Mayor London Breed lifted COVID restrictions. So did San Mateo County. I felt safe and started not wearing a mask. I went grocery shopping maskless. I attended a performance at the San Francisco Opera House maskless. Then I came down with a low grade fever and tested positive. Luckily, it was a mild case. I took the anti-COVID medicine Paxilar which leaves a metallic taste in your mouth. I spent five days doing very little. Most of the time all I wanted to do was rest or sleep.
Some people achieve much during confinement. I achieved nothing. After five days, I tested negative. But I understand it could come back. I am hoping to finish this column before it does.
The San Mateo City Council seems to be working together. While some members of the community remain angry, most have decided to move on. However, this may be a momentary lull. Height and density restrictions in citizen-adopted Measure Y may be threatened by new state law if new affordable housing reaches 12 stories. The south portion of Hillsdale Shopping Center, home to Macy’s and Forever 21, is the likely location for new high-rise housing, especially the area closest to El Camino Real and the Hillsdale Caltrain station. The developers are seeking public comment and eventually acceptance.
The San Mateo City Council appears to want to poll citizens on how they feel about Measure Y before moving forward. Measure Y, passed in 2020, doesn’t sunset until 2030 but they seem to want to poll now. The last attempt to change the measure originally called H, then P, then now Y, was called Measure R. It was narrowly defeated the same year Measure Y passed.
But times have changed and more people seem ready to accept higher heights and densities along El Camino and the Caltrain station in exchange for more affordable housing. Keep tuned.
Speaking of Caltrain: The loss of staunch Caltrain supporters on its board — former Belmont councilman Charles Stone and Supervisor Dave Pine — is indeed cause for alarm, but new member Supervisor Ray Mueller who lives in Menlo Park is considered a strong proponent. And he will have to be a strong voice since many members of the Caltrain board including the representatives from San Francisco are not fans of the transit system.
Caltrain is governed by a board which includes reps from Santa Clara and San Francisco counties in addition to San Mateo County.
Some people are proposing scuttling plans for a high-speed rail system which would eventually connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. The debate has been going on for years. Gov. Jerry Brown was a strong proponent. Gov. Gavin Newsom less so. The price keeps going up because of lawsuits and delays. I have always been a supporter. It makes sense for a big state like California to have both rail and air connections. Originally, HSR was to come from the East Bay over the Dumbarton Bridge and connect with Caltrain in Redwood City. But San Jose said no way. The more expensive route was approved as a result of heavy lobbying.
I have been doing too much streaming lately instead of reading a good book. So much good stuff on Netflix and Amazon. I watched several old favorites starring Robert Redford. I almost met him. My husband was defending a client for alleged violations of copyright, including a floor to ceiling poster of Redford. Redford threatened to sue.
My husband called the actor and asked why. After all the poster was very flattering. Redford replied he didn’t want to look like a sex symbol. Why not my husband asked? What do you want to look like? Redford replied, “a dentist.”
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.