[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1268-E1269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF THE HONORABLE REGINA WALLACE-JONES FROM 
                   THE CITY COUNCIL OF EAST PALO ALTO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize my friend and 
colleague Regina Wallace-Jones as she steps away from the City Council 
of East Palo Alto. Her service will influence the course of the city 
for decades to come.
  Regina was raised in West Covina in a family with multiple 
requirements: Obtain an excellent education, clean the house on 
Saturday, go to church on Sunday, and give service to the community. 
She noted on her campaign blog that Family Pizza Fridays were a must. 
In her 200-word candidate statement she mentioned that she is the 
daughter of union laborers and that she understood the struggle for 
livable wages and affordable housing. Upon reviewing the statement, her 
father asked if she would substitute Communications Workers of America 
for union laborers. She acknowledged that his change would be better, 
but then she would be two words over the limit. The proud union member 
relented.
  Regina received her bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from 
Stanford University and her Master of Science in Public Policy from the 
University of California, Los Angeles. She specialized in 
telecommunications and technology policy.
  She and her husband, Sheffond Jones, moved into their home in East 
Palo Alto in April of 2002, part of a new development known as 
Shorebrezze Runnymede. It's a small cluster of homes where neighbors 
fix their broken fences together, deal with infestations of field mice, 
help out with childcare, and stay friendly over time.
  In fact, friendliness is a word that describes East Palo Alto. Its 
people work hard across its 2.2 square miles, and often help out each 
other when times are difficult. It's a community where the median 
household income is $96,000, about 70 percent of the countywide median. 
It also sits side-by-side with Meta, and gentrification of the 
community is a significant concern.
  It was into this community that Regina advanced in 2018 with her 500 
campaign signs and dozens of volunteers, offering to take up the 
challenges of being a city councilmember. She advocated for closer 
relations with the school district, technology training for residents, 
decreased traffic, economic development, and building affordable 
housing.
  The Ravenswood Business District is the city's largest opportunity to 
create new laboratory and office buildings. In 2019, the Department of 
Commerce's Economic Development Administration made a $4.4 million 
investment as part of an economic renewal project in this district. 
Regina has supported responsible development of the area to bring 
thousands of new employees to what will eventually be a new downtown. 
For the entire city, she supported obtaining water from neighboring 
communities to cure reliability problems that plague the existing water 
system. During her time in office, she strongly supported new 
infrastructure, including a new bike bridge over Highway 101 to connect 
residents on the west side of the city with the eastern side that has 
most of the stores and services.
  Regina was Mayor in 2020. Many of the residents of East Palo Alto are 
front-line essential workers. In September 2020, the city had a test 
positivity rate of 15 percent, more than three times higher than the 
countywide positivity rate. At a council meeting that month she noted, 
``One of the biggest solutions that helps people recover is early 
identification and early intervention. And that comes from testing,'' 
As the pandemic sickened and killed residents, Mayor Wallace-Jones and 
her colleagues used city funds to first establish widespread testing 
and then to support outreach and staffing for a large vaccination 
program. Culturally competent outreach and volunteer efforts spread 
throughout the community. She and her council colleagues also had to 
grapple with a significant decline in tax revenue. Careful management 
of vacant positions and an infusion of federal aid helped bridge the 
gap.
  It is now time for the mother of Addison and Jocelyn to return to 
evenings with her family. It will not be easy, as Regina is also a CEO 
of a non-profit. However, this busy executive, daughter, mom and spouse 
deserves time to spend with her family. On our recent election day, 
when she had chosen not to be on the ballot, she reflected online, ``I 
loved my opportunity to serve. And I hope that more get out there and 
do the same. The end is only bitter when you've got nothing left. I'm 
grateful for every vote and every dollar that supported me.''

[[Page E1269]]

  Madam Speaker, the whirlwind of Shorebreeze Runnymede will be 
remembered as a woman who made a difference. We are grateful that she 
was in leadership when a crisis hit her community and that she will 
remain an active resident as we edge our way into more normal times 
ahead.

                          ____________________