Longtime Burlingame councilmember steps down

“We’re looking for all kinds of backgrounds, and the most important qualification to me is a passion for the city of Burlingame and a deep care for the people who live here,” Colson said.

Ortiz was first elected to the City Council in 2013 after an unsuccessful run in 2011, he said, and served as mayor twice during that time. His last City Council meeting will be April 15.

During his tenure, which spanned more than ten years, he worked on expansive projects like Burlingame’s general plan and creating more housing within the city.

“We’ve made some really big strides with affordable housing with our city project, where we use one of our city lots in exchange for another parking structure, and created not only more parking, but 136 units of affordable housing, which I think is a huge accomplishment,” he said.

Ortiz said he’s proud of the way the City Council worked to create affordable housing for residents while maintaining the traditional fabric of the city.

“[It’s] creating the amount of housing that we’re creating without really damaging the real fabric of Burlingame. It still has our traditional neighborhoods that look the same,” he said. “I’m very proud of all the housing we’ve been able to add in, all the affordable housing, without damaging the city.”

He added that the City Council has been successful in creating an integrated vision for Burlingame’s future that has support from the local community.

“I think we’ve created a really good framework to where things are gonna go, and I think that helps with the buy-in,” he said. “I think people understand what we’re planning is, and I think they’re comfortable with that.”

Colson cited Ortiz’s work on the new community center, housing and economic development and helping to bring Topgolf to Burlingame’s Bayfront as standouts during his time on the City Council.

“Councilmember Ortiz has been a distinguished leader both in Burlingame and at the county level on many initiatives,” Colson said. “He has been a gracious and collaborative partner who is always looking out for the best interests of Burlingame. We will miss him and his wry humor every day.”

Ortiz also served as chair of regional boards — including the San Francisco International Airport Community Roundtable and the Central County Fire Board — as well as a variety of City Council subcommittees like the Community Center project and the Broadway grade separation.

Working on changing flight patterns so planes would not fly over certain neighborhoods from 1-5 a.m. was a “small deal, but it was a big deal,” Ortiz said of his time on the airport roundtable. He also pointed to labor negotiations and continuing high standards at the fire department as high points on the Central County Fire Board.

The City Council is continuing efforts to redo the Burlingame stretch of El Camino and separate rail from road at the Broadway intersection, both projects Ortiz pointed to as integral to the city’s future success.

“I think the two things that we can do in Burlingame to really improve the quality of life for the people of Burlingame is the El Camino Real, fixing that — which we’re working with Caltrans — and the Broadway grade separation,” he said. “I’ve been involved in that one for a few years, and we’ve made a lot of progress. We are very close to getting all the commitments for the funding. So we’re looking forward to getting that one done.”

Ortiz said that the demands of his commute from San Francisco for work had made attending council meetings in-person increasingly challenging and wished that statewide legislation allowing attendance via Zoom would move forward.

Regardless, he’s grateful for his time on Burlingame’s City Council and said the residents, proximity to transport and amenities and natural open space are what make the city so special.

“I mean, best city in the Peninsula,” he said.