New council in Millbrae

Disagreement around the project — which recently did not receive Project Homekey funding — was the impetus for the two vacancies on the council. The seats have been empty since former councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman were recalled over abstaining and voting no, respectively, on sending a letter to the county about concerns with the hotel purchase.

At its Tuesday meeting, the City Council first had to decide whether it would pursue a special election or an appointment process for the two vacant seats. Schneider was in favor of pursuing a special election, which the city could not have legally held until March 2025 due to its status as a general-law city.

The City Council was legally obligated to make a decision on which process it would pursue by Oct. 22, City Attorney David Lim said.

If it went the special elections route, the City Council could not have filled the vacant seats with appointments in the interim — a main reason Mayor Anders Fung and Vice Mayor Gina Papan were in favor of the appointments process, they said, citing the limited functions of a three-person City Council.

“It hampers the ability for the council to conduct its day-to-day business by not having a full council,” Fung said. “I don’t know how fair this would be to both District 2 and District 4 and the city as a whole. We’re simply taking away our ability to govern, to project our policies on a regional basis.”

But city residents deserved a right to vote, Schneider maintained, citing the two-year period Riley and Nguyen will serve as the length of some state and federal representatives’ terms. She acknowledged her role in delaying the recall vote to July, making it impossible to put a special election on resident’s November ballots.

“I take responsibility for that and I am sorry for that. I believe in elections,” she said. “We’re being asked to fill a position for over half a term. That means the three of us are being asked to take away the votes of the people in District 4 and District 2 for over two years.”

Despite Schneider’s protestations that an election would be beneficial to residents as candidates would have to work to bridge divides between those who supported and did not support the recall, the City Council moved forward on a 2-1 vote to appoint the new councilmembers. Residents spoke at the City Council meeting both for and against both options.

Riley is a small business owner who has been active in the fight against La Quinta since it began, she said during the City Council’s interview process for the candidates, held Oct. 7. Her priorities for the tenure are ensuring the city’s public safety, improving infrastructure and fostering unity, according to her questionnaire.

“If I’m appointed, I will put my priority as my city and my community,” she said. “I believe that our community deserves a voice. I understand the challenge of starting from nothing and fighting for the future of our generation.”

A variety of community members advocated on Riley’s behalf during both the Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 meetings, citing her passion for Millbrae. Judy Louie, a resident of District 2, said she felt both Riley and Ngyuen would be the best choices for their respective positions.

“They are driven by political agendas but are committed to serving our community, protecting our interests and building a better Millbrae. Both Sissy and Bob have strong professional backgrounds,” she said. “Sissy, in particular, allocates significant amounts of time opposing the purchase of La Quinta Inn, demonstrating her commitment to our city.”

John Mufarreh, an architect with a background in urban planning, and Donald Kung, the owner of a senior care facility, both challenged Riley for the District 2 seat but were not selected.

The appointment process faced further turmoil when Schneider disputed the nominations mechanism selected by Fung, in which councilmembers would make a motion for a specific candidate and, if it had the votes, that individual would then be sworn in.

“I’m not comfortable with the process at all. Honestly, to my core, this is wrong,” she said.

Regardless, Fung moved forward with a motion for Riley, which he and Papan voted for with Schnieder against.

When it came to District 4, Nguyen secured the appointment with another 2-1 vote, nominated by Papan. Nguyen, a business owner in medical device development, faced former Mayor Paul Seto and scientist and entrepreneur Chris Hackley. Nguyen had run against Goodman in 2022 as a write-in candidate.

“We are not going to have complete consensus with all the residents here. But I do think it’s important we have someone who has really engaged the public consistently over the last couple years,” she said. “Given that, I would nominate Bob Nguyen.”

Nguyen, like Riley, emphasized his experience organizing against La Quinta as beneficial to a potential position on City Council. If elected, he would prioritize boosting the local economy through supporting and attracting local businesses, infrastructure upgrades and increasing public safety, according to his questionnaire.

“Through my recent experience with La Quinta, I had the privilege of working directly with the community and engaged in honest conversations and advocate on their behalf,” he said during the Oct. 8 meeting. “This is an experience that gave me deeper understanding of the challenges we face as a city.”

Some Millbrae residents thought Seto would have been a better fit for the position, given his prior council experience and focus on unity and healing for a community in division. Schneider felt similarly, posing an opposing motion to nominate Seto and questioning Nguyen’s commitment to unity and the breadth of his community involvement in La Quinta organizing.

“The whole [La Quinta] issue was very divisive. It’s not conducive to building a city that wants to be on the same page,” Seto said on Oct. 7. “That is something I’d like to see us move forward with and move on … so we can develop something more cohesive.”

One community member, Nathan Chen, advocated for the council to call for a special election. Barring that, he’d have preferred to see Seto on the council, he said on Oct. 8.

“If you are committed to appointing someone, I would suggest at least one of those appointments should go to Mr. Seto,” he said. “I think this is a role someone who has experience in public service would be best suited for.”

After the tumultuous deliberations period, Nguyen and Riley were both sworn in to applause from the audience.