[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1262-E1263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING LINDA MARTIN MASON UPON HER DEPARTURE FROM THE SAN BRUNO 
                              CITY COUNCIL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Linda Martin Mason who 
served on the San Bruno City Council for three years, the last one as 
Vice Mayor. The timing of her term was truly challenging because the 
majority of it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-century 
event that no city council candidate could have possibly foreseen. 
Linda, her council colleagues and city staff rose to the occasion and 
found ways to keep San Bruno residents as safe as possible and to 
assist small businesses through these difficult years.
  The challenges of the pandemic played out in the Mason household. 
Linda, as General

[[Page E1263]]

Counsel and Chief People Officer at the Housing Authority of the City 
and County of San Francisco, was an essential worker and required to 
work from her office. So too was her husband, Andrew Mason, as the 
President of the San Bruno Park School District Board of Trustees. 
Linda and Andrew have two young children, Fabian and Gabriel, now ten 
and six. Balancing their duties as a council member and trustee while 
alternating who was working remotely or from the office while also 
caring for their children whose daycare had been closed due to the 
pandemic was very difficult and stressful, but with the support of each 
other, Linda and Andrew managed. We owe them both a big debt for their 
unwavering service.
  During her time on the council, Linda and her colleagues were very 
productive. They negotiated a community benefits package with one of 
San Bruno's top employers, YouTube, that will result in $54 million 
coming to the city and create a state-of-the-art, environmentally 
friendly office park and community space in the Bayhill neighborhood. 
The construction of the new Recreation and Aquatic Center, funded by a 
PG&E settlement after the tragic pipeline explosion in 2010 that killed 
eight residents, is on time and within budget. The council successfully 
placed a transit occupancy tax measure on the ballot that will bring 
the tax to industry standards. They also negotiated with WalMart to 
bring over $3 million in additional tax revenue to the city. This year 
I was pleased that the House of Representatives approved almost half a 
million dollars in Community Project Funding for wildfire prevention 
for the cities of San Bruno and Belmont. Additionally, we voted to 
approve $2.4 million to the City/County Association of Governments of 
San Mateo County that would address flood control issues in San Bruno. 
It's now up to the U.S. Senate to approve this funding.
  The council enacted an emergency ordinance to protect small 
businesses from being evicted during the pandemic. Outdated rules were 
updated so that small restaurants downtown are now allowed to open 
without having to create parking. The council created a much-needed 
street paving schedule and supported $6 million in funding this year.
  Linda didn't hesitate to initiate or lead projects. Local press 
reports that Linda jumpstarted the negotiations with Artichoke Joe's 
which will provide about a million additional dollars to the city. She 
was also instrumental in securing $200,000 in county funds to beautify 
Posey Park and to fix a non-working fountain. Linda was a strong 
proponent for 12-year term limits for council council members and 
mayors, a measure that passed by more than 80 percent.
  Always advocating for transparency, equity and good governance, Linda 
has successfully pushed for more diversity on committees. commissions, 
and boards. She also advocated for stricter accountability measures 
from the San Bruno Foundation to assure grants are utilized as 
intended. Thanks to her, all foundation meetings are now recorded and 
available for public viewing. As a parent with children in public 
schools, Linda pushed for open communication and partnership between 
the school district and the city. The city manager and superintendent 
now meet regularly and during the pandemic, the city provided its 
internet service to low-income students who lacked internet access 
during the lockdown. Linda introduced the idea of the Peninsula Museum 
of Art moving into Tanforan Mall and repurposing additional empty mall 
space as working artists' studios.
  Linda is a San Francisco native. She earned a double major BA in 
Political Science and Spanish from San Francisco State University. She 
completed most of the coursework for her BA at Universidad Complutense 
de Madrid in Spain. She received her JD from San Francisco Law School.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me in recognizing Vice Mayor Linda Mason for her service to the 
residents of San Bruno who are among the most resilient constituents in 
my Congressional District. I have no doubt that Linda will stay engaged 
in public life and continue to contribute to the community she loves.

                          ____________________