[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1273-E1274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF THE HONORABLE REUBEN HOLOBER FROM THE CITY 
                          COUNCIL OF MILLBRAE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Millbrae Councilman 
Reuben Holober as he leaves the City Council. Reuben was 25 years old 
when first elected in 2013. He grew up in Millbrae, received his 
Bachelor's Degree from the University of Washington and his Master's 
Degree in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. 
Prior to joining the council, he served on the city's Sister City 
Commission. He also served as an intern for the late Congressman Tom 
Lantos. During his youth, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
  Millbrae is a small town of 22,000 stretching from the edge of the 
bay adjacent to San Francisco International Airport to the wooded 
hillsides of the Peninsula. Its businesses are almost all small 
companies. Historically, they largely served local residents, travelers 
and the airport. In the wake of the housing collapse, Millbrae 
businesses were hit hard. It was during recovery from that recession 
that Reuben first ran for public office. He noted in his candidate 
statement that while the first priority for residents was public 
safety, the city's tax base needed to grow to support the goal of 
safety. Developing the areas around the BART/Caltrain station was key 
to generating revenue.
  Today, at the site of the station, construction companies are putting 
the final touches on 840 units of new housing, 50,000 square feet of 
retail, and a new hotel. Reuben supported this addition to Millbrae, 
and it will undoubtedly become a template for similar sites around the 
country.
  The city council made many difficult decisions during Reuben's time 
in office. When a fire consumed the beloved Millbrae Recreation Center, 
he and colleagues secured the funds to build a beautiful new facility. 
In recent years, water rates have escalated because of

[[Page E1274]]

aging infrastructure as well as price increases by the city's water 
supplier. It fell to then-Mayor Holober to note these painful increases 
in his 2020 reports to the residents, but he also explained all the 
wonderful work that was done by the public works department, including 
replacement of many pipes that were more than 50 years old
  A new biotechnology building is under construction near the BART/
Caltrain station. Due to the openness of Reuben and his colleagues to 
new business development, the city is known as a place where companies 
with the right ideas can get projects successfully through the approval 
process.
  When he joined the council, he was half the age of a typical 
councilmember. With youthful optimism, he joined the council's 
Technology Subcommittee and Infrastructure Task Force. His colleagues 
also assigned him to be the council's representative to the Millbrae 
Chamber of Commerce, the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, 
the San Mateo County Library Joint Powers Authority, and the Caltrain 
Local Policy Makers Group. Millbrae Community Television, which 
broadcasts local events, also benefited from his service on its Board 
of Directors
  Reuben was Mayor in 2020 when COVID arrived. It is almost painful 
today to read his remarks to colleagues, delivered in November. He 
noted, ``2020 has been an extremely difficult year due to the COVID-19 
pandemic. From job losses and economic decline . . . to feelings of 
isolation and depression . . . due to necessary shelter-in-place and 
social distancing orders. In many ways . . . we were not prepared for 
the pandemic.'' He and his council colleagues rose to the challenge. He 
noted that the council provided grants to local businesses and helped 
them apply for greater funding through the SBA. He fulther noted that 
409 businesses received PPP loans that saved 2,600 jobs, The council 
also passed ordinances to allow curbside dining outdoors, expedited 
construction permits, closed streets to allow residents and visitors to 
stroll, and limited fees charged by DoorDash and others so that 
restaurants could survive without customers being gouged by delivery 
charges.
  All of this was done even though at the time the city's budget took a 
$6.5 million hit due to revenue reductions. By cutting other expenses 
sharply, the deficit was reduced to $1.3 million, but this left the 
city operating ``on a shoestring budget'' according to then-Mayor 
Holober.
  With completion of the new recreation center, major development at 
the Caltrain/BART station, and commencement of development of a nearby 
biotechnology complex, Millbrae is finally poised to soar. Reuben 
Holober can be confident that his quiet and effective leadership was 
crucial to building a bright future for the city he loves. I wish him, 
his wife Amy and his son, Nolan, all the best in the years ahead. 
Reuben Holober, the 25-year-old who wanted to serve, has done a 
wonderful job for his city and his neighbors. He's now earned the 
ultimate badge towards the rank of Eagle Scout: Civic duty. Democracy 
in Millbrae is better due to his time on the council.

                          ____________________