The Burlingame Voice

Not all graffiti is all bad

Most of the graffiti around town is ugly and indecipherable.  Here was an example from last month that was both before it was painted over.  While it's all illegal, every once in a while, a real artist drops a bit in a less objectionable location.  This example is on the side of the raised roadbed over by the entrance to Coyote Point as you turn towards the Humane Society.  You can only see it if you are headed out of the park and look down.  It gave me a laugh.

El Camino is "fixed"; who knew?

I enjoyed getting submissions from Voice readers--keep 'em coming please.  This one was particularly entertaining (at first) and then triggered the usual who-are-they-kidding response.

Who knew?  The "concern has been addressed" so no one will lose anymore teeth on ECR.  I guess that also means we do not need to cut down all the trees along the state highway and eventually replace them with 24" box trees.  Good to know.

The "Build our way to affordability" Fantasy

The City makes certain announcements on NextDoor and then responds to some of the comments people add.  I don't know who writes the responses or how they are vetted by other City staff or even if they are vetted.  It's probably time to find out though.  In response to the announcement about Stage 2 water restrictions that we noted here, the comments were very pointed.  People jabbed at overdevelopment leading to crazy traffic, water restrictions and a lack of respect for the people who "worked our nails to the bone" to afford to live here.  The official city response?

These are good points. Our city is in a state with cyclical droughts so once one drought cycle ends the next one is just around the corner. At the same time, California has a housing shortage and state laws require local governments to adequately plan to meet existing and projected housing needs. If housing development were to stop, not only would this be against state mandates, but it would make our city unaffordable in the long-term. We have heard from residents and businesses that they are concerned about their family members, co-workers, and neighbors who can no longer afford to live in the community. We also hear that local businesses, schools, and service providers are struggling to hire and retain people. Building more affordable housing is a solution to these challenges that may be affecting your neighbor down the street. Additionally, while our population has increased steadily our water consumption is lower now than it was ten years ago which shows that conservation and innovations in water efficiency works. For the data, see our 2020 Urban Water Management Plan available at www.burlingame.org/water.

That answer feels tone-deaf to me.  First, it's non-responsive to the water question and raised the additional issue of how much more water we can squeeze from the stone after what has already been done in the last ten years.  The Law of Diminishing Returns is in play and there are consequences to the flora and fauna in town.  Second, the state mandates that drive the building craze have not been vetted properly according to the state auditor or tested in court.  But most disturbing is this fantasy that we can outbuild the global demand for living in the Bay Area, on the mid-Peninsula and especially in Burlingame!  It's a dangerous fantasy and the disregard for the quality of life for those who are already here after "working their nails to the bone" is palpable.  Has the City heard from those residents and businesses as well?

Graffiti Rosetta Stone?

It's been a while since we had a notable (i.e. notably bad) graffiti sighting, but a burst has reappeared on the walkway next to the Walgreens on Burlingame Ave.  Is this a back-and-forth between opposing taggers?  Anyone got a Rosetta Stone on this?  Is it a tribute to Jackson Pollack?  I assume Walgreens itself has been keeping that wall clear and has been doing a great job of it recently.

 

Driver-less Taxis: What could go wrong?

We have to keep an eye on EssEff happenings since some can spill over into B'game.  It wouldn't surprise me if autonomous, robotic, driver-less taxis is one of them.  The Daily Post and Chronicle are reporting on the progress:

California regulators on Thursday issued a first-of-its-kind permit to robot-taxi company Cruise (a GM controlled company), which will make San Francisco the first major city in the country in which people can hail a paid ride from a driverless taxi, officials said.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Thursday to grant Cruise its permit, more than six months after the San Francisco-based company first applied to be able to charge for rides in its autonomous vehicles, without a backup driver. The company has been offering free driverless rides since February and will begin rolling out paid rides in its 30 electric vehicles in the coming weeks, officials said.

That's the headline, but the caveats are far more interesting.  Since the taxis are apparently unable to move to the curb for pick-up and drop-off they are being restricted to less dense parts of the city.  They can only operate between 10pm and 6am and must stay under 30 mph and shut down for rain and fog.  A competitor, Waymo, has been offering service in the friendlier driving environs of Phoenix since October 2020, but driving in SF is a tougher task.

The Daily Post offered a reminder of two events last April when a Cruise taxi briefly blocked a fire truck responding to a call and when the SFPD stopped one of the taxis, it drove off before the officer finished ticketing it.  You can read the COO's statement about the new paid service here--and the link to hail one is at the bottom.  Be brave!  In the meantime, my old standby Luxor is still in business serving B'game and you get help with your bags.

More Signage: Pedestrians Beware....

Today's question of the day is multiple choice.  What is the greatest danger to pedestrians walking up California Dr.?

a)  Drivers speeding to beat the long light at Broadway?

b)  Drivers distracted by another new sign that they can't figure out?

c)  Walking head first into a traffic sign because their slalom skills are deficient?

d)  Pedestrians distracted by wondering how the City can afford so many signs?

City Revenue: Down but not out

We touched on the fiscal effects of reduced travel and thus reduced hotel tax ("TOT") four months ago with the expectation that things could be serious.  The Daily Journal is reporting on the figures presented to the council and notes

The city gathered more than $29 million from the tax in 2018-19, nearly 35% of the city’s revenue that year. But last year that figure plummeted to $5.7 million, and the city this year is on track to collect $10 million as some travel returns.

While TOT revenue is projected to rebound to between $22.7 million and $26 million by 2026-27, as the city grows, its other revenue streams are expected to similarly increase. Property tax and sales tax are projected to account for 39% and 24% of the city’s revenue this year, respectively, and the TOT less than 15%.

Despite the ongoing hit to the TOT, councilmembers emphasized the city’s ability to maintain service for most with “not a single blip” thanks to a conservative budget structure and nearly $45 million in the city’s general fund prior to the pandemic.

Those reserves are the key to keeping away "the blips".  How fast we dip into them for how long and for what purpose is perhaps the most important decision a city council can make.  Here is the tentative plan

A tentative budget proposal indicated the city could dip into its reserves by $2.5 million this year and again by $4.8 million, $5.3 million and $5.6 million (Ed:  that's $18.2M or 40% for those keeping track at home) over the following three years until a surplus is again achieved in 2025-26. But as (City manager Lisa) Goldman pointed out, the projections include considerable planned infrastructure spending that could be pulled back if needed.

Projects include the Broadway grade separation, El Camino Real repaving and other road upgrades and park improvements. Councilmember Donna Colson expressed her support for proceeding with the projects as planned and seeking other ways to reduce the deficit.

“I just don’t think you can save your way to success, I really believe that you have to invest in your community … and if you want the high-quality services, and you want the good roads and … everything to be state of the art, we have to figure out a way,” she said. “Whether it’s through the business licensing fees or really just working on economic development, I want to figure out a way to close that gap.”

The "business license fee" increases that are being bandied about are raising concerns among the Mom & Pop operations in town.   Numbers are flying around, some substantiated, some less so.  I think there is general agreement that a business like Meta/Facebook on the bayfront should be paying more than an ice cream shop.  The devil is in the details in between.  I recall a funny story relayed to me by a reliable source.  When Virgin America was looking to locate its headquarters in B'game, they met with the mayor (Mary Janney at the time) and the city manager.  Virgin asked for a reduced business license fee and the two B'gamers looked at each other with a look somewhere between amusement, confusion and embarrassment at being such a small town operation and replied "It's a $100 flat fee".  Virgin moved in......

Lighting up Broadway

Our Broadway district is sometimes referred to as the poor stepsister of the Avenue which can refer to the attention it garners from the city, its more affordable rents, or the rather homey general appearance of the retail district.  Those are intertwined.  I happen to spend more time on B'way even though I can easily walk to the Avenue so any investment in B'way is welcome.

The new street lights are almost done.  The poles are in and await the actual lights.  Some of the poles in front of Mike Harvey Acura were placed in the middle of the sidewalk due to the location of underground utilities making for a pedestrian slalom course, but the ones in the core retail blocks look good.  They aren't an exact match to the originals, but close enough for government work; as they say.  Check it out.

You and your Cat: Treasured friends

There's been quite a bit of talk around town about catalytic converter thefts. After a local friend had his stolen from his truck in January, I asked the B'game police about how common it is in town. Here are the stats:

Statistics on catalytic converter thefts:

• 2020 monthly average: 6
• 2021 monthly average: 9
• Jan 2022: 12
• Feb 2022: 4

Some aspects of this are worth sharing like: Toyota Prius and trucks are the most common targets. Prius because the converters in hybrid vehicles tend to be more valuable and trucks because they sit higher off the ground making it easier to access the converter (i.e. no jack needed). My Landcruiser actually has two--a twofer.

The replacement my friend had to get was $2,800 (mostly covered by insurance) and he decided to add a cable and lock to the new one.

I hope anyone who gets hit reports it to BPD. One might think "it's gone, so what's the point?" but we need to keep track of this sort of thing if it is to get the attention it deserves.

On the bright side, BPD actually caught a couple of catalytic converter thieves on January 11th (early morning hours) in the 1400 block of Benito Ave. An alert resident called it in. Hopefully there will be more arrests to come as people become more aware.

Update:  I just heard about two more Cat thefts in the Lyon-Hoag neighborhood over the last month or so.  And here is a photo of the well-secured Cat--10" stainless steel zip ties, 3/16" steel cable and some clamps.  It would probably take you a couple of hours.

Smile, your license plate maybe on camera

A comment on the Year in Crime: 2021 post reminded me to double back to the question of whether or not we put in license plate reading cameras in B'game.  According to the DJ article, in a rare split decision, councilors Ortiz, O'Brian and Colson went for the idea while Brownrigg and Beach were opposed.

Burlingame is one of just four cities in the county that has yet to approve the cameras (Ed: that means 16 already have them), according to Police Chief Mike Matteucci, who added he believed they would be beneficial in the city. Others on the Peninsula have turned to the cameras in hopes of stopping auto burglaries near hotels or retail crime. 

Matteucci said implementation in Burlingame would likely consist of two-dozen or more cameras installed at entry and exit points to the city and major intersections. They could also be affixed to police vehicles. 

You will recall from the Year in Crime: 2021 post that vehicle burglaries were up 25% year over year to 25 per month--basically everyday someone gets burgled.  And that number may or may not include the catalytic converter thefts--I've asked BPD for some numbers on that really expensive crime (~$2,800 to replace, keep your insurance current).  At least one reluctant councilmember wants to "see the data".  I would suggest that all council members should be reviewing the data regularly.  Heck, I would make it a regular council agenda item, but that's just me.

Brownrigg, however, said he was unconvinced Burlingame had a need for the cameras and expressed reluctance to increase surveillance or traffic stop frequency in the city.

“Any time we permit greater surveillance, especially using technology, we need to have a use case that justifies it, so I would like to see that data,” he said. “I’m not saying our decision will change the big forces of technology, but this is just one step along the path to facial recognition, it’s one step along the path to cameras everywhere.”

 

I'm not going to give much airtime to the concern about racial profiling--everyone license plate colors are the same.  We shall see if this goes anywhere or if higher political ambitions derail it.