Month: August 2016

  • Real Charity Begins at CALL

    Long time Voice contributor Peter Garrison and I have been discussing the more frequent appearance of street panhandlers in B'game.  He has noticed them in front of churches, then on the Avenue and lately in front of Lunardi's.  We also notice a similarity between the signs they hold which may point to a coalition.  Pete knows Terri Boesch, the Exec Director at CALL Primrose, who provided this bit of advice for B'gamers

    With the long, warm days of summer comes a noticeable increase in the number of panhandlers, especially at busy intersections and in front of heavy traffic areas such as storefronts, churches and gas stations.  

    While it may feel good to provide spare change or a few dollars to “help” those who appear to be homeless or hungry, those dollars often go to buy alcohol or drugs, which may be the very vices that led to the homelessness in the first place.  In addition, there are a number of large scale scammers, who employ vulnerable women with young children (often infants) to beg for money, with a promise of part of the proceeds for their efforts. Providing money in these instances only perpetuates the problem.  

    For those who are genuinely hungry or homeless, there are many resources in the area that offer legitimate assistance. The CALL Primrose center, located in downtown Burlingame, is one of those resources. Founded over 30 years ago as a joint project between the First Presbyterian and United Methodist churches of Burlingame, CALL Primrose is a direct aid and referral agency, offering immediate grocery/food support to individuals and families along the peninsula. Clients may visit weekly to pick up food, grocery and small toiletry items that are tailored to individual living situations. CALL has an array of non-perishable items, along with meat, dairy and fresh produce options, available on a drop in basis.  If the need goes beyond that of food, CALL has a wide network of service agencies that can be called upon to help.    

    The next time you encounter someone asking for help, perhaps instead of a few dollars, you can provide them with information about CALL Primrose. For those truly in need, this may be their first step towards a path of self-sufficiency.

    Pete also notes "I carry information cards from our local food pantry that I distribute when I encounter someone asking for money."  Good advice from both of them.  Terri is at 650 342-2255.  They are Gems of Burlingame.  I hope this doesn't get to the point of us needing a "Sit – Lie" ordinance.

  • High-Cost Rail – Part 126 Farmer Dino

    It's been two months since my last high-cost rail post and there has been some good news along the way including the cap-and-trade auctions yielding less money than expected so the Guv may have less money to waste on high-cost rail.  And Brown was unsuccessful in amending Senate Bill 32, a bill to extend the state's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, to include a provision continuing the state program beyond 2020. The cap-and-trade program is a major source of funding for Brown's high-speed rail project.  But my favorite news item came from today's SacBee

    The state Capitol, Stockton farmer Dean "Dino" Cortopassi said, has been overrun by “porkers feeding at the public trough,” and if long-term debt is not constrained, he said his grandchildren’s generation will bear the cost. He called his November ballot initiative – a proposal to require voter approval before the state issues revenue bonds for public works projects costing more than $2 billion – his “moral obligation.”

    Proposition 53, into which Cortopassi and his wife, Joan, have poured about $4.5 million, is in one way a referendum on Brown’s $15.5 billion plan to build two tunnels to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the south.   While the initiative does not address California’s most significant long-term liabilities, including pensions and retiree health care, Cortopassi, 78, said, “It’s a goddamn start.”

    The Cortopassi measure could also complicate construction of the state’s $64 billion high-speed rail system. While voters approved the issuance of general obligation bonds for initial funding of the project in 2008, the Brown administration is considering leveraging revenue from California’s cap-and-trade program to secure further investment, potentially using revenue sources for which Cortopassi’s initiative would require a vote.

     
    So Proposition 53 is a definite "YES".

  • 9 Cop Cars

    When you live a half block from El Camino, you get a close up view of some interesting things.  Tonight was no exception.  At about 11:45 pm, 9 cop cars raced up (i.e. Northbound) the King's Road.  I'm sure we will hear over the next day or two what it is all about.  Can't be good.

  • Post Office post mortem

    FullSizeRender
    Sorry I am getting to this late in the game. The downtown Burlingame former Post Office site was the subject of an open house meeting Wednesday night. Here's a photo to give you an idea of what it being proposed. I will post some opinions that were posted here on another thread because I think it's important for this discussion to be al in one place for easy reference.

    First however, my brief opinion: Two years ago I ran for City Council. I wasn't planning on running, but there were strong rumblings of major housing coming to downtown Burlingame. I thought it was the wrong thing to do two years ago and I still think that today. Downtown is not the place for housing that is this dense—148 units. And that is on top of the other dense housing developments that are being proposed on the fringes of downtown. Hey, I'm not against adding density to Burlingame, but our general plan calls out specific areas of town where density is better suited. Perhaps our downtown plan calls for housing as well, but I wasn't on the council when that particular document was approved and I would't have voted for it. I won't comment on the architectural style here because to me, no matter what the style, it will impact downtown in a negative way. 

    If you agree or disagree, post a comment. I will post the other comments from other post directly below.

  • What’s 55 Feet Among Friends?

    This one has been brewing for a while, but the DJ updates us on the neighbors concerns in this piece

    The 10-unit project, proposed for construction on two plots of land spanning neighboring lots at 1491 and 1493 Oak Grove Ave., near the intersection of El Camino Real, will go before the Burlingame Planning Commission during a meeting Monday, Aug. 22.

    The building proposed to be 55-feet tall and hold a mix of units spanning between one and three bedrooms with an average size of 1,055 square feet has taken on previous criticism from residents and city officials due to concerns regarding the size of the project.

    There is lots more discussion about putting lipstick on the pig, but none about the pig dying of dehydration.  When the number of bedrooms is greater than the number of parking spaces (18>17), look out.

     

  • B’game on the Ave 2016

    Things were bustling on Day 1 of Burlingame on the Avenue.  I got the sense that this year's affair was better advertised than the past–even the SF Examiner freebie had it listed on the events page.  The bands drew a great crowd and while the vendors were a bit mundane, I can vouch for the paella being cooked in the giant five foot pan for $12 per plate.  Delicious.  It would be nice if the David's Tea or Philz people could move the recycling and garbage bins off the street into their alley.  The restaurants seemed to be doing pretty well also.  Maybe not as well as a regular weekend, but they were busy during the day and after the fair closed (at 6 pm) I'll bet it was good too.  Here's one of the two "statue guys"…or perhaps they are mimes.

    White mime Art on Ave

  • Important Burlingame Meeting – Our Post Office

    This Wednesday there is a very important meeting at 5p.m. on the future of the Burlingame Post Office building and surrounding property at the Post Office building itself (220 Park Road). The initial proposal for this project was for 50,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with four stories above for 128 condominiums. Also included was a petite public courtyard.

     

    The design, proposed by Stanley Lo Green Banker who is representing the buyer – Wang-Lu Revocable Trust, also included the purchase of the city owned adjacent parking lot. The city has not yet agreed to sell the lot and that is a key component of the discussion that should involve community input.

     

    This is a project that will change the landscape of downtown Burlingame forever so I hope you will attend.

     

    Meeting Details:

    Wednesday, August 24th

    5pm

    At the "old" Post Office (220 Park Rd)

  • Drink Up, While You Can?

    Multiple news sources have noted the demise of the state ordered water conservation limits and the DJ weighs in with its version

    The orange-and-black automated signs lining state highways still warn that California is in severe drought, but Californians this summer are getting a second chance to show whether they can save water without the state ordering them.

    After lifting nine months of mandatory state water conservation for families and non-farm businesses, authorities caution that they could impose state limits again as soon as this winter should the state’s 39 million people return to water-wasting, drought-oblivious ways.

    On Tuesday, the state announced that all but 68 of the 411 larger water districts (ed: that is 83.5% of them!) had gotten out from under the threat of localized conservation orders from the state. The water agencies did that by declaring they had enough water to get by even if the drought lasts another three years.

    Environmental groups are skeptical all the water districts have as robust a water supply as they claim, and say lifting of mandatory conservation sends the wrong message to ordinary Californians as the drought persists.

    You can't swing a cat without hitting a construction site somewhere in the Bay Area including lil ole B'game.  Contractors are not returning calls from potential new clients and we are about to discuss some massive project at the Post Office site on Wed, Aug 24th (5-7 p.m. at 220 Park Road, i.e. the Old Post Office).  Of course, the reports of a more-than-10 year deficit in the state's aquifers gets lost in all this chatter.  There's not going to be enough water to do around, so drink up while you can.  Is it time for CalTrans to change the sign?

    Severe Drought sign

  • Sticking to the Knitting

    Who recalls the hullabaloo of seven years ago when the City used a bunch of staff time and energy putting together an application for the Google Fiber for Communities city selection?  At the time, I noted to several council members that this was way more involved than they understood and really not worth our effort.  Fast forward to yesterday's Wall Street Journal with the front page headline: Google's Fiber Plans Stall.  The article notes several things for the "I told you so file" including:

    In Kansas City, homeowners complained about destroyed lawns and ruptured gas lines.  "Wireless connections are 'cheaper than digging up your garden' to lay fiber" (their chairman's words)

    In Nashville and Louisville, competing telecom firms are blocking the company from stringing fiber on their utility poles.  (Same thing I told at least one council member back then–the technical term is Pole Attachment Rights and they are strict and enforceable).

    "If you are in the telecommunications business for 150 years, there are no surprises here," said Jonathan Reichental, chief technology officer of the city of Palo Alto.  "But if you're a software company getting into the business for the first time, this is a completely new world."

    Google is shifting to a wireless last link possibly using street lamps as the placement option.  B'game also spent considerable time and effort pushing back on the neighborhood wireless antenna plans of a much smaller company.  I don't recall how that all played out, but in any case, a word to the wise is to "Stick to your knitting".  Rule #6 from In Search of Excellence. 

     

  • West Nile Arrives

    No more point in being in denial that West Nile virus has arrived in San Mateo County.  According to the Daily Post over the weekend, the SMCMVCD (the "bug guys") started spraying in San Mateo last night.  Infected mosquitos were collected in the Marina Lagoon northeast of the interchange of 101 and 92.  That is pretty much in our 'hood extending north to E. 3rd St in San Mateo.

    Next time I run into our Mosquito commissioner, I'll hopefully get an update.  In the meantime, go outside and look for things that hold water–that watering can you never use or the upside down frisbee in sprinkler range and empty them out.  Hopefully the County will put aside 50 year sea-level rise concerns and deal with the problem at hand.

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