[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF MAYOR GISELLE HALE AS SHE CONCLUDES HER 
              SERVICE ON THE CITY COUNCIL OF REDWOOD CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize my friend and 
colleague the Honorable Giselle Hale as she concludes her service on 
the City Council of Redwood City. Serving from 2018 to the present, 
Giselle helped shape a remarkable period in Redwood City's history and 
development.
  Giselle had a lot of experience before joining the council. She was a 
planning commissioner for four years prior to her election, and during 
that time she strongly supported housing development in a city with 
explosive job growth. For example, she voted for the development of 131 
townhouses at 1548 Maple Street. noting that, ``There are very few 
three-bedroom units and ownership opportunities, and I think it's a 
fabulous opportunity . . . [and it is] activating a part of the 
waterfront to make it a destination.'' Countless families. recently 
moved to town. have in part Giselle Hale to thank for their 
opportunity.
  n 2018, council candidate Hale's ballot statement said that, if 
elected, she would work hard to make streets safer, to ensure unmatched 
police and fire services, support local businesses, provide housing for 
all income groups, promote excellent schools, and increase childcare 
options. She also indicated that she would draw on her business 
experience, including nine years in global marketing and additional 
years in other positions, to keep the city fiscally strong.
  During the campaign she broke her foot while precinct walking. 
Unfazed, she went door to door using a knee scooter, and posted a video 
on social media to prove that she wasn't going to stop campaigning for 
any reason. In that election, she received the highest vote total out 
of three successful candidates at 12,723.
  In 2019, the city adopted a maternity leave policy at the same time 
that it required improved attendance by members of boards and 
commissions. Councilwoman Hale made the case for the policy. In 2020, 
she again worked with her colleagues, this time to create a city 
requirement for the installation of electric appliances in new 
construction. ``What are the biggest opportunities to slow down climate 
change?'' remarked Giselle. ``In terms of what the city can address, 
they fall into two buckets: transportation and buildings.'' The measure 
was adopted.
  When COVID hit, Councilwoman Hale supported a rent relief fund and 
changes to city ordinances and practices to support local businesses. 
Like so many others, she also worked hard to educate her two children. 
In August 2020, she wrote an opinion piece in our local newspaper 
advising adults to be kind to children as they went back to school 
largely online. She pointed out their losses of friendships and social 
time, and the impact the pandemic also had on teachers who were 
struggling with Zoom classes and uneven access by students to 
technology.
  During the early months of the pandemic, other problems in the 
community did not subside. Giselle urged developers to provide 
childcare for working parents and worked with allies across the county 
to find money to assist childcare providers as the industry suffered 
from COVID. In 2020, she worked to establish a safe parking program for 
people living in RVs, moving them off the streets and into mental 
health and other needed services.
  In 2022, Mayor Hale worked to end encampments along state rights of 
way and to bring people in from the cold. The county and city teamed up 
to purchase and renovate a hotel located close to a major encampment. A 
240 bed county-led navigation center will soon open in Redwood City. 
Mayor Hale strongly supported the center. Also in 2022, the Mayors 
Mental Health Initiative, established by Mayor Hale and San Carlos 
Mayor Sara McDowell, was established to train residents across the 
county in ways to help neighbors experiencing a mental health crisis.
  Madam Speaker, serving on a city council is essentially a volunteer 
job. It's quite common to spend twenty or more hours per week on city 
matters, particularly when counting related meetings on regional 
agencies that inevitably oblige a councilmember to leave hearth and 
home to once again give back to the community. I want to thank 
Giselle's husband, Brian, and her two daughters, Lucretia and Vivienne, 
for allowing her to serve her constituents. Four years of solid success 
mark her time on the city council of Redwood City. Giselle will be able 
to point to her accomplishments for many years to come. I hope she 
remains involved in Redwood City. Her community can always use a great 
leader to ensure that it remains healthy and that it thrives.

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