Anna G. Eshoo

Mr. Speaker, the San Mateo Daily Journal, an independent daily newspaper that covers San Mateo County, California, is in its 25th year of publication, covering local news, community events and youth sports. It has become an essential part of the daily life of San Mateo County, and its residents look to it for accurate, fair, relevant and impartial local news. The paper features extensive coverage of high school sports, and offers a variety of opinions from local columnists, such as my long-time friend Mark Simon, as well as a forum for Letters to the Editor and longer perspective pieces. It is an essential source of information for local government, and steadily and responsibly fulfills the watchdog role inherent in a good local newspaper. It is the only local newspaper published in San Mateo County that publishes a daily edition Monday through Friday, and a combined weekend edition that appears Saturdays and Sundays.

The Daily Journal was launched on August 18, 2000, with a news staff of two, plus advertising, production, and circulation staff. Its first edition contained 8 pages and its initial circulation was 5,000. Today, the staff includes up to 20 full-time and part-time employees and contract workers. The Daily Journal averages 28 pages and the circulation ranges from 21,000 to 30,000 daily editions. It is available in local cafes, stores, businesses and public and community gathering places and its digital edition, smdailyjournal.com, averages 750,000 views a month.

Co-Founder Jerry Lee has been the publisher since day one as part of a Berkeley-based organization that expanded its local news model to San Mateo County. In 2006, Lee bought the paper from the founding organization which went out of business, and has been the owner since.

In an era when local newspapers are rapidly disappearing, Lee said, ``We were able to jump out of the gate and be profitable from the beginning,'' a trend that has continued throughout the paper's 25 years.

Editor Jon Mays came to the Daily Journal as Managing Editor in October of 2000 and has served as Editor in Chief since December 2001. Sports Editor Nathan Mollat has been with the newspaper since its founding. His sports pages and the special recognition given to individual athletes weekly, every sports season and annually creates lifetime memories and keepsakes for high school students and their families.

The success of the paper is ``a testament to the people we have here, and the paper owes its success to the unique nature of San Mateo County. The market is more conducive to what we do, and it is one of the most advanced educational areas of the world, but it is still very much a small town--a big city in small-town clothing. The mom-and-pop nature of the paper fits the mom-and-pop nature of the community,'' Lee said.

The Daily Journal contributes to ``the creation of community, bringing people together in an age where there are not enough institutions working to do that. A good local paper is important to have a thriving democracy,'' Lee said.

The paper provides a forum for small to medium-sized advertisers who don't find a place for themselves in larger daily newspapers or see online advertising as too scattered. And the advertising is very much in keeping with the paper's mission as a local resource that promotes a sense of community.

``Local people want to know about services. Advertising is another form of information. A quarter of our advertisers don't need advertising, they just want to support us,'' Lee said.

Here is the stated mission of the Daily Journal:

It is the mission of the Daily Journal to be the most accurate, fair and relevant local news source for those who live, work or play on the San Francisco Peninsula. By combining local news coverage, analysis and insight with the latest business, lifestyle, state, national and world news, we seek to provide our readers with the highest quality information resource in the local area.

Our pages belong to our readers, and we choose to reflect the diverse character of this dynamic and ever-changing community.

The Daily Journal's slogan is: We report to you.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a jewel in the crown of my Congressional District. The San Mateo Daily Journal is a cherished community asset and I am exceedingly proud of all they've accomplished and continue to do as they serve the people of San Mateo County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Karen Chapman, my District Chief of Staff and leader of my exceptional District office team upon her retirement from the federal government.

Karen grew up in San Mateo County and attended local schools. A graduate of Castilleja in Palo Alto, she went on to receive her BA in history with a focus on comparative political systems from the University of Colorado in Boulder. For her senior thesis she conducted research at the University of Kent in Canterbury in conjunction with Cornell University, with the focus of her studies centered on political propaganda. While working on various political campaigns, including my first congressional campaign and later, former Governor Jerry Brown's campaign for State Party Chair, Karen also participated in the Practical Politics Master's Program at San Francisco State University.

During my service on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Karen served as my Executive Assistant and Legislative Aide. At the each Supervisor had only two staff members, demanding that Karen had to do essentially everything. She also managed my schedule, planned events, staffed commission meetings and conducted casework and field work.

When I was elected to Congress in l992, Karen joined me in Washington, D.C. as a senior staffer and helped set up the best office on the Hill. She returned to Palo Alto two years later to be my District Director.

Karen brought her superb leadership and diplomatic skills to the District Office operations and established the best Congressional constituent services operation in the Nation, an organization known for getting things done right, solving difficult problems and treating each constituent with dignity, respect and kindness. My District operation includes Co-Deputy Chiefs of Staff Anne Ream and Patty Kim, Senior Field Representatives Nicholas Hargis and Justin Jeong; and Communications Director Katrina Rill, all of whom are seasoned, engaged and highly professional.

There are many examples of Karen's drive and dedication throughout the years. When the CZU fire devastated parts of my District in Santa Cruz County, Karen led her colleagues in the field, working alongside FEMA and our other partners in government. They worked nights and weekends along with tremendous help from Brian Perkins of Congresswoman Speier's office, staying in the field during the pandemic until all constituents had opened cases with FEMA and received local, state and federal help. Karen builds bridges between people, organizations and agencies, bringing everyone together to find solutions that are practical and that reflect my values.

My Congressional District includes four federal facilities which require consistent support. Karen carried out this support in this ongoing work including advocating for USGS and NASA Ames when each was threatened with significant cuts by various Administrations. Karen staffed me, together with her D.C. counterparts on the fight to preserve the iconic Hangar One and retain the 129th Rescue Wings both located at Moffett Federal Airfield.

Karen has been highly involved in several key projects, including the soon to open National Monument, Cotoni-Coast Dairies near Davenport in Santa Cruz County. She also worked with her D.C. counterparts to staff me for decades of work in the District to electrify Caltrain. This game changing project was completed this year for the Bay Area and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 176,000 metric tons annually.

In true Silicon Valley spirit, our District Office operation has always had an innovative approach toward representing over 740,000 people. We were the first District Office to conduct casework using digital signatures as a result of my legislation establishing their legality. This legislation allowed us to conduct casework via the Internet, reducing processing times and promoting greater efficiency, and saving significant tax dollars. We were the first Congressional Office in the Nation to become a `Green Congressional Office' having worked with property owner Premier Properties. The Eshoo office invested in renewal energy resources, with 100 percent of the energy used by the Eshoo office derived from renewable resources and the office exceeding established green standards. Our office was the first where the Member of Congress established a Congressional Student Advisory Board (SAB) for high school students, giving voice to students about the legislative process. Karen and my team made sure the SAB was robust and every year graduated more than 100 students, while providing resources and information to ensure their success. Each year SAB became more professional and the staff time devoted to it was a significant and worthwhile investment.

During the entirety of the pandemic, Karen's innovative work continued as she remained in the office full time, and staffed me while I ran the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health from my home in San Mateo County. Karen adapted quickly in order for us to remain resilient and nimble, and through her innovation she increased responsiveness and productivity for committee work, casework and fieldwork during the pandemic and beyond in ways that kept my staff safe and healthy while keeping up with the unique challenges of a pandemic and multiple wildfires.

Karen Chapman is a public servant's servant. She's humble, loyal, generous, disciplined, resourceful, and steadfast. Often sought after for her discretion and wise counsel, Karen has also advised campaigns and supported local candidates. She cares deeply about making a difference in people's lives and improving their circumstances. She staffed me on some of my most challenging cases including seeing success for Carl Clark who had been denied by the Navy for his heroism due to racism during World War II, protecting Dr. Christine Ford's identity before she decided to tell her story in public, and making sure my late friend Hank Sciaroni's package was complete to receive the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his courageous heroism when his plane was shot down behind enemy lines during World War II.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to honor and thank Karen Chapman for her extraordinary dedication and exemplary service on behalf of the people I've represented for over three decades. I'm unendingly grateful to her for her sterling leadership, her 32 years of devoted service, and for the gift of her friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an extraordinary member of my congressional staff, Na Young Patty Kim, on the occasion of her retirement after serving as a member of my staff for over 26 years.

Patty was born Na Young Kim in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976 to Chong Seung Kim and Young Suk Kim. In 1985, her parents decided to immigrate to the United States to pursue the American dream for their young daughters, Na Young and Jee Young. Landing first in San Francisco, they eventually settled in Newark, California. Na Young became Patty in the process of learning English and she learned about being a bridge for immigrants like herself while helping her parents navigate the unfamiliar system in America.

Patty graduated from Newark Memorial High School in 1994 and went on to study at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Although she was initially interested tn pursuing Business Economics, Patty developed a passion for political science and opted to study abroad in South Korea at Yonsei University to learn about international relations. She also participated in the University of California Washington Center (UCDC) program and interned with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in the special litigation section. These experiences helped her develop her passion for public service and in 1998, Patty graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a specialization in Business Administration from UCLA.

Following her graduation from UCLA, Patty joined our Palo Alto District Office for the 14th Congressional District of California in the heart of Silicon Valley where she began as a Staff Assistant, moved to be a Scheduler, then a Caseworker, a Constituent Service Director, and now Deputy District Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel. Patty opted to work full time while attending Santa Clara University School of Law, as a part time student. During this time, she studied abroad at Oxford University to obtain a Certificate in International Law and also spent time working for the Federal Public Defender's office in San Jose on a case to help acquit a defendant on death row. After graduating in May 2005, Patty passed the California Bar exam in November and decided to remain in public service as my Counsel. In 2010, she married Steve Yu, a Marine Veteran and entrepreneur, and they have two beautiful children; Gloria and Michaela. While raising her two young children, she continued to work tirelessly to serve constituents in a diverse district encompassing Silicon Valley.

Patty is an exceptional professional who truly understands the important connections between legislative work and constituent services. She works quietly behind the scenes to use her deep knowledge of immigration, tax, telecommunications, and high-tech issues to help those in need. Patty has helped thousands of constituents navigate the federal bureaucracy, has led a casework operation second to none, and been a trusted advisor in times of crisis. Over all the years, Patty has worked effectively with community stakeholders, federal agencies, and constituents to get results. Through it all, she has always been positive, never losing sight of the fact that we are in the business of hope.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the work of Patty Kim as she begins the next exciting chapter of her life. From the 105th Congress to the 118th Congress, Patty Kim has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant and leader by working tirelessly to serve the people of the 14th, 18th, and 16th Congressional District through five administrations. Like so many women, Patty has juggled family commitments with work obligations to make this world a better place for the next generation. The American dream that Patty's parents envisioned for their daughters has been realized and exceeded through her extraordinary life of service. How proud and grateful I am to have had her by my side.