Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Burlingame public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
Vehicle sales use on Rollins Road
Milestone Motors wants to run a vehicle sales operation from a tiny 150-square-foot tenant space on Rollins Road with six parking spaces. The question is whether that use fits the Innovation Industrial district.
Residential additions and new-home design reviews
A homeowner wants to add a second floor and expand a 1917 house to bring grandparents into the home. Commissioners said the design looks like two separate houses and urged major revisions — better material transitions, fewer doors and windows, and a unified look. No decision yet; the applicant will return with revised plans.
Affordable Housing Development
Three design-review applications would add new two-story houses on Paloma Avenue, California Drive, and Cabrillo Avenue — routine for the Commission but consequential for the immediate neighbors who live with the new construction.
Downtown height limit change and five-story Chapin Avenue building
Colson and Brownrigg want Chapin Street in front of the new City Hall re-envisioned as a civic plaza; the adjacent developer may pay for much of it, and a concept will come back to Council.
Crossing Guard Services for Schools
An amended agreement with All City Management Services keeps crossing guards at local schools, approved on the consent calendar.
Environmental Justice Element / Equity Focus Areas
The city is updating its General Plan's Healthy People and Healthy Places element to comply with state environmental justice law, mapping three "equity focus areas" in Burlingame where residents face higher pollution, contamination, flood and displacement risks. Future city investments like sidewalks, tree canopy and bike connections will be prioritized in those neighborhoods.
Reach codes for existing buildings
In a study session before the regular meeting, the council directed staff to draft a reach code ordinance requiring heat pumps when big air conditioning systems get replaced, electric-ready wiring during renovations near gas appliances, and an efficiency points menu for major home renovations ($100K+ trigger, 12-point target). Dozens of residents spoke overwhelmingly in favor — many asking Burlingame to go stronger than neighboring cities.
Bay Rise Park Appeal at 410 Airport Boulevard
A councilmember has appealed the Planning Commission's approval of the 410 Airport Boulevard project, sending it to the City Council for a new hearing.
Peninsula Tourism Marketing District Expansion
Burlingame's hotel tax has sat at 12% since 2009 while most neighboring cities charge 14-15%. Raising it could add up to $6.6 million a year to help close projected budget deficits and fund big projects — but hoteliers worry it could cost the city airline crew business. A measure could go to voters in November 2026; miss that window and the next chance is 2028.
Damage claims against the city
The council met privately with legal counsel about a claim that could expose the city to litigation. Any settlement or response would come back to public view later.
Enhanced nuisance abatement enforcement
The council adopted an ordinance strengthening the city's tools for nuisance abatement actions, approved on the consent calendar.
Pending lawsuits against the City of Burlingame
The city is paying out more than $3.5 million to five plaintiffs in the Mitchell case plus $150,000 toward the Bouri settlement. That's real money coming out of the city budget — think services or reserves — and it stems from litigation the city has been defending for years.
Storm Drain Citizens' Oversight Committee appointments
The committee that keeps watch over how the storm drain fee — a 30-year bond measure running to 2038 — gets spent got two new members. It's a small panel that meets only a couple times a year but holds the city to its promise to voters.
Beautification Commission Appointments
Burlingame's council interviewed applicants for the volunteer Parks and Recreation Commission, which advises the city on parks, playgrounds, and recreation programs. No official record of the interviews or any candidate decisions is available.
Public records request surge and data mining
Public records requests more than quadrupled this fall, mostly from commercial data-mining companies that then sell the data. It's costing the city over $442,000 a year in staff time it can't recover, and it's crowding out other work in the clerk's office.
Potential city-initiated litigation
The council met privately with its legal counsel about one potential case the city may initiate. The subject of the litigation isn't public — closed-session legal discussions are exempt from disclosure, so residents may learn more only if the city later files suit.
Meeting relocation to Community Center in 2027
Starting January 2027, all council and commission meetings move to the Maple Room at the Community Center because the old chambers' tech is failing and the new City Hall has no chamber yet. If you attend meetings in person, note the new address.
Donnelly and Alcazar water tanks rehabilitation
The council added $78,200 to the tank rehab contract to finish the job, bringing the total to $353,855. These tanks are part of the city's water storage system.
Transit-oriented development overlays (SB 79 compliance)
A new state law on development around transit stops could significantly reshape downtown. Staff presents to council March 16 with a July 1 decision deadline.
Mercy skilled nursing facility and apartment proposal
121 of roughly 570 trees on the hospital site come out for the carports, though protected coastal redwoods were spared in a redesign. Commissioners, uncomfortable with the loss, added a condition that 33 replacement trees be planted on the 20-acre site.
Vision Zero traffic safety plan
Burlingame is building a plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040. The draft focuses on lowering speed limits on 40 street segments, managing e-bikes and scooters, and improving street lighting. Council feedback now shapes what goes into the public draft this spring.
Child care shortage — 104 infant/toddler spaces short
Burlingame meets only 53% of estimated infant and toddler child care demand. Candidates backed public-private partnerships, streamlined permitting and possible city incubation of child care businesses, pointing to San Carlos as a model.
Transient Occupancy Tax increase on November ballot
The council put a hotel tax increase on the November 3 ballot — from 12% to 15%. If it passes, the city gets roughly $5.7 million more a year for general services, and a study session in January 2027 would decide how to spend it. Hotel managers mostly supported it, asking the city to reinvest in the Bayfront corridor.
City property negotiations, including Parking Lot H and FAA parcel
The city renewed a lease letting the FAA keep wind-shear detection equipment near Highway 101 that helps planes land safely at SFO. Thayer got confirmation the FAA can't add unrelated equipment without coming back to the city.
Broadway grade separation funding gap
Caltrain wrapped up the 65% redesign of the Broadway grade separation — no station at Broadway and no temporary shoofly tracks. Final design would cost $24 million plus $26 million for property acquisition, and Caltrain owes the council a realistic total project cost in August; the last estimate was $615 million. Mayor Brownrigg is worried about the ever-climbing price tag.
Parks & Recreation Commission appointments
Two seats went to Jacqueline Cooke and Neha Desai after a strong field of six candidates. The council urged the runners-up to apply for Traffic, Safety & Parking Commission openings, where applications are scarce.
Super El Niño preparedness
Thayer wants the city to help residents get ready for the predicted wet winter — sign-ups for SMC alerts, sandbag station locations and city services. Staff will decide whether it comes back as a memo or a presentation.
Decade-by-Decade History Mural and Public Art
The mayor wants Burlingame to apply for Caltrans' transportation art program to decorate the bike/ped bridge. Colson suggested using it to relaunch the Art Task Force and create a repeatable process for public art citywide.
Public art on the Rosalie O'Mahony bicycle/pedestrian bridge
The mayor wants Burlingame to apply for Caltrans' transportation art program to decorate the bike/ped bridge. Colson suggested using it to relaunch the Art Task Force and create a repeatable process for public art citywide.
Shoreline flood protection and waterfront open space
Council agreed to budget ~$175,000 so OneShoreline can finish the Burlingame-Millbrae-SFO shoreline flood EIR, protecting $4 million of work already done; Millbrae will be asked to pay its ~15% share.
Glyphosate use in Burlingame parks and open space
The council dug into how the parks division uses glyphosate — already banned from play areas since 2019 but still used on traffic islands, parking lots, and invasive plants in Mills Canyon. Alternatives cost far more and work worse, and going pesticide-free like Menlo Park could cost up to $1 million a year. A majority wants staff to come back with options for tighter limits, cost estimates, and a look at what other cities have done.
City Council Election
Burlingame’s District 3 council race is a head-to-head between Howard Wettan and Jen Faber. Your vote decides who gets the seat and helps shape local policy. It’s a direct choice with real consequences for District 3 residents.
Wage theft oversight in public contracting
Two contracts came with allegations of contractor wage theft history. The council confirmed contractors get a second chance absent a pattern of bad behavior, but directed staff to watch certified payroll, DIR notices, and use the notice-of-completion as leverage.
Bayfront Specific Plan land use alternatives
The city is just starting work on a plan to shape the future of Burlingame's bayfront. A community input session is set for Wednesday, June 10, 6-8 p.m. at the Burlingame Community Center — residents' ideas now can shape the vision.
East Burlingame Terrace water main replacement
The city awarded a $2.37 million contract to Casey Construction to replace aging water mains in the East Burlingame Terrace subdivision, plus $423,016 for construction management. Better pipes mean fewer breaks and more reliable water service.
Washington Park grandstands rebuild and contractor scrutiny
The council awarded a $715,067 contract to rebuild the Washington Park grandstands, but only after a carpenters' union rep detailed the contractor's wage theft settlements and OSHA violations. The council chose to proceed while requiring DIR certified payroll monitoring.
Surveillance technology oversight policy
A county grand jury found gaps in how Burlingame and other agencies manage Flock license plate camera data. The city agreed to fix policy posting, stop sharing data with private universities, add audit recaps, and tighten data-sharing agreements. Critics say Flock's changing terms and data retention make the whole system risky.
Potential convention/event center
Hoteliers have pushed for a convention/event center on the Bayfront, but planners found only one site in the plan area meets size requirements — and convention centers are almost always publicly financed, a cost previous councils found hard to justify. Council is ambivalent.
Youth Advisory Committee sustainability initiative
YAC teens announced a sustainability year featuring a thrift fair with upcycling and expanded Bayshore cleanups, plus a full calendar of family events. Councilmembers encouraged including seniors in the upcycling programming.
Easement clearance and alley maintenance quality
The city hired the San Jose Conservation Corps for three years of clearing overgrown vegetation and debris from utility easements — work that also reduces fire risk. A resident complained that last summer's alley clearing was sloppy, and pushed the Council to postpone approval until the scope of work was in the packet; staff said the full bid documents live on the Planet Bids portal.
Suicide Prevention Month proclamation
Burlingame joined the county in recognizing September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Month. County speakers asked everyone to check in on people who might be struggling — 65 county residents died by suicide in 2025 and the 988 lifeline got over 12,000 contacts locally. Free mental health first aid trainings are available through the county.
Dance studio expansion at 890 Cowan Road
A dance and fitness studio is growing into the suite next door, totaling about 9,100 square feet. Conditions limit hours, require indoor-only classes, and cap attendance, with parking verified as adequate. Approved unanimously.
New City Hall Financing (Industrial Development Authority)
To finance the new City Hall at 1440 Chapin Avenue, the city is activating a dormant Industrial Development Authority to serve as a bond issuer. The councilmembers will sit as its board.
Make Polluters Pay Climate Super Fund
Student advocates asked the council to pass a resolution supporting the state's climate superfund bill before the January legislative session, citing wildfire smoke, flooding, and sea level rise affecting local communities.
Tree removal and replacement on the hospital campus
121 of roughly 570 trees on the hospital site come out for the carports, though protected coastal redwoods were spared in a redesign. Commissioners, uncomfortable with the loss, added a condition that 33 replacement trees be planted on the 20-acre site.
Solar and battery storage at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
The hospital will install solar carports with battery storage over its parking lots, offsetting about 20% of annual electricity use and saving roughly $9 million in utility costs over the system's life. Commissioners required 33 replacement trees after 121 trees are removed. The battery will be a Tesla Megapack 2 XL subject to UL/NFPA fire testing.
Helicopter access at Mills-Peninsula
The commission lifted helipad conditions from the 2004 permit, keeping only FAA and Caltrans compliance requirements — it can't actually regulate flights. The hospital promised a new community email for noise complaints and a noise-avoidance protocol following the railroad corridor.
Labor negotiations with city employee unions
The city averaged a 6.9% vacancy rate in 2025 across 235.4 positions, slightly worse than 2024. Colson suggested automating the labor-intensive annual AB 2561 report with AI.
Proposed Horizon Treatment Services facility on Mahler Road
San Mateo County is buying the former sobering station site on Mahler Road and leasing it to Horizon Treatment Services for a 69-bed sobering, detox, and residential treatment facility. Burlingame can't block it — counties are immune from local zoning — and the council heard hotel managers worried about safety and economics, plus supporters who say the county desperately needs the treatment capacity. The Board of Supervisors acted the next morning.
Historic Status of Existing City Hall
The new City Hall at 1440 Chapin opens in September — and now consultants say the old one at 501 Primrose qualifies as a historic resource under CEQA, thanks to master architect William Whifler. That means any future demolition or redevelopment triggers environmental review. The council kicked around ideas like an RFP for adaptive reuse and worried about $35 million in deferred maintenance.