In a yawner of a vote, South San Francisco Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto was returned by her council colleagues throughout San Mateo County to another term on the nine-member San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) board of directors. Matsumoto was challenged for the seat on the powerful transit board by Daly City Councilmember Mike Guingona who Matusmoto successfully bested for the seat three years ago. Matsumoto again came out on top by securing the votes of 17 San Mateo County cities to Guingona’s 3.
In early 2008, Daly City Councilmember Mike Guingona was voted out of his seat on the SamTrans board he held for nearly a decade. The SamTrans board is comprised of nine members including three representing the cities of San Mateo County via elected city council members. The three seats reserved for city council members are elected by a collection of their peers in the county through the Council of Cities, an organization of the 20 cities in the county.
The SamTrans seats are sought-after positions as The SamTrans board oversees a $94-plus million annual operating budget and employees 765 people in the county bus, Caltrain and paratransit services for all of San Mateo County. The transit board seat is singularly important but is also a conduit to a seat of the San Mateo County Transit Authority (SMCTA), the sister agency that oversees the voter approved Measure A ½-cent sales tax that will run through 2033 and generates $1.5 billion for primarily capital investment in local transit infrastructure – a plum position for capturing rare transit dollars for local cities and a power position to leverage.
Gomez to go to trial
Daly City Councilmember Maggie Gomez appeared in court Monday, January 31st, 2011 for a closed-door pretrial conference to discuss a possible plea deal for charges related to allegations of worker’s compensation insurance fraud.
Evidently, the now three-term councilmember could not reach a deal with San Mateo County prosecutors and a trial date of March 7 has now been set in which she will face multiple felony charges.
At the end of November 2009 Gomez pleaded not guilty to 12 felony counts of fraud and remains out of $100,000 bail. Gomez had worked for Seton Hospital in Daly City as a patient relations manager and originally filed the claim in 2005. Despite the pending charges Gomez was easily reelected to her third term on the Daly City Council this past November.
Reports from the case cite investigators observing and possibly videotaping Gomez performing a variety of activities including riding a motorcycle and exercising among several activities that the councilmember allegedly claimed she could not perform due to a workplace injury.
Should Gomez be convicted her council colleagues will be forced to appoint a temporary replacement or call a Special Election.
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