[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF KARYL MATSUMOTO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2020

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Karyl Matsumoto 
as she completes her remarkable service on the South San Francisco city 
council. She served a record 23 years, including four terms as Mayor. 
When you do the math, Karyl has been on the council for nearly \2/3\ of 
her years as a resident of South San Francisco. One has to ask if she 
ever had a moment to simply take a leisurely walk along the bayfront.
  South San Francisco has changed remarkably since Karyl joined the 
council. Its population grew by 10,000 to a total of 68,000. In the 
Oyster Point area, biotechnology powerhouse Genentech and sister 
companies are rapidly replacing traditional uses such as warehouses, 
food factories, airline-related businesses and transportation 
enterprises. The Caltrain station is moving and apartments are being 
constructed by the hundreds within walking distance of this location 
and the city's BART station. The city has also become more diverse, 
with approximately \1/3\ of its residents being of either Asian or 
Latino descent.
  Karyl has contributed to many of these changes. For example, she has 
served for over a decade on boards of the county's transportation 
authority and Samtrans, the provider of bus services and management of 
the local train service. In South San Francisco, she strongly advocated 
for moving the train station. Her years as a Samtrans director are 
among her proudest achievements. She sought to build the bus service 
into one that takes care of San Mateo County's wage earners, while also 
adapting the system to offer new express service, such as the pre-COVID 
line from Foster City to San Francisco.
  It costs a lot to live in San Mateo County. Average rent in South San 
Francisco is $3,000 per month. Karyl Matsumoto realized that it was 
impossible for many to survive if they had to earn $120,000 per year or 
more just to pay rent and avoid debt. She was the first on her council 
to propose an increase of the minimum wage to $15 per hour starting 
January 1, 2021, and her colleagues adopted that proposal. She also 
championed affordable housing and balancing jobs with housing in order 
to protect lower-income residents.
  During the course of her multi-decade-long public service career, 
Karyl Matsumoto has served on over 30 community groups and boards of 
nonprofits. Examples include the Peninsula Family YMCA, the San Mateo 
County Japanese American Citizens League, the Skyline College 
President's Council Advisory Board, and the United Way Community Impact 
Committee. She also founded the city's youth commission.
  She worked for our esteemed colleague Congresswoman Anna Eshoo when 
Congresswoman Eshoo served on the San Mateo County Board of 
Supervisors, and for former State Senator Quentin Kopp. She co-founded 
the South San Francisco Community Outreach Program to bring together 
residents, businesses and advocacy groups on behalf of seniors, 
residents with special needs and other vulnerable residents.
  As a councilwoman, Karyl Matsumoto was fiscally conservative and 
supported building the city's tax base to provide funds for such 
largescale community efforts as the new 911 and police operations 
center. She also serves as one of two liaisons with the school district 
and on the Caltrain Modernization committee, keeping an eye on the 
progress of a $2 billion electrification project for our regional train 
system.
  As she makes her case to colleagues, Karyl is known for saying, 
``Ergo,'' and if she forgets someone's name while making a point you 
might hear her say ``Whosewhatis'' as a placeholder. These endearing 
mannerisms signal that a significant point is about to be made because 
Karyl doesn't let anything--even a momentary mind freeze--get in the 
way of the public's interest.
  Madam Speaker, I can say without fear of contradiction that Karyl 
Matsumoto has made a tremendous difference in South San Francisco and 
throughout the county. We know her as an eager public servant who has a 
vast knowledge of the history of her city and of public policy. When 
she leaves, decades of perspective will go with her. All of us in the 
community thank her for a job well done and hope she can relax and 
leave the hard work of civic policymaking to others. After decades at 
the wheel, Karyl is getting off the bus. Her final stop, a stop called 
``success,'' is just beyond the bus door.

                          ____________________