- September City Council Agenda Items
- Urban Coyote Workshop - Recap
- Get Ready for Emergency Preparedness Month!
- Brisbane City Council Candidates Forum, Sept. 18th
- November 5th Election
- Stop Sign/Crosswalk Re-alignment at the Corner of San Bruno and San Francisco St.
- Caltrain Electrifying by the Weekend of Sept. 21-22 & New Schedules
- New Invasive Species Regulation Display at the Library
- Read the September STAR
- Electric Home Tour 2024
- Reminder: Two Sustainability Events, 9/5 & 9/16
- Register Now for the Star City San Bruno Mtn. Half Marathon & 5k
- Power Your Home with the Sun! Bay Area SunShares Opens Sept. 1st
- Comment on First-Ever C/CAG Strategic Plan
- Brisbane School District Seeks Interest in Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
- Day in the Park: Call for Vendors
- Fall Activity Guide Registration Now Open for Brisbane Residents
- Music Class & Play Gym Starts Sept. 7th
- Parents' Night Out, Sept. 14th
- Art Reception with Kevin Fryer at City Hall, Sept. 18th
- Register for Coastal Cleanup Day, Sept. 21st
- Regatta Day, Sept. 21
- Save the Date: Loneliness to Light Gathering, Oct. 1st
- Brisbane Farmers' Market: Thursdays in the Park, 3-7 PM
- Get Ready for the Fall and Winter Virus Season
- Upcoming Meetings
- Archived Meetings
- Did You Know?
September City Council Agenda Items
The City Council will be back in session for regular meetings starting tomorrow, September 5th, at 7:30 PM. Their meetings generally take place on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month.
One item on the agenda involves an update to the City's zoning, and results from legislative action the State took in 2021 when they passed SB 9, also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act. SB 9 went into effect on January 1, 2022.
The Community Development Department has published a thorough set of FAQs on the City's website, with a sampling of them found below:
Does that mean that the City has been required to follow the law since 2022?
Yes. Any property within Brisbane meeting the standards set forth in SB 9 is eligible for an SB 9 development and the City is obligated to process and approve all applications that comply with the law.
Since January 2022, the City has received five SB 9 applications (all within the R-1 Zone) for urban lot splits. No applications have been submitted for two unit developments without a lot split. The original lot sizes for these five applications ranged from 5,770 to 8,817 square feet, with resultant lot sizes from 2,532 to 4,759 square feet. Three of the applications have been approved and two are in process. To date, no building permits have been issued on the resultant lots.
Since there was a lawsuit over SB 9 in southern California, how will this affect Brisbane?
A recent ruling by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s overturning SB 9 applied to five charter cities in Southern California. The City’s Legal Counsel indicated that the decision has no effect on other trial courts or other cities. Also, the cities in question are charter cities, not general law cities, such as Brisbane, and the decision hinged on SB 9 conflicting with the land use authority of those cities under their charters. As such, the decision is not relevant to SB 9 as it applies to the City of Brisbane.
Since the City is required to follow the state law, why does the City need to pass an ordinance?
The City is not required to adopt a local ordinance, as SB 9 is currently law which the City, as a general law city, must follow. However, the City is allowed under State law to adopt a local ordinance establishing objective development standards provided these standards don’t prevent development that would otherwise be allowed under SB 9.
The City may not impose regulations that conflict with these state-imposed requirements. However, the City may adopt objective standards that don’t conflict with state-imposed requirements. That provides the City the opportunity to control some aspects of SB 9 development, to better fit with Brisbane’s needs and community character.
Other items coming before the Council tomorrow evening include:
- Swearing in new Committee Members
- Recognizing September as National Preparedness Month
- Authorizing staff to publish the Public Art Request For Proposals to solicit prospective artists for the Alvarado to San Benito Stairway, as recommended by the Public Art Advisory Committee
Tune in live to City Council meetings in-person at City Hall (50 Park Place, Brisbane) or remotely via Zoom at: brisbaneca.org/cc-zoom. They are also livestreamed by Millbrae Community Television (MCTV) on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/brisbaneca as well as on Comcast Ch. 27.
Urban Coyote Workshop - Recap
On September 3rd, the City hosted an Urban Coyote Workshop at City Hall. Invited speakers and experts in the field included Sarah Killingsworth of Project Coyote and Ashley Kinney, Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager of the Peninsula Humane Society.
A total of 20 residents attended in-person with another 11 on Zoom. Participants were extremely engaged with Sarah and Ashley’s presentations, which have been housed along with additional resources on the City’s website at brisbaneca.org/coyotes. Missed the event or want to watch the workshop again? Find it below or on the City's YouTube page.
Important Note: If you should see anyone feeding wildlife, please call (415) 467-1212 (Brisbane's PD non-emergency number) right away as this is a law enforcement issue and enforceable under BMC 6.08.115. Make sure you call the number right away as they need to witness the feeding in order to issue the citation.
Get Ready for Emergency Preparedness Month!
Get ready for National Preparedness Month in September! Let North County Fire Authority know you're interested in CERT classes by filling out an interest form.
Brisbane City Council Candidates Forum, Sept. 18th
Have a question you'd like to ask the candidates? The League strongly encourages questions to be submitted in advance; that will help them run the forum smoothly. Send your question(s) to questions@lwvncsmc.org with "Brisbane City Council Forum" in the Subject line. You'll also have the opportunity to submit a question the night of the event.
November 5th Election
There will be a General Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 for the election of three (3) Council members for a term of four years each. Please see the 2024 Municipal Election page on the City's website for the latest election resources and information and check back regularly as information will continue to be added as it becomes available.
Note: The San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division is seeking more than 500 seasonal election workers for the upcoming Presidential General Election on Nov. 5, 2024. Positions include ballot retrieval specialist, vote center representative, and election warehouse technician. Those interested can apply via the following job link and, if passed through the initial screening, will receive a Zoom link for an upcoming hiring event. Learn more here.
Stop Sign/Crosswalk Re-alignment at the Corner of San Bruno and San Francisco Ave.
You may have recently noticed some changes to the corner of San Bruno and San Francico Ave. To improve visibility for crossing pedestrians, a pedestrian refuge area was created with modified striping, delineators, and signs. This new arrangement should make pedestrians crossing San Bruno more visible from Visitacion Avenue. With the addition of the pedestrian refuge area, a right turn from San Bruno to San Francisco is too tight to complete safely, so vehicles traveling downhill on San Bruno Ave. will not be allowed to make a right turn onto San Francisco Ave. because they would be turning into oncoming traffic.
Caltrain Electrifying by the Weekend of Sept. 21-22 & New Schedules
Electrification will transform Caltrain into a faster, more efficient, and sustainable service. Electrification improvements will better address Peninsula commuters’ vision of increased service and improved travel times in an environmentally-friendly and reliable way. These service improvements are also expected to help accommodate increased system ridership through improved system operations. Learn more about Caltrain's Electrification Project the changes that will be coming to Brisbane's Bayshore Station. We thank Brisbane resident Chris Florkowski for sending us this video she took of Caltrain's soft launch of their electric trains earlier this month.
Caltrain is expecting all diesel trains to be replaced with electric trains by the weekend of September 21 - 22 and is planning large celebration events from 2-6 PM in Palo Alto on Saturday the 21st and in San Mateo on Sunday the 22nd where transit will be free all weekend. Brisbane's event will take place from 1 - 1:30 PM at the Bayshore Caltrain Station on Sunday, September 22nd, with the train leaving to San Mateo at 1:34 PM. Visit caltrain.com/launchparty for more information. In the meantime, check out the new schedules for Caltrain (weekday | weekend), effective 9/21, and the Brisbane-Bayshore Caltrain commuter shuttle, new schedule eff. 9/23.
New Invasive Species Regulation Display at the Library
Today, the Open Space and Ecology Committee's rotating display at the library went up, with a focus on the updated Invasive Species Regulation. Check it out!
Read the September STAR
Electric Home Tour 2024
Are you a homeowner who has embraced electrification? Acterra invites homeowners from the Peninsula to South Bay to showcase their homes in the Electric Home Tour 2024, where you can share your eco-friendly achievements and inspire others. The application to become a tour host is open until September 10.
Reminder: Two Sustainability Events, 9/5 & 9/16
Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) is hosting its next two big events for the public to learn about sustainability in the County. First, they will be unveiling their Sustainability Dashboard, a powerful new tool to track how cities across San Mateo are becoming more sustainable and to see which cities are leading the way. Second, they will hold an online webinar to review the benefits and impacts of different freeway projects and to discuss sustainable and equitable transportation solutions for our region.
Insights to Impact: Transforming Community Well-Being Through Data, Sept. 5th, 8:30 -12:30 AM | CZI Community Space in Redwood City: Hear from Dr. Kismet Baldwin-Santana, San Mateo County's Health Officer, and learn how you can leverage SSMC's Sustainability Dashboard to guide your own sustainability efforts! Register here to attend in person.
Beyond Freeway Expansion: Exploring Sustainable Alternatives, Sept 16, 6 – 7:15 PM | on Zoom - This event will shed light on the benefits and impact of different freeway projects and why freeway expansion often fails to reduce traffic, discourages public transit use and exacerbates air pollution, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. Engage with local community leaders and advocates to discuss sustainable and equitable transportation solutions for our region. Register here.
Register Now for the Star City San Bruno Mtn. Half Marathon & 5k
The 6th Annual Star City San Bruno Mt Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 5th, the same day as Brisbane's Community Day in the Park. Back by popular demand, there will also be a 5k Fun Run. Proceeds go to support the El Camino Cross Country Team, the Brisbane Lions Club, and San Bruno Mountain Watch!
The 5k is a great opportunity for individuals and families to stay active or for race fans to experience an exhilarating run. Visit brisbaneca.org/starcityrace to get all the details and register!
Power Your Home with the Sun! Bay Area SunShares Now Open
Bay Area SunShares provides a discount on turnkey solar installations and home battery storage. Any resident in the Bay Area’s 9 counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, SanFrancisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma) can sign up for the SunShares discount at bayareasunshares.org between September 1st and November 15th, 2024. SunShares is administered by the Business Council on Climate Change.
Comment on First-Ever C/CAG Strategic Plan
The City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG) is excited to unveil its inaugural Strategic Plan. They are now inviting all San Mateo County stakeholders to share feedback and comments on the draft plan using an online commenting platform, Konveio, which you can access here. Comments on the draft Strategic Plan will be accepted through September 6, 2024. You can also view a PDF version of the plan on the C/CAG Strategic Plan 2024-2029 project page.
Brisbane School District Seeks Interest in Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
The Brisbane School District is reaching out to gauge interest in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for young children in Brisbane School District. All 4-year-olds qualify for TK in every public school district in California. If you have a child who may be eligible for TK, please take a moment to fill out the TK Interest Form. Your input is invaluable as the Brisbane School District plans for the upcoming school year. Thank you for helping shape the future of our community’s young learners!
Day in the Park: Call for Vendors
It's time to submit your booth application for the 2024 Brisbane Day in the Park event, which will be held on Saturday, October 5th from 10 - 3 PM. Please visit brisbaneca.org/ditp to visit the Day in the Park webpage, where you will find the various vendor and community group application forms. Forms will be at the bottom of the page. The deadline to submit an application form is Monday, September 9th. Spaces are filling up, so don't delay!
Fall Activity Guide Registration Now Open for Brisbane Residents
Resident Registration opened Tuesday, August 20th (including Fall Swim Lessons). Non-Resident Registration opened this past Tuesday, September 2nd. Don't miss all the new offerings such as Skate Kamp class taking place Mondays 4-5 PM at the Brisbane Skatepark, a Sound Baths event at the Sunrise Room on 10/7, and an Informative Health Session on Monday (9/9), also at the Sunrise Room from 3-4 PM!
Music Class & Play Gym Starts Sept. 7th
Come join the fun and create lasting memories with your little ones and neighbors at MoB Music Classes and Play Gym! This season includes a total of five exciting sessions: four music classes and one play gym session.
Music Classes with Viky Mojica: Experience the joy of music and movement with our engaging music classes led by the talented Viky Mojica. She has an extensive background as a music teacher and storyteller, and has recently completed her preschool teaching certificate at CCSF. Classes are for children ages 0 to 5 and are from 10 AM to 10:45 AM on the following dates:
- Sept 7th
- Sept 28th
- Nov 2nd
- Dec. 14th
Play Gym Session: Mark your calendars for October 12th from 9:30 to 11 AM for our play gym session. Enjoy open playtime where you and your little ones can explore, play with toys, and make new friends.
Parents' Night Out, Sept. 14th
Art Reception with Kevin Fryer at City Hall, Sept. 18th
Come check out the composite photography exhibit currently on display at City Hall (50 Park Place, Brisbane) with the artist himself, Kevin Fryer, on September 18th from 4 -6 PM.
Register for Coastal Cleanup Day, Sept. 21st
Join the City of Brisbane's Open Space and Ecology Committee and Parks and Recreation for our annual Coastal Cleanup Day event sponsored by the South San Francisco Scavenger Company! This year's event will coincide with the statewide event on Saturday, September 21, from 9 AM to 12 PM; meet at the northeast corner of the parking lots at the Brisbane Marina.
Supplies will be available, but in the spirit of reducing waste, please consider bringing your own reusable gloves, buckets and water bottles. Tees and a free lunch will be provided to all volunteers!
Regatta Day, Sept. 21st
Last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day was on the same day as the Sierra Point Yacht Club’s Regatta Day – and having the two together ended up being a hit! So they’re both happening again. Please save the date, Saturday, September 21st, from noon to 5 PM. Coastal Cleanup Volunteers will get a free lunch ticket redeemable at Regatta Day!
Save the Date: Loneliness to Light Gathering, Oct. 1st
Brisbane Farmers' Market: Thursdays in the Park, 3-7 PM
CalFresh benefits will be redeemable at every Farmers' Market. We thank Steve Schmidt, the market manager, and his daughter Ashley, who you may see physically each week at the market, for making this happen.
- Mountain Fresh
- Villanueva Fruits
- James Healey Confections
- Mango Blossom Apiary
- California Bakeshop
- Hummus Heaven
- Medina Berry Farms
- Amelia's Mexipino Cuisine
- Pasta Rey Artisanal Foods
- Roadside Rotisserie
At tomorrow's market, a couple Mothers of Brisbane founding members, Jessica Aloft and DeeDee Porter, will again be tabling, offering non-partisan election information such as directing residents to resources so they can ensure they are registered to vote and their ballots ready in time for the November 5th U.S. Presidential Election.
Get Ready for the Fall and Winter Virus Season
Updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon; they're expected to be widely available in September. RSV vaccines are currently available.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to be the best defense against severe illness and death. The U.S. FDA approved the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine on August 22, 2024. Visit vaccines.gov for more information about how you can protect against respiratory illnesses such as the flu, RSV, and COVID-19.
Upcoming Meetings
Archived City Meetings
Open Space and Ecology Committee Meeting - Wednesday, August 28, 6:30 PM
Did You Know?
The San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority (SMCEL-JPA) doubled the benefits for the Community Transportation Benefits Program on July 31. Qualifying individuals in San Mateo County can now receive a $200 transit credit on a Clipper Card or a $200 toll credit on a FasTrak® transponder. And if an applicant already qualifies for at least one benefit provided through the San Mateo County Core Agencies Network, they are automatically eligible for this Program. Learn more here.
This concludes my City Manager's Weekly Update; the next Blast will go out on Wednesday, September 11th. If this email was forwarded to you or you saw it on social media and would like to subscribe, sign up here. As always, please keep connected with us via our website & social media pages. Have a safe Labor Day Weekend!