As Mayor it has been my honor to serve Burlingame and lead efforts to revitalize our community spaces. We have welcomed new residents, invested in our future and continue to cherish our past. I led fiscal initiatives to balance our budget during the pandemic without eliminating vital services by diversifying revenues while streamlining expenditures. We invested in critical infrastructure including the new community center, extensive tree maintenance, sidewalk repairs, pedestrian and bike safety, and parks enhancements including a new town square and two new parks. I have prioritized safety, especially in our downtowns, by supporting new funding to hire additional police resources. Please read about my initiatives and projects below.
Burlingame sits on the San Francisco Bay and we enjoy access to a beautiful waterfront and Bay Trail. Given our sports fields, trails, water treatment center, and access roads including Highway 101 are all vulnerable to flooding, the City prioritized a focus on mitigation strategies. This is critical work as historically over 40% of the city budget has derived from hotel and other property related revenue all of which are at risk.
With the formation of OneShoreline, and as your North County representative, I have worked to develop the first ever sea level rise resilience zoning standards that allow for nature based protection solutions. You can read here to learn more about One Shoreline and our zoning ordinance. Donna's leadership positions in this area include:
* Board of Directors One Shoreline
* Chair Audit and Finance Committee OneShoreline
* Member Sea Change Burlingame Task Force Team
The Burlingame City Council and staff have been leaders in the creation of affordable and market rate housing. In 2019 we adopted a General Plan that accommodated all our state housing mandates and then in 2023 we finalized and certified our state Housing Element. In 2023 Burlingame led San Mateo County in housing permits pulled with over 839 housing new units heading into construction as reported by the state. I am a strong proponent that local control of zoning is a top priority.
Burlingame was the first to adopt the SMC Home For All Community Engagement model to promote housing. We also adopted housing linkage fees to support new affordable and preserve existing affordable housing units. We were innovators on rezoning and creating an entire new transit oriented neighborhood in the North Rollins Road area. Please take a look at the ReCreate Specific Plan here. Donna's commiteee assignments and leadership in this area include:
* Co-Chair San Mateo County Home For All
* Co-Lead ReCreate Burlingame Specific Plan
* Burlingame Housing, Opportunity, Priorities and Education (HOPE) Committee
* City Representative SMC Housing and Community Development Committee
Burlingame's Climate Action Plan sets out sustainability goals related to carbon emissions and we also are working to increase water efficiency. As a founding Director of Peninsula Clean Energy, and current Board Chair, I have helped provide cleaner and greener energy to residents, businesses, schools, and city buildings all while investing in programs like EV charging and rebates to support the transition to clean energy. We are also working on water recycling and have just received our first grant from Senator Becker to study the solutions we need.
As your elected official, I have been appointed by my colleagues throughout the Peninsula to work on these regional goals with important benefits to Burlingame. I hope you will continue to support me so our City will remain a leading advocate for the region on important issues like clean energy.
* Chair Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors
* Member PCE Audit and Finance Committee
* Chair Strategic Planning PCE 2019
* Chair Diversity Equity Inclusion and Access Working Committee
* Chair C/CAG Resource Management and Climate Protection Committee
Two of the most important infrastructure programs for Burlingame are the ECR Renovation that is being sponsored by Caltrans and the long overdue Broadway Grade Separation. After years of collaboration with CalTrans and a considerable financial commitment from the agency, this work is scheduled to begin in 2025. However, Council oversight is critical as we work to underground PGE lines and obtain necessary easements as well as manage traffic disruption. The Grade Separation project will bring important safety and traffic flow benefits, but state funding has been tentative and we have not yet secured a federal commitment to close the gap on this $350 million project.
As your elected official, I have been working with our state leaders to make sure their share of the grade separation funding is in the 2025 budget. My longstanding relationships will help ensure this project continues. During the pandemic, I pushed to aggressively negotiated underground credits with PGE saving the city millions as we were able to purchase at a signfivcant discount.
Burlingame has just over an $80 million annual operating budget and invests up to $35 million in capital improvement projects each year. We are aggressively funding infrastructure work and deferred maintenance by investing millions of dollars each year into streets, parks, buildings, sewer systems, pumping stations, water sanitation, tree maintenance, and building upgrades. These resources come mainly from tax revenue, fees, and grants and it has been my top priority to steward these funds. During the pandemic the city revenue declined by 30%, but the Council was able to maintain a balanced budget without a reduction in services because we had maintained a substantial reserve account. Another focus has been to diversify revenue so as to withstand economic downturns with resiliency. Examples of these initiatives that I worked to support include negotiating the TopGolf lease, modernizing our Business License Fee, and supporting new revenue streams to invest in parks, increase police community response teams, and repair roads and sidewalks.
As a former small business owner, I understand the importance of economic vitality and clean, safe business districts throughout the city including Broadway, Burlingame Avenue, the Plaza and the Bayfront. I have worked on programs such as the Broadway frontage grant program to help shop owners refresh their exteriors. Safety has also been a top priority as we partner with local business and increase security patrols in both our business districts, Burlingame Avenue and Broadway. I have also worked with the Downtown Business Improvement District and the Burlingame Chamber to support the holiday decor, the Burlingame on the Avenue summer event, and the Fall Festival. These are the fun community events that make our city so unique and special.
As for the Bayfront, we introduced an upgraded zoning and sea level rise ordinance that is resulting in renewed interest in developing Life Science office buildings that will help stabilize our Transit Occupancy Tax. I was also proud to work on the TopGolf lease negation which brought much needed revenue to Burlingame and is a major destination for conferences and tourists who support our hotels.
This year we also introduced monthly Converstations With Council sessions to provide increased access to your council members. This was supplemented by our June 8 Community Engagement Day featuring over 30 local nonprofits and our city commissions as a way to invite people to get involved with their passions.
