[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING KAREN ERVIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 2017

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Karen Ervin who served on 
the Pacifica City Council for four years, including 2015 as the mayor 
of this picturesque coastal town of about 40,000 residents. As a 
Pacifica native and lifelong resident, Karen understands and feels the 
pulse of her town. Even before her time on the council, she always 
volunteered and gave back to the community. It has been my privilege to 
work with Karen and to call her a friend.
  During her term on the council, Karen served as the liaison to the 
Economic Development Committee, the Beautification Committee, Pacifica 
School Volunteers, Emergency Preparedness Task Force, and the Pacifica 
Resource Center. She also served as a member of the C/CAG Legislative 
Committee and the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, an 
Association of Bay Area Governments delegate, and a member of the San 
Mateo County Jobs/Housing Gap Task Force.
  One of her top priorities was to improve the fiscal health of the 
city. Her experience on the Financing City Services Task Force helped 
her tackle the difficult task of balancing the budget and making it 
possible to fund numerous projects such as the acquisition of a 
property to finish the Devil's Slide Trail, the Pacifica Resource 
Center and the Pacifica Beach Coalition. An ERAF reserve fund was also 
essential in responding to severe damage Pacifica suffered during El 
Nino storms in the winter of 2015, damage that drew worldwide 
attention.
  Karen loves her hometown and pursues every opportunity to improve the 
quality of life of all residents. She has been one of the main drivers 
to create a beautiful downtown along Palmetto Boulevard and to let the 
world know that Pacifica is a wonderful place to live, work, play, eat 
and thrive.
  As in every small town, city council members serve because they are 
dedicated to public service. It requires countless hours of meetings, 
homework and visits in the community for very little compensation. 
Karen has always managed to make time for her council duties despite 
her very demanding full-time job as a Senior Research Associate and 
Project Manager at Genentech in South San Francisco where she has 
worked for 15 years. Her experience, work ethic and resourcefulness 
have continually benefited her colleagues and all residents of 
Pacifica.
  On a sunny August Day in 2015 while Karen was mayor, traffic came to 
a standstill on Highway 1, Pacifica's major thoroughfare, for the 
entire day. Two car accidents and major roadwork by Caltrans brought 
out the worst in motorists who were stranded for hours. They crashed 
the city's Nextdoor page and jammed phone lines. Feeling her 
constituents' pain, Karen fielded calls on her cell phone and gave 
advice and updates from her personal Facebook page. She effectively 
became the communications center and traffic officer.
  Before joining the city council, Karen volunteered her time and 
energy on PTO Boards and in classrooms for 15 years. She was one of the 
individuals starting the Ingrid B. Lacy and Terra Nova Crab Feeds 
supporting the schools' PTOs and Booster clubs. From 2006 to 2010, she 
served on the Pacifica School District Governing Board, and for the 
last five years she served on the Board of Directors of Pacificans 
Care, a non-profit that is essential in supporting social services 
organizations in the community. Karen is a member of the American 
Association of University Women and the co-chair of Tech Trek in 
Pacifica which sends three third grade girls to Stanford to experience 
college life. Somehow she still manages to find enough time to continue 
her volunteer work with the Pacifica Beach Coalition. You can often 
find her cleaning up beaches, trails or creeks.
  Karen's family moved to Pacifica in 1965. She grew up in the back of 
Linda Mar Valley and attended Oddstead Elementary School, Ortega Middle 
School and Terra Nova High School. She earned her BS in Microbiology 
and Genetic Engineering from the University of California at Santa 
Barbara.
  She married another Pacifica native, Mike Ervin, and they raised two 
now-grown children, Zach and Aly. After retiring from the council, 
Karen is looking forward to spending more time with her family and 
friends, and running and hiking with her two dogs.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the members of the House to join me in recognizing 
the contributions outgoing City Councilmember and former Mayor Karen 
Ervin has made to her beloved home town, Pacifica. The residents are 
very fortunate that she continually dedicated her passion and skills to 
improving the lives of all Pacificans.

                          ____________________