The Burlingame Voice

Marshall Tuck for School Supe

Four years ago I highlighted Marshall Tuck's run for California Superintendent of Public Instruction here.  He came close, but did not win.  Now Tuck is back to try again.  I met him last night at a fundraiser which gave me a chance to hear about his platform.  There are at least two good reasons to vote for a candidate.  You can support their platform.  Or you may be forced to vote against a candidate you don't like--the "lesser of two evils" approach.  I think they both point to a vote for Tuck.

Over the course of an hour of Q&A, Tuck demonstrated a firm grasp of a wide variety of issues. He understands the the role of charter schools and how workable approaches can be shared with public school districts.  He demonstrated that understanding with examples that are precluded by the ponderous California Education Code, like work-study options, for example.  He showed a grasp of the financials including the pension explosion (no pun intended, just $80 billion unfunded) and pointed to some additional funding options (e.g. the marijuana taxes and the new Internet sales taxes).  And he has feet on the ground experience in the LA public schools.  You get the drift and can read more here.

Getting him to address the second issue of his opponent's record took a bit of prodding, but Tuck is well aware of Thurmond's shortcomings as enumerated by the SF Chronicle here.  You should click through and read the litany of failures before you vote.

I wasn't the only B'gamer attending last night.  There was a bit of a hometown feel since Tuck grew up in B'game and later H'borough and he went to OLA and Crocker. I met our own B'game Elementary School District superintendent, Maggie MacIsaac, at the event and she was very clear on her support of Marshall's platform.  That is actually a third reason to vote for someone-- when a trusted advisor recommends it.  Here is Maggie and Marshall and the Education Code tome that could probably use a good trimming down.

Build, Build, Build...Then What?

As I looked at the latest overly large building rise on Howard Ave. across from the Caltrain station while waiting for the train, I had to wonder (again) how much growth the mid-Peninsula can withstand?  Travelling by train down to Palo Alto, the question became even more pressing.  It's quite stunning to see how much real estate is "in the dirt" on huge new projects right next to the Caltrain right of way.  Blocks and blocks of additional building doesn't bode well for our traffic, school capacity or water security.  To all the people saying we need a "Regional Housing Authority" to address the "housing crisis", I say we need a "Regional Infrastructure Authority" first.

Apple Heists Continue

At some point one needs to ask if it is safe to enter an Apple store.  I had a chat with a knowledgeable person last night that would indicate Apple has not yet taken a very good approach to securing their stores.  It sounds like they are making an attempt but in their opinion it's not the best way (or ways) to go about it.

Bike Lanes Bloom

I enjoy biking around B'game especially on the side streets and the bay front and I get that sometimes bikers need to use some of the main streets to get where they are going.  The new bike lanes just going in on California Drive (not "Avenue" as the contractor's sign says at the roundabout project) are the latest to bloom on our streets.  What I don't get is why the green lanes are not further to the right next to the curb?  From what the Merc's Roadshow column says, this is a point of confusion for a lot of motorists

Q Can you please remind drivers of the proper way to make a right turn when a bicyclist is present? I am terrified as I bike toward an intersection and a driver to my left or behind me waits until the last moment to make his move for a right turn, often cutting me off. … In my cycling experience, this is the single most dangerous habit of motorists that puts us cyclists at risk.  

A It’s time to remind drivers about a question that motorists get wrong more than any other on DMV tests: how to make a legal and safe right turn at an intersection when a bicyclist is present. Drivers, here is the right way to do this:

 

-Merge into or across the bike lane before your right turn, all the way to the curb. You can do this on all streets, whether they have bike lanes or not, within 200 feet of the intersection and only after ensuring there are no bikes in that lane.  (Ed:  so in many cases the turning car is blocking the green lane regardless of whether it is curbside or 4-6' off the curb)

-If you think there’s a chance that merging wouldn’t give a rider behind you enough time to slow down or pass on the left, then don’t do it. Slow down, and merge behind the rider to make your right turn. Treat bicyclists as if they were motorists.

All well and good but it doesn't describe why the lane is so far off the curb.  Where there are parking spaces, it's understandable but where there are none, like at busy intersections, it appears to me to add to the confusion for drivers.

 

B'game Baseball Alums

The Daily Journal's Terry Bernal is shining a spotlight on four B'game baseball alums who are working their way towards the majors.  

When it comes to producing next-level talent, there are no San Mateo County public schools that compare to Burlingame High School.  The Panthers saw four alumni — pitcher Vince Arobio, infielder Phil Caulfield, outfielder Jonathan Engelmann and pitcher Zac Grotz — finish the 2018 season in the affiliated minor leagues. If you count free agent major league pitcher Scott Feldman, that makes five Burlingame grads in the pro ranks.

I know a couple of these guys from my prior days as a baseball dad and coach at the BYBA level.  Kudos to Panther coach Shawn Scott as Vince notes here 

“I think it had a lot to do with that high school team,” Arobio said of the pro success. “Just playing for Shawn, he just expected more from us. And it just seemed like our group from when I was a freshman to a senior, those guys were playing (Little League) All-Star teams together and they just stuck together all the way through high school.”

The guys' achievement speaks well of the BYBA program, the coaches all along the way, Park & Rec for making the B'game fields some of the best anywhere and the Panther boosters who help out with finances.

Jobs > Housing

The Daily Post blessed us with an article about the trees that couldn't find the forest if they had a compass, Google maps and a dozen Boy Scouts.  The headline was "Area adds far less housing than jobs:  14,900 new homes for 52,700 workers".  The thoughtful response to such a headline is a) Apples are not oranges and b) Where the heck is the water going to come from for that many people?   If you wanted to add a c) and d) go for schools and police/fire, but let's just focus on a) and b).

Unfortunately I cannot make fun of the journalist because the article has no byline.  But let's just enjoy the confusion shown by the second paragraph:

The number of new housing units, mostly apartments and condominiums, was much less than the 52,700 new jobs estimated by the California Employment Development Department to have been added in the nine-county Bay Area last year.

The next sentence begins with "the imbalance....".  Umm.  What imbalance?  Who says that is an imbalance?  Who knows how many of the new jobs went to existing Bay Area residents?  Or how many of the new arrivals found space in existing dwellings?  Is that 3.5:1 ratio a problem?  Who even knows if either of the figures are correct?  I'm not sure I have any confidence in any local agency to get within +/- 20% of the actual numbers.

Better to ask, "If we essentially created a brand new city of 15,000 homes, where is the water going to come from to service those homes?"  But that is not politically correct in today's supposedly environmentally and socially conscious mindset.  Kind of sad what passes for reporting these days.

Parking: Really?

I have a running, friendly disagreement with a regular Voice contributor about the need for 8 motorcycle parking spaces right off B'game Ave.  Four are next to GAP Kids and four are next to Joe and the Juice.  On a big night maybe 3 of the spaces are in use--by motorcycles.  But my buddy and I can agree that this weren't no motorcycle parked there this morning.  And to top it off, it is a City of San Mateo vehicle!  Might be time for a drug test.

Bracing for the Big One

Yes, I was a Boy Scout.  Not much of a Boy Scout but enough to have assimilated the "Be Prepared" motto.  It's not often we have much to learn from Ess Eff.  Usually it's a matter of learning what not to emulate.  But in this one case, we could learn from The City.  The Chron's front page says "S.F. is doing its best to brace for the Big One":

A crucial 5-year-old program requiring action by the owners of San Francisco’s 4,900 most earthquake-vulnerable buildings is well on its way to making the city safer, with nearly half of those structures now seismically retrofitted, city inspection officials said Thursday.

Meanwhile, geological experts pointed out that there is a 72 percent chance of a massive shaker on the 60-mile-long Hayward Fault or any other of the Bay Area’s big faults sometime in the next 25 years. Which really means any day now.

The city started talking about "soft story" retrofits after the Series quake and did something official in 2013

The program was created to compel the 4,900 owners of soft-story buildings — the ones that have several stories rising above an open garage or commercial space, deemed more susceptible than many other structures to collapse in a major quake — to seismically retrofit.

It seems to me emulating this would be a good use of the City of B'game's regulatory reach--much better for more people than getting into the sort-of-affordable housing business since

U.S. Geological Survey scientists say a 7.0 magnitude quake on the Hayward Fault is likely to kill at least 800 people throughout the Bay Area, leave 150,000 people homeless and cause losses of more than $1.5 trillion. At least 400 fires will ignite, potentially engulfing 50,000 homes.

It's not just about the residents in such "soft story" buildings but also their neighbors.  In the meantime, the next B'game city-wide emergency drill is coming up on October 13th.  If you neighborhood is organized to participate, please do.  If not yet, it's not too late to get the basics in place via the BNN.

Senator Brownrigg?

Our very own city councilman, Michael Brownrigg, has put out word that he will run for Jerry Hill's seat in 2020.  Jerry is termed out so the chance to run for an open seat has Michael's attention--probably along with our current Assemblyman, Kevin Mullin of the South City Mullin clan.  I have always believed in getting a head-start on these sorts of efforts and Michael has given himself plenty of runway to raise money and garner endorsements.  His opening foray of a platform reads

The issues I look forward to discussing with SD13 residents in the months ahead revolve around how we keep “the promise that is California.” I was born and raised on the Peninsula and am raising my family here, as you know. I believe our region and the state as a whole are beacons for many: we show the country and the world what a just, inclusive and prosperous American community looks like. But some of the promises we grew up with are fraying, whether it is the promise of affordable housing options, good public schools, accessible open space, sustainable State finances, or decent public transportation options. Those issues need to be addressed so we don’t see all that we have worked for crumble beneath us.

I could (and have) quibbled with the idea that there is a "promise" of affordable housing--not sure who or where that promise was made, but it's sort of a litmus test for winning elections in the Bay Area right now.  I just hope higher aspirations aren't part of the decision to abandon our city parking lot for "affordable housing" that discriminates against those who don't quite make the cut to get in.

If the choice does come down to Mullin vs. Brownrigg I think that is an easy decision based on Michael's skills, approachable nature and experience.  Mullin is known for a wide variety of bad ideas that we can get into if he throws his hat in the ring.  We'll see who else is attracted to that open seat and a chance to skip straight to the State Senate.

Newly Born Doves in B'game

It's been 10 months since my last Wildlife post, but we've just witnessed a lovely event that has been in the making for several months.  We've been pleased to host a set of nesting mourning doves in the eaves right above where we sit on our patio.  It's a pretty safe spot although not that secluded.  The two of them came and went regularly all summer and now, just as summer ends, two fledglings have arrived.  Having sat only 10 feet from the nest waiting for the young'uns to appear for so long, their arrival brought a smile to our faces.  Here is the proud dad sitting watch over us as the little ones figure out how to fly--which happened yesterday.