San Carlos Suffered Loss with Major Dead at 46

May 11, 2011

The city of San Carlos has announced San Carlos Mayor Omar Ahmad died after suffering a heart attack early this morning. He was 46.

Ahmad was elected to the San Carlos City Council in 2007. He had previously served as a member of the City‘s Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC). While on the City Council, Omar selected to serve as the Mayor of San Carlos in November by his fellow Council Members.

He was a well known entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, having been involved in the start up of a number of companies including the Discovery Channel, @Home, Trusted ID, Grand Central Communications, Napster, Netscape and most recently as the co-founder and CEO of SynCH Energy Corporation.

“Those of us at City Hall who had the opportunity to work with and get to know him are devastated by his loss,” said City Manager Jeff Maltbie. “Omar’s dedication to the citizens of San Carlos and his passion for democracy will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Ahmad also served on the San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors and was the Vice Chair of the Peninsula Joint Powers Board. The Transit District has lowered the flags at all its facilities to half-staff in memory and honor of Ahmad.

Caltrain Board President Sean Elsbernd said Ahmad was everything anyone could want in a human being, a public servant, and a friend. He had a good sense of humor. He was absolutely dedicated to public transit and his dedication was matched by his commitment. He also had something you don’t see often – an ability and a willingness, an eagerness, really, to look ahead, to see what the future could hold and to plan and prepare for that future. He loved working on the problems of today, but he loved even more thinking about the possibilities tomorrow could bring. I will miss him dearly.”

SamTrans Board President Karyl Matsumoto said, “We are all devastated by Omar’s passing. He was kind and funny, warm and genuine and he believed in the work he was doing on behalf of the public. Omar was not afraid to ask the tough questions or make difficult decisions. He was committed to the people who ride our buses and use our Paratransit service.

SamTrans General Manager/CEO and Caltrain Executive Director Michael J. Scanlon said, “He made things better – by his courage, by his vision, by his creativity, and, perhaps most especially, by his sense of humor and fun. He was deeply supportive of the men and women who work in the public arena and respectful of the work they do and the working people he served have lost a true champion.

“We were all very shocked and saddened by the news this morning when we heard that the mayor of San Carlos had suffered a heart attack,” Lieberman said. “We lost someone who had a very, very strong sense of civic responsibility and community. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family and friends and to all of San Carlos.”

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City Manager City Budget Cuts Update

March 7, 2010

Subject :	City Manager Offers “Two Paths” to Close $3.5 Million Budget Gap Major Decisions Face San Carlos at Upcoming Budget Workshops

San Carlos City Manager Mark Weiss unveiled his Proposed 2010-11 City Budget today in preparation for City Council Budget Workshops scheduled in March. Copies of the proposed budget staff report are available for review at City Hall and on the City’s Web Site.

The budget workshop, to be held on Saturday, March 13th at noon in the Community Rooms of the San Carlos Library, 2nd Floor, 610 Elm Street, will enable the City Council and community to hear a detailed budget presentation, offer public comments and hear City Council thoughts on the proposed budget.

The City Staff has also reserved the Community Rooms at the San Carlos Library for March 22nd starting at 6:00 pm in the likely event that the Council Budget Workshop is continued. Input from the workshop will be used to prepare the 2010-11 Budget to be presented to the City Council for review and approval in early May.

The City’s Proposed Budget for 2010-11 features “two paths” to a balanced budget. The recommended path involves City Council authorization for the City Manager and City Department Heads to prepare service agreements for receiving Police and Fire services from neighboring agencies and to explore contracting for parks maintenance services.

This option is projected to save the City approximately $5 Million or more per year and would cover the City’s budget deficit without necessitating additional cuts to City services. A second path features a series of major service changes in many City service areas. This option will save the City $3.5 Million per year and would close the City’s budget gap for 2010-11. Some of the key service reductions that would occur with the second option include:

Cutting 9 Full-Time positions including 2 Additional Police positions plus numerous Part-Time support personnel
Closing the Youth Center and Eliminating Administrative Support for Special Events in San Carlos (including Hometown Days, Art & Wine Festival and Summer Concerts at Burton Park)
Reducing City Counter Service Hours to 3 Hours Per Day and Closing the City Clerk’s Counter with Service Provided by Appointment Only
Freezing the City of San Carlos Contribution to the Funding of the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department at the 2009-10 Budget level
Discontinuing Funds to Record and Broadcast City Council Meetings on Cable TV and the Internet

City Manager Mark Weiss said “Two years ago I indicated that the City of San Carlos was at a “Tipping Point” and asked the City Council to declare a fiscal emergency. Last year a local one-half cent sales tax designed to preserve City services (Measure U), was placed on the November ballot and was rejected by San Carlos voters. Thus, the major steps proposed in this budget to bring it into balance will not be surprising to those who have been following the local, state and national economy and the City’s fiscal status.”

Weiss added that “This is the 11th year in a row that the City of San Carlos will be making program and service cuts in the annual budget. Even though there were two rounds of budget cuts last year, the City’s General Fund Budget deficit has grown by almost $1 Million (from $2.6 Million last year to $3.5 Million this year) even after all of these cuts were implemented. This confirms the projections made last year that the current approach of making modest budget cuts each year and tapping into reserves is no longer sustainable.”

“What I am proposing in this year’s budget is a paradigm shift in how we view City services in San Carlos. Rather than continue to attempt to provide the full range of City services mostly in-house, I believe it is time to accelerate the use of contract services in several areas in an effort to improve efficiency and take advantage of economies of scale, while embracing a regional service delivery model.”

“With the help of the City Department Heads, we have developed a menu of options for the City Council to consider in the upcoming budget to fully close the $3.5 Million per year budget gap. The recommended path involves contracting out or outsourcing Police and Fire Department services in a more sustainable manner. Additionally, choosing this option would allow the City to preserve all services, including public safety, facilities and community events at their current, albeit already reduced levels. This approach addresses the budget deficit in an aggressive manner and avoids closure of facilities and continued deterioration of all City services.”

“This budget includes tough choices and offers a different view of the City’s future as we move forward. I envision a vigorous discussion as the Council explores and decides the road San Carlos will follow into the future. I invite San Carlos residents to attend and participate in this vital process.”

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Belmont Beautification Award Delayed

December 8, 2009

Hi everyone, due to the seating of a new City Council at the December 8^th City Council meeting, the City of Belmont will be rescheduling the 3^rd Annual presentation of our Beautiful Belmont Awards Program to the meeting of January 12^th. This recognition program is designed to acknowledge individuals, businesses, and community groups who have enhanced the City’s community by making significant exterior improvements to their Belmont properties. Eligible improvements include the enhancement, upgrading, reconstruction, or replacement of a property, making it more visually appealing as well as enriching the surrounding neighborhood or district.

The City encourages everyone, including property owners themselves, to submit nominations throughout the year. The deadline for 2009 nominations has been extended to November 30, 2009, given the new presentation date. Nomination forms must include the property location, a brief description of the improvements that have been made and how it has made an impact on the surrounding community. Before and after photos are appreciated, but are not required.

A Judging Committee will review the nominations and select properties which best demonstrate pride in Belmont’s community. Winners will be recognized at the January 12, 2010 City Council meeting.

For more information on the Beautiful Belmont Awards Program, or to obtain a nomination form, please call the City Manager‘s office at 595-7408 or look on the City of Belmont website at www.belmont.gov.