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Campaign $$$ Information With the November elections just around the corner, we are continuing to add campaign information to our web site. It is not uncommon to see the same players involved in campaigns throughout San Mateo County, sometimes, for seemingly unrelated measures. For example, Paine Webber contributed $13,000 to the 2000 San Mateo Unified High School Bond Measure (see Measure D pdf). In 2000, Paine Webber’s investments were run by Ray Kuratek, who was appointed to the Bay Meadows Citizens Advisory Committee (see CAC members on this web site). Paine Webber then became part of UBS-Warburg, which, in turn, “sold” Bay Meadows to Stockbridge Capital. Certainly it looks better to have developers donate money to politicians’ favorite causes than donate money directly to politicians. The relationship between political “consultant” Ed McGovern, his client Bay 101 in San Jose, and the defeat of a card room measure at Bay Meadows in 1995 also continues to be intriguing. Ed McGovern has also managed campaigns for local politicians, including
San Mateo Mayor John Lee and San Mateo County Supervisors Mike Nevin
and Jerry Hill. And, of course, it was Ed McGovern who was involved
in the efforts to stop the Bay Meadows Referendum and to stop the
“No on Measure Q” campaign in Redwood City. Referendum Update The effort to collect signatures last November was significantly hampered by the efforts of the Bay Meadows Land Company (Stockbridge Capital). Stockbridge hired Joel Olson Consulting to station competing signature gatherers at every grocery store in San Mateo. Stockbridge also hired “goons” to harass and intimidate people trying to gather signatures. Harassment and intimidation tactics have been used in Redwood City
against citizens trying to stop the Pete’s Harbor Development
and in Pacifica when residents fought Trammel-Crow’s quarry
development. Sadly, these Mafia-style tactics are legal and will,
undoubtedly, be used in the future against citizens in other communities. Friends of Bay Meadows Rally  Bay
Meadows supporters gathered outside Stockbridge Capital’s San
Mateo offices to protest Stockbridge’s (dba Bay Meadows Land
Company) continued efforts to prevent San Mateo voters from having
a say in their own city’s future. >> Read More
Referendum Update The Bay Meadows developer (Stockbridge Capital) has filed an appeal
with the California Court of Appeal contesting the decision by Judge
Mark Forcum that prevents Stockbridge from participating in the
Friends of Bay Meadows lawsuit: Friends of Bay Meadows Fundraiser
 Linda
Schinkel and her Friends of Bay Meadows filled the American Legion
Hall Saturday night, March 11, with supporters who want to place
the Bay Meadows issue on the ballot. Harry Aleo, owner of "Lost
in the Fog" and a longtime Bay Meadows supporter, was there
both in spirit and in person. He generously donated a painting of
"Lost in the Fog" that will be auctioned on eBay. He also
won two of the many raffle prizes but gave his prizes away!Many, many locally owned businesses donated gifts ranging from carpet cleaning, to fine art, to exotic baskets filled with fine Italian foods, to plush Easter bunnies. There were several gift certificates from our wonderful non-chain restaurants on 25th Avenue. These are the kinds of businesses, like Bay Meadows, that make San Mateo the unique place it is, so please support our mom-and-pop businesses. Save Bay Meadows "Day at the Races"
The Save Bay Meadows group had our own “Day at the Races”
Sunday, January 29th. We had a race in our name and six of us were
invited to the Winner’s Circle to have our picture taken with
the winning horse and jockey...>> Read More Stockbridge Capital Hires Singer Associates
Stockbridge Capital (Bay Meadows Land Company) has hired Singer
Associates from San Francisco to stop people from signing the referendum
petitions. Singer Associates’ clients include Bohannon Development
(Hillsdale Shopping Center) and Bay Meadows...>> Read More FOLLOW THE $$$
Stockbridge Capital, aka Bay Meadows Land Company, has made sizable
contributions to politicians and to the Democratic and Republican
parties, allowing those parties to dole out funds to candidates
as needed... >> Read More SM City Council Votes 5-0 to Demolish Bay Meadows >> Read More November 22, 2005 - Stockbridge Capital (Bay Meadows Land Company) has hired Singer Associates from San Francisco to stop people from signing the referendum petitions. Singer Associates’ clients include Bohannon Development (Hillsdale Shopping Center) and Bay Meadows. It is surprising that the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club and our local League of Women Voters support the activities of this group. Singer Associates has also mounted a major media campaign to make people believe Bay Meadows is all but ready to close its doors. Rather than writing press releases, they should try reading some because the Thoroughbred Times reported Bay Meadows attendance was up 37.7% in 2005! For more about the developer’s efforts to stifle the referendum effort, click on or type the URL below: November 8, 2005 - Last night, the San Mateo City Council voted 5-0 to destroy San Mateo’s landmark tourist attraction, the historic 71-year-old Bay Meadows racetrack, and replace it with an enormous, high-density office complex of over one-million square feet plus 150,000 square feet of retail space, and 1250 condos. In a gesture clearly designed to punish those opposed to the destruction of Bay Meadows, the City Council removed the $100,000 that was to be set aside to honor the famous Bay Meadows racetrack from the Development Agreement. The five-member City Council, which includes Sue Lempert, Jack Mathews, Carole Groom, Jan Epstein, and John Lee, also used the historic vote as an opportunity for a little prime-time self-promotion, not surprising with three City Council seats to be decided the following day. After the vote was taken, Dr. Linda Schinkel, founder of Friends of Bay Meadows, announced the referendum effort would begin immediately. Her group has 30 days to gather the required minimum of 4,100 signatures from registered San Mateo voters. Her goal, however, is to gather far more than that. By delaying the vote to November, the City Council has intentionally
made the referendum effort as difficult as possible as volunteers
must contend with rainy weather, shorter days, holiday shopping,
and vacations so help will be needed. Friends of Bay Meadows may be reached at:
Friends of Bay Meadows 201 A South Delaware #210 San Mateo, CA 94401 Email: help@keepbaymeadows.info If you wish to help with expenses of this all volunteer grass-roots group, checks should be made out to “Friends of Bay Meadows” and sent to the Delaware address. October 17, 2005 - The San Mateo City Council closed its five-hour session Monday evening without voting on the Bay Meadows project. The public comment portion of the meeting was delayed until 10 pm. As usual, many members of the public had left by then as had camera people and reporters from Channel 5 news. As had been expected, the City Council and the Stockbridge Capital
Partners/Bay Meadows Land Company packed the City Council Chambers
with dozens of people supporting the development. Those who spoke
in support of the development were the usual list of pro-development
supporters who show up whenever developments are being proposed.
The roster included: The Save Bay Meadows group had a two-minute slide show with pictures of Bay Meadows and its many employees. Upon conclusion, the presentation generated spontaneous applause which was promptly stopped by Mayor Jan Epstein. Richard Castro, Greg Gunderson, and Harry Aleo (owner of "Lost
in the Fog") spoke about the inaccuracies in the City of San
Mateo's report which claimed revenues were declining at California
racetracks and that the only way California racetracks could survive
was with slot machines or casino-style gambling. City officials
are trying to mislead residents about this issue. Please see our
website FAQ about Del Mar and Bay Meadows racetracks recent successes
and attendance. October 1, 2005 - On Saturday, October 1, as “Lost in the Fog” raced to victory once again at Bay Meadows racetrack, a Save Bay Meadows banner was flown over the track. Local residents wanting to preserve the historic Bay Area landmark contributed their time and resources to raise public awareness of the pending destruction of Bay Meadows.    September 2005 - To obtain signatures Stockbridge Capital Partners hired signature gatherers to promote their commercial development plans for Bay Meadows. They spent about two weeks in front of grocery and other stores in San Mateo gathering signatures in response to the approximate 7000 signatures collected by the Save Bay Meadows citizens group months ago to keep Bay Meadows a part of San Mateo. Paid signature gatherers, many from out of town, promoted the development
plans often giving misleading and partially accurate information
to passerby’s, including, “15% affordable housing mandated
by the city” and “Indian Casinos for Bay Meadows”.
The city requires a minimum of “10% below market housing”.
Below market is not necessarily affordable. Average condo prices
are expected to be in the $600k range and up. September 19, 2005 - The proposed Bay Meadows project has now passed from the Planning Commission to the City Council for approval. The City Council met on Monday, September 19, at 7:30 at San Mateo City Hall. Many members of the public attended and voiced their disapproval of the destruction of Bay Meadows. The developers had their entourage of employees to promote their idea of what the Bay Meadows land should become. It is highly likely the City Council will approve this project,
regardless of public input, as members of the Council have been
encouraging the development. The questions remaining are what types
of “concessions” the developer will make to get the
project approved. It is nevertheless important for citizens to speak
out at the upcoming hearings against the razing of our historic
racetrack and a major local employer so a few special interest groups,
property owners, developers, and politicians can benefit. Planning Commission Passes Bay Meadows Development
to City Council
September 8, 2005 - The San Mateo Planning Commission approved
the development of the Bay Meadows racetrack proposal to continue
to the City Council with a 4 “yes” and 1 “abstain”
vote. Commissioner Bertha Sanchez, who carefully examined all details
of the Specific Plan, Development Agreement, and Conditions of Approval,
felt there were still too many unanswered questions and refused
to vote on the issue. There has been incredible pressure from the
City of San Mateo to get the plan approved even though Commissioners
were not given feedback on the economics of the project or the soundness
of the legal contract. City Council “study session”
September 6, 2005 - San Mateo City Council conducted a Study
Session on the Bay Meadows project. The session was conducted in a
small conference room and started at 5 pm, making it very difficult
for the public to attend and participate. The study session was not
recorded for later airing. There was some discussion about housing
density, with the developer wanting up to 75 units per acre in some
locations. Maxine Terner, representing San Mateans for Responsive
Government, argued that was not what people approved with either Measures
H or P (height and density limits).Planning Commission meeting summary…
August 16, 2005 - The San Mateo Planning Commission did not
reach an agreement on the Bay Meadows project at what many expected
to be their final Public Hearing on August 16th. When the session
ended at 11:30 pm, Commissioners still had many details that needed
further discussion. Commissioners are going over details of the proposed
development to prevent the type of mistakes which are evident in what
is now called "Phase I" (the practice track site). This
is the same land owner and developer team that developed the practice
track. Commissioners Torin Knorr and Bertha Sanchez appear especially
concerned with the details of the proposal.
Dr. Linda Schinkel and Friends of Bay Meadows are continuing their efforts to have Bay Meadows declared an historical site. They are also actively gathering names of San Mateo volunteers who have pledged to collect signatures for a referendum, should the Bay Meadows project be approved. Please go to www.keepbaymeadows.info to volunteer to help. Channels 2, 4, and 11 have carried stories about the fight to save
our historic racetrack so people in San Mateo may finally realize
what is happening before it is too late. Planning Commission Study Sessions
June 28, 2005 - The Planning Commission is currently studying
the "Development Agreement" for the Bay Meadows project.
This deals with what the developer is willing to "give"
the City of San Mateo in order to get 20 years to build out the project.
No mention is made of how the developer and landowner plan to compensate
San Mateans for the lost jobs, income, tourism, the history associated
with Bay Meadows, and added traffic congestion burdens to existing
roadways and communities.
There will be a meeting on Tuesday, June 28th at 6:30 pm in the City Council
Chambers to discuss the "agreement." It can be read at
any of the libraries or at City Hall. It may also be downloaded
from the City of San Mateo's web site www.cityofsanmateo.org.
City Council Approves Final Environmental
Impact Report
April 18, 2005 - San Mateo City Council voted to approve the
FEIR for the Corridor Plan and the Bay Meadows projects even though
numerous speakers pointed out the report's shortcomings in the areas
of traffic, water, and, importantly, Bay Meadows' historical significance.
The vote to approve this flawed report was as follows:Jan Epstein, City Mayor - Yes Sue Lempert - Yes John Lee - Yes Carole Groom - Yes Jack Mathews - Yes Planning Commissioners Approve FEIR
March 22, 2005 - San Mateo Planning Commission overturned its
position from just four weeks earlier and approved the Final Environmental
Impact Report (FEIR) that covers both the El Camino Transportation
Corridor Plan and Bay Meadows projects. Only Commission Torin Knorr
opposed approving the report. Commissioner Bertha Sanchez, who felt
the report had serious problems, was absent. Brandt Grotte, Commission Chair - Yes Fred Hansson - Yes Robert Gooyer - Yes Torin Knorr - No Bertha Sanchez - Absent SM Planning Commission Votes NOT to certify
Environmental Impact Report
February 23, 2005 - At the last SM Planning Commission public
hearing on Feb. 23, there was over of 4 hours of public testimony
– much of it concerning the historical significance of Bay Meadows
and the importance of Bay Meadows to the community. The Planning Commission
voted to NOT certify the EIR , citing deficiencies of the EIR in areas
of : Historical significance of Bay Meadows, water availability issues,
and the significant, severe, unmitigatable traffic consequences of
the combined Transportation Corridor and Bay Meadows proposals. A
follow up meeting will be on Tuesday, March 22. |
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info@savebaymeadows.org