[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF RICH GARBARINO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2020

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend 
and colleague Rich Garbarino: retiring from the city council of South 
San Francisco after 18 years and after a total of 38 years of service 
to the people of South San Francisco. Rich has been a steady voice of 
progress and leadership in the city.
  Councilmember Garbarino sat on the parks commission for 18 years 
which resulted in new parks being developed throughout the city 
including Summit, Orange and Cypress parks that were constructed or 
thoroughly renovated.
  Initial work on Centennial Way, a lengthy trail built to celebrate 
the 100th anniversary of the city, began while Rich was a commissioner. 
Construction concluded years later after he joined the council. He was 
an enthusiastic advocate over all these years. Trail construction costs 
were entirely defrayed through donations.
  When Rich began in public service, the east side of the city 
consisted of giant, abandoned steel mills worthy of any devastated war 
zone. As he completes his service, South San Francisco has become the 
biotechnology capital of the world. The steel mills were long ago swept 
aside to be replaced by Genentech's sprawling campuses of billions of 
dollars of investment and those of many other companies. One is 
presently researching the aging process with the hope of defeating it, 
while another is tackling sickle cell anemia. A third grows specialized 
mosquitoes aimed at stopping the spread of Dengue fever. A fourth is 
farming inside a warehouse using vertical fields, robots and artificial 
intelligence to produce vegetables that are so tasty they fly off the 
shelves at supermarkets. Rich Garbarino and his colleagues encouraged 
tens of billions of dollars in investment in the east side through 
their welcoming messages to the biotechnology industry. This was 
transformational.
  During his time in office, Rich worked hard in our State Capitol to 
represent other cities through the League of California Cities. He 
explained the need for local control over zoning and has long supported 
housing along the transit corridors of South San Francisco. Hundreds of 
apartments and condominiums have been created in just the past few 
years, most located along the rail and bus lines that lace South San 
Francisco.
  He was a big supporter of Measure W, a \1/2\ cent sales tax approved 
by voters. As these industries and housing spring up in South San 
Francisco, the need for more police and a new municipal center 
featuring a police station and library became apparent. It's paid for 
in part by Measure W.
  Over just the past 20 years, Rich Garbarino took on nearly 40 
different community service commitments including serving on the public 
safety policy committee, President of the League of California Cities, 
a member of ad hoc committees on gun control and gang violence, 
president of his neighborhood homeowner's association, and serving as 
an advisor to the president of San Francisco State University. Some 
respond to a call for volunteers as if a recent shoulder separation 
prevented them from raising their hand. Rich has persistent muscle 
spasms that compel his hand to fly upward.
  Rich and his wife Elaine have three children, Gina, Rich Jr. and 
Andrea, and eight grandchildren. He is a quintessential family man, a 
great father and grandfather. This is also how he views his city. In 
Rich's eyes, every resident of South San Francisco is part of a big 
family, and their needs are his passion.
  Some men see a city and mourn what has passed. Rich Garbarino sees 
his city and wonders about all that will someday come to pass. He's 
proud that the cure to cancer will likely be discovered in South San 
Francisco. He marvels that housing now being built is just the start of 
what's planned. He knows the downtown is on the crux of a revival and 
that residents will grow safer in the future as they work towards their 
common good.
  Madam Speaker, while the city's residents will no longer have Rich 
Garbarino to watch over their best interests, they have the path that 
he helped lay down to carry them into the future. Godspeed to the 
pathbreakers, and to their leader in chief, Rich Garbarino, a man who 
devoted his years in office to create a tomorrow for all.

                          ____________________