[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF SAN MATEO COUNTY SUPERVISOR ROSE JACOBS GIBSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2012

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor San Mateo County Supervisor 
Rose Jacobs Gibson upon her retirement from the San Mateo County Board 
of Supervisors.
  While on the board, Supervisor Gibson initiated the East Palo Alto 
Crime Reduction Task Force, a collaborative effort between law 
enforcement and community groups. This effort successfully reinforced 
the accomplishments of her city service and led to the adoption of 
additional measures to reduce violence. Today, this task force stresses 
four strategies to create a healthier East Palo Alto: Prevention, 
Intervention, Enforcement, Sustainability. These are all strategies 
championed by Rose Jacobs Gibson and they include the activities of 
community clean ups, gang intervention, a Police Activities League, and 
a re-entry program for ex-offenders. East Palo Alto is a healthier 
place for all residents thanks to Rose Jacobs Gibson and her 
leadership.
  Supervisor Gibson also continued her efforts to reduce crime by 
helping to create the Domestic Violence Council. The council is a 
permanent instrument to educate policymakers in our county about this 
critically important subject. She co-chaired the first Women's Criminal 
Justice Summit, a forum that identified many ways that existing 
resources could be used to improve the outcomes of our criminal justice 
system. She is a strong advocate for programs that prepare incarcerated 
women to lead independent, productive lives once they re-enter the 
community.
  Supervisor Gibson sits on the board of the Housing Endowment and 
Regional Trust (HEART) of San Mateo County and is a policy leader in 
the development of affordable housing within our community. HEART has 
assisted in developing nearly every major affordable housing 
development in our county since its founding. Supervisor Gibson was 
instrumental in designing San Mateo County's housing element and can 
always be counted upon to advocate for the elemental right to decent 
housing for every human being.
  Public health has always been a significant part of Supervisor 
Gibson's agenda. She initiated a countywide summit on health 
disparities, an event that led to the creation of several health-
focused task forces. The task forces, in turn, identified strategies to 
reduce childhood obesity and drug and alcohol abuse. As one example of 
a brick-and-mortar impact in our community, the Ravenswood Family 
Health Clinic was founded in East Palo Alto as a result of a team of 
advocates, including most notably Supervisor Gibson. This facility is a 
linchpin in community healthcare in East Palo Alto.
  Rose also served on the East Palo Alto City Council from 1992 to 
1999. She was Mayor in 1995 and 1996. She and her many allies in the 
community were instrumental in reducing the crime rate and in helping 
to restore community faith in law enforcement.
  While on the city council, Rose Jacobs Gibson supported the shutdown 
of a toxic chemical plant and as a member of the Board of Supervisors 
she demanded an investigation of toxic contaminants in our county 
parks. She regularly worked with our transportation agency to improve 
public transit for her district's residents and she worked as a member 
of a team of community leaders to secure funding and approvals for 
school improvements throughout her district.
  Rose Jacobs Gibson will be remembered fondly in San Mateo County as a 
leader who was eloquent and forceful, gracious and principled, 
visionary and practical. San Mateo County has been the beneficiary of 
Supervisor Gibson's public service at so many levels and in so many 
ways that it is difficult to sum up the achievements of a lifetime in a 
single recitation of her accomplishments. I respectfully end these 
comments with a simple observation about Rose Jacobs Gibson: She has 
left her mark, and generations yet to come will live better lives 
because of her service.

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