8 responses to “Wishful Thinking on Our Post Office”

1. jennifer

   October 23, 2013

   So, Annenberg is the angel investor? Did they purchase the USPO?

2. Mark

   October 23, 2013

   Every time open this website, I see more evidence that this city is an Idiocracy!! Except for Mrs. Baylock, I see no value added from our present city council. At this point, I’m willing to cast my vote for Steve Duncan… yes he is not very knowledgeable, but he keeps saying he would talk to people and listen to them, and I believe him. I mean how much worse can it get than having a Council that doesn’t listen to anyone, enters into exclusive agreements with developer, hires the architects serving the city commissions, flip flops on HSR, mismanages the downtown big dig, lies about how schools are funded, the list goes on and on. Enough is enough already and give this city back to its people.
   I’m also sick and tired of people playing the ‘this new building is going to fund our schools’ card all the time. Well either the people saying this are uneducated or are lying thru their whitened teeth fake smiles. Burlingame is a revenue limit district due to the increasing enrollment and high rental population. If BSD switched to direct aid, like the Hill People’s district, the funding per student would go down, as there would not be enough property taxes to directly fund the district with property taxes alone and keep per pupil spending constant. Where do I get this nugget of information? well right from the horse’s–or BSD’s– mouths, so anyone who disputes this can go argue with them, assuming they’re not too busy with Hoover. Also ask them if how much more per student if $200 million of new property development will give BSD.
   So putting up a new commercial property or 100 unit condo is going to do squat-diddly for our schools in terms pf per student funding. Using schools as an excuse for increasing development is an easy card to play to the masses instead of the ‘I need this city to keep on growing to keep my job and pay my pension” or ‘i need to grease the hands of my real estate development buddies’ which are the real reasons for this development love fest.

3. Holyroller

   October 23, 2013

   Let it go.
   It is just a building that has completed its use.
   It is beautiful, many people passed through its doors.
   It is time to move on.

4. Alexander Kent

   October 24, 2013

   Fellow Residents of Burlingame,
   I’ve been working professionally with public and private schools and faith-based groups since 2006 on real estate strategy, financial analysis, and complex contract negotiation.
   My family, my friends, my business colleagues and I consider myself to be a very honest and ethical person.
   Will Burlingame Point help our town and our schools? Yes, accordingly, perhaps the executives that live here should closely consider moving their current or expansion leases to this City-permitted new development. (I am not some big, pro-developer person, but the City Council and Burlingame residents via Community Meetings already approved this project!)
   767,000 sf once leased up could be worth $300M-$460M depending on the final rent rates negotiated. This will create new property tax, new jobs in our area, and new sales tax revenues from the retail component and from new restaurant and other service sales taxes from the employees. It will also create new construction jobs during the build. And, the increase in all of these sources of City revenue should help us to pay down our massive debts and become healthier financially.
   Will it help our schools via Property Tax? That’s a much more complicated analysis, and I just had a 30 minute conversation with Ms. Denise Porterfield, Deputy Superintendent of Business Services for the San Mateo County Office of Education to more closely understand the big picture of school funding.
   The answer is “Yes” it should deliver more revenue to Burlingame School District.
   How much of the new property tax gets delivered to BSD will vary year-to-year, as The State’s funding formulas and BSD’s status of Basic Aid vs. Revenue Limit vs. Local Control Funding Formula (LCCF is new for 2013-2014) has changed frequently.
   “There are two types of school districts: Revenue Limit and Basic Aid. Revenue Limit means the state funds schools per student. Basic Aid districts are funded from property tax without money from the state. Burlingame property taxes are higher than the amount from the State Revenue Limit, so we switched to Basic Aid.” Page 2 of this report:
   http://bsd.k12.ca.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/443974/File/Doco/ParentEd/100505.pdf?sessionid=7da7a168434e0f8eb12af774adc3bba8
   You can also check out a more detailed explanation of the difference between Basic Aid and Revenue Limit Funding, which I posted on the BurlingameLinked http://www.linkedin.com Group 7 months ago, long before I decided to run for Burlingame City Council.
   http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=2710903&type=member&item=218819515&qid=6268732d-e2f5-4115-bda7-0b69cbf5f92b&trk=groups_items_see_more-0-b-ttl
   “In October 2009, the district was classified as basic aid. The property taxes exceeded the revenue limit by approximately $450,000.” Page 12 of this report http://bsd.k12.ca.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/443974/File/Doco/Business%20Serv%20Files/Full%20Audit%202011-2012.pdf?sessionid=7da7a168434e0f8eb12af774adc3bba8
   However, Denise explained that by late 2010, BSD had switched back to Revenue Limit because our property taxes dropped during the recession, as people lost jobs, sold their homes and moved at lower sale prices and thus lower property tax revenue levels.
   However, even as a Revenue Limit District, property taxes are still a major source of BSD’s revenue.
   “The basic services provided by the District, such as regular and special education, administration, and transportation are included here [Governmental activities]. Property taxes and state formula aid finance most of these activities.” Page 5 of this 2011-2012 Budget Audit Report:
   http://bsd.k12.ca.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/443974/File/Doco/Business%20Serv%20Files/Full%20Audit%202011-2012.pdf?sessionid=7da7a168434e0f8eb12af774adc3bba8
   To fill the Revenue Limit Bucket, Property Taxes are poured in first, then ERAF (redistribution of taxes to fill the min bucket level for all school districts), and then Vehicle licensing fees to complete it.
   However, the full understanding of how much of our property tax actually goes to our public schools gets more complex, as the reality of life often is.
   The City of Burlingame states that of the property tax that we get back (we only get back 17% of our property tax that we pay to The State), 17% of that goes to Burlingame School District and another 21% goes to San Mateo Union High School District, which includes Burlingame High School.
   You can see the City’s pie chart on “Where Our Property Taxes Goes?” on my Facebook Page:
   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexander-England-Kent-for-Burlingame-City-Council/626053540750506
   Denise explained that while Burlingame ‘got credit’ for our property tax, then it was taken away to give to poorer communities or communities with more English as a 2nd language students.
   Further, “San Mateo County is an anomaly” said Denise, as it’s the only county in state that has negative ERAF that pulls the Revenue Limits down to zero [the top of the bucket], our vehicle licensing revenue is so large, and then we had the “Triple Flip” of our tax revenue, which makes the districts wait for the state’s apportionment for up to 14 months vs. getting 50% of cash in December and the rest in the spring.
   So yes, Burlingame Point would probably deliver more revenue to Burlingame School District but much of that revenue would be “redistributed” to other city’s that “serve poorer students and English-language learners (60% of all students, statewide),” per Jerry Brown’s recent Proposition 30 bill: http://calwatchdog.com/2013/04/24/gov-brown-calls-for-redistribution-of-school-funding/
   I can see why Burlingame Hills likes to stay as independent as possible from The State!
   Wow, I’d suggest that we just reworked Proposition 13, and we’d be more in-line with national average per student funding.
   But wait! This “Rework Prop 13” position that I stated during my San Mateo Daily Journal interview certainly wouldn’t be greasing ANY commercial real estate developer’s hands, per Mark’s snide assertion above, “While Proposition 13 is a statewide tax structure that limits the increase in property tax to 2 percent year, and 1 percent of the total property value, this tax has the biggest impact on making sure that public schools and other essential services are properly funded and it must be reworked, Kent wrote.”
   Serving on Burlingame’s City Council, which is our town’s official fiduciary / oversight board requires having the education, experience, track record and relationships to provide thoughtful analysis and recommendations to our city staff, while diligently listening to the residents, stakeholders, staff and colleagues alike. Please vote accordingly!
   Please call me directly with any questions at (650)793-0541.
   Thank you,
   Alexander E. Kent
   Residents to Elect Alexander England Kent for Burlingame City Council 2013

5. Pete Garrison

   October 24, 2013

   Oopsy- touched the third-rail of Prop. 13. while standing in the puddle of “Won’t someone think of the children?”

6. Alexander Kent

   October 25, 2013

   Alexander Kent for Burlingame City Council Supporters,
   As you may know, the essence of marketing is Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP). Accordingly, my marketing strategy has always been to target the segment of fellow Burlingame Renters, which represents 51% of Burlingame Residents (not the 49% that owns homes, and thus I never ordered yard signs, as renters may not place signs in the common yard areas without landlord permission).
   1/2 of Burlingame residents rent their home, often for just as long as the other 1/2 owns, and yet we have zero / 0 / no representation on Burlingame City Council – let’s change that!
   The execution of this strategy has been specialized emails and phone call messages to renters, and now for the grand finale…5,000 door hangers to most of the 6,000 rental units in Burlingame.
   They just arrived today!
   Please call me if you’d like to help me distribute them this weekend at (650)793-0541.
   Thank you very much!
   Alexander England Kent for Burlingame City Council
   Residents to Elect Alexander England Kent for Burlingame City Council 2013

7. Mark

   October 25, 2013

   Mr Kent, I don’t know much about you, but I did see the debate video and you seem like a nice genuine young man. But don’t automatically assume that anti-development comments are snide when they reflect significant concerns and frustration from the population. That is the problem with so many in city council, they have a listening problem– so my personal advice would be don’t repeat their mistakes ie listening problems nor take on condescending attitudes, or constant need to show you are the smartest guy in the room. People get repulsed by that. Sometimes–and this completely true for those in public office–you just have to take the high road. While I don’t agree with city council, I think most of them know the political game and bite their tongues much as you know it pains them to hear nonsense every so often. And being aggressive, sensitive or antagonistic isn’t’ part of the election formula, particularly if the comments or criticisms are from extremely well informed and smart citizens and burlingame has quite a few of those.
   Yes, the incumbent candidates are probably going to win this time around, but for the next two seats that come up if the path of the current city council continues, I think those seats may be highly vulnerable precisely because of a growing concern that developers are overrunning this place and due to the conflicts of interest you have talked about–and I commend you for pointing this out as I looked at your website.
   Also going back to school funding, a key part of what you missed isn’t that only property taxes have gone down, but the other side of the equation in that enrollment is growing faster than expected… direct aid schools–and I was referring to HIllsborough, not Burlingame Hills which uses Burlingame Schools-are typically in very low enrollment school districts, i.e. woodside, portola valley, hillsborough That’s why its best you talk to the school district who know exactly what it means for Burlingame students and funding rather than a county person. I think if you ask BSD how much $400 million in real estate value will affect per pupil funding, the answer will be a lot lower than you think, as our property taxes aren’t earmarked..they are essentially redistributed across the state. Also remember burlingame property assessed value is about $9 billion dollars, which is a pretty large base to begin with.

8. Holyroller

   October 26, 2013

   The reason we all signed up for P13 is because it was needed-AT THE TIME.
   We really do not need that type of that TAX loop hole anymore in this State of CA.
   WE can use that money for somany other valiable things that make our communnity better.
   I want leadership in Politics.
   Prop 13 has been the reason CA has fallen so far. Is that not one State Rep that is able to take on the 1% that keeps us down?