Recognizing Linda Martin Mason Upon Her Departure From the San Bruno City Council

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Linda Martin Mason who served on the San Bruno City Council for three years, the last one as Vice Mayor. The timing of her term was truly challenging because the majority of it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-century event that no city council candidate could have possibly foreseen. Linda, her council colleagues and city staff rose to the occasion and found ways to keep San Bruno residents as safe as possible and to assist small businesses through these difficult years.

The challenges of the pandemic played out in the Mason household. Linda, as General Counsel and Chief People Officer at the Housing Authority of the City and County of San Francisco, was an essential worker and required to work from her office. So too was her husband, Andrew Mason, as the President of the San Bruno Park School District Board of Trustees. Linda and Andrew have two young children, Fabian and Gabriel, now ten and six. Balancing their duties as a council member and trustee while alternating who was working remotely or from the office while also caring for their children whose daycare had been closed due to the pandemic was very difficult and stressful, but with the support of each other, Linda and Andrew managed. We owe them both a big debt for their unwavering service.

During her time on the council, Linda and her colleagues were very productive. They negotiated a community benefits package with one of San Bruno's top employers, YouTube, that will result in $54 million coming to the city and create a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly office park and community space in the Bayhill neighborhood. The construction of the new Recreation and Aquatic Center, funded by a PG&E settlement after the tragic pipeline explosion in 2010 that killed eight residents, is on time and within budget. The council successfully placed a transit occupancy tax measure on the ballot that will bring the tax to industry standards. They also negotiated with WalMart to bring over $3 million in additional tax revenue to the city. This year I was pleased that the House of Representatives approved almost half a million dollars in Community Project Funding for wildfire prevention for the cities of San Bruno and Belmont. Additionally, we voted to approve $2.4 million to the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County that would address flood control issues in San Bruno. It's now up to the U.S. Senate to approve this funding.

The council enacted an emergency ordinance to protect small businesses from being evicted during the pandemic. Outdated rules were updated so that small restaurants downtown are now allowed to open without having to create parking. The council created a much-needed street paving schedule and supported $6 million in funding this year.

Linda didn't hesitate to initiate or lead projects. Local press reports that Linda jumpstarted the negotiations with Artichoke Joe's which will provide about a million additional dollars to the city. She was also instrumental in securing $200,000 in county funds to beautify Posey Park and to fix a non-working fountain. Linda was a strong proponent for 12-year term limits for council council members and mayors, a measure that passed by more than 80 percent.

Always advocating for transparency, equity and good governance, Linda has successfully pushed for more diversity on committees. commissions, and boards. She also advocated for stricter accountability measures from the San Bruno Foundation to assure grants are utilized as intended. Thanks to her, all foundation meetings are now recorded and available for public viewing. As a parent with children in public schools, Linda pushed for open communication and partnership between the school district and the city. The city manager and superintendent now meet regularly and during the pandemic, the city provided its internet service to low-income students who lacked internet access during the lockdown. Linda introduced the idea of the Peninsula Museum of Art moving into Tanforan Mall and repurposing additional empty mall space as working artists' studios.

Linda is a San Francisco native. She earned a double major BA in Political Science and Spanish from San Francisco State University. She completed most of the coursework for her BA at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. She received her JD from San Francisco Law School.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Vice Mayor Linda Mason for her service to the residents of San Bruno who are among the most resilient constituents in my Congressional District. I have no doubt that Linda will stay engaged in public life and continue to contribute to the community she loves.

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