Welcome!
My name is Mark Olbert, and I’m a former member of the San Carlos, California City Council. This was my site for staying in touch with my constituents. My last day on the Council was December 14, 2020.
It’s now a platform I use to address local and regional issues that my neighbors may find interesting.
Here you’ll find my blog, links to articles about municipal issues, and material that will help you understand my Council work and my current views. All these can be accessed through the menu links at the top of every page.
If you’d like to be automatically notified when new content is added to this site just click the Subscribe button at the top of any page. If you’re already a subscriber you can use the Subscribe button to edit your subscription options.
Enjoy! And if you have a moment, drop me a line to let me know what’s on your mind.
Those Pesky Externalities
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on September 11, 2023. Free marketeers have complained about
Flirting with The Beast
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on Wednesday, June 21, 2023. It’s been lightly edited
Gun Culture and Communities
This post was sparked by a Washington Post opinion piece which is, sadly, probably paywalled but worth reading if you can get ahold of it.
We Need Housing Leadership
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. We face a housing
A Misunderstood System
This is an op ed I wrote which was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Most of us have
Clueless in Palo Alto
This is a letter I wrote to the Daily Post after reading an article describing how the Palo Alto City Council was outraged at having