Galligan Goal # Whatever – "Finalize a Council decision to review financing options for public facilities master plan".

Beware of the above fancy words!

It seems there is an expensive consultant document called "Facilities Master Plan Report Draft" dated October 2004 which includes our fair city considering spending (and our voting on) 56 million dollars (yes 56 million dollars) on a new City Hall and Community Rec Center at 217 East Lane.

1. Why has this NOT become public knowledge?
2. Why is there NOT a copy of this document in the Library?
3. Why is this information NOT on the city website?
4. Why was there NOT one representative of the general public on the Project Team? There are plenty of concerned residents who would have volunteered their time
5. Why do we need a new city hall?

There may be a bond measure floated for $80 million which will include storm drainage on Laguna bundled in with the new city hall and community center. Sneaky heh! For a city that had to rely on a group of citizens to put together a crossing guard fund to try and cover a measly $32,000, there seems to be something strange going on. Could it be to do with "development".

The City Hall is the part that bugs me – our present 27,000 sq.ft. city hall monstrosity was built in 1970 and was three times larger than the ivy covered old city hall on Park Road. I know … its progress and they needed more space. Our present city hall is almost the ugliest building in Burlingame but what is the reasoning behind building a new one? Is it too small, too ugly, too round, too what?

The train station plaza was booted down because of the cost of 19 parking slots estimated by the city to cost $960,000 – how ridiculous. A plaza which would have been relatively simple, no destruction, and would have been a beautiful way to enhance our pedestrian town. What the hell is going on here?

Perhaps anyone interested in finding out how Galligan and his cohorts are going to finance this "public facilities plan" might want to get a copy of the report from city hall and/or attend the study session next Saturday at 9:00 am in the Lane Room.

I don't think our favorite grocery shop will dip into their profits for this one, so it will be up to us residents to pay for it – one way or another. Lets find out how …

– Written by Fiona

We have all been waiting with baited breath to see if Virgin would come to Burlingame and in particular the Forbes Building. Now the SMC Times reports that Virgin is having to delay its launch of its low cost airline -"maybe in 2005 but it could be 2006".

The rumor around town is that it will be Millbrae where they will set up shop but Virgin already has a temporary office of 12 people along Bayshore.

We welcome Virgin to the jewel of the peninsula where they will be able to "tap into the Bay Area's vast pool of talented professionals"

– Written by Fiona

Interesting piece by the Phantom today in the Daily News:

"Galligan invited chairmen and women from City's various commissions to lunch this week, where they discussed plans for year ahead. T-Spoon Commission Head Russ Cohen's name didn't make the list of invitees. Warden, T-spoon vice-chair received the invite and said "he didn't know about Cohen being snubbed. He assumed the mayor and city manager had taken care of notifying Cohen"

There are at least three lies in that paragraph. The excuse for this breach of protocol was a "mixup" and/or a secretarial malfunction (do people still blame the secretary?). The City knew BEFORE the meeting of this breach of etiquette, rudeness, childish behaviour, etc. and should have acted like adults.

I asked the City to include who is the chair of each commission on the city website so there will be no mix-up in the future. The mayor and vice mayor are noted on the council list. When the chairs change chairs (and not before) this can be changed with a flick of the finger.

Come on boys, play fair in the sandbox.

– Written by Fiona

As everyone knows the goose needs to be over fed to make fois gras. Seems like the former Mayor & current Mayor are plumping up that goose and making a little foie gras. Of course I mean the goose that laid the golden egg, as Madam former-Mayor likes to refer to anything that puts $$ in the city coffers. In tonights case it was the auto row dealers, notably Mike Harvey, who benefited from the city's decision to permit the CalTrain remodeling that will take away South Lane, and the pedestrian walk-way across the tracks, while modifying the parking layouts around East & West lane.
Seems like:

1. Harvey will get more parking than he had before,
2. unless you are an auto-related business you don't matter
3. those un-auto related business should get out of auto row
4. there will be less landscaping because we need more parking spaces and
5. some garbage about Charles Howard and Seabiscuit.

And the most laughable item of the evening – no to the train station plaza because it would cost $960,000 to relocate the parking. Did any creative mind think beyond the parking places and look at the big picture – I doubt it?

How can these people sit up there and keep a straight face? Anyone needing to get their blood pressure up, go to a council meeting. It will do it every time!

But seriously … did anyone else want to take a shower after the meeting?

– Written by Fiona

Seven Oaks, former estate of banker A.P. Giannini, has been saved from the landfill. First by the City of San Mateo who threatened to sue the Giannini estate if they destroyed the house. The estate donated the house to a charity who were threatened by the city when the house needed repairs to the rain damaged struture.

The story unfolds … the 7,000 sq.ft. home was on the market for 10 days with multiple buyers interested and has been sold for above the listed price of $1.4 even though it will take a hefty sum to renovate it.

What a wonderful ending to a story that started with destruction by bulldozer and is ending with a home being saved. Congratulations to San Mateo for saving an historical home (yes Rosalie some people do care about their historical homes) and congratulations to the charity, Abrazos & Books who will continue to do good work with the $1.4+ they will receive from the sale.

But the question to me is – would our City (and I wont use any adjectives!) have saved this house. The answer is simple – assolutamente no, non, nein, hakuna, nao, nyet and a big resounding NO.

– Written by Fiona

Reported in today's Daily Journal:

Identity Theft. A person on the 1300 block of Paloma was a victim of identity theft sometime before 11:36am Saturday.

And it wasn't even a recycling night!

– Written by anson

In an Editorial in the San Mateo County Times the writer suggests that the SamTrans by-laws be changed so as to insure that future Samtrans appointments are done fairly, honestly and in the open.

If you agree, and want to be part of an effort to change the SamTrans by-laws, e-mail me your name. If there is enough support them perhaps we can put together a groups who could petition the various San Mateo County legislatures (Leland Yee, Gene Mullin, Ira Ruskin, Jackie Speier and Joe Simitian) and ask that they change the law.
Richard L. Silver

– Written by RicSilver