New Year, New Beginnings
By David “Dink” Hucklebuck
While the rest of Burbank was greeting the New Year with champagne corks and holiday hi-jinks, a sizeable contingent of our city’s finest was eagerly converging on one of the more beautiful homes of former city planner (and local gadabout) Sue Georgino and her husband Victor.
But it wasn’t just a simple celebration that this dynamic duo had planned for the assembled crowd. Rather, what our excited group of local movers and shakers was waiting for was nothing less than the most anticipated social event of the season.
Not surprisingly, Georgino was credited as being the true “godmother” of the festivities. And a well-deserved honor it was. What Burbank’s finest had checked in red on their “can’t miss” calendars was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help out both the less fortunate among us and our valiant men in blue.
What are we talking about? Nothing less than the City of Burbank’s second annual New Year’s Charity Ball and Invitation-Only Surplus Property Auction!
The brainchild of a number of distinguished city retirees, this much-anticipated holiday event was a great way for our most special residents to “give back” to the community in a joyous way. And give they did.
Although she’s told this story many times before, Sue has a special style of relating the importance of the occasion. “I got the idea several years ago when I noticed how much extra property the City of Burbank had lying around and going to waste. Alleys, vacant lots, old schools, streets you’ve never heard of, the works.
“So I thought to myself, isn’t there a better solution? We could do such good with these under-utilized assets if only we knew how.”
Now anyone who knows Sue also knows how determined she is to improve the lives of those around her. And so she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“I was a little amazed myself when I first heard the idea, but then I thought, why not?” said former City Attorney Dennis Barlow. After researching the various ins and outs of the law, Barlow concluded that there was nothing standing in the way of Burbank disposing of as much surplus property as it wanted to, so long as it went to a worthy cause.
“That’s where the BPD stepped in,” said Georgino. “We knew they had big money problems for their legal defense, and so we thought, why not help them out?
Knowing a win-win when she saw it, Georgino also saw a benefit for local residents. “Some of our most successful Burbankers could use a bit of extra property,” she told us excitedly over the phone. “So why not combine the two? The money we get for the properties can come from those who know how to utilize them the best.”
Georgino’s idea exploded in popularity. “It wasn’t just a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” said former City Manager Bud Ovrom, head of the official site acquisition panel. “The first year we had a citizens’ committee pick the properties that were offered. But this year we had a better idea. Why not let the people pick out their own selections? They know what they want better than we do!”
And so the first of Burbank’s famous invitation-only field trips started rolling down the streets. And what a fun time it was. “We had potential buyers from all over,” said Tim Stehr, newly elected head of the popular ‘Burbank Loves its Uniformed Police Officers’ support group (BLUPO). “Not only were they able to inspect our new unused BTA buses as part of the ride, they also got a first-hand look at what they’d be able to bid on.”
Ovrom thought BLUPO would be the perfect beneficiary for the property auction, and Stehr quickly agreed. “This year we’re doing a 90-10 share with the Burbank Temporary Aid Center. We were hoping to give them more of a cut, but unfortunately the BPD’s legal expenses have been skyrocketing the last few months.”
So when auction night finally arrived you can imagine how it was standing room only at the Georgino’s. Honorary Master of Ceremonies Will Rogers regaled the crowd with funny stories from his past, and then kept the bidding going at a feverish clip. “The community could have done more, and most certainly would have done more, if certain parties hadn’t tried to play interference at the last minute,” said a disgusted Rogers, obviously unhappy that what should have been a happy occasion might have hit a sour note at times.
“I don’t blame the outside bidders, but a more conscientious and honorable tone could have been better sustained throughout the entire proceedings.”
Others couldn’t blame the crowd. “I’ve never seen such enthusiasm,” said one successful bidder from Santa Monica, who didn’t want to be identified. “I’ve had my eye on those Rancho parkways for years, and so when I heard that I could pick them out for a possible purchase I absolutely jumped at the chance.”
Georgino, too, was delighted. When we saw her beaming with pride at the obvious success of her godchild, and her striking logo artwork as well, we couldn’t help but ask the most obvious question. Will she do it again?
“We’re only getting started,” she told us coyingly, obviously caught up in the emotion of it all. “We have bigger plans for next year, and there’s bound to be a surprise or two.”
When asked what that could possibly be, Georgino only demurred. “I’ll give you a hint,” she teased. “That Palm Park up there in the hills. What in the world is that all about?”
DAVID “DINK” HUCKLEBUCK and his lovely wife “Freddie” are veritable icons of the Burbank social scene. Lifelong residents of almost 17 years, this award-winning couple always has something to say.
Dear Mr. Dink. I think I just heard Jonathan Swift laughing from his grave.
It looks like the society columnist missed the most important events at this gathering. What most of Burbank really wants to know is what Emily and Dave were drinking, who they were drinking it with and just what designer created what they wore to this star studded event.
We all know they were drinking the sustainability kool aide
The shame is that you didn’t use Hornbuckle’s real name, while using the real names of your “fictitious revelers”.
Those of us who knew how generous Vic’s father was when his Alameda customer’s ran up against hard times,be they lay-offs,hiatus or cancelled TV series—-had a hard time with this Weekend Special.
Your tongue-in-cheek “rendition” of a uniquely Burbank Social Event
could easily mislead casual readers into thinking that the named, very real folks mentioned actually “shared the evening” with Emily&Dave.
The politicians are always “fair game”–not the rest.
The generosity of Sue & Vic didn’t start yesterday. Some folks that enjoy their later years at Joselyn Center (among many others) could readily attest to the warmth of the Georgino’s being “spread around”.
We can laugh at the “predictability” of David Laurel’s usual serving of crap—but I can’t enjoy “shooting” at the bystanders.
We can handily disagree with personalities, but some of us just can’t find any way to knock “Good Works”.
As for the BPOA–”they dug the hole–let them fill it”.
The private lives are fine. It’s these people’s public, city-related lives that I take issue with.
Did Mr Golonski ride a bike to the party ?
Only if he could shake-down the Bicycle Shop owner to “acknowledge” the “advantage” of having the vice mayor “pedal” his product.
Lest we forget, jess-the-less only rode a bike “one-way” to dedicate the State-of-the-Art Bicycle Storage Facility–already growing cobweb’s!!!
When you get the chance, be sure to checkout the “golonski-lights”
in their curiously glowing Splendor—where else, but in front of the
Voter DIS-Approved Fire-Police Building!!!
Like shooting fish in a barrel?
Somene told me there is a public hearing this next Tuesday night where the council will discuss whether or not to approve a Walmart in Burbank.
The Unionistas would have you believe that this is a “Life-or-Death” moment in time.
The same Unionistas hammered our Council over the “scourge of the Scanners”.
Their jobs were being “eliminated”??!!??
It’ll be fun to listen to the utterances.
Hopefully, their concerns will be heard, some facts clarified and then we can move-on to the “meat” of the Meeting—Redevelopment$$$$$$.
Where have all these “well-intentioned folks” been as the various
Project Areas were formed, as various implementations unfolded and
during the Public Hearings on each of them??????
When concerns have been raised over the funding of various Public Improvements—they were neither seen nor heard from…………..
the Union Lawyers hadn’t “fed them” yet!!!!!!
What motivates people to come to CC meetings can be baffling but I’m glad folks are at least showing some fight in this case.
Yeah, god forbid the rabble get fed by those bloated union lawyers. Phew! North Carolina is really where we should be.
****
California has 16% of U.S. union members
San Francisco Business Times by Steven E.F. Brown, Web Editor
Date: Monday, January 30, 2012, 11:24am PST – Last Modified: Monday, January 30, 2012, 12:04pm PST
California was one of seven states where more than half of U.S. union members lived last year.
Steven E.F. Brown
Web Editor – San Francisco Business Times
Email
California had the most union members of all the states in 2011, at 2.4 million. That was 16.2 percent of the total number of union workers in the country.
New York came second, with 1.9 million union members, and Illinois ranked third, with 876,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics Latest from The Business Journals California has 16% of U.S. union membersCalifornia has 16% of U.S. union membersHighest health care pay in Jacksonville: Internists and general practitioners Follow this company .
But with some 13.9 million workers total, California didn’t top the list when it came to percentage of workers who were union members, though at 17.1 percent it still ranked fairly high.
New York topped that list, with 24.1 percent of its workers belonging to a union in 2011, while Alaska (22.1 percent), Hawaii (21.5 percent), Washington (19 percent), Michigan (17.5 percent) and Rhode Island (17.4 percent) all ranked higher than the Golden State, which tied with Oregon at 17.1 percent.
Union membership has been dropping, although the decline wasn’t dramatic between 2010 and 2011. California had just over 2.4 million union members in 2010 and just under 2.4 million in 2011. Its percentage rate for union membership dropped from 17.5 percent in 2010 to 17.1 percent in 2011.
California was one of seven states where more than half of U.S. union members lived — the others were New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.
North Carolina had the lowest union membership rate at 2.9 percent.
The U.S. union membership rate was 11.8 percent in 2011 and there were 14.8 million union workers in the country, essentially unchanged from 11.9 percent the previous year. But that’s a drop from 1983, the first year for data in the bureau’s study, when the United States had 17.7 million union workers and a union membership rate of 20.1 percent.
Public sector workers belonged to unions at a rate five times higher (37 percent) than private sector workers (6.9 percent) in the United States last year.
Steven E.F. Brown is web editor at the San Francisco Business Times.
That’s why they call it the “Left Coast”! God damn socialists and Saul Alinsky alinskys.
Right Dixie!?
ONE of the nice things about you, semi;
is that you DON’T fly under false colors!!!
“Once a Commie-PINKO-Creep………..!!!”
“Consistency — the bugaboo of……….”
Wishing you a “successful” Ground Hog’s Day!!!!
More cowbell.