Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Burlingame public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
38 issues with high priority
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
FY 2026-27 budget and shrinking reserves
The city is running a $3.1M General Fund deficit next year, dropping unassigned reserves to $293K, with paused pension and capital reserve contributions. Rising fire contract costs and state mandates drive spending growth.
Rollins Road streetscape redesign
With the Broadway grade separation possibly never happening, Colson proposed studying a grade-separated bike/ped bridge over the Caltrain tracks near North Rollins Road to connect new housing to schools and Broadway. Colleagues agreed to explore it.
Water supply planning and the Bay-Delta Plan
The state-required water plan projects demand could exceed supply by up to 38% in a 2050 dry year — numbers the Mayor called politically loaded fiction. The plan passed, but the Council will revisit the growth assumptions and Burlingame's advocacy posture through BAWSCA.
Regional transit sales tax proposal
Caltrain faces a $75 million annual deficit. Without a November 2026 revenue measure, service could drop to hourly trains, no weekends, and closures of a third of stations — a big deal for anyone commuting or riding the Peninsula.
County Bayfront land purchases on Old Bayshore and Mahler Road
San Mateo County is closing on the Old Bayshore/Mahler Road properties, planning a sobering-and-detox facility and nonprofit space. Burlingame has asked for a police substation, but Horizon's participation and its $25 million in state funding remain uncertain.
Caltrain funding crisis
Caltrain faces a $75 million annual deficit. Without a November 2026 revenue measure, service could drop to hourly trains, no weekends, and closures of a third of stations — a big deal for anyone commuting or riding the Peninsula.
144-unit housing project at Park Road and Peninsula
A seven-story, 144-unit apartment building with 12 below-market-rate units replaces the funeral home and gym at the gateway to downtown. State laws (SB 330, AB 130, density bonus, AB 2097) heavily limit what the city can require, so the fight is mostly over design details like sidewalk width and landscaping.
North Rollins Road Specific Plan build-out
With the Broadway grade separation possibly never happening, Colson proposed studying a grade-separated bike/ped bridge over the Caltrain tracks near North Rollins Road to connect new housing to schools and Broadway. Colleagues agreed to explore it.
US 101 Corridor Connect priority projects for Burlingame
SMCTA identified Burlingame priorities including Broadway Caltrain grade separation, an Old Bayshore bikeway, and El Camino Real improvements, with a new mini-grant program offering up to $750,000 per project with no local match — applications due in July.
November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election
Three council seats — Districts 1, 3, and 5 — are up for full terms this November, and Mayor Brownrigg announced he won't run again. Voters in those districts will choose new representation.
Community Safety and Infrastructure Element Update
Burlingame's General Plan safety rules are getting a major refresh to meet new state law — covering wildfire risk near Highway 280, flooding, sea level rise, evacuation routes, and extreme heat. The commission forwarded it to the City Council for final adoption.
City Pension Liabilities and Section 115 Trust
Burlingame owes about $93 million in unfunded CalPERS pension debt across its two plans, and the police plan is only 65% funded. The actuary recommended keeping the $26.6 million reserve trust intact rather than using it to lower near-term contributions — a decision that will come back at budget time.
Comprehensive Zoning Code Update and Housing Element Implementation
Starting April 1, projects come straight to action — the commission can condition or approve them same-night instead of study-session-first.
FY 2026-27 Capital Improvement Program
A $33 million draft capital plan for next year, with $20 million in grants — mostly for rebuilding Old Bayshore Highway as a complete street. Locally funded highlights include sidewalk/ADA repairs, the parks corporation yard design, fire station upgrades, and street resurfacing including Rollins Road.
PG&E Undergrounding Coordination for El Camino Real Project
Council reported that PG&E has engaged senior management, agreed to absorb underestimated undergrounding costs, and is working on a timeline — but the whole tree-and-road project hinges on PG&E hitting its window.
1505 Drake Avenue house design and setback variances
A teardown-and-rebuild wants to sit closer to the street than the block average allows. Commissioners generally loved the design but worried about eroding variance standards, landing on a 20-foot second-floor setback compromise.
Affordability and high cost of living
Residents and council alike flagged that it's expensive to live and run a business here, and that staffing the city is getting harder. One group's vision statement focused on making the city affordable for working families.
El Camino Real Project Traffic Impacts
Caltrans' El Camino Real reconstruction has meant detours, tree removal, and headaches for commuters and school runs. After pushback, work now starts at 9 a.m. when schools are affected, and speed cushions on Carmelita will return within about a month.
Broadway petroleum spill and emergency response lessons
A gasoline leak discovered January 7 contaminated PG&E and AT&T vaults around Broadway and California Drive, forcing road closures for nearly two weeks. The county has named the A&A gas station as the responsible party, and the council is pushing for better emergency alerts, live closure maps, detour parking relief, and help for Broadway merchants who lost business.
Peninsula Health Care District senior housing project
The District has picked developer Novin/Abode to build about 221 affordable senior apartments on two acres bounded by the Hetch Hetchy corridor and Marco Polo Way, with construction starting by 2028. Council members flagged traffic concerns near two schools and asked for design collaboration and community benefits.