David Lim, mayor of San Mateo, traces his path from prosecutor to public service and argues that progress happens from within government. He highlights innovation in infrastructure, transportation, and housing, credits public works director Larry for securing alternative funding, and points to a Comcast fiber partnership as proof that government can drive transformation.
Chapters
Again, my path to becoming a prosecutor was because I saw victims of crime who needed help, who needed advocacy. I also despised the notion that a person who was a little left-leaning in his social views, a little progressive in his views, could not be an effective prosecutor. And I met a judge who inspired me that said, David, you know, what do you think about doing? I thought, well, you know, I think I want to become a public defender or a defense attorney. He goes, no, you don't. I said, no, I think I do. I'm kind of liberal in terms of my beliefs. She goes, no, no, no, you want to be a prosecutor. And the way she explained it to me was this. She said, listen, it's cool, and, you know, we have a lot of respect for defense attorneys because they're out there on the front of the steps of the courthouse and they're defending their client who's been— if they think they've been wrongfully accused or making sure they get a good deal. She goes, but would you rather be that person who has to fight against the system, or would you rather be the guy who sits at a desk one day, reads a police report, and says, This is not justice, this is not right, and just kind of quietly doesn't ever charge the case. And so as a prosecutor, I've been able to advance social justice and really think about how we implement our criminal prosecution system in very quiet but meaningful ways. And it has taught me that innovation and radical social change don't necessarily mean you have to have a ponytail, You can do it wearing a tie. You can do it behind a government desk if you have the right attitude. So how do we use innovation in everyday life in civic and social— in civic duty? Well, right now what we have is we still have very much a 1950s government locked in the year 2013. The demands of the city of San Francisco— of San Mateo have changed so much. We are not the sleepy suburban community we were in the '50s. You know, we have real-world problems. We have massive infrastructure issues. We have transportation issues with Caltrain and high-speed rail. We have public safety issues with gang— you know, with known gang members and high crime rates that our police department constantly has to be working to keep in check. So it forces us to be innovative. It forces us to think outside the box. I believe that innovation is the key to good city government. And I'm gonna toot the horn of Larry a little bit. He's sitting there quietly. Larry is probably one of the best public works directors because he is constantly thinking outside the box. I'll give you examples. A lot of our infrastructure planning regarding our sewage treatment plant, our sewer systems, are not funded through the general plan, are funded through grant processes that we do by getting partnerships with regional, federal partners. A lot of our street repairs are done through federal and regional grants. And as a city, we do better than any of the other 21 cities on the peninsula and most of the other cities in the Bay Area because of Larry's leadership. He's constantly looking for different ways, different revenues, different funding streams, very much like how all of you, when you start businesses, are going to be looking for innovative ideas for funding and how to make things work. So innovation is the key to good government. Social justice is essential for diverse communities. It's not a secret that we live in one of the highest per capita areas in California, if not the country. Our housing rates are among the highest in the state, if not the country. We constantly need to be asking ourselves, how do we promote more social justice on areas like affordable housing and diversity in our workforce? In diversity in our schools. And without that grounding of innovation and social justice, we would not be able to maintain the quality of life that we have in the City of San Mateo, because I firmly believe that diversity is a hallmark and strength of our country and our communities. Government as a transformation agent. Government, I believe, serves to protect the community, to act as a backstop for when things are rough, to make sure that no one goes hungry, to make sure that no child is unfed or unclothed, but it also on a higher level can act as a transformation agent to help give people the tools that they need, to give people a level playing field to succeed, but also sometimes just to help push things in the right direction. I always say that sometimes the best thing a government can do to help move things along is just get out of the way. but act sort of as the umbrella to be the protection if needed. I'll give you one great example of a government as a transformation agent. It's kind of a weird example because you'll think, well, you didn't really do anything as a city. How many of you know about the Comcast deal here in downtown San Mateo? Comcast deal in the City of San Mateo. Comcast— see, Larry knows. Larry raised his hand. Comcast came to the City of San Mateo, the Chamber of Commerce, with a million-dollar idea, a couple million dollars, saying we want to dig up and lay fiber optic cables in downtown, and we will do it for free. And that was a transformative event because prior to that, the internet access in downtown was very spotty. You had to either get it— sorry, now I'm blanking. You know when you plug into your phone line, what do you call that one? ISDN. Yeah, you had— it was expensive. Every company had to do it themselves. There was no hardwired fiber optic cables in downtown. And as you all know from your backgrounds, that's a huge hindrance for us in attracting the best talent and the best businesses. So they came in and they did it for free. You know what we in City Hall— and Larry, I'm exaggerating a little bit, so don't get offended. We really— all we did was really get out of the way. We let the partnership take place between the Chamber and Comcast. We made sure that the permits were in order. But we really listened to the idea, said it's a great idea, and how can we help expedite the idea without mucking it up and getting our fingers in? That's government as a transformation agent. Thank you.
