Reporter's Notebook

Burlingame Mayor Rosalie O'Mahony will ask Safeway reps for a copy of the survey the grocer recently conducted on whether people in the city want a new store and what size it could be downtown. The survey was conducted by David Binder, a well-known public opinion research firm with clients such as the Sierra Club, San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco mayors Gavin Newsom and Willie Brown, the Sierra Club, the AFL-CIO, Walgreen's, the World Wrestling Federation, the University of California system, BART and the cities of Beverly Hills, San Diego and Berkeley. Even though the survey was contracted by Safeway, O'Mahony said it may contain valuable information for the city. Safeway rep Mark Hudak said he will have no problem handing the survey info over to the city. "I always do my best to comply with any request from the mayor," he said.

There is also a petition circulating through town to put the issue on the ballot. But don't expect any value from it. First of all, land-use planning through the ballot box is always a bad idea. Second, there is no way a ballot measure can be phrased so most people understand what it is they are voting for. Third, the people collecting signatures don't even want to disclose their names and don't know the history or details of the proposal (they had to ask Hudak for city reports on the project). And fourth, there is a citizens group in Burlingame just chomping at the bit to campaign heavily against such a measure.

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Speaking of Hudak, Mel Thompson says it's a relief no longer being a trustee in the San Mateo-Foster City School District, which has been gripped by bitter teacher contract negotiations for the past several months. Trustees Mark Hudak and Melodie Lew beat out former board president Thompson in the last school board election.

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In addition to having to pay for residential parking permits, some San Mateo residents could also be restricted in the number of permits they are issued. Expect plenty of people to turn out at the Public Works Commission meeting July 14, when the matter will be discussed.

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Word has it Notre Dame University could open a conflict resolution center. Will it get in a tussle with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution center for clients? If so, who will help mediate?

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San Mateo City Councilwoman Sue Lempert was spotted in her car on South B Street engrossed in a copy of the Daily Journal. Despite watching intently, our spies couldn't tell which story caught her eye.

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Members of the Australian media are trying to contact the San Mateo man who's trying to patent his idea for a "talking tombstone." Robert Barrows' idea is to create a tombstone that would play pre-recorded messages from the dead.

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Belmont's got plenty of empty office space. That's why some want to know why their city officials didn't go after new low-cost carrier Virgin USA to bring the company's new headquarters to the tiny city. Right now, officials say the sites being scouted are in South San Francisco, Millbrae and Burlingame.

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Hillsborough police investigators are still conducting interviews with all those who had access to the Butternut Drive mansion where Priscilla Ng was murdered. Ng and her boyfriend Andrew Chang were attacked during a home invasion that also sent Chang to the emergency room.

No suspects have yet been identified.

The reporters' notebook is a weekly collection of facts culled from the notebooks of the Daily Journal staff. It appears in the Friday edition.