6 responses to “Sign, Sign, Anywhere an Electronic Sign?”

1. Peter Garrison

   April 8, 2014

   1. Cheesy.
   2. If too close to the slough there will be interference with migratory birds.
   3. More night time light clutter and loss of starlight.
   4. Cheesy.

2. holyroller@hotwire.com

   April 8, 2014

   How about Tibetian Prayer Flags.
   That would be very welcoming too.

3. jennifer

   April 8, 2014

   (In that same vein:)
   Burlingame Trustee Minutes
   Oct. 15, 1908 (four months after Burlingame incorporates)
   RE: contract for electric arc lamps….“During the seven (7) months of each year from April to October both inclusive, said lamps shall be lighted one-half hour after sunset and continue so lighted until one o’clock A.M. of the morning following: and during the five (5) months from November to March, both inclusive, said lamps shall be lighted in addition to the hours herein before specified for the period from 5:30 AM to 6:30 AM each day, provided, however, that none of said lamps shall be lighted for the night of the full moon, one night immediately preceding and the one night following the night of the full moon of each month from April to October.”
   _
   April 1, 1929
   Protest on behalf Burlingame Woman’s Club to electrical sign on Dr. Lachman’s house at El Camino Real and Chapin Avenue, was presented by Mrs. W.J. Feary. City Attorney Davis counseled delay as he has the matter up with the Neon Company who installed the sign and he hopes to come to a satisfactory agreement with them, Dr. Lachman being but a renter of the sign.
   ___________
   In 1967 Rector Cadillac appealed the Planning Commission’s decision to deny an 80 ft. rotating sign and fountain base at the corner of 1010 Cadillac Way. The height of the sign caused Councilwoman Charlotte Johnson to ask rhetorically, ‘Are we the city of signs, or the city of trees?” The Council majority voted 4-1 to overturn the Planning Commissions denial.

4. Peter Garrison

   April 8, 2014

   Charlotte Johnson was the first woman president of The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. She was also the first woman mayor Burlingame.

5. Bruce Dickinson

   April 9, 2014

   Listen, fellas, no need to create the “City of Blinding Lights”, to use the lyric from the my good friend Bono! Which by the way, that was the one band I never had the pleasure of producing and I still give them a hard time for it. While I would be remiss in not saying that I have ton of respect for producer Rick Rubin (we had a cordial co-existence at Columbia and I’ll leave it at that), I knew immediately when U2 started working with him, it wasn’t gonna work and sure enough U2 cut off the production and went back to the drawing board. Nothing wrong with Rubin or the band, but U2 is really good at exploring the studio space.. I mean, REALLY good, pretty much the dynamite sound I was trying to harness decades earlier in the 1970s. Rubin’s not the guy to bring that sound from that type of band, its just a matter of fit / complimentary styles.
   Similarly, billboards, rolling outdoor advertisements, blinding signs, neon lights don’t fit with Burlingame. They fit in Times Square, Tokyo, or Las Vegas, but really guys, in the City of Trees??? Weren’t people having a cow about cell phone towers? At least there’s a public benefit to that though better reception or coverage (and tax revenues from ground leases to tower companies), but residents get little to no benefit from blinding signs, save some tax revenues, probably more vehicular accidents, and a ‘cheapness’ to our city that will further genericize it and make it look like Fremont. That sign at Mike Harvey Acura is terrible and believe me, no sign is going to help sell more Acuras given they’ve been looking the same for the last 15 years. I almost got into an accident in Redwood City as that sign off highway 101 flashed some stupid white strobe light ish advertisement at 11 pm that made an SUV (an Acura, of all cars) to almost run into me. Luckily I was in the Porsche and despite my advanced age, I downshifted into 3rd, floored it and got the hell outta the way–good thing the Germans are much better at building safe cars than producing “Trash Metal” music, which in my humble opinion, wears its name appropriately, if you will.
   Once again, Bruce Dickinson is confounded about Burlingame government advocating bright billboards that offer limited benefit for the community. Are we really that desperate for more revenues? Is Burlingame trying to IPO or something where you would need revenue growth at all costs? If you’re gonna put billboards, put them on the hotel side so that we don’t have to see them. Use all that land to generate revenues to your hearts content, build multifamily apartments over there, build a marina where people can dock their boats (would love a place for my favorite sailboat, the “Cowbell”). The residential side of Burlingame is doing just fine and real estate values are climbing nicely, which should help the county and city coffers. Also, rather than make $700,000 dollars a year on ground or building leases for LED eyesores, be prudent with the city money by not building multi-million rec centers or new city halls. Remember fellas, its revenues minus expenses. Control the expenses and you get to the same place or better if there’s more to control. Hopefully the rec center has a course offering on common business sense, because if it does, should be mandatory for all city and elected officials to take the course and pass at least with a B- grade.

6. Hillsider

   April 10, 2014

   Amen brother Bruce.