certainly hope that is not dog droppings on the right hand court since that will just aggravate an already contentious issue about the Park.

Hazardous Removal...Coming to You

A neighbor was the first to take advantage of Recology's new contract to haul away residents' hazardous waste by appointment.  This is a recent addition to the B'game contract and very useful for paint and the like that tends to pile up in our garages.  A commenter had the good question about fire extiguishers so I have been in touch with local B'gamer Joe La Mariana who is Recology's public liaison.  Joe answers the fire extinguisher question this way:

The reason this item is deemed "hazardous" is not because of the bicarbonate soda content but because the container is pressurized. This presents a potential danger to a processor if a folklift/equipment runs over it during handling and it explodes. If it explodes, the bicarbonate soda becomes airborne and it becomes and "irritant" for the workers. I was told that it's an OSHA reg:

Therefore, your options for responsible disposal are:

1)  Drop it off at Fire Master @ 850 Mahler Road, Burlingame for free (692-3473). They do not actively promote this drop off option, but they will be happy to take the unit, depressurize it and use it for parts.

2) Tower Road Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off facility (http://events.smhealth.org/events/). People need to make an appointment so there is no waiting. The staff unloads the material from your vehicle and you never even get out. You're out of there in less than 5 minutes.

Good stuff and we are already paying for the service that comes to your house for most other stuff.  Here is what the sub-contractor Curbside.com's truck looks like

Historic Confusion

I was struck by the contrast between the SRO Historical Society meeting about Eichlers on Thursday night (see next post) and the Joint City Council-Planning Commission meeting on Saturday morning.  Thursday night more than 100 residents showed up to learn about the history of the Eichlers up in Mills Estate.  Saturday morning in the very same Lane Room, Russ and I were the only regular residents to show up to hear staff, council members and planning commissioners discuss a historic properties ordinance.

The annual joint meeting is the one time each year when a free-flowing dialog between the three groups of public servants happens.  There is no voting, just giving of direction to staff and the Planning Commission.  I was also struck by how many council members still appear (and some even admit) to being confused about the basics of a historic properties list in B'game.  Many cities and towns in California already have them, there are lots of sample ordinances--two were provided on Saturday.  And yet the sum total of the guidance was "Start small in the downtown, mostly commercial district and make it voluntary and simple".  Also, the Planning Commission should oversee it.  That's all good, but after almost a decade of thinking about it, an hour of discussion and all the work on the Downtown Plan as well as the news swirling around CEQA and Gov. Moonbeam's attempts to gut that state law, you would think there would be more clarity and direction.

I'll revisit why a voluntary, simple, residential option would be good for residents' tax bills and for the integrity of the neighborhoods another time.  My guess is plenty of the crowd on Thursday would agree even if it does apply to them or their house!

Here's the Staff, the Planning Commission (one absent) and the Council this past Saturday: