The Burlingame Voice

Housing Maneuvers - Part 1 Pausing the land grab

We noted that the real action County-wide and State-wide in the Fall election is in the propositions and initiatives since the candidate voting is pretty much a given.  B'game will have a real race or two, but outside our little town there is a lot of fait accompli.  But one controversial move that will not be on the ballot is the County land grab for "affordable housing".  The DJ is noting that the Supes, in their wisdom, have decided to "pause" their land grab.

Despite a poll suggesting majority voter support, San Mateo County will not be placing a measure on November ballots allowing the development of low-income housing units without voter approval, in pursuant of Article 34 of the state Constitution.  The measure, initially presented at a special meeting of the board July 22, would have provided authorization for the county and other public agencies to construct or acquire affordable rental housing for low-income residents — up to 1% of total existing housing units — without voter consideration. 

Although Chief Executive Officer Mike Callagy maintained Article 34 “has no place in this county,” he did not ask the Board of Supervisors to consider approving such a measure placement this election cycle.

One has to wonder what other bits and pieces of the state Constitution have no place in San Mateo County?  Perhaps we could get a list?  The usual blather about "racism in homeownership" and "constituent confusion" and wanting to be "collaborative" with local cities and not "usurp their authority" ensued. The reality is the November ballot is already stuffed with pork.  So much so that voters are likely to Just Say No to the whole lot.  Half Moon Bay and Millbrae led the public charge against this land grab.  Here's hoping B'game electeds did so quietly but firmly.

Millbrae recall election: Sign of things to come?

The La Quinta dogfight in Millbrae described a year ago here that pits the city against the county over tax revenue and homeless housing has given us an unintended view of the future.  The move to district elections at the city level was clearly voter suppression--taking away 80% of any individual's votes for city council and creating tiny little districts supposedly to improve "equity".  Couple the two issues together and we now see that recalling elected officials gets easier.  One hot-button issue can spin up enough people in one (or in this case two) tiny districts easily enough to qualify for a recall election.

I will skip the personalities involved, but the Daily Journal piece also shows the cost of these efforts at municipal self-determination and running special elections:

Millbrae is also embroiled in ongoing litigation against the county for choosing to move forward with the project — which the county intends to fund through still in-flux Project Homekey money, as it has done at several other locations throughout the county.   The lawsuit, which has cost the city $230,000 as of May, City Manager Tom Williams said previously, alleges that Millbrae residents have a right to vote on whether they want the housing project in their community under Article 34 of the state Constitution. 

(Councilmember) Cahalan said she’d wait to see the results of the lawsuit — which the presiding judge said would be returned by June 26 — before commenting further on the project.

And on the cost front:

The special election will cost the city approximately $143,000. The councilmember will be recalled if more than 50% of the votes are in favor. Once they are removed, the positions will be vacant until it is filled by appointment or an election to the unexpired terms.

While that sounds like a lot of money, remember Millbrae would stand to lose $750,000 every year in perpetuity from the lost hotel tax.  One wonders if the Malibu attorney behind the move to tiny little districts had this in mind? 

CARE court in San Mateo County: Not a day too soon

More than a few people have been mentioning the arrival of EssEff-like people with obvious mental health issues in town.  The north B'gamers have a couple in and around El Camino, especially on the narrow westside sidewalk around Sanchez.  Us south B'gamers have a couple as well, but not the same from what I am hearing.  Just in the last month, my neighbors have been talking about one guy who wanders down the street peering under cars and "hiding" behind street trees that are six inches in diameter.  I recently called in a wellness check on a different guy who stood perfectly still on an ECR corner for at least eight hours straight.  If he were in a North Korean prison being made to do that, it would be called torture.  There's nothing compassionate about letting this go on.

The news that the County is moving more quickly than required to implement CARE court is welcome news.  The Merc has a piece as well as the DJ:

The program, Community Assistance, Recover and Empowerment Court, is to be implemented by every county within the state by the end of the year. San Mateo County will begin piloting the program July 1, County Executive Officer Mike Callagy announced Tuesday, as one of the eight counties to implement the pilot program early.

The BPD follow-up to my wellness call was prompt and clear about what can and cannot be done...currently.  If someone is on public property and not creating a disturbance, they can decline assistance and that is the end of it.  One neighbor noted that a person was on private property, but moved before anything could be logged.  BPD suggests people continue to call in checks since sometimes the second or third offer is the one that gets accepted.  Per the Merc article

CARE court allows family members, close friends, first responders (my emphasis), behavioral health providers and others to refer someone to the court.  A judge can then order participants--who receive a public defender and a "CARE supporter" to help them through the process-to enroll in tailored treatment plans, which could include placement in a mental health facility or permanent supportive housing.

The whole thing is going to be A Process and it won't be cheap, but it's not like we have much choice.  Once someone has seen two or three of these incidents in a two-week span, it's hard to disagree.  I'm not sure what the least gratifying part of being a local cop is, but this has to be on the list.

Tracking SMUSHD legal activity...or inactivity?

As a sort of public service and for everyone's reading convenience, I will post the "bottom-line" comment from a long time Voice commenter as a fresh new post.  Readers can always scroll...and scroll.. and scroll through the earlier post from October 2022 here.  OneManginiWay writes:

Three points rather than three sentences... (and a few additional words)

1. The defrauding of the public by the SMUHSD, its Trustees, and Superintendents.

2. The Misappropriation of public funds of (estimated) almost $1 million in tax-payers money for fraudulent investigation and legal expenses.

3. The destruction of the history and traditions of Burlingame High School by the (internal) Carpetbaggers who literally hate the town, its parents, (and their public standing) and the values of the community. (But love the money the parents give to put in their pocket).

The Burlingame Voice has been the literal (and intentional) roadside billboard to document these actions. Why?  So the SM County Grand Jury can (once again) revisit the facts of what has transpired.

For me, the big question is what's next?  So far, from the outside, it seems like this issue has stalled.  If the County Grand Jury isn't recommending anything be done, or if it is and the powers-that-be choose not to pursue it, what's next?  A Go Fund Me campaign for legal expenses?  Would that even kick start anything?  It's very hard to say.

Bay Area Population: More shrinkage, significant shrinkage

Peeling back the headline that statewide population rose 0.17% for the first time in years, yields the news that the Bay Area continues to shrink.  Are you wondering why we need to tax the people who remain, to the tune of a $20 billion bond, for "affordable" housing in the Bay Area?  Me too.  The original news reports put it at $10 billion, but a few billion more here and a few there and voilà--it's $20 billion per the MTC news release.  As we noted here, the ink isn't even dry on the measly $6 billion bond that Newsom just rammed through.

Let's go to the tale of the tape:

A net of about 114,000 people immigrated legally into the state from abroad during 2023, up from a net 90,000 people in 2022 and near pre-pandemic levels. 

So, trying to outbuild the global desire to move here is a fool's errand most likely to harm those that are still here

Net domestic migration was still negative, with the state losing an estimated 92,000 people last year from internal migration, but that was far less than the approximate 356,000 net loss in 2021.

And the local story was one of shrinkage with slight growth in the "outskirts" of the Bay Area where there is room for projects like California Forever that would be privately funded and developed.

           Alameda County                -0.5% 

San Mateo County             -0.5%

Marin County                    -0.4%

Sonoma County                 -0.3%

Santa Clara County            flat

Napa County                     +0.4%

Contra Costa County         +0.1%

Solano County                   +0.2%

San Francisco                    +0.1%

Let's put additional big bonds for "affordable" housing on the back burner, nay back in the fridge, until we see how the regulatory clubs like SB9, builders' remedies, buying up hotels and motels for subsidized housing and Newsom's six bill work out.   As Jerry Seinfeld said to George regarding the shrinkage, "I think they know".

Housing Bond: A billion here, a billion there.....

While attributed to Everett Dirksen, the think tank dedicated to his career in Congress cannot verify that he actually said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."  No matter, it's still a great Twain-sian take on government spending.  There is so much money sloshing around that people, especially elected officials, can't really comprehend it.  The latest example is right here in the Bay Area where ABAG has approved putting a $10 $20 billion bond measure on the ballot for "affordable housing".

Mind you, our governor just spent unchallenged millions to barely pass a $6 billion bond measure for "affordable housing" across the state.  The tally took a long time and garnered a 0.5% winning margin.  So now we are to consider a 67% 333% bigger bond just for the nine counties in the Bay Area?  The Daily Journal notes

The Association of Bay Area Governments approved the ballot measure Thursday, April 18, which would produce and maintain about 72,000 affordable units, according to documents from the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority.

San Mateo County would receive about $1 billion to $2 billion, depending on the final bond amount, with a minimum of 52% allocated for affordable housing production and 15% for preservation, per the Regional Housing Finance Act.  The measure would effectively create a regional public lending institution bolstered by Bay Area property owners, who would pay roughly $19 per $100,000 of assessed property toward the fund.

One eagle-eyed Voice reader sent me an email stating

If this bond issue were to pass It would raise my property taxes. $500. No thank you, I'm voting no.  Where will the water come from and how much will the water cost?  And how much extra traffic on the streets and freeways will this cause?  No thank you. And please don't tell me everyone's gonna take public transportation.

If you read through the rest of the DJ article all you see are politicians nibbling around the edges of the proposal.  No one has the big picture in mind like our emailer.  We are almost at the two-year anniversary of my post titled "State Auditor: Housing "requirement" numbers way off".  Is anyone doing anything about fixing the illusory numbers?  Not that I can see.  They just go along like sheep thinking we need to build our way out of a manufactured "crisis".

Maybe we should just let a few billionaires build their California Forever city on ranch land out in Solano County and call it a day.  As Calmatters.org notes, they can pay for the infrastructure, the housing and be the master developer.  That would free up ABAG to, you know, worry about fixing the roads, the water system, the grid, the schools, etc.  All that boring stuff.

Transit Poll Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

I doubt we will see a more honest news headline this year than the Merc's take on the latest poll about transit issues in the Bay Area:

     Bay Area voters in support of better transit, if rich people and companies pay

That's the OPM Syndrome that affects a lot of people (the majority?) in California.  57% of 600 people polled support taxing someone else to pay for "affordable and coordinated transit".  I'm surprised it's not eight out of ten.  The poll is gauging support for yet another Sen. Scott Wiener reach into other people's pockets (SB 925).  He wants to better connect the Bay Area's 27 transit agencies.  The problem here should be obvious, but not to "Throw more money at it" Wiener.  Here's the worst part:

Wiener's bill contains no details on how money would be raised, what improvements it would pay for, how a streamlined transit system would be managed, or how spending would be overseen.

Get ready to fill in the "No" box on your ballot.  Meanwhile the giant sucking sound from the Central Valley is unabated.  And give that headline writer a raise.

BIS: Still Distinguished

The 2024 California Distinguished Schools list is out with awards for 2023 and BIS has again made the list--one of only five in San Mateo County.  The state dashboard shows some details like English Language Arts declining 4.7 points while Math stayed the same and English learner progress was up 5.8%.  Here in town, BIS has not always had such a good reputation vis a vis the elementary schools and BHS as noted three years ago here and in the 64 comments on the post. In an era when elite colleges are realizing standardized tests like the SAT actually have value (big surprise!), getting the award is good news.

Chronic absenteeism is in the orange warning zone at BIS and is a widespread problem as noted here.  The dashboard notes BIS had 1,013 students of which 17.4% are socioeconomically disadvantaged.  That's 176 middle schoolers in town who "are eligible for free or reduced priced meals; or have parents/guardians who did not receive a high school diploma."

It's good to see we are keeping up with Belmont, Menlo Park, Portola Valley and San Carlos--the other four award winners.

SFO: The neighbor who will never move away.....

A regular Voice reader and correspondent, Peter Garrison, has been on the case this week about Korean Air KAL 214 spewing 88-91 decibels over B'game and Hillsborough at 2:55 am.  It must be pretty important Korean freight for their 747 to wake up 100's (1000's?) of people.  One can only imagine.

I'm hoping whichever candidate takes over Dave Pine's County Supervisor seat in November will Do Something Serious about the runway backblast and late night overflight noise.  Jackie Speier put some effort into the problem with Congressional legislation that needed more of a push as noted here.  I've seen Ann Schneider address the noise issue at the Airport Roundtable Ground Noise subcommittee a couple times.  She's a bit of a scatter shot but understands the problem and with some good technical and legislative guidance might make progress.  Either one of them would be more focused than the Supe who thinks either the Gazan Palestinians or the Israelis give a rat's ass about what she or San Mateo County, CA thinks.  Looking at you Noelia Corzo--dullest knife in the drawer. 

Here's the latest bit of aggravating noise (decibel) data on KAL 214.  If you played your car speakers at the level on ECR at 2:55 am you would be arrested.

 

Bayfront shenanigans: Where to put the seawall?

Sea level rise.  King tide flood control.  Airliner bird strikes.  A new lagoon with algae and sediment.  50 years of conflicting regulations.  Sinking runways. Shore-based or Bay-based.  Swing a cat--hit an environmental group:  Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, the Center for Biological Diversity, Sequoia Audubon Society, Green Foothills, Baykeeper and Sierra Club.  The Daily Journal's Holly Rusch did as good a job as could be done describing the circular firing squad of government agencies, politicians, environmental groups and the OneShoreline county entity that seeks to build a seawall in the Bay from SFO to Coyote Point.  The article didn't note what size budget OneShoreline has to gather public comment and attempt to get a draft EIR out by 2025, but we will $niff that out going forward.  In the meantime, the engineer in me is very curious about this:

The proposed barrier would remain open unless the Bay was hit by extreme storms or king tides, at which point the tidal gates would close to protect from flooding impacts.  One major concern regarding the project is the permitting and legal hurdles it could face when receiving approval due to its unprecedented scale and goals, said Save the Bay Executive Director David Lewis, a point his organization’s letter emphasized.  The “unprecedented” size of Bay fill required for the project, which includes a lagoon that could be as many as 670 acres, could require significant mitigation, BCDC warned in a letter to the agency.

For those keeping track at home, 670 acres is about 29.2 million square feet or exactly two-thirds the size of Golden Gate Park.  What could go wrong?  The County Supe contender (against Jackie Speier) notes:

Millbrae Councilmember Ann Schneider, who has been speaking out against the project since November when she was mayor, reiterated concerns that the community had not been given adequate time or space to provide feedback on the project.  “OneShoreline completely ignored me, me as the mayor of Millbrae, me who has been working on sea-level rise since they created the first vulnerability process,” she said.

I predict a lot of sound and fury ultimately signifying nothing--apologies to the Bard.  Here is our local jewel Coyote Point yesterday as an airliner descends through our December clouds.