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.
Hard Truths
This was published as an op ed in the January 24, 2022. edition of the San Mateo Daily Journal. It’s surprising people are congratulating the

The Trillion Dollar Club
Long-time readers of this blog will recall my last State of the City address focused on just how gigantic the Bay Area economic powerhouse is.

Let’s Not Forget Commuting’s Carbon Footprint
This op ed ran in the Palo Alto Daily Post on December 8, 2021 (I’ll add a link to the paper’s version if and when

Droughts and First Come, First Served
Recently a question was raised on NextDoor about why new homes continue to be constructed when we’re in the middle of a multi-year drought. It’s
Commuting, Carbon Footprints and Data Mining
I was recently motivated to write an op ed about how the carbon footprint of commuting generally gets overlooked in discussions about addressing climate change.
Comments on Redrawing County Districts
I made a brief version of these comments at today’s County Board of Supervisors meeting (there were so many commenters the Board chose to limit