SAN BRUNO — Survivors of the deadly pipeline explosion were clear in their message to city leaders Wednesday night: hand out immediately the roughly $395,000 in donations that poured in after the disaster.
Their words came during a meeting on what do to do with money where city officials promised they would make a decision soon–as early as Tuesday.
Some survivors of the Sept. 9 blast that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes have complained fiercely that the money has not been given to victims in need nearly four months after the explosion.
Despite an evident push to act quickly, no firm proposal had emerged by the end of the forum that drew roughly 100 people to the senior center on Crystal Spring Road. A final decision on what to do with the money will be made the City Council.
Council members Michael Salazar and Irene O’Connell, who are charged with coming up with proposals for the donations, told the crowd that the task of handing out the money is an intricate one fraught with pitfalls.
“We want to make sure the money gets to people who need it,” said O’Connell.
But one after the other residents expressed anger and impatience over the lack of spending.
“I’m really upset about the City of San Bruno not bringing donations to victims,” said Anna Marie Peponis, who donated money to the city after the blast. “I’d like to know why. That’s shameful.”
Her comments drew applause from the crowd and an explanation from Salazar. He said the blast is a unique situation in which aid has poured in from several sources, including the operator of the exploded pipeline, Pacific Gas and Electric. Also the city had little experience dealing with these types of gifts and the first reaction of the leadership was to wait.
“To this point we haven’t faced a glaring need,” said Salazar.
Some who spoke at the meeting weren’t so sure. Gene O’Neil, whose home was among those destroyed, said he wanted the city to reach out to people and make sure no one was short of cash. He said he had been told some people were given food by a Burlingame church during the holidays.
“You’ve got to find out their needs,” he said.
While there appeared to be consensus that the money should be given to victims of the blast, which is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the meeting did not produce a plan to distribute it. As Salazar thumbed through roughly two dozen suggestion slips that had been filled out by the attendees, he said they bore nearly as many proposals for handing out the donations.
Salazar and O’Connell said the process of giving the money directly to people is complicated by deciding who gets the money and how much. Is it just for people who lost their homes? Or does it go to everyone in the neighborhood? Those questions will have to be resolved by the City Council.
Other ideas — like a memorial, a park, a scholarship fund or beautification projects — were also floated.
“I think we should put part of it (the money) to beautify the neighborhood,” said Mouna Kayed, whose home was not damaged.
But the idea of a park or memorial drew swift criticisms from some in the crowd.
“The needs are with the people, not with the plants,” said Gilda Tarzia, whose home was destroyed. “We don’t want to be reminded. We want to move on.”
Despite the anger and frustration there were compliments for the city from some survivors. One man praised San Bruno’s leaders for holding onto the money, saying that a rush to use the cash would have drawn criticism as well.
“Then we would be hearing how the money was spent wrongly,” said Larry Mak, whose home was not damaged.
The City Council is slated to take up the issue of the donations at their Tuesday meeting. It begins at 7 p.m. in the senior center at 1555 Crystal Springs Road.
Contact Joshua Melvin at 650-348-4335.
