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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 1997-12-01 Mayor Joseph A. Fernekes Council: James L. Datzman Eugene R. Mullin ?'-~ohn R. Penna Robert Yee MINUTES City Council Municipal Services Building Community Room December 1, 1997 SPECIAL MEETING CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO DECEMBER 1, 1997 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 54956 of the Government Code of the State of California, that the City Council of the City of South San Francisco will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, the 1st day of December 1997, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Services Building, Community Room, 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco, California. Purpose of the meeting: 1. Call to order. Mayor declares the purpose of the meeting. Clerk enters statement of election results, proof of filing of campaign statements in the minutes and adoption of resolution canvassing returns and declaring results of the General Municipal Election of South San Francisco on November 4, 1997. A RESOLUTION CANVASSING RETURNS AND DECLARING RESULTS OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION HELD IN THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO ON NOVEMBER 4, 1997 Oaths of Office and presentation of Certificates of Election for City Clerk Barbara A. Battaya, City Treasurer Beverly Bonalanza Ford and Councilwoman-elect Karyl Matsumoto by Senator Kopp. Oaths of Office, Certificates of Election with presentations to Councilmen-elect John R. Penna, by Former Assemblywoman Speier and James L. Datzman by Mayor Fernekes. 6. Comments from Outgoing Councilman Robert Yee and a presentation by Mayor Fernekes. 7. Reorganization of the City Council: a) Nominations for Mayor; close of nominations. b) Comments from Out-going Mayor Fernekes, passing of the gavel to In-coming Mayor and a presentation to Out-going Mayor Fernekes. c) Nominations for Vice Mayor; close of nominations. 8. Adjournment. 12/1/97 Page 1 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN Dated: November 14, 1997 City Clerk City of South San Francisco CALL TO ORDER: ROLL CALL: AGENDA (Cassette No. 1) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: 1. Mayor declares the purpose of the meeting. Clerk enters statement of election results, proof of filing of campaign statements in the minutes and adoption of resolution canvassing returns and declar- ing results of the General Municipal Election of South San Francisco on November 4, 1997. _,~p/ A RESOLUTION CANVASSING RETURNS AND DECLARING RESULTS OF THE GENERAL MU- NICIPAL ELECTION HELD IN THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO ON NOVEMBER 4, 1997 ACTION TAKEN 7:05 Mayor Fernekes presiding. Council Present: Council Absent: Datzman, Muilin, Penna, Yee and Fernekes. None. The Pledge was recited. Mayor Fernekes stated the purpose of the meeting: certification of the election results; administering of the oaths of office for the newly elected officials; and the reorganization of the City Council. City Clerk Battaya related that in accordance with Election Code 10264, she submitted the following certification of election results of the 11/4/97 Gener- al Municipal Election: there were 25,607 registered voters; 5,472 votes were cast; the percentage of voter turn-out Was 21.37 %; votes cast for Council were 3,554 for Karyl Matsumoto; 3,004 for John R. Penna; 1,259 for Collin K. Post; 2,269 for Pedro Gonzalez; and 4,005 for James L. Datzman; votes cast for City Clerk, were 4,741 for Barbara A. Battaya; and votes cast for City Treasurer, there were 4,767 for Beverly Bonalanza Ford. All candidates have filed campaign statements 40 and 12 days before the election, and she respectfully requested adoption of the resolution canvassing re- turns and declaring results of the General Municipal Election of S.S.F. on 11/4/97. M/S Yee/Penna - To adopt the Resolution. RESOLUTION NO. 132-97 Carried by unanimous voice vote. Mayor Fernekes introduced honored guests in the audience: representing Tom Lantos' Office was Betty Carlson; prior to the meeting, representing Assemblyman Lou Pappan was Alex Kirk who had 12/1/97 Page 2 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN Comments from Outgoing Councilman Robert Yee and a presentation by Mayor Fernekes. to leave and gave his congratulations; State Senator Quentin Kopp; Former Assemblywoman Jackie Speier; San Mateo County Supervisors Tom Huening, Mary Griffin and Rich Gordon. Out-going Councilman Yee thanked the Mayor for moving this item up on the agenda, he had a short speech and felt he should go first and vacate the chair. He congratulated John, Jim, Karyl, Barbara and Beverly, although he did not see Beverly here to- night and she is probably at home, for their success in winning the election. As his last act as a City Councilmember he wanted to take a moment to thank the public and his fellow Councilmembers for the opportunity to serve and represent the City of S.S.F. He appreciates the cooperation and courtesy which all have extended to him on the numerous debates had at this table. He could honestly say he would not miss all of these interesting meetings, yet the chocolate chip cookies in the back room, but he was told they will have See's Candies when he leaves. He also wanted to thank the staff, Barbara and Beverly, for their professionalism and attentiveness which they have extended to him. He believes they have the best team of City employees, and he wants everyone to know that he thinks they are doing a great job and he appreciates their efforts. He stated today was Mike Wilson's 50th birthday, wished him well, and said well, it was just yesterday that he was 50. He thanked the citizens of this community for giving him the opportunity to serve as their Council- member, and he could not begin to tell all of them how much their support has meant to him. Some of whom he has never met, who have taken the time to let him know their ideas and concerns, as well as voicing their support through phone calls, letters and sometimes around street corners, even in super markets. He is impressed by the level of involve- ment of the residents in this community. Remem- ber, it is your voice, it is you who allows us to be your Councilmembers to make informed decisions and again thanked the public for letting him know their thoughts. Lastly he wanted to thank his lovely wife and fami- 12/1/97 Page 3 AGENDA A~!!QN TAKEN Comments from Outgoing Councilman Robert Yee and a presentation by Mayor Fernekes. ly, who also stood by him and gave him full support and encouragement through the years, for without them he would not be here talking tonight, especial- ly his wife; she is his best friend in the world that he has and she is truly his confidant. He stated it is hard to believe that he has been part of this City family for 24 years, with six of those years as your City Councilman. While the City has always en- joyed healthy growth, for as long as he has been associated with it, but he never foresaw the tremen- dous expansion the City is experiencing today: mainly the Airport expansion; commercial expansion east of 101; the numerous residential projects and parks which have all been a boost in City revenue to allow the City to further vitalize; the revitalization of the Grand Avenue Library which was recently completed and the start of City Hall renovation and new Corporation Yard; the recent beautification projects seen around town such as Airport Blvd. He is proud to be a part of this City for these many years, is happy to see the City is on the right course and he knows the new Council will reach greater success than it has ever had. Now it is time for him to hand over his baton to others, so he can slow down his pace and watch how it is going. Mayor Fernekes presented Mrs. Shirley Yee with a bouquet of red roses to thank her for the many hours that she allowed Councilman Yee to partici- pate on Council. Mrs. Yee stated she felt it was important for her to be here because it is the last time Bob will sit as a City Councilman in an official meeting, because as you remember Bob became Vice Mayor and said his wife isn't even here tonight for she thinks it is no big deal. He said it publicly, she is not even watch- ing it on television - and, it is true, we do not have cable at home, so she has never watched one of these meetings on television. She stated, to the contrary, she is very proud and really supportive of the accomplishments Bob has made here at City Council meetings, but she knows he is capable of standing on his own two feet and taking care of himself. She stated all of the people of S.S.F. have been so helpful, friendly and wonderful to her husband over the years, and she heard some amusing comments, such as Bob reminded them of Columbo. Columbo 12/1/97 Page 4 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN 5: Comments from Outgoing Councilman Robert Yee - Continued. Oaths of Office and presentation of Certificates of Election for City Clerk Barbara A. Battaya, City Treasurer Beverly Bonalanza Ford and Councilwom- an-elect Karyl Matsumoto by Senator Kopp. was the detective on television who is very unas- suming and low key and always gets the job done without a lot of ranting and raving. Others have said Bob reminds them of David, as in David and Goliath, but to her he is none other than Bob Yee and that equates to integrity. Integrity has always guided his life which he always told our children, and through all this she hopes it is what guides the City Council through these years. She congratulated the City Council and wished them productive and harmonious years to come, and congratulated Bob for a job well done. Mayor Fernekes read a resolution aloud commend- ing Robert Yee which chronicled his achievements as a Councilman and a Mayor from June 10, 1992 through December 1, 1997 and presented a crystal plaque. He read a letter aloud from City Treasurer Beverly Bonalanza Ford relating: she was sorry she could not be with you this evening, but she is currently a guest at Presbyterian Hospital, taking a few days vacation; she wanted to thank the electorate for the vote of confidence on 11/4/97; as your City Trea- surer she hopes to continue to invest your tax dollars under "SLY" (safety, liquidity and yield); those are the watch words of your City Treasurer who will never take chances with your tax dollars; congratula- tions to the newly elected Councilmembers Datzman, Matsumoto, Penna and to City Clerk Barbara Battaya; it is an honor to work for the City of S.S.F. and for you the electorate. Mayor Fernekes wished the City Treasurer a speedy recovery. State Senator Kopp congratulated his good friend Bob Yee, who is benevolent and whose dogged and earnest presence on this City Council for six years has meant much to the people of S.S.F. and the County of San Mateo. He considers it a privilege that he considers Bob and Shirley as personal friends, as a part of their family on at least one memorable occasion and he remembers the terms of difficulty in the duties of a City Councilman. In the first two years Bob was in doubt as to whether he wanted to run again and Jack Drago said, maybe you can do something to influence him, which Jack remembers because he is a great and good friend of Bob's. He stated, we are all thankful Bob made the 12/1/97 Page 5 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN Oaths of Office - Continued. 12/1/97 Page 6 decision to run and serve another four years on this City Council. He congratulated Bob, advised him to stay in good health, stay active and if, you are real good we will buy you a year's subscription to Cable TV. He stated, the first couple of years he was a State Senator Barbara Battaya had a couple of responsi- bilities for him to perform as her State Senator, and yours, and they were of a legalistic nature. So, he felt confident in fulfilling the request, but he has not received similar or other requests in the last couple of years. He draws one conclusion from that, which he is sure everyone shares, that is that Barbara Battaya knows all the answers, so, you better follow her good advice. He stated it was a delight to be able to memorialize the fact that Barbara was re- elected for the fifth time without anyone raising a negative vote -- few people can make that kind of a claim and he proceeded to give Barbara the oath of office and presented her with a framed certificate of election as City Clerk. City Clerk Battaya thanked Senator Kopp and stated the certificate was beautiful. Senator Kopp stated he would administer the oath to Karyl Matsumoto with many memories, personal memories, because as all of you know Karyl ran his District office in S.S.F. for many years. He stated Karyl has been a friend and associate for eleven years. He was able to find Karyl in the private sector, and it was a happy day that he was able to do so, and it was also a day, he thinks, which in- vested her with enthusiasm she had never felt before for public service and for the heritage, the exper- iences and the pride which she brings to this office. It is no accident that her mother, brother and other relatives are here tonight, for those of us who know Karyl understand that in her mind tonight is the memory of her father who passed away a few years ago and it is in his spirit, and the tradition of this great family, the Matsumoto family, that he was privileged to give her the oath of office of Council- woman and proceeded to do so, gave her the certifi- cate of election and congratulated her. Senator Kopp stated, this unique certificate of election was devised by the ubiquitous and all too humble Barbara Battaya -- no wonder that she thinks it is beautiful, and so does he. AGENDA ACTION TAKEN Oaths of Office - Continued. 12/1/97 Page 7 Councilwoman Matsumoto stated she was truly honored to be elected to the City Council. The theme of her campaign was to make a difference and she promised that when her four years are completed she will have made a marked difference in the quali- ty of the lives of the citizens of S.S.F. When she was asked by the press what her campaign was about, she said it was one of family, friends and grass roots for without these three components she would not be sitting her tonight. She is very appre- ciative of everyone's support and friendship. There are many to whom she is eternally grateful, but then she would be here all night and acknowledged many of her campaign super stars: special thanks to Joe Fernekes and Jack Drago; her non-political fund raising mother; campaigner Jill Kapioco; campaign chairman Frank Cosentino; precinct walker Mark Hopp; Gene Rowe, Mary Joe Kaboto, Kate Motoyama, Liz Terra, S.S.F. Police Assn., fire- fighters, and union members who helped on her campaign; and to her relatives and the Asian/Amer- ican community. She stated she did not have a large base when she started this campaign and the Asian/American com- munity are her friends and members of the JCL and the OCA who live outside S.S.F. who had nothing to gain from her being elected, but pitched in and helped her get elected, to help her achieve her goal to serve S.S.F. She learned a lot in her campaign- ing and is delighted to have made so many new friends. She stated, please know that she will work hard to earn your support, she welcomed comments and will do her best to provide exemplary leader- ship. She acknowledged her family and introduced her uncle, patriarch of the family, her mother, aunt, brother cousin and niece. Former Assemblywoman Jackie Speier congratulated Bob and Shirley on an extraordinary career in public service that Bob Yee has provided to this com- munity over many decades, and take special note that probably his greatest contribution was to the universe with the birth of his two daughters and son. Jennifer, in particular, who was an intern in her office for a number of years and a fellow in the legislature. Also to Jim Datzman and Karyl Matsumoto, you bring a distaff element to the City Council, which she thinks is delightful. She stated, for the more than half of her life that she has spent AGENDA ACTION TAKEN 3. Oaths of Office - Continued. 12/1/97 Page 8 as a resident of this City, it was a great privilege to swear in John Penna again as a Councilman, and thanked him for that opportunity. She stated John is someone whose roots go deep in this community, it is a great tribute to him that he has been reelected and proceeded to give him the oath of office and certificate of election. Mayor Fernekes stated he was truly honored that Jim Datzman asked him to give him the oath of office. Councilman Datzman asked his Administrative Assistant, his wife Sandy, to come up and hold his left hand while he raised his right hand for the oath of office. Mayor Fernekes stated one thing he learned from his predecessor Jack Drago, is that when you read something to the public you have to make sure it is big enough, and he proceeded to give Jim Datzman the oath of office and certificate of election. Councilman Datzman stated it seemed like just a few months ago he sat up here for the first time, and he can't tell you What a great feeling it is. He asked his wife Sandy for advice on what he should say tonight and she replied, keep it short enough so you don't bore anybody, but not to short; make it long enough so that you include everyone who helped you, but not too long. So, with that advice, families are a real priority with him and he introduced his family in small groups which is how they became family members: wife Sandy; son Eric; his role model who taught him to treat people with dignity, his father Bud Datzman and his friend; sister Mar- sha, and her daughter Lisa; brother Joe, and his wife Rhonda and their four daughters Elizabeth, Andrea, Iris and Camille Datzman; brother-in-law Skip McDonald and wife Shirley; sister-in-law Carol Benner; sister Jane Robinson and husband Chuck; cousin Virgil and wife Trish. He thanked the people who tied up his Wednesday nights for the next few years; Chair of Executive Committee Dick Noftsger, who recently had some surgery and could not be here tonight; Dick is the kind of person who accomplishes more without speaking than most people can when they do and he wishes him well with his recovery. He thanked: AGENDA AC_T!QN TAKEN 3. Oaths of Office - Continued. 12/1/97 Page 9 his Treasurer Al Banfield for keeping them in the black; Sandy Datzman, Eric Datzman, Jack Drago, Laurie Massetti, and Ed Remedios for their great help on the Executive Committee. Plus Mayor Fernekes who swore him in tonight, because nobody did more to walk him through his first campaign. He stated Joe is finishing up his term as Mayor tonight and rumor has it that he did more ribbon cuttings than Starbucks as a chain here. He thanked all of the 4,004 voters, Barbara had 4,005 down, but he voted for himself and those that gave him their vote of confidence for the next four years. He is looking forward to the newly constituted City Council, and the new Mayor, Gene Mullin, to con- tinue the progress of really putting S.S.F. on the map in a positive way. He learned a lot from Bob Yee during the last year, not only watching him make his notes at the meetings, but all the home- work he did ahead of time, particularly in the way he represented himself in a dignified way wherever he went in regional government and taught us what it was all about and he thanked him. He stated, we have a great working Council, we have an excellent administrative staff, some really dedicated employees that are not afraid to go that extra yard for the citizens in this community for that is what it is really about and he was looking forward to being a part of it. Thanks for being here tonight for what is a really special night for the Datzman family. Councilman Penna thanked the people of this com- munity for their support, he saw his wife Fran and daughter Megan out in the atrium, but of the other two children, one is working and the other is in school. He thanked his aunt Fifi Baldi for being here tonight and there are a lot of people in the audience that he wished to thank that are here to- night. If someone had asked him eight years ago if he would be here tonight for another term, he would have said no, but he is very happy to be here tonight to serve another four years as City Councilman. He stated the City has really grown and is growing even more so, for when he ran in 1989 there were 22,000 registered voters, and now there are 25,000 roughly, so in his calculation the population has grown some- where around 50,000 to somewhere around 65,000, and our working population has probably another 50,000 on top of that. This is a growing vital City AGENDA ~TION TAKEN Oaths of Office - Continued. 6. Reorganization of the City Council: a) Nominations for Mayor; close of nominations. b) Comments from Out-going Mayor Fernekes, passing of the gavel to In-coming Mayor and a presentation to Out-going Mayor Fernekes. for the peninsula, for the S.F. area and the next four years are going to bring a lot of challenges, he is happy to be a part of the Council that will help steer us through those challenges. He looks forward to serving with Karyl, and congratulations again to her and Jim for a successful election. He would like to thank Bob Yee for the six years in which he got a chance to know him, we agreed on some things, disagreed on others and we always had a good time about it and looked for the issues that were best for S.S.F. He learned a lot from Bob about questioning the issues and questioning staff and how to make a decision based on as much infor- mation as we can have and we don't have very much time to do that. He thinks staff is very good, as others have said, and looks forward to serving with Mike, Steve, Russ and the rest of staff to guide this City. M/S Datzman/Penna - To nominate Eugene R. Mullin for Mayor. M/S Penna/Datzman - To close nominations. Carried by unanimous voice vote. Mayor Fernekes stated he wanted to make a few presentations to some individuals who really did above and beyond the call of duty to make this City look good: Sharon Ranals; Ron and Debra DeGrande for their excellent catering at the Confer- ence Center; his friend Barry Nagel; close friend Dennis Crossland for creating City pins and t-shirts for the Day in the Park festival. He stated, when he began his term as Mayor his goal was to focus on a theme of community in- volvement and he wanted the public to take an active role and participate in the positive things that were beginning to happen in S.S.F. He reflected on what happened this past year that was begun and was accomplished: took major steps in developing new parks and beautification projects, such as reopening and the dedication of the Wind Harp area; the dedi- cation of Jack Drago Park, a landscape project on East Grand Avenue; the opening and dedication of Irish Town Greens at Linden and Airport Blvd. as a joint effort with the Historic Old Town Homeowners and Renters Assoc.; the redesign of the entrance to the City at Hickey and El Camino as a joint effort 12/1/97 Page 10 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN 6._.~ b) Comments from Out-going Mayor - Continued. with the property owners at that location; rebeauti- fication through the planting of trees on Airport Blvd.; Avalon Memorial Park upgrade with the Avalon/Brentwood Homeowners Assn.; the approval of Alta Loma Park, the breezeway mural on Grand Ave.; and the upgrading of a number of park sites to comply with the American Disabilities Act. He stated there were a number of very large projects started and completed in the City this year; the ground breaking and construction of the new Cor- poration Yard on No. Canal St. which will be eom- pleted in the next two months for a new state of the art workplace for the employees; groundbreaking and construction of a new recreation center at Terrabay, which will be completed in the spring of 1998; the completion of the seismic retrofit at Grand Ave. Library which makes the facility brighter and better than it ever was before; the start of construc- tion to retrofit City Hall to protect our historic building; the start of a $41 million expansion project of the water treatment plant; we participated in several events for new research and development facilities currently under construction east of 101 area; the City continues to experience tremendous growth within the Industrial Park which is 95% occupied due to the good economy, Airport expan- sion, a great staff, and great employees who contin- ue to make S.S.F. look good; he as Mayor wanted to insulate more homes under ANIP and was pleased to say this past year we have seen more homes insulated to date, but the need for more homes being insulated grows; in the process of hiring an individ- ual to seek more funds and review newly affected homes, so they will also have their homes insulated; we were able to purchase the building at 616 Linden Ave. which will become the future home of a com- munity theater group called ArtRise; this year he participated in two ArtRise Fund raisers; on one event all the City Council and all the City Depart- ment Heads provided the service and expertise; after the meal he went to do dishes and found newly elected Councilman Mullin, with his sleeves rolled up, ready to do dishes, and said it reminded him of the military; this event raised $10,000 for ArtRise and was a real community event; another community event was the S.S.F. Day In the Park which started with a pancake breakfast prepared and served by the Police and Fire Dept. and they served over 500 breakfasts with no charge; about 7,000 people en- joyed a beautiful day at Orange Park with over 120 12/1/97 Page 11 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN .6. b) Comments from Out-going Mayor - Continued. booths manned by community organizations and there was local entertainment; $25,000 was raised that day and all of it went to local organizations. He stated there were two significant accomplish- ments made this year: the completion of negotia- tions and the signing of the BART agreement, and he recited the history of the undergrounding which BART will pay for with a linear park; successful negotiation of First Point Utility Solution contract and we were the first City in No. Calif. to negotiate a utility contract because of an electricity dereg- ulation, this will offer our residents and businesses electricity provider choice with guaranteed electrical savings of 5% below PG&E; purchasing and putting into service the new state of the art ambulance that will allow us to better our emergency services to the community; our staff worked with COSTCO to sign an agreement that will bring us an additional $500,000 in sales tax revenue to the City with their new facility they are going to build at Macy's Ware- house site on El Camino Real; the start of the S.S.F. Newsletter to our community; we were recipients of the SAMCEDA award, which is the highest award SAMCEDA can give in economic development as a result of hard work from our City staff; working with Genentech to change the name of a street to DNA Way; the great success of our Conference Center for after four years of operation we are well above our expectations; the start of a cable TV communication study and the outcome will offer total communication alternatives for Council to review, this will allow our residents and businesses the choice of who will provide their needs, and we will have an alternative to TCI. He stated it was so good hearing the community talking about what is happening in our City, for the community is once again taking pride in their City. The community is once again participating in what is happening and he feels Council has done what it set out to do. He leaves this office as Mayor with a balanced budget, ample reserves in the City coffers, labor contracts in place and a number of projects under way in the planning stage. He thanked his fellow Councilmembers, for this year would not have hap- pened without their cooperation and assistance, his staff, his family and the residents for the opportunity to serve them. 12/1/97 Page 12 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN .... 6. b) Comments from Out-going Mayor - Continued. 6. c) Nominations for Vice Mayor; close of nomina- tions. S ! ~.~ He presented a bouquet of red roses to Mrs. Mullin and passed the gavel to Mayor Mullin. Mayor Mullin gave Mrs. Fernekes a bouquet of roses and gave Councilman Fernekes the traditional gavel mounted on a wooden plaque as out-going Mayor. He also presented a plaque on which all the pins presented for new facilities in City were mount- ed in recognition of Joe's accomplishments for the year. M/S Fernekes/Penna - To nominate James L. Datzman as Vice Mayor and close nominations for Mayor. Carried by unanimous voice vote. Mayor Mullin stated, for those old enough to re- member Johnny Carson when he played the role of Karmack, and at the end of his bit he would say, I hold in my hand the last speech - and indeed he does. As his first act as Mayor he wanted to thank everyone for being present and knew he could count on them in the future. He introduced his family: his wonderful wife Terry of 32 years; his mother of 60 years Ruth Mullin; his sister Linda Parrish and her husband Steve, and daughter Laura; his daughter Jennifer, her husband Dave Fischer and his grandson Austin Michael who is his barometer when his remarks go too long; his son Kevin and members of his extended family are sprinkled through the audience, as are colleagues from the School District and close friends. He stated, tonight is one of those times of special memories and he thanked everyone for sharing this moment. He thanked his colleagues on the Council for the confidence they have shown by selecting him as Mayor for this coming year. He stated, he looks forward to the highs and lows that come with the job and welcomed the opportunity to continue working with Joe Fernekes, John Penna, Jim Datzman and to begin a new era with Karyl Matsumoto. To his two immediate predecessors as Mayor - Joe Fernekes, from whom he learned about risk taking and being pro-active in the community and developing commu- nity events; and Jack Drago, from whom he learned about consensus building and the value of reasoned compromise, goal setting and achieving which have been taken to heart. 12/1/97 Page 13 AGENDA ACTION TAKEN C.__omments from In-Coming Mayor: 12/1/97 Page 14 He stated, we all share the special pride of being associated with this City, his grandparents moved here in 1916, and his father, aunts and uncles all went to school here. After his grandfather closed his blacksmith shop and moved to S.F. in the mid 1920s, his aunt Myrtle Mullin Cotter began her 40th year as a teacher in S.S.F., and in the year of her retirement, over 30 years ago, was the year he start- ed here as a teacher and a resident. So, by all accounts there has been a Mullin in this City for the last 80+ years, of course, to some of the residents we are still newcomers. He has, however, lived in this community long enough to respect its past and all that past means to our residents, but he also looks forward to the future, one filled with promise, potential and excitement. We are on the edge of a new century and S.S.F., he is poised to take full advantage of what is ahead for us all. At this moment in time, this December evening in 1997, just what is S.S.F. - this is a com- munity blessed with many advantages, a strong citizen base, excellent business opportunities for entrepreneurship, as well as for employment. A wonderful location in the midst of the transportation hub with the Airport, the coming BART system, Caltrain, Samtrans and port facilities close at hand. He stated we are rapidly becoming the nation's leading biotech center, and for all we know a cure for cancer could be discovered in our own backyard. We are at the heart of an industry that will be cen- tral to our entire nation's future for much of the next century. He stated we have a strong research and development component, a growing hospitality and hotel industry anchored around the conference center, but we still maintain a strong blue collar economic base. Our past is a model we are using to build a bold new future and it is his goal as Mayor to enhance the climate that currently provides op- portunity for those who wish to succeed in S.S.F. As a City we will continue to work closely with the small business community, helping to maintain, and revitalize where necessary and expand those oppor- tunities. We continue to focus on the downtown urban core, and the Chamber of Commerce has been a valuable partner in many of the strategies to provide a positive business climate. He stated, part of the tradition of our City is what citizens have come to expect, a high level of essen- AGENDA A~TION TAKEN Comments from In-Coming Mayor - Continued. 12/1/97 Page 15 tial services - police, fire, park & recreation and libraries, but let us expand what could and should be expected of our City government in the future. Our City has, for the first time, a Director of Communi- ty Outreach dedicated to attracting non-profit agen- cies to our cities in an effort to bring needed servic- es to all segments of our population. This also includes a good access to the internet and the ability to access our City Hall through our communication system and this will be unparalleled in the area. A democracy depends on citizen involvement and he will increase that involvement during his tenure, for research is under way, for we have created an Infor- mation Technology Department to help address coming issues and research is underway to deter- mine the needs of our citizens. He wants to create greater opportunities hire more local people, have more cooperation and intercon- nection of the City and the local School District. We have a number of cooperative efforts currently underway, including the newly opened Spruce School day care and other day care centers at a number of school sites. There are reciprocal agree- ments on the soon to be constructed 10 acre Alta Loma Park site and a multitude of joint powers agreements, for children are the concern of both Agencies for these will be our leaders in the new millennium. The City has just completed a nine month pilot project with a non-profit group, Community Focus, which entailed six community meetings with input from several hundred residents and culminated in a project vision for the creation of a youth center(s) that would provide a range of City and school ser- vices including computer access, job information, health services and recreational activities and he envisions it taking place in the next few months. There will continue to be a high focus on aircraft overflights and there is a need for the Airport to co- exist with our City because they are next to the largest employer in S.F. with ample opportunities for both high school and college graduates. There has been a rebounding of California's economy and direction from Council and staff which has posi- tioned us to take advantage of that and we are up- grading City infrastructures this year, such as con- tinued street work, freeway ramps, the new overpass AGENDA ACTION TAKEN _ Comments from In-Coming Mayor - Continued. ADJOURNMENT: at the Oyster Point Interchange and the expansion of the WQCP. These events are not as visible as the new hotels coming on line east of 101, the move of ArtRise to its new location in the downtown area, and the upgrade of the Oyster Point Marina that will ensure an enhanced quality of life in S.S.F. while maintaining and increasing green spots and park lands. He again thanked the Council for making him May- or and stated it was a position and responsibility he would not take lightly and he would do all he can to make this coming year be one we can all be justifi- ably proud. M/S Penna/Datzman - To adjourn the meeting. Carried by unanimous voice vote. Time of adjournment was 8:28 p.m. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Barbara A. Battaya, Cit~ City of South San Francisco APPROVED. The entries of this Council meeting show the action taken by the City Council to dispose of an item. Oral communica- tions, arguments and comments are recorded on tape. The tape and documents related to the items are on file in the Office of the City Clerk and are available for inspection, review and copying. 12/1/97 Page 16