City Blog
VWR Public Hearing
Printer-friendly versionIt was a full house at Brisbane City Hall's Community Meeting Room this morning. Most of those in attendance were workers from VWR, upset over the fact that they would be losing their jobs when VWR closes its distribution facility in Brisbane and opens a brand-new one in Visalia, CA. The time of when this actually happens is unknown, since management at VWR has been unresponsive to City officials up to this point. Voice messages and e-mails have been sent, but have gone unreturned. Thus, a hearing was held, called for by Congresswoman Jackie Speier and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer. Joining them were Freddy Beaman of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, Dan Lieberman of Senator Leland Yee's Office, Councilman Clarke Conway, Brian Perkins of Congresswoman Speier's office, Assemblyman Jerry Hill, and Shelley Kessler of the San Mateo County Labor Council.
In his opening comments, Councilmember Conway noted how VWR leaving will "decimate our services". Brisbane City Manager Clay Holstine, expanded on this notion, stating how the City will be down 18.5% in General Fund revenues - equivalent to approximately $2.1 millon dollars. Finance Director Stuart Schillinger was also on-hand to answer questions of the panel.
John Thomas, who works in the Receiving Dept. at VWR and will be soon losing his job, asked the question, "How do they [VWR] think we're going to get out of this recession?" Three other employees from VWR also called for the Congresswoman's support, as they have worked hard for the company for many years, and feel VWR's response by not allowing them to re-locate in an effort to keep their jobs is an injustice. Congresswoman Speier called it "unconscionable."
State Treasurer Lockyer and Congresswoman Speier agreed to send a letter to Governor Brown, requesting corporations not be allowed to use California Taxpayer money and Tax Credits to take jobs from one City in California and move them to another.
We thank Congresswoman Speier and Treasurer Lockyer for their leadership and calling this morning's hearing. In the next few days, we will have a copy of the hearing available on the City's website for you to view. You can also tune in to the evening news tonight at 6pm, as every major news station was present.
Federal-State Inquiry
Printer-friendly versionThe plan by VWR International to close its distribution center in Brisbane, and relocate to a new warehouse over 300 miles away, in rural Visalia, raises a number of important issues, including environmental impacts of the new facility on the Visalia community, fiscal disruption and employment impacts on the City of Brisbane, the appropriate use of public subsidies from state and local government, and the transparency of public processes that lead to governmental approvals and subsidies.
Panel
- Congresswoman Jackie Speier
- Treasurer Bill Lockyer
- Councilmember Clarke Conway
- Assemblyman Jerry Hill
- Senator Leland Yee
- Shelley Kessler, CEO, San Mateo County Labor Council
- Freddy Beaman, Brisbane Chamber of Commerce
Witnesses
- Clay Holstine, City Manager
- Julian Gross, Attorney at Law
- Taxpayer dollars funding VWR relocation - Anne Wilson, CEO of United Way of the Bay Area
What is a sustainable wage for the San Francisco Bay Area and what will the plant closure mean to the families? - Teamster Chief Stewards, employees of VWR
- Dave Gaytan
- John Thomas
National Public Works Week
Printer-friendly version
National Public Works Week is observed each year during the third full week of May. It is a celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as Public Works.
Instituted as a public education campaign by the American Public Works Association (APWA) in 1960, NPWW calls attention to the importance of public works in community life. The Week seeks to enhance the prestige of the often-unsung heroes of our society - the professionals who serve the public good every day with quiet dedication.
And we know what great lengths our Public Works crew goes to to do their jobs...but how about you? Most likely, you've seen them performing their more visible tasks, such as keeping the Community Park clear of litter, mowing, lining, and striping our fields so they're ready for youth and adult sporting activities, making home visits to make sure our toilets aren't running a leak, helping residents collect their green waste during the Annual Winter Clean-Up, and maintaining the street light fixtures and building facilities in town. But what about the less visible tasks? Our Public Works crew also keeps busy cleaning the sewage pipes, flushing the water lines, and exercising the valves so that water can be redirected in the case of an emergency situation. Clearly, they are responsible for many of the things we often take for granted and expect to "just work". Of course, there isn't a service in existence that doesn't have a body behind the scenes ensuring things work as they're intended to. Therefore, we wanted to give our Public Works Dept. the recognition they most indeed deserve. Help us in doing so, especially during National Public Works Week, May 16th - 21st.
Car Wash Discount Card
Printer-friendly version
Car washing at home causes soap and other pollutants to end up in the storm drains that lead to the Bay or the ocean. Commercial car washes use less water and any discharge goesinto the sanitary sewer system. The San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program is partnering with 11 commercial car washes located throughout San Mateo County to offer a discount coupon for a car wash, with the closest location to Brisbane being Millbrae Express Car Wash. If you're looking to get your car squeaky clean, while keeping pollutants out of the storm drains, then stop by City Hall and pick up your one-time use discount card! Offers good through 12/31/2011.
Sprucing Up the Plug Preserve
Printer-friendly versionIf you went by Julie's for a deli sandwich, you may have noticed that the weeds growing around the plugs were getting to be as tall as the plugs themselves.
Plug Preserve before
Plug Preserve after
Thanks to the dedication and work done by a Brisbane resident and Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Commissioner Cris Hart, the area outside Julie's on the corner of Mariposa and Visitacion looks a whole lot nicer. Cris also made sure to coordinate with the Public Works Department to ensure that the green waste he trimmed down was disposed of properly. A great big THANK YOU to a great Brisbane volunteer who made the effort to keep Brisbane beautiful! Thanks, Cris!