Say this for grizzled Tom Lantos: He doesn’t change, no matter how much his peers like Nancy Pelosi might squirm in private. The longtime Democrat congressman from San Mateo is an adamant hawk when it comes to the Middle East. It’s a very dangerous place, filled with peril and those who despise the democracies of the west. Lantos knows it. A devoted supporter of Israel, the native of Hungary was back on the Peninsula recently. He spent time with constituents and spoke to members of the San Mateo Rotary Club during a luncheon at Dominic’s at the Poplar Creek Golf Course. Much of what he said was not especially new, except for one firm prediction he provided for very public consumption. He declared that, in his view as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the U.S. won’t be bailing out of Iraq en masse any time soon. A quick, total withdrawal is not in the cards, he said. In fact, according to him, America will maintain a military presence in the oil-rich Middle East well into the foreseeable future “as far as the eye can see.” In other words, we are in this thing, like it or not, for the very long haul. That’s not what his local critics on the loud left want to hear. Anti-war pickets continue to parade in front of his San Mateo offices on El Camino Real. Lantos, who turns 80 early next year, has spent 27 years in the House. He is up for re-election in 2008.

Is it possible that a doomed eucalyptus tree will become a decisive factor in the Burlingame City Council election? It’s not out of the question. All three challengers for two seats on that august body _ Peter Comaroto, Gene Condon and Jerry Deal _ have indicated that the current council’s inability to reach a timely decision on the tree’s fate indicates, in their view, an inability to handle the responsibilities of public office expeditiously. Two incumbents, Terry Nagel and Russ Cohen, are seeking re-election Nov. 6. Nagel, as mayor, has been a key figure in stretching out the process that decided the Easton Drive euc’s fate. In the end, it took more than three years to come to a conclusion on the matter. After a great deal of agonizing and what seemed like interminable studies, analyses and delays, she wound up casting the decisive vote to bring in the chainsaws. Cohen has opposed the tree’s removal. But he has not been in the forefront of hastening the process. Far from it. The challengers have expressed the opinion that the council’s behavior is symptomatic of an emphasis on micro-management and the trivial. They may be correct. But it remains to be seen whether all of this will swing the election in the direction of the challengers. The three of them are running against two entrenched incumbents and it is likely that Comaroto, Condon and Deal will wind up fighting each other for the same crucial votes from those unhappy with the performances of Cohen and Nagel.

The November 2007 general election was supposed to be their chance. The Friends of Bay Meadows had promised that, after what happened in 2005 when no one opposed to razing the race track was on the ballot to run for a seat or two on the San Mateo City Council (two write-in candidates in the Friends’ camp were crushed as expected), their next opportunity to make a bold statement would not be wasted. That time is now. So what happened? Instead of coming forward, not a single bonafide anti-development individual has emerged to challenge incumbent councilmen Jack Matthews and John Lee. Not one. All of the bluster, all of the hoopla, all of the media tweaking of the last two years turned out to be nothing more than empty air. It’s rather surprising. The Friends appeared to be getting close to a grassroots movement of sorts. But it never took off. A charismatic, committed leader, or leaders, never emerged. Neither did the necessary dollars to mount a campaign. It didn’t help that the fate of Bay Meadows’ remaining 83 acres of prime land near the Hillsdale Shopping Center was made considerably easier by the fact that attendance for racing is nothing like it was a generation ago. The race track’s allure is long-gone. The community does not appear to be moved by what seems to be a done deal. There are yawns all around. There is one more legal appeal pending on the matter of forcing a referendum on the issue. But that is probably a stretch at this point. The Friends, for all practical purposes, have failed. Their support is thin at best. The wrecking ball is closer than ever.

For roughly 150 years or so, a busy railroad route has existed between San Jose and San Francisco. The current Caltrain setup is nothing new. Far from it. Yet, to hear the complaints about safety leveled at the commuter rail line throughout this decade, you might be tempted to deduce that something radical has changed. Not so. In the past, fast freight trains and express passenger trains like the Lark and Daylight were routine along the Peninsula at all hours of the day and night. So the recent proliferation of Caltrain’s express options is really nothing new. Yes, trains are dangerous. That’s why all of us have been taught from an early age to stay off the tracks, to pay attention to warning bells, horns and even whistles during the age of steam and to give any train a wide berth. Some people, for whatever reason, tempt fate or, sadly, choose to have an onrushing train kill them. No one is happy about either eventuality. But the fact of the matter is that those who are focused and avoid trouble don’t get run down by a locomotive. The idea that deaths along the Caltrain line are the fault of the railroad is faulty logic. The taxpayers can foot the bill for millions of dollars in new fencing, crossing gates, etc. But none of that will matter if a person wanders onto the tracks or does so purposely. It’s a lot like jaywalking and then getting hit by a car. Whose fault is that? You know the answer.

You could make a pretty good argument that Merv Griffin, whose death at the age of 82 was announced today, was the most well-known and successful individual born and raised in the city of San Mateo. He came from middle-class roots on South Humboldt Street and, by the time he turned 19, he was already hosting his own radio show on KFRC in San Francisco during World War II. He got his start performing at places like St. Matthew’s Catholic School and Church and at San Mateo High School. One of his classmates at both institutions was musician Cal Tjader. Griffin went on to achieve a great deal of fame and considerable fortune, in both the world of entertainment and in finance, especially in Southern California real estate. And it all started in San Mateo.