A Letter on Housing and Governance
03/09/2020
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I recently got a letter from a resident who attended the last housing community meeting. It touched on a number of topics in a few
Author: Mark Olbert
That I-280/Crestview Topic
02/27/2020
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A number of residents got concerned about the Transportation and Circulation Commission having an item on their “possible topics for future meetings” item which was
Why Bother to Meet?
02/25/2020
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The Council recently had an unusual experience: its first February meeting was canceled. While we typically do that in the summer (to avoid wrestling with
Mike Brownrigg for State Senate
02/16/2020
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When I think about who I want representing me in government I look at more than just how closely a candidate’s views mirror my own.
Freedom and the Law
02/14/2020
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A recent NextDoor comment asserted the Council broke the law regarding how our train depot was treated in the Transit Village/Trestle Apartment project. Because the
The High Cost of Free Parking
02/01/2020
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After writing this I was asked how much money is in the Parking In-Lieu fund. The answer is $172,713 as of 6/30/2019 (I doubt it’s
State Density Bonuses
01/19/2020
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I’m writing this post based on community discussion occurring around the 626 Walnut Street condominium project. As far as I can recall this is the
Allocating Property Taxes
12/14/2019
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Ever since I became an elected official I’ve been asked why we can’t reallocate our property taxes among the various public agencies they fund to
Mayors and General Law Cities
12/13/2019
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Recently there was a VOCA poll that asked people from San Carlos how the mayor should be chosen. Three options were offered: Rotated among council
Closing Remarks as Chair of the Council
12/09/2019
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These are the remarks I delivered on December 9, 2019 as I was wrapping up my year as chair of the Council (aka mayor). This