Three vie for District 22 state Assembly seat

“It’s really an opportunity for me to bring San Mateo County’s issues directly into the leadership conversation where we are setting priorities as an Assembly majority caucus,” he said.

Mullin pegged the some $233 million awarded to the Managed Lanes project — which will add two express lanes with tolls to Highway 101 in San Mateo County — by the California Transportation Commission using funds from Senate Bill 1, a bill he co-sponsored that is otherwise known as the gas tax increase, as among the sources of funding he expects to combat regional traffic congestion. He also pointed to his role in crafting Regional Measure 3, a measure on the June 5 primary ballot aiming to increase bridge tolls to fund highway and transit projects as well as in initiating legislation enabling SamTrans to put a half-cent sales tax on the ballot this November as increasing the county’s pool of transportation funding.

“I think we made a quantum leap when it comes to identifying transportation funding in San Mateo County,” he said.

Though Redwood City resident and change management consultant Christina Laskowski acknowledged the burden regional traffic congestion has placed on residents, she said she is focused on understanding how the funds dedicated for infrastructure projects are being used. Having started her career in investment banking and led a nonprofit aiming to boost entrepreneurship in the Philippines where she lived for six years, Laskowski said she has experience helping a variety of organizations manage their budgets and create change in their industries.

“My focus right now is on transparency,” she said. “I always like to audit and analyze.”

Pacifica resident Bridget Duffy also took issue with measures currently aimed at addressing the region’s transportation issues, noting she felt SamTrans could better manage its funds and incorporate newer technology in its fleets to better serve those relying on bus transportation. As a mother, Duffy said she was motivated to seek an elected office out of concerns about the job prospects of the next generation and the effects of incumbents running unopposed for offices.

“The economy that they’re facing today and the corruption within our government and the demise of democracy, in my opinion, is threatening their futures,” she said.

Noting the close relationship between the region’s transportation issues and housing shortage, Mullin said he hopes to continue making headway on efforts to restore redevelopment as a tool for local governments to address the challenges they face in providing affordable housing. He said bills aimed at streamlining the process for school districts to use surplus land for much-needed housing dedicated to teachers and establishing local housing authorities have been steps in the right direction, but acknowledged his hope to accomplish much more on the housing front in a fourth term.

Laskowski said she has spoken with a wide array of voters and said the high cost of living in the region is one issue that affects all of them, and wondered if measures to boost housing available to teachers or other groups in need of affordable housing do enough to alleviate the burden many are feeling. Noting many Silicon Valley companies hire workers from other countries because they are not able to find those with the skills they require in the region, Laskowski pegged a new approach to job training and education for students to more holistically address the issues they face.

“My hope is to do something innovative to address that so we are hiring workers from home and then once we advance that that we go outside the market,” she said. “I’m all for having a diverse workforce … I just feel that we need to do more for the individuals that are here.”

Duffy said she has been working on a plan that would enable private citizens to invest in tiny home communities on undeveloped land in cities and counties. She said the plan would involve cities leasing the land permanently without raising rents, which she said could keep the homes affordable for those who need them.

She said she has become interested in pursuing elected office after attending city council meetings some seven years ago in the Sacramento area, where she lived before she moved back to her hometown of Pacifica five years ago. Having pursued a City Council seat in Pacifica two times in the past, Duffy said she has been dismayed by the local elected officials’ unwillingness to pursue legislation she believes would benefit the prospects of younger generations, like single-payer health care.

Mullin said he welcomed the opportunity to compete with his opponents for the seat and compare their visions for the district, noting he will be running on his record of service to the district.

“I’m encouraged that there is a campaign,” he said. “Nobody should get a free ride, you never take these seats for granted.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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Note to readers: This article has been amended to say Christina Laskowski lived in the Philippines for six years. It was previously reported the Philippines is her home country, but she confirmed she was born and raised in California.