The Millbrae city held a community forum at the Recreation Center on the morning of February 15th to discuss various issues including city development projects, transportation and public safety, road improvement measures, and to actively solicit community input to improve municipal services and city planning.
The forum was organized by Councilmember Sissy Yan Riley from District 2, and was attended by city representatives such as City Manager Tom Williams, City Planning Manager Roscoe Mata, and Director of Public Works Sam Bautista.
Approximately 50 residents participated in the event, raising concerns about issues such as street calming measures, homelessness, and inadequate street lighting. City officials engaged in direct dialogue with residents, listened to their opinions, addressed questions, and worked towards policy adjustments and improvements.
Councilmember Sissy Yan Riley stated that the main purpose of hosting the meeting was to gauge public opinion and address issues concerning residents. She mentioned that one of Millbrae’s biggest challenges currently is economic development and public safety, particularly with a large gathering of homeless individuals around the BART station vicinity after its closure at night, impacting community safety. She noted that although the city previously addressed such issues through the LifeMoves program, which has now ended, the city is actively seeking new solutions.
She emphasized the critical importance of economic development, as the city’s financial revenue is limited and insufficient funding sources may impact police and public safety resource allocation. Currently, hiring a single police officer incurs annual expenses of tens of thousands of dollars, and the city is exploring grant funding and other financial sources to ensure the city’s safety and residents’ well-being.
Albert Yam, a community leader in Millbrae, expressed to the Epoch Times that the biggest challenges facing the Chinese community in Millbrae are economic pressures and rising living costs. He hopes for the government to promote more convenient measures to enhance residents’ quality of life, and to provide clear guidance on the development plan for the La Quinta hotel as soon as possible.
He also urged elected officials to fulfill their promises to the residents and encouraged more Chinese residents to actively participate in municipal affairs, care about community development, oversee officials in implementing policies, and ensure residents’ rights and community interests are protected.
Additionally, he remains optimistic about Millbrae’s future and looks forward to the city’s continued and stable development.
He stated that Millbrae possesses great development potential, with the recent establishment of new institutions, life science and pharmaceutical research and development projects, as well as various commercial and infrastructure projects in planning stages, bringing more opportunities to the city.
During the forum, the city also shared news about the upcoming night market, introduced a free solar panel installation program, and provided information on community resources such as a housing seismic resistance grant of up to $3,000.
After the meeting, residents of various ethnicities approached to express their support and appreciation for the work of the Chinese-American councilmember.