[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 193 (Tuesday, November 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE RETIREMENT OF JIM RUANE, MAYOR OF SAN BRUNO, FROM PUBLIC OFFICE

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                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 28, 2017

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary 
public service of Jim Ruane, the Mayor of San Bruno, California, who is 
leaving office after 22 years of unparalleled leadership, eight of them 
as Mayor. His wisdom, eloquence, and devotion to civic leadership will 
be sorely missed by the 43,000 residents of his beloved community by 
the bay.
  Jim was first elected to the city council in 1995 after previously 
serving on the planning commission. Since he joined the council, and 
under his leadership and that of colleagues, San Bruno has undergone a 
transformation. A deactivated Navy base was transformed into a vibrant, 
mixed use community. Tanforan Shopping Mall has been revitalized and 
San Bruno's downtown core is poised for revitalization. Jim's service 
also includes the contentious period leading to the establishment of 
BART service to the San Francisco Peninsula, through San Bruno.
  The creation of an elevated right of way for Caltrain above San Bruno 
Avenue was decades in the making. Today, traffic in San Bruno moves 
smoothly and without interruption from the 92 daily commuter trains 
that serve the Peninsula. Personally, I love trains, but it would take 
a true romantic to love being stuck on San Bruno Avenue in a long line 
of traffic as the trains go by on a hot summer day.
  Mr. Speaker, perhaps the most solemn duty that any of us undertake as 
elected representatives is to defend our community's interests after a 
fatal assault. On September 9, 2010, San Bruno was fatally assaulted by 
the Pacific Gas and Electric Company when a 30 inch high pressure 
natural gas pipeline ruptured, killing eight innocent people, 
destroying 38 homes, and damaging dozens more. The fire was so enormous 
that fire equipment from throughout the Bay Area and beyond responded.
  From the beginning, and for years afterwards, Jim Ruane was, without 
question, one of the finest public servants I have ever witnessed. 
Literally in the heat of the moment, he offered accurate and comforting 
information to his community and also to the world. In the days and 
months after the explosion, Mayor Ruane led his community in endless 
meetings, forcing PG&E to answer tough questions about its role in the 
explosion and deaths. Throughout that time, I joined him and witnessed 
his steady hand in both quieting traumatized crowds and reassuring 
tearful neighbors that justice would be done and answers delivered.
  Mr. Speaker, San Bruno didn't have to pursue justice by suing PG&E, 
but it did. San Bruno didn't have to pursue justice by exposing 
corruption at a state agency known as the California Public Utilities 
Commission, but it did. San Bruno did not have to issue subpoenas and 
release documents to the world exposing the cozy relationship of PG&E 
and its regulators, but the city did because doing so was part of the 
process of justice needed to demonstrate that no entity--including 
PG&E--is above the law. The utility was subsequently found guilty in 
federal court of multiple felonies. It was fined $3 million by the 
court, after earlier being penalized $1.6 billion by a reconstituted 
California Public Utilities Commission.
  I am firmly convinced that the leadership of San Bruno--and 
importantly all of its councilmembers during these years--did our 
nation a public service by independently seeking justice in this case. 
Notably, Jim Ruane was the ever-present face of conviction. He remained 
absolutely convinced that America's legal system would allow a mouse to 
roar. And roar it did. We as a Congress have failed to learn the 
lessons of San Bruno, and have repeatedly failed to cure the defects in 
federal statutes that contributed to the San Bruno catastrophe. 
However, the actions of the City of San Bruno have made America safer 
by forcing management to consider safety in pipeline operations.
  Jim Ruane is the loving father of Jim Jr. and Stephanie, and the 
proud grandfather to Gavin, Patrick, Brendan and Ryan. He is also the 
devoted husband of Noreen, his partner in life and fellow resident of 
San Bruno for over 40 years. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War era.
  Today, I rise to celebrate Mayor Jim Ruane, a man like few others. He 
is quiet and wise in normal times, but imbued with a natural command 
presence during times of exigency. In my book, he is one of our local 
heroes. With his departure, we thank him for bringing justice to us 
all, crafted like the best plaster ornamentation his company creates in 
its daily work, an enduring beauty for every citizen to behold.

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