Category: General

  • Town Square: Inaugural show takes flight

    The first of what I hope will be many bands played at our new Town Square last night. They were greeted by the Burlingame Breeze which unfortunately is not an umbrella drink. Bert’s Brew, featuring local bassist and former city councilmember Stephanie Lee, ran through a very fun variety of classic rock covers, some Calypso and some Reggae, mon. “Suntan Man”, who many would recognize from his busking on his tenor sax on the Avenew (along with his persona tanning sessions all over downtown), joined in from the audience on Girl from Ipanema.

    The Burlingame Breeze made for two distinct experiences. In the sunny section in front of the Old Post Office things were quite pleasant. In the shade where the band was set up and nearby seating, things were less toasty. Future bands should note that the Breeze means they should bring their full PA set-up and layers of clothing. The weather and some confusion over the starting time made for a smaller audience than I expected. The sandwich sign with all of the upcoming shows listed a 5pm start, but the band started at 5:30 despite having set up early. I’ll try to get some clarity from Park & Rec on the start times which are variable (today’s start is listed as 4pm). There are worse places to while away a half hour.

    I noticed the lack of an actual stage/bandstand during the Grand Opening but did not mention it in that post. Now that live music has started the lack of any staging is noticeable (even 10-12 inches makes a difference). It just doesn’t feel the same without a bit of a lift. Perhaps there is some budget left over to rectify this before Burlingame on the Avenue arrives on August 15-16 and the Square gets its real debut. All in all, we are off to a great start on a much-needed addition to the downtown scene.

  • Why the “Comicle” is comical

    I am occasionally asked why I call the SF Chronicle the Comicle. The question mostly comes from people who don’t subscribe to the Comicle; or any newspaper for that matter. I didn’t make it up; I stole it from one of my journalistic heroes–Herb Caen. Per the Google AI

    • About “The Comicle”: As a master of wit and wordplay, Caen used “The Comicle” to poke fun at his own employer, often highlighting the sometimes chaotic or amusing nature of local journalism.

    Caen used the term more amusedly than I do. I use it to highlight what passes for journalism at a much-degraded paper. You can see the slippage almost every day, but some days it is so blatant that it’s worth highlighting. Today is one of those days as reporter Aidin Vaziri, no Comicle newbie he, wrote the piece on the mayor of Arcadia, CA pleading guilty to being a Chinese spy and resigning. He gives us 20 column inches of “just the facts, ma’am” but leaves out a ton of facts.

    I figured Vaziri would bury the fact that ex-mayor Eileen Wang is a Democrat near the end of the article. I was wrong. He completely buried it: 86’ed it if you will. If she had been a R, it would have been front and center along with some investigative reporting on her major donors, her endorsers, her policy statements, etc. The piece would have been four times as long and then get more of less repeated next week for good measure.

    We would have learned how she used WeChat to communicate with the CCP. We would be treated to photos of her with big wig R politicians, like the ones you can find elsewhere of her with AG Rob Bonta and Sen. Alex Padilla. We would know to whom and how much she donated to other politicians and there would be some digging on where that money came from. The piece would spiral into comparisons with other spy situations (e.g. Feinstein and Swalwell). But not today, not at the Comicle. Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.

  • Josh Becker: Poor judgement in action

    Last Friday was International Socialists Day aka May Day. One would expect some SF politicians to participate in the random protest here or there because, well, that’s what they do. But would one expect them to protest themselves? Isn’t that peak stupidity/hypocrisy? Apparently understanding that the City and County of SF own and operate SFO airport was above their pay grade. The Chronicle reports

    A May Day protest by airport service workers briefly shut down the departure-level roadway at San Francisco International Airport’s international terminal Friday, diverting traffic as demonstrators rallied over a wage dispute and broader labor concerns.

    Several San Francisco elected officials were arrested after demonstrators blocked the roadway to the international terminal, including Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Connie Chan and former Supervisor Jane Kim. State Sen. Josh Becker, who represents San Mateo County and part of Santa Clara County, was also arrested.

    “San Francisco airport is the people’s airport,” Chan told supporters before her arrest. “We know our workers deserve fair pay, a fair contract, health care and benefits. We’re demanding that the workers get that benefits and fair pay right now.”

    Like I said, plenty of things are apparently above Connie Chan’s pay grade even as she runs for Congress, but what about our own state senator Josh Becker? What exactly caused him to feel it was a good idea to disrupt traffic at SFO while his constituents were trying to catch a flight? Has he taken care of the insurance crisis, the energy and gas prices, water security, and the state’s budget crisis so airport salaries move to the top of the list?

    And in the ultimate finger to her constituents, SF Supe Jackie Fielder who is supposedly on “medical leave” and has not been doing her job as a supervisor for several months was photographed at the protest. You are judged by the company you keep, senator.

  • Tax Time: Doing our share, or more

    Just in time for Tax Day, all of the big papers like the SacBee and the California Post are reporting on our fine county’s wealth. It turns out that according to SmartAsset, we are number four in the nation and number one in California. The methodology is always the devil in the details, so here is theirs:

    To identify the wealthiest counties, we compared all U.S. counties across three metrics: investment income, property value, and median income. 

    We started the analysis by calculating the Investment Index for each county by evenly weighing the Ordinary Dividends, Qualified Dividends, and Net Capital Gains. From there we calculated the Median Home Value, and the Median Income for each county, and ranked them on all three metrics. 

    The SacBee reports

    According to SmartAsset, San Mateo County was the richest county in California in 2025 with a wealth index of 68.36 out of 100. Part of the San Francisco Bay Area, San Mateo County offers a “mix of unbeatable weather, charming seaside views and technical resiliency, Built In San Francisco said, making it a popular location for established tech companies and startups.

    About 17% of San Mateo County residents work in professional, scientific, technical or administrative jobs, according to the county’s employment data. County residents had a median income of $156,000, according to SmartAsset. That’s about $56,000 more than the statewide median household income of $99,122 a year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

    There are a lot of reasons for the “top line” — wealth, but as usual at the Voice, we ask what about the denominator? In this case it’s the cost to live here. We know it’s high and for a lot of items, we know why. Since gas prices are top of mind at the moment, you should check out the absolute smack down the U.S. Oil and Gas Association is applying on X to our governor, Tom Steyer and Ro Khanna among others as they blame everyone but ourselves for $6-7.50 gas. It’s embarrassing (if you are them). As they say, “the fish rots from the head”.

  • Comic relief on billionaire tax

    We occasionally need some comic relief here at the Voice. If it comes with a dose of common sense, so much the better. This week we were treated to an SF Comicle letter to the editor from one of those people who write (and get published) often. She is apparently with a group called the Richmond Progressive Alliance and wants to weigh in on the possible “billionaire tax” that we may have to vote on in November. That figures. It’s hilarious.

    Enact a billionaire tax

    Regarding “Progressives love him. Billionaires hate him. Can a Berkeley professor pass California’s wealth tax?” (California, SFChronicle.com, March 18): Any billionaires with a shred of wisdom and ethics will support the proposed tax. Why? 

    Because even after paying the one-time 5% tax, someone with $1 billion in assets would still have $995 million — sufficient to continue living in opulent luxury — while contributing to state revenues for needed services and enhancing the economy. 

    The billionaires who oppose this tax show their true colors of mean-spiritedness and greed. The only argument they can offer against it is threatening to leave the state in droves.

    Well, so be it. May they leave our beautiful state to those who value a more equitable use of resources that benefit all. The billionaire tax is a no-brainer. Don’t fall for the mean-spirited fear-mongering about it.

    Marilyn Langlois, Richmond

    OK, dear readers. Why is it hilarious? C’mon folks. 5% of $1 billion is $50 million, not $5 million. So the imaginary billionaire would be left with $950 million. Marilyn is only off by $45 million but expects us to take advice from her about taxes. Do you think the Comicle editors also failed 6th grade math? Or did they just publish it to see if anyone noticed? Matt Mahan is the only gubernatorial candidate with a D behind their name that has come out against the billionaire tax. He gets a gold star on his math quiz. Langlois gets an F. Same goes for her Econ 101 quiz.

  • The Many Flavors of California Fraud

    You have to take notes to keep track of all the flavors of fraud being uncovered in California. Not that you would read about even half of it in the SF Comicle or other establishment press. The drumbeat is loud elsewhere, and today’s drum majorettes are highlighting the “wildlife butterfly bridge” in LA to help mountain lions cross 101 in Agoura Hills. Scoped at $50 million in 2022, it’s now at $114M and counting since it’s not finished. Considering its short span (210 feet), it might rival high-cost rail or the state capitol annex on a percentage basis.

    It turns out the $31 billion with a “b” EDD fraud is just the tip of the fraud iceberg. There’s the homeless-industrial complex fraud, the drug treatment center fraud, Medicaid fraud, autism fraud, hospice fraud, Proposition signature gathering fraud, the community college financial aid fraud, the commercial driver’s license fraud, the non-profit fraud and the cap-and-trade sleight of hand.

    I’m sure there are more flavors, so we will just use this post as the “fraud bucket” to be continually filled. When you hear we need this bond measure or that tax rate increase or that new fee, remember how leaky the bucket is.

  • Schiff Watch: Priorities, priorities

    Some things politicians do are real head-scratchers and it often comes down to priorities–or misguided priorities. One of our US Senators, Adam Schiff, makes me feel like I have fleas there is so much scratching going on. I’ll use this post as an occasional catchall bucket to track priorities starting with this one from the WSJ:

    Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) on Tuesday introduced legislation seeking to explicitly ban any entity regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from listing a contract “that involves, relates to, or references” terrorism, assassination, war or death.

    Federal law gives the CFTC the authority to prohibit event contracts involving war, terrorism, assassination or any activity that violates federal or state laws or is against the public interest. The bill seeks to explicitly ban such contracts from being listed, according to Sen. Schiff’s office.

    “With regulators turning a blind eye, prediction markets have rapidly become the Wild West,” Sen. Schiff said in a statement. “As the CFTC seeks to rewrite the rules of the road, Congress must make clear that these death bets are unequivocally prohibited, and this bill would do just that.”

    Like this is in the Top 50 things our senator should be worrying about. There’s massive fraud taking place all over the country including our Golden State. Energy prices are rising especially including our Golden State. Critical Federal employees are working without pay. The roads are a mess and transit is broke. But we should be concerned about prediction markets? Even the CFTC thinks this is misguided head-in-the-sand thinking.

    CFTC Chair Michael Selig came out swinging in favor of prediction markets in February, saying he sees their platforms as a way for society to channel the wisdom of crowds for useful information, offering a check on news media and other gatekeepers.

    Watch this space for more questions on priorities.

  • Broadway: Gas Leak Lawsuit

    I was pretty sure a lawsuit would be filed over the extended closure of businesses on and around B’way. I didn’t see the merchants being represented by one of the top 25 plaintiff law firms in the country, but offering local merchants support is meritorious. From the DJ piece

    A class action lawsuit on behalf of merchants in Burlingame’s Broadway area has been filed against the owner and operator of A&A Gas & Mart, who were previously named as responsible parties in a gasoline leak that caused days of power outages and road closures in the business district. 

    Burlingame law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy chose to move forward with the suit, filed Feb. 23, to seek an undetermined amount of damages for businesses that lost customers, revenue and inventory as a result of those outages and closures, attorney Nanci Nishimura, who is representing the plaintiffs, said.

    The merchants mentioned range from Maverick Jack’s at the old train station to Bonne Sante at the other end of B’way. The total number is more than 100.

    In a real twist of fate, the A&A Gas website’s “About us” page shows the B’way station! They appear to have four of their six locations on the Peninsula. We’re not talking Shell or Chevron here so expect some sort of settlement as they realize what they are up against. In the meantime, Broadway is lovely shopping and dining district and there has been a lot of free parking as the city deinstalls the old parking meters and waits to install the fancy new ones.

  • A bit of the Bit of England

    In another Only-On-The Voice moment, my sleuthing has uncovered rare pieces of Burlingamia that merit being shared with the old timers in town. At the current site of Stella on the Avenew was a local pub called the Bit of England. Very English. Real English ales on tap (I seem to recall it had my favorite, John Courage, and Watney’s). It was far from upscale and that’s what we loved about it.

    It closed about 30 years ago (looking for fact checking help here, old timers. Sir Paul? Mark Lucchesi?) Our buddies Jeff and Barbara Moore were long time B’gamers who eventually decamped for Maui. Jeff had managed to procure the original Bit bar stools and used them with his Tiki Bars in B’game and on Maui. They slipped through his fingers during a move, but he has reacquired them. At his recently completed Tiki bar he and I enjoyed a tipple and a seat on the original Naugahyde Bit of England stools. Anyone with memories of the Bit, please weigh in here. I’ll be chatting with the Historical Society to get a photo or two to add to the Tiki bar.

  • Save OSH: SFPUC threat

    One of the most missed businesses in our area was the Orchard Supply Hardware in Millbrae that closed in 2018. Our little Ace in downtown is awesome, but there is no replacement for square footage in that business. Outdoor Supply Hardware stepped into the breach a few years ago and it’s a perfect replica of the old OSH. When you need something, they have it. I’m mostly done rehabbing two old B’game homes, but maintenance never ends. So this news in the DJ was concerning:

    The Millbrae community is voicing concerns about an SFPUC proposal to oust its tenant, Outdoor Supply Hardware, to expand its Millbrae operations facility because of seismic concerns at a nearby location.

    The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission oversees the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, providing water supply for around 2.7 million Northern California residents, Steve Ritchie, Water Enterprise assistant general manager, said during a Millbrae City Council meeting Jan. 13.

    Its Millbrae operations center already hosts almost 500 division employees, Ritchie said, but seismic concerns at the existing SFPUC Burlingame facility means around 100 more employees and assorted equipment will need to move to the Millbrae location.

    Can’t we find a spot for these employees that is not right in the heart of the Millbrae commercial district and providing a key service to the public? Please.

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