The Burlingame Voice

ECR: The Renewal Project Goes off the Rails

This is a tough post for me to write.  That's why it has taken me two weeks to write it since the Caltrans virtual meeting about the El Camino Real Roadway Renewal project on July 14th.  I really want to see some things fixed on ECR as noted here, here here and here.  But sometimes the cure can be worse than the illness and from what I heard, this is one of those times.  The virtual meeting had numerous presenters each with their own piece of the project, but the overarching view was obscured by bureaucracy and over-regulation along with some over-engineering.  We heard about this "once in a generation project" which is an understatement--a generation is 20-30 years--and while the project may take half of that to complete (certainly more than the 2 years stated), we will be living with the results for much longer---if it happens.

Caltrans presented three options:  the No Build alternative, the Roadway rehab without undergrounding the utilities and the Roadway rehab with undergrounding.  At least the horrendous "road diet" option reducing regular users to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane and all sorts of other goodies for people who don't actually drive on ECR is "not viable".  The good news ends there, because once the anti-eucalyptus forces start drooling over the two Roadway rehab options, we are headed for a dramatic changes that will take years to recover.  PG&E and the city council want the utilities underground.  I'm still not sure why when you consider the historic, nationally-registered eucalyptus grove will be a casualty of that move.  The renderings of what a denuded ECR would look like were all "20 years post-build" and even after 20 years still looked like a sad shell of the canopy we have now.  One astute questioner noted that they drive south on ECR every weekday morning and there are several months of the year when the sun is directly in the eyes of drivers.  Only the towering eucs make for a partial sun shield that surely makes for safer driving and pedestrian crossings.  Been there, experienced that.  And it's not just sun blindness--remember this incident?

Given how long it took to take out just one eucalyptus at Howard Ave. a couple years ago (about a week), we could be faced with a year or more of horrific traffic closures as there are 390 of them in the tree rows.  The claim is that only 3% of them are in "good condition".  And yet they go on year after year with minimal incidents.  It seems like selective replacement as we have been doing is better than a wholesale removal and replacement with 7 to 14' trees.

As for the rough sidewalks pushed up by tree roots, one of the Caltrans personnel finally said what I have been thinking for years-- why not just "bridge over slightly raised roots".  It is apparently allowed and would work in the places that are not too bad.  Throw in some serious digging at the 4 or 5 known flooding areas to clear roots and debris and rebuild the drains and you have what I would call a "Light Build alternative".  Public comment can be made at www.ElCaminoRealProject.com until next Monday, August 2nd.  I'm not sure it will do much good at this point, but a light build is all we need.

Wildfires and Sacramento Grifters

Anyone have a relative who is constantly asking for a "little loan" but drives a nicer car than you do?  I don't--except for my state Assembly, Senate and Governor.  Wildfires are a long-term problem in the state that have been ignored by our electeds for years--maybe decades.  It's easier to blame PG&E and the Feds than to do anything about it.

You might ask "why should we B'gamers care?"  I can think of two reasons.  First, with 20 of my neighboring Tahoe homeowners, I spent the morning clearing brush, pine needles and dead wood from the area around our Tahoe homes.  20 of us filled a 15 yard and a 5 yard dumpster in a couple hours and there is more to be done.  We cleared a space about the size of a single B'game lot--maybe two.  While we were cutting and raking it all up, my thoughts were on Mills Canyon and the vast expanses of Hillsborough that look like a fiery disaster-in-waiting.  It's easy to think about the Oakland Hills or Sonoma and say "it won't happen here" but don't bet on it.

The second reason to care is the grifters from Sacramento are dipping into in our pockets again.  The state has a $75 Billion, with a "B" surplus this year and another $25 Billion with a "B" injection from the Feds for "Covid relief", but get this; as reported in today's Comicle--the grifters are pushing

Among the bills being advocated by the fire-focused senators is SB45, which would place a $5.6 billion bond before voters next year.

Really?  None of these geniuses can figure out that sending "tax rebate" money to Californians who didn't pay any state taxes in the first place while mortgaging the state's future with new bonds that we could easily finance now just out of current "surpluses" is a bad proposition?  Really?  

2021 Spring Treehugger Post

We may be way behind on rainfall and we are not going to "catch up" this year, but the trees got enough to do well so far.  We will see stress later in the Summer and Fall, but for now the Spring bloom was excellent in B'game.  The lovely white street trees that took the Spring honors last year did well again, but I have to give the prize to the non-bearing cherry trees that some of my neighbors were smart enough to plant years ago.  I haven't seen any on the public median strip, but the ones on private property have been spectacular.  Like this one

Drought 2021: Here We Go Again

I'm still bothered by state Sen. Scott Weiner's naïve response to a water question he got during his visit to B'game almost two years ago.  When asked "where will the water come from to support all the new housing (and people) you are demanding?" his response landed squarely between "I don't know", "We should look at that" and "It's not my concern".  Two years have passed--both drought years -- and we are no closer to a state-wide plan than we were then.  There's always something "more important" getting in the way and yet the development addicts seem able to press on with their demands.

Here in B'game, the every five-year update to our Urban Water Management Plan is behind schedule.  Public works has been swamped (no pun intended) with parklets, paving projects, going green and adding traffic lights and signage.  The next update will be the first to comply with a new state mandate that it examine a five-year drought instead of only a three-year episode.  That should make for interesting reading when the first draft comes out--hopefully soon.

In the meantime, here we go again according to the Comicle

The state’s monthly snow survey on Tuesday will show only about 60% of average snowpack for this point in the year, the latest indication that water supplies are tightening. With the end of the stormy season approaching, forecasters don’t expect much more buildup of snow, a key component of the statewide supply that provides up to a third of California’s water.

Urban water agencies, meanwhile, are asking customers to think twice about long showers and outdoor watering. The calls for austerity will feel familiar to many Californians who less than five years ago faced mandatory water restrictions during the 2012-2016 drought.  More importantly, the northern Sierra’s 8-Station Index, which tracks rain in the region where California gets the bulk of its water, measured only 45% of average precipitation.  While March and April could still bring rain, the heart of the wet season is over. Much of the state is now poised to have a top-10 dry year.

As an avid skier, I can recall several Miracle Marches and even an Amazing April or two, but let's face it, the people who are trying to overbuild the Bay Area just don't care.  It's time some other leaders stepped in and called for a reset, a review, a plan and compliance.

Update:  Yesterday a huge branch fell off a street tree at Vernon and Clarendon hitting the nearby house.  The drought is stressing trees throughout the state, so expect more of this until we prioritize trees over condos and offices.

Update:  March 24.  In today's Comicle:  "It would have to be biblical to adjust a water allocation at this point," (Karla) Nemeth (director CDWR) said, referring to the end of the winter season.

Bye Bye Eucalyptus?

The on-going saga of the "renewal" of El Camino Real took another turn as the Citizens Environmental Council bought off on the plan to take out 85 Eucs along the main thoroughfare through town--the signature feature of B'game. Councilmembers Beach and Brownrigg are the designated electeds on this Council. The key part of the Daily Journal story about the decision is

There was limited feedback from community members during the meeting

Whereas Zoom-dom has made some things more accessible, it seems to me it has stymied the kind of public input that happens when a bunch of people show up live in City Council chambers and look officials in the eye.  We've covered this on-going ECR issue in the past; last January here and in 2018 here.  The fragility of the traffic lights and how we handle that now is here.  The Caltrans public comment period closes tonight, but that is far from the end of the story.  My guess is most of the people in town have no idea that some CEC would agree to take out the historically-designated tree grove.  The story isn't over til the chainsaws roar.

As if that isn't enough, the bike advocates want to take away at least one lane!  The resident twenty-something who has lived here for about a minute and half but doesn't like anything as it is, weighed in

After the discussion, Burlingame resident Madeline Frechette expressed her displeasure with the nature of the discussion, which excluded what will happen between the curbs.  “The exclusion of themes like rapid transit or safe bike infrastructure is confusing,” she said in an email. “Certainly what happens to the tree line and sidewalks could have ramifications for the roadway, and we are at a point in history where we cannot afford to selectively prioritize concerns about greenery aesthetics.”

That last bit is classic doubletalk.  She's the one doing the "selective prioritizing".  More importantly, she is apparently blissfully unaware that there are dedicated north and south bike lanes that parallel ECR a couple of blocks away on California and Carolan that are much closer to two forms of public transit.  Nor has she any consideration of the impact on police, fire and ambulance access of shutting down anything "between the curbs" on our busy artery.  These Eucs offer more than "greenery aesthetics" if one remembers our history like this incident in 2009.

Fall Treehugger Post: Maples Shine

It's time for our annual Fall treehugger post.  As a native New Englander, the Fall foliage brings back many memories for me right at this time each year.  It's about a month later in California than in New England so I get antsy when the colors are "late" here.  Last Fall I used my pear tree leaves after a fantastic harvest.  For 2018, I used one of my Japanese maples and it's even better this year so I'll include it again.  For good measure here is a regular maple looking good in the orange and yellow hues.  Enjoy!

Let's keep a good thought for our Blue Gum eucalytus grove on El Camino--powerful forces are arrayed against them.........

Tree-Hugger Post: 2020 Pear Mystery

On this roasting hot Labor Day I am hunkered down with time to ponder the most recent tree phenomenon. After all, we can't do serious politics and policy all the time.  Recall last year's bountiful pear crop here and here.  As I mentioned last year, my pears can be hit or miss depending on the year while the Gravenstein apples are reliable like fine clockwork.  This year was a pear bust.  There were a few small ones at the beginning of the season, but none ever matured.

Now for the mystery.  My next door neighbor also has a pear tree and hers did very well!  The two trees are only 100 feet apart.  One gets nothing and the other has an above average yield.  Any experts care to weigh in on why this might happen?  Here's one of the neighbor's pears that was delicious.

Spring Tree Hugger Post

This Spring will go down in memory as one of the most eerie yet beautiful Springs in a long time.  With all of the social distancing happening on the streets and parks there has been plenty of quiet walks that allow for pensive views of our local trees.  I am particularly impressed with the fruitless pear trees (at least that is what I think they are) that are in the median strips.  Apparently there are several types: Cleveland, Aristocrat, Chanticleer, Bradford and who knows how many others.  This one is quite old and very beautiful.

El Camino "Renewal"

You probably got the glossy mailer announcing the El Camino Real Renewal meeting next Tuesday and it just arrived in the e-newsletter as well.  I can't make it, but I did get a chance to sit down with Mayor Emily Beach and our resident tree expert, Jennifer Pfaff, recently to discuss the project at length.  Here is the official announcement:

Caltrans is hosting an open house to discuss the El Camino Real Roadway Renewal Project on Tuesday, January 28, at the Burlingame Recreation Center from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The project area stretches three miles, between East Santa Inez Avenue and Millbrae Avenue, and encompasses some of the most challenging pavement, vegetation, sidewalk, utility, drainage, and safety issues. This stretch of El Camino Real is also lined with heritage tree rows that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Caltrans will share information about potential improvements to drainage, landscaping, sidewalk safety, ADA compliance, and rehabilitation of pavement. Learn more about the project by visiting www.elcaminorealproject.com.

During my meeting with the mayor we discussed things like the amount of money held in reserve for this major project ($110 million), the downward trend in the replacement rate of the trees (there were 750 in the 1970's and we are down to about 500 now) and the various CalTrans construction standards that may or may not be required for this project.  There are some trade-offs that will have to be made since full-CalTrans specifications can be in conflict with the Blue Gum Euc grove's historic status.  Things like the distance from street corners and poles, the distance between trees and the irrigation plans have to be negotiable.  The types of trees that would replace the Eucs is also on the table.

I'll leave the details to the experts like Jennifer and to those who conduct this first public meeting.  Let's just say it will be a controversial and yet hopefully collegial meeting. 

Fall Treehugger Post: Pear's Best Year

For my Fall treehugger post, let's revisit my pear tree to see how it is finishing the best pear season in memory.  You will recall the crop photo here.  The tree yielded at least two dozen pears this year net of what the squirrels got to before me.  And after a couple of days of ripening in a brown paper bag, they were delicious.  Oddly enough the pear leaves have held on longer than a lot of other species this year and turned a lovely yellow.  For the Fall post, we usually enjoy our ginkos, Japanese maples and Chinese pistaches that are all over town, but the 2019 post goes to the pear.