The Burlingame Voice

Rent Control - Part 13 Like a Bad Penny

One of the most egregious clauses of Measure R Rent Control is the "First Right of Return" clause 20.40.060(c).  It reads

(c) First Right of Return. All Tenants whose tenancy is terminated based upon a basis enumerated in Subsections (a)(6)-(9) herein shall have the first right of return to the Rental Unit if that Rental Unit is returned to the market by the Landlord or successor Landlord. Rent for the Rental Unit shall be the Rent lawfully paid by the Tenant at the time the Landlord gave notice of termination based upon Subsections (a)(6)-(9) herein.

The (a)(6)-(9) reasons for termination include:

• emptying the unit for necessary repairs to bring the unit up to code (no mention if just plain improvements)
• owner move-in including family members
• removing the unit from the rental market permanently; for which you would need to file documents with the City now!
• demolition 

The Unintended Consequences of this clause which does not appear to have ANY TIME LIMIT on it are simply amazing.  The most obvious one is an immediate cessation of people renting out their houses or in-law units.  You would have to be nuts to do so if R passes.

Safeway Snarl - Part 2

Like Samiselfie who posted about last night's checkout snarl on the parking lot post, I was in the right place at the wrong time (about 5pm).  It was something to behold as you can see in the photos below.  The top one is the regular checkout line extending back into the wine department.  The second one is the self-checkout line going half way back up the aisle.

I did not mention it in the parking lot post, but during that visit I heard a patron complain to the store manager that she had experienced a ridiculously long line a few days before and had called Safeway headquarters to complain.  His response was that he "has a financial plan that he has to meet".  I don't think this is a cost of living on the Peninsula issue for unionized employees as much as a Safeway profitability issue.  Either way, when you need hydration in line at the grocery it might be time to go to a different store.

The new card reader machines for chip cards that cannot read the Safeway Club card don't help speed things up either!

Pidgeon Party

One of the things that makes the merchants on B'way crazy is "Birdman" who feeds the pidgeons--with the predictable aftermath on sidewalks, awnings and cars.  Here is quite the pidgeon party going on yesterday in the parking lot on Chula Vista.

That is a lotta bird food....leading to a lotta %^*&*.

Burlingame Homicide

I waited a couple of days to post about the Hyatt homicide because the shooting was initially listed as "not random" so finding the killer will be a more focused effort.  The Mercury News piece notes

Officers responded around 5:45 a.m. to a report of a shooting in the driveway of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, located at 1333 Old Bayshore Highway. They discovered a man in his 20s suffering from a gunshot wound.  Emergency responders attempted life-saving maneuvers, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, Lt. Jay Kiely said.

“We believe the victim was targeted,” Kiely said. “This was not a random act.”

The killing was Burlingame’s first homicide of the year.  Police did not release a description of the assailant. They said he apparently escaped on foot.

The Daily Post followed up with the victim's name and background:  Dean Mario Trefault, 28, of San Francisco.  He owned property in the MIssion District and was arrested in July in Kings County for attempting to evade a police officer.

Rent Control - Part 12 A Dialog, Sort of

Two very nice ladies knocked on my door this morning from the Yes on R campaign.  I told them right off I was opposed and working against R. It didn't take them long to figure out I am "Joe from the internet" so Voice readers can be assured the rent controllers are also reading what you and I write here.  As I said, the ladies were nice, but they really cannot refute an informed challenge.  We talked about the rigged Commission, the lack of budget controls, the need for a data base of rental units and renters, my concern that this will accelerate the demolition of pre-1995 apartment buildings in town.  The responses are very vague and really not on point or satisfactory.  It was kind of a one-way conversation.

On another aspect of Measure R, you don't have to look very hard to find a letter about how much money the No on R/Q side has raised.  Yet the Yes on R side seems to be doing quite well.  Printed T-shirts, door hangers, mailers.  I know more than I would like to about funding and running a campaign and this one doesn't look starved for money to me.  You have to wonder where it's coming from.  Homework for another day.

Two last thoughts:  The door hanger starts off by saying "Measure R is not rent control".  Wow, really?  They apparently think only an ordinance that actually sets rents is rent control.  That is disingenuous to say the least.  Second, the mailer has some reasonably well known, actual B'game people quoted.  For later reference, here they are:

Safeway Snarl

Things were getting ugly in the Safeway parking lot this afternoon--and that was at 2:30 before the dinner time rush.  The lot is being repaved and re-striped but someone forgot to tell the paving contractor that having a single way in/out was a bad idea.  You can see from the photo that the right side passage way towards the bank and Yogurtland is roped off as is the access from Primrose.  With no rooftop parking available either for a couple more days, drivers will have to get creative about street parking--or walk.  A little notice would have been good.

Polishing Apple

I'm a little behind but did want to make note of an insightful piece in Friday's Daily Journal about possible changes to the Apple store.  Here are the high points:

The Burlingame Planning Commission unanimously agreed to postpone approving a proposed renovation of the Apple Store and instead directed architects to draw up plans better respecting the aesthetics of the city’s shopping district, according to video of the Tuesday, Oct. 11, meeting.

Apple is rolling out a new look for its store and is seeking approval to redesign the company’s Burlingame location to reflect the sleek design featured prominently in its brand of phones, computers, tablets and other devices.  Officials gave glowing reviews to the proposed renovated look of the store front facing Burlingame Avenue, but took issue with the rest of the building which featured little more than the company’s trademark silver paint and logo.

“The challenge for us is that this building is architecture as product design. It comes across as a product and I understand that is what you are all about. But a building is not a product. We want buildings to do certain things for the community beyond selling things,” said commission Chair Will Loftis.

There's a bit of lost history with this location.  It was originally the Bank of Italy building which evolved into BofA and then other bank branches.  My wife managed the branch when it was a BayView Federal location (now US Bank).  Back in 2002 Apple insisted that even an original Bank of Italy building wasn't significant enough to restore and repurpose.  It didn't fit the image.  I seem to recall Apple saying they just didn't do that kind of thing, but then five years ago I saw they did just that in Old Pasadena.  Here it is

So my advice to the Planning Commission is stick to your guns and get us the best possible design.

Rent Control - Part 11 Theft AND Vandalism

I've been following B'game politics including lawn and commercial signs for a loooong time.  And I have back posts on the Voice to prove it.  I have to say, I have never seen as concerted an effort to steal and deface signs as we are seeing with the pro-Rent Control crowd.  It's gotten past ridiculous.  Here is a brazen bit of vandalism right on El Camino.  These signs have since been replaced, but the shame on Measure R supporters will live on in infamy here.

In checking with the BPD about a question I got off-line, I received this answer in email

Please advise anyone that contacts you with information not to confront anyone stealing or vandalizing the signs, but instead to be a good witness and contact BPD right away by calling 911.  I would hate to have any of our residents try and confront anyone and become a victim or put themselves in jeopardy of being sued or unnecessarily hurt by someone.

I probably would not have used 911 for this, but you now have BPD's OK to do so.

Disaster Planning - Get Ready #4

My youthful Boy Scout experience reinforced the "Be Prepared" mindset.  I also remind Voice readers about disaster preparedness, particularly earthquakes, like the checklist here. I noted the high chance of the Big One here and remind you again

The U.S. Geological Survey says there is a 63% chance of one or more magnitude 6.7 or larger quakes striking the Bay Area in the next 30 years.

Some great effort is coming from the Burlingame Neighborhood Network (BNN) and my main contact at BNN, David Harris, sent this message along

BNN is hosting its fourth annual citywide emergency exercise on Saturday, October 22, and they held a practice walkthrough Thursday night in Lane Room at the Burlingame Public Library. Residents from various neighborhoods across the city who have volunteered to lead or participate in the exercise on their blocks watched as members of the BNN board conducted a demonstration of how the exercise will work. Their experience really shows.

They shared how neighbors can quickly organize following an earthquake or other disaster to assess injuries to people, structural damage to homes, downed power lines, broken gas lines and other impacts, then communicate with Area Command Posts (often located at Burlingame schools), who would radio critical information to Central County Fire Department. The Burlingame Police Department, Burlingame CERTs (Community Emergency Response Team Members) and local HAM radio operators are also supporting the exercise. 

A key assumption is that residents would be on their own for 24-72 hours after a major quake as authorities prioritize and respond to the most urgent needs first.  Why participate in these exercises when we’ve all got such busy lives?

Studies of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and other catastrophes have found that personal connections among neighbors dramatically improve chances of survival during a disaster and in recovery efforts afterward. One of the best things to do in order to protect yourself and your family is to get to know your neighbors.

For more information how you can participate in the Oct. 22 emergency exercise, check out their web site:

https://sites.google.com/site/burlingameneighborhoodnetwork/

Update:  I attended my neighborhood's meeting this morning and found it very helpful.  Not only was it a good reminder of some basic ideas, but we learned about the communication flow during an emergency and had a visit from Central County Fire to remind us of how important it is to be somewhat self-sufficient.  All 50 odd CCFD trucks went 72 hours straight after the '89 Series Quake so there is no way they get to everyone right away!  Here's a photo from this morning

UMC Mural

You may have noticed the nice mural that has been painted on the backside (parking lot side) of UMC. Saturday was the dedication event.  Check it out.

Nice job!