Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Burlingame public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
20 issues with low priority
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Library private event rentals
The Lane Room can now be rented for private events — including political viewpoints — with a required disclaimer that events aren't city-sponsored, after a resident was turned away from showing a documentary.
Closed Burlingame landfill
Mayor Brownrigg wants a plain-English status report this fall on the closed landfill the city has maintained for 30 years — is it forever, are emissions rising, and how much is Topgolf reimbursing?
Street sweeping and parked cars
The Mayor wants the city to consider parking restrictions on sweeping days — streets are so packed the sweeper can't reach the curbs, which also worsens flooding risk.
Chapin Street / City Hall Civic Plaza
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.
Downtown Burlingame Avenue assessment renewal
Broadway and downtown businesses will again pay BID assessments funding lighting, plantings, signage, and events. The downtown levy is now billed with business license renewals after a fiscal-year change.
SB 827 Fiscal Training Requirements
New State law requires Council members, commissioners, and key staff to complete a two-hour fiscal ethics training every two years. The City has contracted with NetFile to deliver it, and the Council considered — but deferred — adding training language to the investment policy.
Water project bids rejected
All bids came in for two water projects — the East Burlingame Terrace water main replacement and valve replacement Phase III — so the city is revising bid documents and rebidding.
Sewer main capacity improvements
The Council approved a $186,600 contract with Schaaf & Wheeler to design sewer main capacity and gravity main improvements — infrastructure work that keeps the system running for residents and businesses.
America's 250th Anniversary Celebration
Burlingame is figuring out how to celebrate the nation's semiquincentennial in 2026 without overstretching staff. Ideas on the table include a history mural, 250 new trees, a community recipe book, essay contests, and July 4 events — mostly branding existing events rather than launching big new ones.
Lorton Avenue commercial facade remodel
Two vacant tenant spaces will be combined to attract a future restaurant or bar, reviving a long-empty former bar space near downtown. Commissioners want the design of the rear tenant entry improved.
New resident outreach and engagement
One liability identified: new residents don't know how to get involved when they move here. The "Meet Six Neighbors" campaign raised during public comment aims directly at that connectivity gap.
Bay Trail Gap Closure
A few hundred feet of trail connecting Burlingame's southern Bay Trail to Coyote Point will get design work under a $230,960 contract — a small piece of the regional trail picture.
Recology labor negotiations and garbage service continuity
Recology's Teamsters union voted to authorize a strike, though negotiations continue. The regional waste agency is briefing city managers on backup plans in case garbage trucks stop rolling.
Themed block tree designations
After a McDonald Way resident's successful petition, the council removed her block from the themed block list so she can plant a native Coast Live Oak; the Chapin Avenue removal passed on consent.