Old-timers...here is a blast from the past back when the Voice was a print edition! Who remembers this column? Enjoy!
What's up with that? Part III
From Volume 3, Number 2 Published December 16, 2002
Fall has been lovely in Burlingame and it was never more evident than on Friday nights. Much of the south end of town got to hear the football games at Burlingame High, regardless of whether they bought a ticket or not. Some people may find it irritating, but I like it. I think of it as a quaint part of the community. With a 75 year history, the Little Big Game has a historic feel that is totally fun, especially when the Panthers win as they did again this year.
I wish I could say the same about the late night flights from SFO.The spin-doctors from the airport say new runways will lessen the noise. But they never mention that the takeoffs that wake up Burlingame wouldn't decrease and they might get worse with more air traffic. Building new runways would only reduce landing noise. Good for Foster City but not for us. What's up with that?
Riding my bike around town has yielded some observations about the building boom. I still cannot get over the building at 1411 Chapin Ave that has been leased by Fidelity Investments. We featured the apartment building that used to be there in Vol. 1 Issue 3. Both buildings are shown below. I didn't have a problem with the owner, Joe Karp, building something new there, but the end product looks like a prison. That is why the last Planning Commission denied it. Too bad the last City Council didn't have the same good taste. I call it Karpitecture, and it is an unfortunate legacy for a major property owner who could easily build nicer stuff. What's up with that? At least the residential Design Review process is working pretty well.
On the top, The Karp property on Chapin today. On the bottom, The Karp property on Chapin last year.


And what's up with gossip columnist Jerry Fuchs of The Independent? He recently came out of his haze to pick on my wife, City Councilwoman Cathy Baylock, and fellow Voice board member, Russ Cohen. He has a bunch of mistaken ideas about Burlingame history and tried to criticize Baylock and Cohen without checking his facts. He is attacking experts, but it is hard to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man. Fuchs' paper should hire a fact checker to help him; it would be a full-time job. Fuchs claims he is only as good (meaning as accurate) as his sources, so he might want to find some new sources; if indeed he has any interest in being accurate.
Now back to reality. The Burlingame P.D. did a great job catching the suspected murderous bank robbers who hit Wells Fargo. Nothing will bring back Alice Martel, but the police did their job and they did it very quickly. For that we are thankful.
With the holiday season of sharing upon us, Samaritan House needs our donations of food. You can call them at 347-3648 for details or just drop donations off at 401 North Humboldt St. in San Mateo any day between 830 and 530. It will bring you the proper spirit of the season.
Regardless of how badly Safeway is behaving in its senseless battle for its monster store, I am still optimistic about how Burlingame is progressing. And you should be, too. Take your bike or walking shoes out for a look-see. More people are waking up to what makes our town special. If you stay informed, talk to your neighbors, and speak up when the urge strikes, you will find you have plenty of company.
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