Millbrae mayor resigning: Reuben Holober is stepping down from City Council to pursue job in public finance

Holober served on the City Council from 2013-22 and from 2024 until now. He originally took office at the age of 25 after the death of his mother, former Millbrae Councilmember Nadia Holober. Between his mother, his father Richard Holober — who served on the San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees — and himself, his family has had more than 50 years of public service between them. 

“My family has been involved in local politics for a long time,” Holober said. “I was first approached to run shortly after my mother passed away in 2013. It was a difficult decision at that time — it was not something I was planning for. … I was pretty well-versed in a lot of the local issues. I got a lot of encouragement to run.”  

He took office again in 2024 after a turbulent period in Millbrae’s local political scene revolving around now-defunct plans for formerly-homeless housing at the La Quinta Inn. Although he wasn’t expecting the second wind in his political career, Holober said the encouragement of the community prompted him to rejoin the council two years ago. 

“I think our council has worked very well together to help bring the temperature down and really bring the community together and focus on core services,” Holober said. 

In total, Holober served on the Millbrae City Council for more than 10 years — which is “part of the reason I thought it was as good a time as any to step down,” he said. Holober said he was proud of his work rebuilding the Millbrae Recreation Center post-fire, transit-oriented development, facilitation of new life science campuses in the city and on housing element progress. 

In the interest of avoiding any real or perceived conflict of interest as a result of his new job, Holober made the decision to resign, he said. 

Per Millbrae city code, if the mayoral office becomes vacant, the vice mayor would rotate into that position. Vice Mayor Rainaldi said he appreciated Holober’s long-standing commitment to Millbrae and noted he would miss his calm demeanor and thoughtful decision-making on the dais. 

“I can tell you this thing wasn’t taken lightly, and people know that,” Rainaldi said. “It’s obvious he’s always approached this with care and thoughtfulness and a genuine commitment to the community.” 

As mayor, Rainaldi said he would continue the city’s focus on transit-oriented development, with a particular focus on alleviating the downtown parking congestion. Though Rainaldi has served less than a full term on council, he said he’s ready to take on the mayoral role, due in large part to the current council’s cooperative spirit and advice from former councilmembers. 

“Millbrae has a strong network of former electeds that are there, always available to lean on,” he said. “There’s not one bad apple on that council. We work well together, and I think we’re gonna do just fine.” 

City Manager Tom Williams was not immediately available for comment on Millbrae’s next steps following Holober’s resignation, but lauded his service in the city’s press release.

“I am fortunate and deeply grateful to have served with Mayor Holober through the unprecedented COVID era and the many projects completed under his tenure,” Williams said in the release. “Mayor Holober served with distinction, integrity, and his public leadership will be sorely missed by our community.”