[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF MAYOR RICHA AWASTHI FROM THE CITY COUNCIL 
                             OF FOSTER CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Richa Awasthi as she 
leaves public service after four years serving the people of Foster 
City. In November 2018, Richa Awasthi was elected to the City Council. 
She ran on a platform of supporting public safety, preserving Foster 
City's high quality of life, and dealing with traffic and 
transportation issues.
  Foster City is a lagoon-laced community of almost 33,000 resting 
aside San Francisco Bay. Its residents enjoy a remarkably active life 
in its tine parks, sports fields, on the bay and lagoon, and throughout 
the year at various community events. Its schools are superb. During 
summer evenings in Foster City. the whole family can enjoy a walk along 
the levee and enjoy sweeping views of San Francisco Bay.
  Earlier that year, voters had approved Measure P, a $90 million bond 
measure to rebuild the levee to meet FEMA accreditation standards. 
Richa was a staunch supporter of this project. After joining the 
council, she was dogged in her insistence that the project remain on 
budget and that the city be transparent about the project. She and her 
colleagues grew concerned as estimates of project costs rose through 
the end of 2019 and early 2020, only to shrink substantially once the 
bids were opened in the early months of the pandemic. As the project 
got underway, she insisted that communication with the public be 
improved.
  Shortly after she was sworn in, the council agenda contained an item 
approving the purchase of 22 units of affordable housing in a new 
development. The price was $7 million. Richa voted to approve the 
purchase and therefore secured these units for working families. She 
has always been a strong supporter of affordable housing. For example, 
during her time in office. Richa supported a council action offering 
relocation assistance to 74 low-income households, many of them 
elderly, at Foster's Landing.
  In 2021, Richa and one other councilmember supported raising the 
minimum wage in Foster City to $15.50 per hour and then, beginning in 
2022, to $16 per hour with an annual escalator based upon the regional 
consumer price index. The measure failed passage at the 2021 council 
meeting, but a revised measure was passed in 2022. In supporting these 
proposals, Richa indicated that the council needed to consider all 
community stakeholders including workers, employees, consumers and 
staff. She noted that, in her view, the city had the power to protect 
the most vulnerable.
  In her initial comments as Mayor, Richa noted the decline in the 
city's retail and restaurant businesses. She and her colleagues 
committed themselves to encouraging economic development and to 
strengthening ties with large businesses in the city.
  As COVID and other demands took their toll on city staff, Richa 
supported securing the services of the current city manager. Mayor 
Awasthi stated, ``Experience is one of the most important things for 
us. Having that experience, not just in theory, but actually 
demonstrating it as a manager . . . that was the number one thing.'' 
The current city manager has worked hard to recruit needed employees to 
the city and to keep major public works projects, such as the levee and 
rebuilding of the recreation center, on target.
  Foster City was developed in the 1970's and it owns quite a lot of 
infrastructure, including numerous bridges, a large lagoon system, 
pumps, and numerous parks that require a lot of maintenance. The 
recreation center was built in 1974 and is near the end of its useful 
life. Earlier this year. Mayor Awasthi was appointed by her colleagues 
to a three-person task force to select a construction firm for final 
approval by the council. Their recommendation, from amongst seven 
applicants, will set in motion the eventual construction of a new $55 
million facility, dreamed about since 2016.
  Madam Speaker, as Richa Awasthi leaves public service, she has many 
things of which she may be proud. The city is thriving, and its 
finances are generally on a sound footing. Its parks remain 
outstanding, and the city sustained momentum on its levee project. 
Public services survived the pandemic, and the city made accommodations 
to its practices to support businesses. Responsible growth and 
provision for multiple income levels through the creation of affordable 
housing are widely held community values, and ones that Richa upheld 
during her council service.
  I hope that Richa will remain engaged in her community. We are all 
strengthened when the voice of experience is lent to resolving public 
issues. Whether from the dais or the audience, Richa will have that 
experience and the ability to influence Foster City's future for the 
better. I wish her all the best in the years ahead.

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