Category: State Ievel issues

  • Don’t “Miami” Burlingame

    I feel for the people on the west side of EssEff. The (over)development pressure from various state laws and codes has them on edge. Close the Great Highway? Sure. Let the voters on the east side disrupt your daily life. Miami styled high rises blocking the sunset in the Sunset? Too bad. Now with Scott Weiner’s SB79 signed into law, we are all at risk of being Miami-ized. SB 79 does this:

    • Overriding local limits: SB 79 supersedes certain local zoning restrictions to permit greater density and building height for housing projects located within a half-mile of qualifying transit stops.
    • Target areas: It primarily applies to urban counties with significant transit infrastructure, such as those in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
    • Affordability: The law includes requirements for a portion of the new units to be set aside for lower-income households.
    • Local flexibility: Local governments can adopt alternative development plans that must be approved by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

    The bill looked like it was headed to defeat, but the Sacramento sausage-making took center stage as

    The chair, Sen. Aisha Wahab of Fremont, opposed the bill on the grounds that it tilted too heavily toward developers without requiring enough affordable housing. In Sacramento, a chair’s word usually decides a bill’s fate. But Weiner went above Wahab’s head, calling Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire, the Dem. Majority leader, asking him to give the other Senators on the committee to vote against the chair, a maneuver known in the Capitol as “rolling the chair” and is often seen as a breach of decorum and defiance of leadership.

    There was more sausage-making to come including

    Amendments made in the 11th hour got the bill through the State Building and Construction Trades Council, when the bill was amended to require union labor on any building taller than 85 feet, and tenant groups got some protections for low-income neighorhoods. In the end, Wahab and Durazo flipped to support the bill.”  Lucky for Newsom, the bill’s reach was narrowed to counties with over 15 major passenger rail stations, leaving out Contra Costa, and Marin, where Newsom recently purchased a mansion in Kentfield for $9 million.

    How nice. Marin gets the status quo while EssEff, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties get the intense development pressure. With B’game’s central location between the city and Silicon Valley and the lovely amenities, schools and weather, I’m feeling a bit like the bullseye on the developers’ dartboard. Will our council get creative? Will they muster support from other similarly situated Peninsula cities? Or even go farther afield like Huntington Beach? I’m not seeing that sort of backbone. Will the parking lot across ECR from Walgreen’s be the Miami beachhead in town?

  • Happy Columbus Day 2025

    The second Tuesday in October is and always will be Columbus Day. Courtesy of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy, we learn:

    Each October, we gather as a community to celebrate Italian-American Heritage Month — a time to reflect on our proud history and honor the legacy of those who came before us. At the heart of this celebration stands a figure of profound historical importance: Christopher Columbus.

    Columbus was more than an explorer; he was a visionary of the Renaissance era. His daring voyage in 1492 opened the door to the first permanent European presence in the New World — a moment that profoundly reshaped global history and laid the foundation for the world we know today.

    It’s worth remembering that the Pledge of Allegiance, recited daily by students across America, was written in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ journey — a testament to how deeply his legacy is woven into the American fabric.

    There will always be some small haters who think that by changing or removing symbols of the past, they can change the future. Think the Father Serra statue up at the I-280 rest stop as reported by the Merc:

    Extending a cultural fight that started years ago, Caltrans has quietly demolished a statue of 18th-century missionary and Catholic saint Junipero Serra that had overlooked Interstate 280 in Hillsborough — a move that pleased Native critics who had questioned Serra’s legacy, even as it enraged some in the church.

    The composition of the artwork — built half a century ago, using rebar sprayed with a powdered form of concrete — meant that it could not easily be moved to another site, officials said, so it was demolished instead. Crawford did not respond to a question about which criteria the statue did not meet.

    “Which criteria?” and “Why no public notice or discussion?”. Crickets. But Columbus and Serra will live on in history while the small haters will be forgotten as they should be.

  • Mark Simon signing off at the Daily Journal

    Columnist Mark Simon ended his 9/11 column with this blurb "I’LL BE AROUND: You deserve a break. I am taking a breather from this exercise in journalism. Enjoy."  Sounds like an adios to me which would be a shame.  I've disagreed with a goodly amount of what he's written over the years, but he is plugged-in and politicians do return his phone calls.

    This last column took politicians and bicycle activists to task.  First up was Gov. Newsom and his rhetoric around Prop. 50 and redistricting.

    It hands me a laugh when I hear Democrats talking tough. Maybe they are trying to emulate President Trump in a misguided belief that coarse, tough-guy language will counter the absence of a coherent message. In any case, it kind of rings false.

    Next up was Kevin Mullin

    He was asked how it is to serve in Congress at what is conceded to be an unpleasant time.

    “Every single day I go there, I have to pinch myself,” he said. “Honestly, that sounds sort of hokey, right? … It sounds a little Pollyanna, but it is an enormous responsibility that I feel that I represent 762,000 people on this Peninsula at a time when our democracy is under attack,” he said.

    So, he was apologizing for expressing his feelings about serving in Congress. I have heard this kind of thing from Democrats for decades. Rarely, if ever, have I heard a Republican apologize for his or her emotions about the job, the office or the country, even when some of them probably should have. Why is that, do you suppose?

    And his take on Josh Becker is hilariously accurate.  Talking about Becker roaming up and down El Camino during the Labor Day demonstrations and posting numerous videos, Simon zeroes in thusly

    These were just the latest in an onslaught of news releases and social media postings from Becker. Some are personal, some political, but the rate is relentless. I get that the senator is busy, I get that he wants to communicate. But he is approaching this with all the energy and self-awareness of a golden retriever.

    All of Becker's "working for change" missives cause me to think "how about working to preserve what is good about the Peninsula instead?"  You can click through for Simon's other comments about e-bikes, Tom Lantos and Russia.  They are equally common sense based.  Might as well end with a bang.  Adios, Mark.

     

  • Transit Tax: Taxation with minimal representation

    You can love BART, or you can ignore BART unless the agency starts dipping further into your pocket.  As a County we now pay $4 million a year, but the proposed tax increase would up that to $35 million–and still not solve the systemic issues with "transit" across the board.  The Merc is highlighting the Papan, Speier and Mueller opposition to the current proposal.  Even with more governance participation, most of the County would rather see Caltrain propped up than subsidize BART.  Per the Merc piece today, the tax has 54% approval but recall from eighteen months ago the support assumes somebody else will pay the freight.

    San Mateo County officials are clashing with the state lawmakers over a proposed regional sales tax that would bail out the Bay Area’s distressed transit systems, arguing that their constituents would shoulder an outsized share of the burden without a fair say in how the money is spent.

    The debate has complicated negotiations around the bill, SB 63, which would allow voters to impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and a full cent in San Francisco. The tax could raise up to $1 billion annually over the next 14 years for BART, Caltrain, San Francisco’s Muni and other agencies facing steep budget gaps as federal and state relief funds dry up.

    At issue is San Mateo County’s lack of representation on BART’s board, which is made up of elected representatives from San Francisco, Alameda County and Contra Costa County. Together, the three county’s residents pay some $392 million in sales and property taxes toward the system, which make up nearly 40% of its total operating revenue. Meanwhile, San Mateo County contributes just $4 million annually.

    If voters pass the measure, San Mateo residents could be on the hook for roughly $35 million a year, about 10 percent of the sales tax revenue earmarked for BART.

    The sales tax could be placed on the ballot either through an action of the commission or through a qualified citizens’ initiative. The bill’s sponsors are hoping to take the latter route, as it would require a simple majority to pass, versus a two-thirds vote if placed on the ballot by MTC. Polling has shown that 54% of voters across Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo would vote yes on such a measure.

    These "qualified citizens' initiatives" are always suspect and this one feels even more suspect than most.

  • Political Theater: 50 ways to leave your voter

    The whole sheriff removal soap opera might have to take a back seat to this week’s installment of political theater.  The Guv signed the bill that puts Proposition 50 on the ballot November 4th.  The Gavymandering bill to redistrict congressional seats across the state was signed Thursday and yesterday (Saturday) the first of many mail pieces about Prop 50 was in my mailbox!  The opposition is quick and apparently well-funded.

    ProtectFairElections.org says it is paid for by Right Path California.  I’ve never heard of them, but I hear the father of the independent districting commission, Charles Munger, and Ahhnold Schwarzenegger are jumping in big time.  We are in for an interesting two months.  But it will be expensive entertainment costing taxpayers $250 million.  With apologies to Paul Simon, 50 ways to leave your voter got stuck in my head.

    “The problem is all inside your head,” she said to me
    The answer is easy if you take it logically”
    I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free
    There must be 50 ways to leave your voter
    She said, “It’s really not my habit to intrude
    Furthermore, I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued”
    But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
    There must be 50 ways to leave your voter
    50 ways to leave your voter
    You just slip out the back, Jack
    Make a new plan, Stan
    You don’t need to be coy, Roy
    Just get yourself free
    Hop on the bus, Gus
    You don’t need to discuss much
    Just drop off the key, Lee
    And get yourself free
    Gavymandering flyer

  • A Cautionary Tale: Caltrans and Guerneville

    The SF Comicle has brought us a cautionary tale about the Caltrans project to upgrade Guerneville's main drag which is also a state highway.  The four block long project has echoes to the B'game Ave. streetscape project done years ago, but I'm hearing warnings about our forthcoming El Camino Real project that I've taken to calling the "Little Big Dig".  Here are a couple of snippets from the Comicle piece starting with the blunt advice from a local business owner that concludes the article:

    “If I had advice for the next community — get a lawyer,” gallery owner Douglas DeVivo said.

    Caltrans spokesperson Jeffrey Weiss said the project to upgrade Guerneville’s sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act was originally slated to begin last summer. Caltrans delayed the project start “to minimize construction impacts on merchants during the town’s busy summer season,” he said in an email. The agency said that “additional delays occurred when the contractor encountered unrecorded, abandoned underground utilities, railroad ties, and large redwood tree stumps and root systems,” and that “you never know what you’ll find in an old community when you start digging.”

    Truer words were never spoken.  You never know what you'll find once the backhoe arrives.  And they weren't cutting down hundreds of huge trees and undergrounding three or four types of overhead wires.

    Like many small towns across California, a state highway also serves as Main Street in Guerneville.  That has left Guerneville residents few avenues to weigh in on how revamping their town — from business disruptions to aesthetics — might unfold.

    The project included widening sidewalks, installing 23 curb ramps to accommodate wheelchairs, adding traffic signals and sidewalk bulb-outs at corners crossings as well as two pedestrian beacons.  County Supervisor Hopkins said that some delays have been understandable, given the lack of documentation for the pipes or old-growth redwood stumps under the sidewalk’s surface. 

    Weiss also said that during the sidewalk excavation, crews “noticed that the roadway drainage was in poor condition and extensive repairs were made.” 

    We certainly have that to look forward to.  It's really the main issue that needs to be resolved, but the rest of the add-ons to meet Caltrans code and bury the wires will make our roughly three-mile project seem longer.  I worry about the fire, police and ambulance response time.  And the illegal delivery truck blockages need to stop.  While ECR isn't our central commercial district, our Broadway and Avenew businesses will probably feel some of the same effect as Guerneville did.  Let's hope it's mild and nobody has to lawyer-up.

  • Bay Area “Labor market malaise” to continue?

    It's best to take the long view when watching the economic dynamics of the Bay Area.  Point in time measures can't tell the whole story but do provide some sense of the state of things.  $12 billion dollar state budget deficit?  Check.  Transit "fiscal cliff" that sends politicians running for more taxes?  Check.  Massive Bay Area employers backing off of paying for huge residential housing projects?  Check.  Employment down? Check as the Merc is reporting today:

    The Bay Area lost 14,700 total nonfarm payroll jobs in all categories over the first four months of 2025. Over the same time, California lost 32,300 total payroll jobs, official reports from the state Employment Development Department show.

    “There is little doubt that federal government job losses will be an important contributor to the labor market malaise that already appears to be falling over the Bay Area,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist with BMO Capital Markets.  In sharp contrast, state and local government agencies have increased hiring, but that may soon change.

    Let's hope so.  The Merc doesn't provide the denominator to the fraction, i.e. how many nonfarm jobs are there?  But a $12 billion deficit is not a chump-change.

    Job losses within the federal government could become far worse in the months ahead, some experts warn.  “These numbers are the tip of the iceberg,” Levy said. “The majority of federal job cuts are not reflected in the April data.”

    A $2.4 trillion-dollar federal deficit ain't chump-change either so I take issue with the characterization of federal RIFs becoming "far worse".  Right sizing government and bringing some sanity to the Bay Area jobs-housing ratio that might stop the "Wienerization" of the suburbs is to be encouraged.  Want to stop the $inkhole sucking taxpayer cash that is the high-cost rail project?  It's only claim to fame so far is that it "creates" a lot of new jobs.  I'm sure we could put a few to work on the Broadway grade separation for a tiny fraction of what is being wasted in the Central Valley.  Don't hold your breath.

  • SALT: Watch the SF Comicle’s spin

    The spin emanating from the SF Comicle is a daily occurrence, but some cases are so egregious that we just have to marvel at them.  Back in December, we looked at some of the non-mortgage costs that are driving up housing costs and the "affordability crisis".  Another factor in the Total Cost of Home Ownership are taxes separate from property and school taxes.  The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction off of one's federal tax calculation has been in flux since 2017–"flux" in a bad way as the deduction was capped at $10,000 and not even inflation-adjusted.

    Today's big, front-page headline above the fold was "Trump tax bill details: Measure passed by House to have outsize impact on Californians" by Shira Stein, Washington Correspondent.  She's supposed to be one of the Comicle journalists with some financial background and knowledge.  After numerous paragraphs, and I do mean numerous, about the bill's effect on Medi-Cal without describing the scam that sits at the core of the federal funding of state's Medicaid ploys, she gets around to the SALT changes:

    Bay Area taxpayers would also see disproportionate effects from Republicans’ permanent cap on how much of the taxes paid to state and local governments can be written off on federal taxes.

    Before 2018, taxpayers could deduct their state and local taxes from their federal income. With the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress capped that at $10,000 each year through 2025. The bill passed by the House on Thursday makes that cap permanent and increases it slightly, to $40,000, for people who make less than $500,000 a year — a cap that would grow 1% annually.

    Dear Shira, in what universe does quadrupling something and adding an annual inflation factor constitute a slight increase?  The fight over the SALT deduction was brutal with low tax states' politicians asking why they are subsidizing high tax profligate states (like ours).  It's a strong argument, but the arm-twisting that goes with a big bill landed on the quadruple change.  When someone talks about "disproportionate effects" it is generally bad effects.  Not here courtesy of Shira.  Where are the calming words that Bay Area homebuyers just caught a break?  And the $500K limit means everyone up to $500K which is a lot of people, even here.  Why the spin?  I'll bet if the Comicle quadrupled her expense account she would be over the moon.

  • Travis AFB: Hypocrisy meter hits 100

    My hypocrisy meter pegged at 100 yesterday reading the SF Comicle article about possibly using Travis AFB near Sacramento as an ICE detention center.  Forget about the proposed use, who proposed it or where it is and all the other stuff that people will endlessly disagree about in the political realm without changing anyone's mind.  My H-meter spiked because of this:

    Federal officials have been looking for months for detention facilities in Northern California and other Western states that could have 850 to 950 detention beds.  Reps. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Mike Thompson, D-Napa, told Hegseth in a May 5 letter that they were “deeply frustrated” and “gravely concerned” about using Travis as a migrant detention center.

    Why might you ask?

    They want the Pentagon to explain how building a detention center would affect Travis’ water and energy infrastructure.

    Sure, filling 950 beds in an established major facility that has housed people since 1942 kicks off concerns about water and electricity.  But building thousands of units that have 2-4 beds in every city and town up and down the state?  Don't worry, there will be plenty of water, sewer capacity, electricity, parking, school capacity, police and fire–fergettaboutit.  Just don't use natural gas.  If you are a big-time Federal politician, you can just throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks.  Try that as a regular resident and you are a NIMBY using zoning codes and CEQA as a weapon.  Want to avoid big residential construction on the B'game Bayfront because it lacks said infrastructure?  Too bad.  From the DJ:

    New and proposed state housing laws could mean housing on the Bayfront without specific city standards, despite the city’s intent to limit such development there in its general plan.  New housing was zoned for the north end of Burlingame, near Bay Area Rapid Transit, not on the Bayfront — though proposals for changing zoning there have been floated several times over the years.  The Burlingame City Council and Planning Commission, meeting April 29, in a joint session expressed that the laws will severely undermine the city’s ability to effectively plan its own new housing and undercut its environmental and safety goals.

    Councilmembers expressed frustration that the state was continuing to remove local control from the city’s development process, citing its recent endeavors to meet its state-mandated housing requirements by building out housing in the North Rollins Road area.

    The hypocrisy needle is pinned to the top of the meter.

  • Gov. Newsom sends The Voice a cell phone

    Our governor has been busy trying to polish his record lately by being "out there" talking to people who disagree with him (he likes to call it "dialoging").  He started a second podcast that is offering guest appearances to such people as a sign of openness.  He's doing podcasts with other podcasters as well.  It's almost like the governorship is a part-time job.  His latest sign of "dialoging" came about as reported by the LA Times

    Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the governor has been mailing cellphones to chief executives of the top 100 California-based companies with his phone number programmed into the contacts since November in an effort to “connect more directly” with business leaders in the state.

    Though many corporate chief executives probably did not need the governor to send a phone in order to reach him, his aides described his outreach as a gesture to get the attention of business leaders and show that he’s interested in their experience in California.

    “Some CEOs have been surprised,” Salladay said. “Others we haven’t heard from yet and we’re heard from some who have communicated with the governor. It’s about information gathering about businesses in California and how they’re doing.”

    That was last week.  The governor appears to be broadening his outreach again by reaching out directly to smaller media outlets.  Imagine my surprise when FedEx dropped off my very own Newsom burner phone pre-programmed with his number over the weekend!  It's a bare bones phone but it did come with a charger in case our conversations run longer than a cheap battery's life.  I won't get right on the horn with Gavin as I imagine the first 100 CEOs are taking up quite a bit of his time.  It will probably be best to wait a couple of weeks, but the "dialog" should be valuable.  Can you say High Speed Fail?  Reservoir?  What reservoir?  Stay tuned!

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