Mike Brownrigg for State Senate
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. Granted, that’s an important factor. But there’s something even more important. I want a candidate who will probe the issues, push on the accepted wisdom,
Freedom and the Law
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 depot is on the National Register of Historic Places development around it must, by law, protect its historic status. While people are entitled to hold
The High Cost of Free Parking
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 changed much since then). That represents only about 17 parking spaces at the current fee rate. The San Mateo Daily Journal ran an article today
State Density Bonuses
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 first project claiming to be entitled to density bonuses to come forward in San Carlos since I joined the Council. Consequently I’m still learning about
Allocating Property Taxes
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 reflect the community’s current priorities. This came up recently because the City of San Carlos is running significant surpluses while the San Carlos Elementary School
Mayors and General Law Cities
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 members Appointed by majority vote of City Council Directly elected by voters I think it’s great that VOCA is trying to use web technologies to