What would you do with $38,000,000? It’s a question we’d probably all like to face. Now, I can’t offer that princely sum to you as an individual…but it’s a very relevant question for every resident of the City of San Carlos. Because, you see, that’s roughly how much the City has in financial reserves. And […]
The $38,000,000 Question Read More »
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/san-carlos-city-council-stand-up-against-unfair-sidewalk-repair-costs?recruiter=176010379 Cities used to repair sidewalks out of their own budget. But years ago the California Legislature gave cities the option of assigning that obligation to the adjacent property owners. San Carlos, like many cities, made that choice. I was okay with that for several years as a Council member, because the
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This post was published in the San Mateo Daily Journal today, June 10, 2016. Simple things sometimes turn out to be complicated when you dig into them. Take the question of who pays for sidewalk repairs. They’re a public asset, paid for by the city, right? So the city pays. Wrong. They’re generally on public
Tripping Over Sidewalk Maintenance Read More »
This was published today in the San Mateo Daily Journal. Recently, there’s been a growing anti-development sentiment in many Peninsula communities, including San Carlos. That’s to be expected. When times are hard, like during the Great Recession, development is seen as a good thing, a sign that maybe the economy is picking up. When things
Building the Future Read More »
Here is the text of my comments from the January 11, 2016 Council meeting on why I chose to vote against holding trash fees unchanged for 2016. I am troubled that the Council is considering taking no action on a number of potential problem areas embedded in our trash rates. We have some classes of
I submitted the following letter to the editor to both the San Mateo Daily Journal and the Palo Alto Daily Post. But in case they decide not to print it, here it is… I chuckle when newspapers describe public bonds by totaling the payments made over their term. No doubt reporters think bigger numbers catch
The Council will shortly take up its annual review of the budget. The City uses a two year budget process, and this is an off-year, so the focus is on adjustments to last year’s decisions rather than wholesale changes. The City is in better financial shape than it has been for a number of years
Good News on the Financial Front Read More »
At its June 10, 2013 meeting the Council will take up a proposed 13% salary increase for our city manager, Jeff Maltbie. This stems from his recently-completed performance review, which involved an in-depth discussion between him and the Council (it took place in closed session because it’s a personnel matter). While the proposed increase is
December brings shopping madness, holiday cheer, snow (at least where I grew up in New York), and, in San Carlos, new trash rates. I suppose that’s a little karmic, since the holiday season generates a lot of trash and recycling, at least in our home. This year the Council is looking at increasing rates by
People who work in organizations know the “no surprises” rule is key to running an effective operation. Surprises cause disruption and confusion, which is rarely a good thing. In the interest of avoiding surprise, I want to begin educating San Carlos about a big-ticket issue we need to address. You know all those articles you’ve