Race for San Bruno City Council forms

Election Day arrives as officials cope with the fallout of a rejected housing development proposal which exposed sizable fissures in the community, while San Bruno also weighs a proposed sales tax hike plus the expansion of the city’s most notable employer.

O’Connell, who has been on the San Bruno City Council since 1995, recognized the critical issues facing candidates and claimed her depth of knowledge and experience is necessary to help guide the community.

“I think it is a crucial time for San Bruno,” she said.

Mason meanwhile said her campaign is built around a desire to offer a fresh perspective helping shepherd San Bruno through the variety of matters its faces.

“I feel like we need a change,” said Mason, whose husband Andy is vice president of the San Bruno Park Elementary School District Board of Trustees.

Marshall, a San Bruno native whose father Bob served as mayor for 12 years, said he favors progress through capitalizing on the opportunity presented by residential and economic growth.

“San Bruno has to embrace development to move forward,” he said.

For his part, Medina said he wants to be re-elected to keep working on initiatives started during his first term.

“I want to be able to continue the progress that has been made in the last four years,” he said.

The discussion during a Daily Journal editorial endorsement interview occurred months after Medina cast the sole dissenting vote to kill the Mills Park development proposal, which would have brought 425 residential units and approximately 46,000 square feet of commercial space at a key intersection along El Camino Real.

Unanimous consent was necessary because two councilmembers — including O’Connell — were recused from voting since they owned property nearby.

Following years of planning and hours of deliberation at the deciding meeting, Medina ultimately voted in opposition due to fears raised by community members that the project was too big and incompatible with its surroundings.

Medina expressed little remorse over his decision which has drawn the attention of housing advocates and state officials who claim the project should have been approved, as it met all the requisite development guidelines.

“Adding 425 units and a full grocery store to an underperforming intersection isn’t a good decision without mitigating it,” said Medina.

Mason, who reluctantly voted to approve the project while on the Planning Commission because of its advisory role, said she believed most of the community’s concerns could have been addressed with more outreach.

“The process would have been smoother if there was better communication,” she said.

Alternatively, Marshall said he supported the project — noting the city’s lost opportunity to take in as much as $10 million in development fees offered by the builder. He also expressed disappointment over Medina’s decision to bargain with the developer from the dais during the meeting as well as his choice to side with critics of the project.

“You can’t cave to those who are the most outspoken people at the meeting,” he said.

Citing the advice of legal counsel, O’Connell largely declined comment on the matter while noting she supported the Transit Corridor Plan which laid the groundwork for allowing more dense development in San Bruno.

Also regarding growth and development, officials are amidst an examination of a specific plan for an expanded YouTube campus, which could include as much as 2.4 million square feet of office space at the Bayhill office park plus housing units, open space and a potential civic facility.

Marshall said he believes corporate partnership with YouTube is essential to develop a project benefiting the company, as well as the community. He also suggested a successful collaboration could help restore an image diminished by the Mills Park rejection.

“What happened at Mills Park has tainted our reputation,” he said.

Medina too said he believes the YouTube campus project could benefit the community, while keeping an eye to the additional costs brought by a larger workforce.

“We need to mindfully balance the revenue and the impacts that come with it,” he said.

Mason said she is excited by the vision of the internet’s largest source of streaming videos further establishing its presence in the city.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to really grow up with San Bruno,” she said.

O’Connell meanwhile said she is heartened by an opportunity to develop plans for the company and city to jointly build a new library — an initiative she first favored when considering uses of the money to San Bruno paid by Pacific Gas and Electric following the Crestmoor explosion.

“We are in continuous talks about different benefits they can provide and the benefits we can provide to them by being part of our community,” she said.

Partially in anticipation of the campus growth, officials floated a half-cent sales tax hike on the fall ballot which will help pay for deferred maintenance and also improved infrastructure.

Recognizing the hard work of officials to balance the books in advance of putting Measure G to the ballot, Medina said he believes the additional income is needed to bolster the city’s financial footing.

“It’s not a matter of efficiency, it’s a matter of the revenue,” he said.

O’Connell shared a similar perspective, noting the city has historically maintained a lean staff.

“Measure G is where we need to be looking toward,” she said.

Marshall agreed there are not enough budget cuts available to offer fiscal certainty in the future, but suggested he’d like to see an economic development director hired to boost the city’s business acumen.

“Generating new income is where we need to focus our energy,” he said.

For her part, Mason said she favored assuring the city’s fee structure is current and competitive, but opposed the measure because it includes no sunset and she would prefer officials seek alternative ways to raise income instead of proposing a tax.

“It’s not as much about cutting costs, it’s about how to generate more revenue,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105

Note to readers: this article has been amended to correct Mason's position on the proposed tax.