Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am outraged, but not surprised, that the political appointees in the EPA's Washington, D.C., office have decided that the Redwood City salt ponds in my district do not include waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act.

This administration has completely hijacked the jurisdictional process away from the experts on the ground, putting politics ahead of science. No surprise.

Stunningly, after experts at the EPA's Region 9 had drafted a determination in 2016 that came to a completely opposite conclusion, the EPA trampled on that evidence-based determination.

The administration was, no doubt, counting on the fact that the draft would not be released to the public. Well, I am not willing to allow that to happen.

Let the Record reflect that, after being designated an EPA special case, Region 9 experts conducted an extensive review of the property and finally concluded that 1,270 acres within the Redwood City salt ponds property are, in fact, waters of the United States for the following reasons.

First, the tidal channels within the property were part of the traditionally navigable waters of the San Francisco Bay and were not converted to ``fast land'' or ``dry solid upland'' prior to the enactment of the Clean Water Act. This is because waters that have been severed from tidal influence but are regularly inundated are not fast lands.

Secondly, the salt ponds in their current condition have been shown to be navigable in the past and could be used in interstate or foreign commerce with reasonable improvements, such as removing levees. In fact, large portions of former salt ponds in proximity to the site have been restored to tidal marshes.

Third, the salt ponds are impoundments of water otherwise defined as waters of the United States.

Finally, the salt ponds have significant nexus to the traditionally navigable waters of the adjacent San Francisco Bay, providing food and habitat to certain species of microorganisms, invertebrates, and birds.

The most recent EPA determination directly contradicts the findings of Region 9 experts, but it is completely in line with this administration's record of gutting environmental protections in the name of corporate interests.

I realize that this administration struggles to recognize any body of water that is not a murky, scum-filled swamp, but I refuse to let this 180-degree political flip-flop occur without public disclosure. Believe me, the decision by Administrator Wheeler is a flop. That is why I am submitting this draft determination in its entirety for the public record.

Draft Redwood City Salt Ponds JD

Executive Summary

This document constitutes the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency's (EPA) determination of the federal jurisdictional

status of the Redwood City Salt Ponds for purposes of the

Clean Water Act (CWA). This CWA jurisdictional determination

applies to the Redwood City Salt Ponds property (``Redwood

City Salt Ponds'' or ``the Property'') depicted in Figure 1.

The Property is approximately 1,365 contiguous acres adjacent

to Westpoint Slough, a part of San Francisco Bay, located

near Seaport Boulevard, Redwood City, San Mateo County,

California. Within the boundaries of the subject area,

approximately 95 acres of the Property are not ``waters of

the United States'' where they are above the High Tide Line

on the outer side of the perimeter levees bounding the

Property, and above the Ordinary High Water Mark on the levee

interiors. These non-jurisdictional areas consist of levees,

building pads and other features converted to fast land

before passage of the CWA.

The remaining estimated 1,270 acres within the subject area

are ``waters of the United States'' as defined by the CWA,

because: (1) the tidal channels within the Redwood City Salt

Ponds were part of the traditionally navigable waters of San

Francisco Bay, and were not converted to fast land prior to

enactment of the CWA; (2) the salt ponds in their current

condition have been shown to be navigable in fact, and are

susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce with

reasonable improvements; (3) the salt ponds are impoundments

of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United States;

and (4) the salt ponds have a significant nexus to the

traditionally navigable waters of the adjacent San Francisco

Bay.

Complete text can be found on https://speier.house.gov/ media-center/press-releases)

Madam Speaker, today, we commemorate the 31st anniversary of the Sumgait pogroms, which saw the murder, abuse, and eventual expulsion of Armenian Christians living in Azerbaijan and Nagorno- Karabakh solely based on their Armenian identity. The Azeri government cannot be allowed to continue denying its role in instigating these atrocities and allowing them to continue, especially in light of similar efforts to target Armenians by Azerbaijan today. I hold memories of the Sumgait victims close to my heart, they motivate me to fight for the rights for Armenians and all people.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, March 4, 2019, and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Madam Speaker, today I have the great honor of reading again along with my colleague, Angie Craig, ``I Am Jazz.'' It is a book about a transsexual young boy who becomes a young girl.

``I am Jazz.

``For as long as I can remember, my favorite color has been pink. My second-favorite color is silver and my third favorite color is green.

``Here are some of my other favorite things: dancing, singing, back flips, drawing, soccer, swimming, makeup, and pretending I'm a pop star.

``Most of all, I love mermaids. Sometimes I even wear a mermaid tail in the pool.

``My best friends are Samantha and Casey. We always have fun together. We like high heels and princess gowns, or cartwheels and trampolines.

``But I am not exactly like Samantha and Casey.

``I have a girl brain but a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Krista Joy Martinelli as she ends her service as City Clerk of the City of South San Francisco. It's unusual to have an attorney as a city clerk, but Krista is unusually committed to helping others.

A California city clerk has many important duties. The clerk runs local elections, documents the development and passage of local ordinances, provides public records under the Public Records Act and the Political Reform Act, and ensures that public meetings are held in compliance with California's open meeting law known as the Brown Act. On ceremonial occasions, the clerk's office will often organize events. In all circumstances, a city clerk must be accountable to the public and supportive of the efficient operations of all city departments.

Krista Martinelli excelled in the performance of her duties. As an attorney, she recognized that a foundation of good government is accurate recordkeeping and ready access to information by all. As the duties of her job multiplied under numerous new mandates, she and her team managed compliance despite a tripling of compliance obligations. She advocated for the public and offered efficient administration of local elections. Residents could always count on Krista to produce records in a timely and accurate manner.

In her extended professional life, Krista served on numerous statewide committees that support the duties of a city clerk, including the League of California Cities' Administrative Policy Committee and she worked in the state legislature to support needed changes in the law. As if all that wasn't enough to occupy her time, she has co- authored five publications and authored two.

She is leaving public life to again work as an attorney and to advocate for children with special education needs. Her hard-working autistic son, Noah, is the inspiration for her next phase in life. Using skills honed as a seasoned litigator during her early years out of law school, she will be negotiating and mediating on behalf of children who need representation before school districts. She will be a powerful advocate for parents seeking equal education opportunities for their children. She hopes to build collaborative relationships between teachers, school administrators and parents throughout all phases of the IEP process. She holds a BS in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She is a member of the State Bar of California.

Life tosses us curveballs. In Krista's case, she's excelled in every undertaking. Now, out of dedication to others like Noah, she will begin a new phase and we will all be better off due to this new way in which she will serve the public's interest. We want to thank her husband, Greg Elliott, and her children Noah, Lucca, Santino, and Pia, who have allowed us to share Krista's time with them. She is a woman of faith and active in All Soul's Church. Her faith and her optimism will buoy her during this next adventure. I have always been impressed with Krista, her work ethic and professionalism. We in the community wish her well and we are blessed that she will remain a neighbor and friend for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Sue Digre for her 16 outstanding years of service on the Pacifica City Council, three times as mayor. Sue's compassion for others and her love of community have shaped her public service and dedication to keep Pacifica a livable and lovable town on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. It is her firm belief that Pacifica's environment with stunning ocean views, coastal hills, and family-friendly neighborhoods is its most valuable asset.

Sue deserves much credit for the current upgrades and repaving of Highway 1 by Caltrans. This ambitious project will renew ten miles of Highway 1 from Gray Whale Cove to the Highway 1/280 interchange, the first time in over 20 years that the main road through Pacifica will be repaved end-to-end instead of in sections. The finished project will be hugely beneficial to the 250th Commemoration of the Ohlone-Portola Heritage Trail in 2019, an event Sue has lobbied for since 2014.

Sue was also instrumental in helping the Pacifica Historical Society turn the Little Brown Church into a beautiful coastal museum and event space. The Manor Beach Park, brainchild of the late Councilman Jim Vreeland, was completed in part due to Sue's efforts.

A tireless advocate for our youth, Sue feels it is important that they be given an opportunity to speak for themselves. She helped create the Youth Advisory Board in 2011, and a representative of the board now has a seat on the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission. She supported TRUST, Teens are Unbelievably Strong Together, in their work surveying transportation needs for youth and seniors which temporarily led to shuttles in Pacifica.

Sue understands that small businesses are the lifeblood of her town and has consistently listened to their owners' needs. She also spearheaded Pacifica's membership in the San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Visitors Bureau which brings the town attention from visitors throughout the region.

While Pacifica's geography makes it one of the most spectacular communities in San Mateo County, it also makes it vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion. In 2016, fierce El Nino storms pounded the coast and damaged the seawall. Sue, along with the entire council and city staff, reached out to the City of San Francisco, the State of California and the federal government for assistance. To this day, my office is deeply involved in finding solutions to these ongoing challenges.

My office has also worked closely with Sue and the council to reduce the relentless airplane noise that has been plaguing Pacifica neighborhoods for years. Sue has been a fierce advocate for Pacificans on the disastrous health impacts of airplane noise that the FAA must address.

Susan Anne Lockard was born in Youngstown, Ohio and, as a Navy child, attended schools all across the country and world, from Ohio to North Carolina to Hawaii to Japan to Illinois to California. She earned her B.A. in Biology with a minor in Philosophy and a California State Life Credential from the Women's College of Notre Dame in Belmont. She started teaching general education classes throughout California for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1960. In 1968 she moved to Burlingame and taught at Mercy elementary and high schools until 1999.

In 1977, she married Erick L. Digre. They have four children, Colleen, Sean, Michael and Scott. Sean and Michael serve in the military and were deployed after 9/11. Sue reached out to other mothers through the local paper, the Pacifica Tribune, to co-found the Pacifica Military Moms. This effort led to its incorporation as the San Mateo County Blue Star Moms.

Since 1999, Sue has served as the Family Support Services and Advocacy Department Director for PARCA, Partners and Advocates for Remarkable Children and Adults. She has also volunteered for numerous organizations including the Burlingame Civic Action Forum, the Pacifica Open Space Committee, and the Sierra Club. As is obvious from this list, Sue is deeply dedicated to serving her community and supporting those in need.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor a great community leader and personal friend, Sue Digre. We hail her contributions to Pacifica residents and visitors that will remain long after she retires from the city council. It's been my privilege to work with her for many years and I have no doubt that she will continue her civic engagement in her beloved home town.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Donna Rutherford who is leaving the city council of East Palo Alto after a total of 25 years of service to the residents of her remarkable community. Donna is a steady voice of reason and a warm, committed person who welcomes all who enjoy her city's diversity, opportunity, and vitality.

East Palo Alto is a city in the midst of great change. As a town of nearly 30,000, the community is at the crossroads of two major highways, deep in the heart of Silicon Valley. Donna Rutherford understands that the economic forces shaping East Palo Alto must not be allowed to change the diverse population of the community but instead be harnessed to create opportunity for all its residents.

Central to opportunity is housing, and as a councilwoman Donna Rutherford advocated for and supported the construction of affordable housing for all populations. While Mayor, she approved of, and then joined in turning the ground for, a long-awaited senior project-- University Avenue Senior Housing. On the council, she consistently spoke about the need to develop the city's parcel on Weeks Street, a project that will come to fruition in the next few years thanks in part to her vote. She also supported the use of a city-controlled lot that will soon become a supervised, nighttime parking location for residents living in their recreational vehicles.

Her dedication to opportunity did not begin with the council. As a school volunteer while her children were in elementary school, she attended school board meetings so frequently that some thought she was a district employee. She ran for the school board and was successful, serving from 1988 to 2000, including some of the most difficult years of school funding by the state.

At one point, students approached the city council with a study showing that East Palo Alto had more liquor stores per capita than surrounding communities. The council took note, and Donna celebrated their investment of time and energy, noting years later that students have so much potential to make a difference. Liquor stores have gradually given way to a thriving retail center, a hotel and office complex and other improvements to East Palo Alto's quality of life.

As a councilmember, Donna Rutherford represented the city on the San Mateo County Vector Control District board, as an alternate on C/CAG-- an agency formed from cities throughout San Mateo County, on the county library board, and the wastewater management board. She is also the city's alternate on numerous other important boards impacting the quality of life of residents.

Mr. Speaker and Members, East Palo Alto is definitely a city on the move. It will miss the leadership of Donna Rutherford, but her moral authority and authentic voice of concern, filled with wisdom, will continue for many years to come. She once noted of her childhood neighborhood, Hunters Point, that she loved living near the bay. The winds sometimes blow hard across both Hunters Point and East Palo Alto, two communities with a vast bay shoreline, but the winds will never extinguish the will to serve that lives within the heart of Donna Rutherford. Donna Rutherford is a friend and colleague whose guidance I will miss as East Palo Alto continues to evolve. I know she will still be available to offer her sage advice.

As she retires from the council, I wish her, her husband, Joe, and her children Trevor, Roxanne, and Damaris well in the years to come and we know that new adventures await this relentless leader of East Palo Alto.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Richard Cline as he concludes his service on the City Council of Menlo Park. He leaves a record of passionate commitment to the priorities of housing, transportation and education.

A few years ago, as the economy was finally recovering, Councilman Cline and I visited a large development for seniors. It sits on a main entrance to the Belle Haven neighborhood. Sequoia Belle Haven offers 90 deeply discounted apartments to seniors, plus amenities such as organized events and access to public transit. It is a model that reflects the commitment of the entire city to its elderly, low income population. Councilman Cline was very proud, and rightfully so. As a member of the council, he knew many long-time Menlo Park residents who would benefit by moving to this new development.

He was also very enthusiastic about building housing at the site of an abandoned school located in Menlo Park. It appears that the district and the city have agreed that this would be a good site for faculty/ staff housing, and that the site has since been cleared in preparation for future development. During his 12 years on the council, he supported the revitalization of the downtown plan which included hundreds of new housing units.

In Menlo Park, parks and recreation are treasured. Councilman Cline helped guide the city council during a period of significant construction on the Burgess Campus, the passage of bonds for a sports field, and construction of an ever-expanding bike lane system.

The City of Menlo Park is blessed with exploding economic development. As a councilmember who sat on the council through the Great Recession and who had to make very painful cuts to the city's budget in order to deliver balanced budgets for 10 of his 12 years of service, Rich Cline has seen both sides of the economic cycle. He supported tiered pensions for sustainability and worked hard with his colleagues to ensure that prudent reserves were created during times when property and sales taxes rise.

He advocated for smart growth along transportation corridors and for mitigations to the Facebook development that would put housing closer to the campus, create shuttles, and potentially reactivate a rail line across the bay to reduce vehicle traffic. At some point, long- anticipated improvements to the Willow Road overcrossing will be finalized. While Rich Cline will not be on the council when the intersection is opened, his support was vital to ensuring that this community-wide benefit is implemented.

In his elections to the council, he was variously supported by the Sierra Club and labor, community leaders and businesses. Rich Cline is a pragmatist and a respectful leader, which is part of the reason that his colleagues elected him Mayor of Menlo Park on three separate occasions.

As he retires from the council to concentrate on his business and family, we want to thank his wife Julie, and their three children, Maria, Chiara and Gina, for allowing Rich to spend so much time on public affairs during these three terms on the council. He will be missed as he leaves an indelible impact on Menlo Park. His service is an excellent example of the quality of local leadership that exists in San Mateo County, and of the strength of democracy in cities throughout America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Pradeep Gupta as he departs the South San Francisco city council. Councilman Gupta served four years during a time of enormous change in South San Francisco, and previously served for three years as a planning commissioner.

South San Francisco is a city of 67,000 with a long and colorful history. Immigrants settled in the early 1900's and were the backbone of a thriving industrial hub. The city was once home to steel mills, meat packing plants, and paint manufacturers, among many industrial enterprises. Today, South San Francisco is universally recognized as the biotechnology capital of the world, and the founding location of the biotechnology industry with Genentech's establishment in 1976 in the city's Oyster Point area.

Pradeep Gupta fits well with his city's history. In 1964, he arrived in the United States from India with a superb education and ambition, but little money. He attended Purdue and obtained his MSEE in 1966 and his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1969. He had a successful engineering career around the globe working with Southern California Edison, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and as a consultant to USAID and the World Bank on international energy projects. Ultimately, Pradeep and his wife, Kumkum, settled in South San Francisco.

Councilman Gupta is a scientist at heart, and a leader in growing the connections between industry and local schools. He initiated the Steering Committee on Biotechnology, Workforce and Education. He worked hard with the Genentech Foundation so that a new $7.9 million biotechnology laboratory at South San Francisco High School could be approved and constructed. Today's students in South San Francisco schools come from around the globe. Councilman Gupta is living proof that America thrives when its immigrants have opportunity. Extending this lesson to others, and using his position on the council for educational advocacy, is a passion of Councilman Gupta.

Population growth is rarely without conflict. Historically, South San Francisco has extended the hand of welcome to new arrivals and allowed for the construction of ample housing at affordable prices. In recent years, global capital flowing into the biotechnology sector has brought explosive employment growth to the east side of the city. Councilman Gupta was far-sighted enough to welcome new, high density housing in the city's core and around the train station so that employees could find homes near their jobs. On numerous occasions over the years, Councilman Gupta remarked to me or to my staff about how troubled he was by the hardships created by skyrocketing rental and homeownership costs. He can be proud that developments near the core and near the BART station around Chestnut and the El Camino Real will allow many families to settle and work in the community.

San Mateo County is one of a few communities to have created its own electricity aggregator. Peninsula Clean Energy delivers greener, less expensive electricity than the existing utility. Councilman Gupta, with his extensive history in the industry, was an invaluable contributor to the effort to bring this service to San Mateo County residents.

Among his many responsibilities on the council, he has served as a board member of the Association of Bay Area Governments, as the Chair of the Economic Strategy Group, as Mayor in 2017, and as a board member of the C/CAG Resource Management and Climate Protection Committee. He performs all these official duties while also being a loving father to his children Seema and Susheem, and a loving grandfather to grandson David and granddaughters Riya, Raveena, and Nadia.

I closing, I want to remark upon the goodwill and grace of Pradeep Gupta. He is my friend, and I've known him to be passionate, but I've never seen him cross. I've known him to be energetic, but he's always organized. His constituents recognize him as highly educated but nonetheless a man who easily relates to others. In short, he is a quintessential leader of South San Francisco--outgoing, responsive to community needs, and deeply devoted to his family. As he closes this chapter in his life, others will open.

I spent my childhood in this city, and despite all of the outward change the community remains rooted in family, faith and country. In sum, South San Francisco, the Industrial City, is a place of generous, loving people vigorously engaged in the enterprise of building the United States of America. Pradeep Gupta will be remembered by his neighbors and friends as a master builder.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Liza Normandy for her five years of service on the South San Francisco City Council, including this year as the Mayor. Liza is firmly committed to keeping South San Francisco diverse and thriving so that all residents can live, work and eventually retire in this San Francisco Peninsula town of 67,000.

Mayor Normandy has been a strong advocate for affordable housing, solutions to the gridlock on our roads, infrastructure upgrades, youth and senior programs and fiscal responsibility. During her tenure on the council she served on the Community Development Block Grant Subcommittee, the Downtown Subcommittee, the Financial/Budget/Audit/ Investment Subcommittee, the Harbor District Liaison Subcommittee and the South San Francisco School District Liaison Subcommittee. She also represented South City on the Airport Land Use Committee, the Housing Our People Effectively (HOPE) Leadership Committee, the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, the SFO Airport Community Roundtable, the San Mateo County Emergency Services Council and the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) of San Mateo County.

As a proud mother of two, Thomas and Ariel, Liza has also been a tireless champion of education. She served on the South San Francisco Unified School District Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2013, two of them as president. Her focus was on preparing our students for successful and productive careers in the 21st century by modernizing school sites, promoting STEM and arts education, and balancing budgets. Liza understands full well that education is the foundation for the success of our future generations.

Liza was the first Asian-American elected to the school board, the second Asian-American elected to the city council, and only the third woman to serve on the council. For the last two years, she spearheaded the South San Francisco Women's Networking Forum, a series of evening forums designed to motivate women to get involved in local government. During the same period, Liza became an ordained minister and officiated seven weddings.

Originally from Pusan, Korea, Liza immigrated to the U.S. and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1991. She is currently pursuing a degree in Human and Social Sciences.

With that many professional obligations, it is hard to imagine where Liza finds any spare time to volunteer but she does give her energy and expertise to the South San Francisco Asian Alliance, of which she is a founding member, the Police Athletic League Boosters, Friends of the Library, the Historical Society and Friends of Parks & Recreation, among others.

Liza departs from the council to pursue her current position as CEO of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce which will allow her to stay actively involved in our community. Her goal to improve the quality of life for all residents of South City hasn't changed and we will continue to benefit from her leadership and engagement.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Members of the House of Representatives to join me in thanking Liza Normandy for her twelve years of public service to South San Franciscans of all ages, backgrounds and cultures. I commend her for her contributions and wish her well in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Kirsten Keith, a great community leader and personal friend, for her eight years of outstanding service on the Menlo Park City Council, two terms as Mayor. Kirsten decided to run for city council in 2010 during one the worst years of the Great Recession when the city and the region were in distress. Her willingness to step up to serve her community during tough times exemplifies her unwavering commitment and determination to help others.

Kirsten was instrumental in steering Menlo Park's budget from deficit, due to the Great Recession, into recovery. She served on the Finance and Audit Committee and the Business Development Council Subcommittee and she represented Menlo Park in the Association of Bay Area Governments.

She and her council colleagues hired now-former city manager Alex McIntyre to build a 21st century organization. Today, Menlo Park has a population of 34,000 people. Facebook, its largest employer with 15,000 employees, moved to the city in 2011 when Kirsten was Mayor the first time. The city is also home to financial and investment powerhouses such as Intuit, numerous major venture capital firms, and the Stanford National Accelerator Laboratory.

In recent years, the explosion in employment outpaced the construction of residential units and has led in part to our housing crisis and gridlock on our roads. Eighty percent of the traffic in Menlo Park neither begins nor ends within its borders. Kirsten has been a fierce advocate for affordable housing and improvements to reduce traffic congestion, notably supporting transit-oriented housing along the El Camino Real.

Kirsten's tenure on the council is the continuation of more than two decades of public service and volunteering for numerous organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. She was appointed to the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women in 1996 where she served for eight years, two as chair. In 1997, she joined the board of the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo and continues to serve on the Fundraising Luncheon Committee. She served on the Community Mediation Services Committee, the Housing Committee and the Planning Commission. She also joined the boards of Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), the Service League of San Mateo County, the City/ County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA), the Dumbarton Rail Policy Committee, the County of Santa Clara Community Resources Group for Stanford University, the Grand Boulevard Task Force, and the San Francisquito Joint Powers Authority. She represents Menlo Park on the Caltrain Modernization Local Policy Group.

As you can surmise from this long list, Kirsten's energy is inexhaustible. She is always the first to raise her hand to volunteer or tackle an issue--and she does it with a warm smile on her face.

Kirsten earned her B.A. in Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her J.D. in Law with Public Interest Law Award from Golden Gate University, School of Law. As an attorney, she has practiced immigration and family law and has made it her mission for twenty years to defend indigent clients in criminal court.

While Kirsten's time on the council is coming to an end, I know she will continue to stay engaged as a community leader and fight for justice and a better quality of life for all residents of our region. She will also have a little more time for her beloved husband John and daughter Claire and son Liam, who allowed Kirsten to spend countless hours in city council and committee meetings, serving the public.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in thanking an outstanding community leader and colleague Kirsten Keith for her stellar service to the residents of Menlo Park. She can look back to 2010 when her hometown was crumbling under the pressure of the recession and feel proud that it is today a thriving city. Her contributions have left an indelible mark and will be felt for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Peter Ohtaki of Menlo Park who is departing the city council after eight years in service to its residents. In 2010, Peter Ohtaki filed to run for the council. These were some of the worst years of the Great Recession, and the city's budget was in distress. It would have been easy for Peter to wait for a less challenging time to run, but instead he stepped up to serve his community. He came in first among six candidates for three seats. He was subsequently re-elected in 2014 and has served twice as Mayor.

From 2007 through 2010, Peter was also elected to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District board of directors and served as the President in 2010. Peter served on the Finance Committee and oversaw a balanced $32 million budget at the district. With Peter's leadership and financial background, the district paid down 78 percent of its $13 million pension obligation, saving the district millions in interest costs.

The recession of 2010 was a heavy blow to the city's finances, but since that time the recovery of the national economy has brought traffic to a standstill at commute hours. There are no easy or inexpensive choices regarding traffic in a city growing due to global innovation and the physical expansion of this globe's pre-eminent social media company, Facebook. As Peter Ohtaki noted, 80 percent of all traffic in the city neither begins nor ends within its borders.

To improve mobility, he supported an undercrossing at the Ravenswood/ El Camino Real intersection so that residents could bypass the wait at Caltrain. He supported housing along the transit corridor and improvements to signs so that traffic would be less likely to cut through the Allied Arts and Belle Haven neighborhoods. He was a strong supporter of the Downtown Specific Plan that will allow the city's businesses and tax base to thrive. Residents may take a short drive downtown instead of going to surrounding communities for services.

During his terms in office, Mayor Ohtaki was also known for his respect for all during public meetings, his commitment to community safety and improved emergency response capacities, his devotion to balanced budgets and prudent reserves, and his willingness to work with the fire protection district to enhance protection for all residents.

Peter grew up in Menlo Park, attending both La Entrada Middle School and Woodside High School. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Peter and his wife Julie have three children, Robby, Nicolee and Trey, in Menlo Park public schools. Now that he is leaving public life, he may spend more time with his family. We deeply appreciate their dedication to public life and are grateful that they allowed Peter to serve despite the sacrifices in time that every family endures when someone serves in public office.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Menlo Park are highly educated, passionate about their beliefs, and deeply engaged in national and local public affairs. Peter is a stellar example of that. He may look back at where he started--with the budget in tatters and basic services in retreat-- and relish that he helped guide Menlo Park through recovery and into prosperity. I wish him well in his next adventure during the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Larry Patterson as he departs his position of City Manager after 18 years of stellar service in that role and as Public Works Director for the residents of San Mateo. His retirement has been planned for a while, but this does not make his departure any easier for those of us who've known this man for decades.

Larry has a reputation for taking on the toughest tasks of city governance. Thanks in great part to his efforts, the city's former racetrack, Bay Meadows, has been transformed into a 21st century hub of high technology, housing and transportation-related businesses. Where ponies once trotted, Survey Monkeys now play. While many councils and staff contributed to this transformation, the roads, sewers, water, and rail station placement were heavily influenced by the expert vision of Larry Patterson.

San Mateo has several areas that flood. Larry was a champion of these residents through many years of heavy rains or drought. Every City Manager or Public Works Director must also be cognizant of the federal Clean Water Act and the responsibilities of the city under that law. In alliance with Foster City, Larry Patterson devoted countless hours to the development and construction of a $1 billion + wastewater treatment plant improvement project that will soon allow residents to comply with federal law and to protect our environment for decades to come.

Some little boys really don't grow up, and Larry Patterson's interest in transportation--including trains and roads--illustrates that phenomenon wonderfully. Under Larry's stewardship, and in alliance with Caltrain, San Mateo replaced four rail bridges including one that had long given expensive haircuts to oversized trucks. During his tenure, the city began planning for the impacts ofhigh speed rail and brought the grade separation project at 25th Avenue into construction. The intersection of Highway 92 and El Camino Real was a proverbial gleam in the eye of most San Mateo leadership, but Larry Patterson pushed forward over years and ultimately, in alliance with his highly capable staff, created an interchange that replaced a confusing cloverleaf with a safe intersection that efficiently serves the entire county.

Larry is not all about roads, bridges and rail. He's also a man of the people. San Mateo's Spanish-speaking residents increasingly have their voices heard in city hall because Larry began a program, in alliance with the San Mateo Adult School, to teach Spanish speakers in the city about city government. I should also note his service to the people of Half Moon Bay while on the City Council during the 1990's. It was an extraordinary time in that city's history. As a city manager Larry is, in effect, a ``two-fer'' for any city councilmember because he's walked in their shoes.

In the past year or so, Larry embarked upon a special assignment, in part at my request. He leads a countywide effort to create a flood and sea level rise resilience district. This district, once formed, will permit San Mateo County to play in the big leagues by securing Army Corps and other federal and state funding. San Mateo County is ground zero in California for sea level rise. Larry waded into this difficult discussion so that future generations in San Mateo County would not have to wade across incoming tides to get to their homes and places of work.

Mr. Speaker, San Mateo has been well served by Larry Patterson. He became City Manager at a time when the economy was accelerating, but he also worked as a senior manager during the darkest days of this nation's recession. He navigated public challenges brilliantly during his years with the city and has now earned a standing ovation for his good humor and great accomplishments across decades. He leaves behind a strong team and a grateful city council and community. He personifies the term public service. We wish Larry Patterson well in the years ahead. He is an outstanding leader, friend, and American.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor John Seybert who is leaving the city council of Redwood community, he has served as a councilmember since 2009. He also served as Mayor from 2015 to 2017. His public service began in 2001 when he joined the Planning Commission. When the Great Recession arrived, John stepped up to the challenge as he joined the city council and was immediately confronted with difficult choices to make in the city's budget. His candidacy for council was a very important act of leadership during a time of great stress.

John is passionate about people, buildings, and the quality of life of city residents. He initially moved to Redwood City to lead the development of housing for his then-employer, and he never departed from that commitment to people and their basic needs. Under the leadership of John and his fellow councilmembers, they devised a way to encourage housing development in the downtown that has led to an increase of thousands in the city's core.

Where once the city's downtown was known locally for its bleak storefronts and failing attractions, today's downtown Redwood City is vibrant, bustling and attractive to families and to young people alike. From the major cinema to the history museum to the entry of major employers such as Box.com, John has played a decisive role in ensuring that Broadway moved from darkened storefronts into a blaze of prosperous businesses and nighttime lights and joyous visitors.

I want to note that it takes an especially dedicated local official to join the board of directors of a wastewater treatment entity. John joined with relish and brought his building experience to bear on the board of the Silicon Valley Clean Water Agency. During his service, major upgrades of the system were commenced or completed and the agency's finances remained sound despite the challenges of a recession and the ever-present threat of litigation.

John also served on the council's utilities committee, personnel committee, city-owned property committee, and the 101/Woodside Road Interchange Committee. He served on the Airport Land Use Committee, the Belmont/Redwood Shores School District Committee, and on the board of our local housing nonprofit, HEART.

In his regular work, John is the facilities manager for our public transit agency, SamTrans. His professional and public work are only made possible by the support of his wife, Donna, as well as his daughters Jessi, Heather and Megan, and his granddaughter, Molly. John's life is full by any measure.

As we take the measure of departing city councilmember John Seybert, I want to note that he's been a thoughtful and respectful colleague and representative. It may be difficult to serve in public life during our modern era, but John has demonstrated that service may be performed in such a manner as to build the public's confidence in the institution of local government. The residents of Redwood City and the county owe John Seybert thanks for his example, and we wish him well as he removes himself from the dais to begin the next phase of his life, that of private citizen deeply dedicated to the public's best interests.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Jeff Gee who is leaving the city council of Redwood City, a community he has served as a councilmember since 2009. He has also served twice as Mayor, in 2014 and 2015. However, the beginning of his public service was 20 years ago when he served on the Architectural Review Board and later on the Planning Commission. He was particularly well prepared for the city council when he entered office during that difficult year of 2009.

Redwood City is growing rapidly under global influences. It is also composed of young and old, many families and newly-arrived singles. According to the Census Bureau, its population has increased 15% since Jeff Gee joined the council. Box.com, Google, dozens of pharmaceutical and biotechnology startups, two major hospitals, a shipping port, and a regional transportation hub now fuel the city's growth.

In the downtown area, thousands of new apartments dot the landscape. During the Great Recession, the city council adopted a downtown plan that offered 20 years of planning certainty to potential investors. When the economy took off, developers created 20 years of growth in less than a decade. Jeff and his colleagues on the council played a major role in shaping the modem downtown of Redwood City.

On the east side of Highway 101 is a road lined with trailer parks. During his time on the council, Jeff was a strong advocate for residents whose trailer parks became filled with floodwaters during severe winter storms. His advocacy led to an effort by multiple agencies to construct the Bayfront Canal project which will allow water to be accepted by the existing canal and to be funneled to an adjacent salt pond to prevent flooding of the residents. These parks, which I have personally toured, are filled with children and hardworking heads of households. They owe Jeff Gee a major vote of thanks for his efforts to normalize their lives.

In addition to local advocacy, Jeff represented Redwood City and San Mateo County on numerous multi-jurisdictional and regional boards. Among his thousands of hours

of public service, he can count his time on the SamTrans Board of Directors, Director and Past-Chairman of the board of the Caltrain Joint Powers Authority, and Past President of the San Francisco Airport Community Roundtable. He is also a statewide leader where he currently serves as President of the League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, and on the League's Public Safety Policy Committee.

Jeff Gee is a sincere and intelligent person who can wax poetic about transit. Jeff is a transit nerd's best friend, and I think that he's probably never met a wheelchair lift mechanism that didn't fascinate him. One could easily imagine a much younger Jeff Gee running up to a neighborhood ice cream truck, ordering an ice cream, and then closely examining the truck's tires to determine if the depth of tread remained safe for operation of the vehicle.

His reliability as a leader is evidenced by numerous volunteer positions that he's held in his community over many years. He was an officer in several homeowner associations, serves on a community college advisory board, and is a board member and/or trustee for a local nonprofit and a local university. His role in the Chamber of Commerce led to him being named Citizen of the Year in 2006. During all of this time, he's been a senior manager/architect at a major construction company.

Redwood City's official slogan is ``Climate Best By Government Test.'' There is also a test of dedication to a community's future, and Jeff Gee scores an A+ on that test. I will miss him as an articulate and talented leader who went about his tasks as a community leader with little fanfare or interest in personal aggrandizement. As he leaves the public realm to rejoin his wife, Judie, and his children Christopher and Elizabeth as a private resident, he can leave office knowing that his community is thriving because he guided its evolution toward a healthy and dynamic future.