It has been my honor to serve the people of Millbrae as their elected official these past five years. 

Here is a short list of my accomplishments:

Economic Development: I was instrumental in the approval of the two largest Transit Oriented Developments in Millbrae’s history.  1) The Gateway at Millbrae Station will bring in over 150,000 sq. feet of new commercial space, 30,000 ft. of desperately needed new retail space and 400 housing units including 100 in the affordable range.  I am looking forward to welcoming Veterans to the 80 new veterans preferred units.  2) Serra Station will add more critical commercial space and 444 housing units including 15% in the affordable range. Sadly, Serra Station has been blocked by High Speed Rail and I have been actively working to find a way forward for HSR, the City and Serra Station. 

As COVID devastates our economy, Gateway is under construction and when completed will bring in new property, sales and hotel taxes as well as provide new shopping opportunities for all of us.

These projects will bring significant change but they will also bring in critical revenue to the City which is needed so we can continue to improve our roads (second worst in the County), improve our parks, trails and reduce rate payers fixed water/sewer costs.  Both projects will be upgrading City infrastructure making Millbrae more climate resilient. 

Community Enhancement: I believe in empowering people.  In my role as Council Liaison to Millbrae’s Cultural Arts Advisory Committee I have supported them and helped bring back the Annual Millbrae Art Show (virtual this year), created our Utility Box Mural Project, and new wall mural and art walk projects.  As Council Liaison to the Community Enhancement Advisory Committee, we piloted the community “Adopt a Spot Project” that will allow residents to improve areas of public land around town.  For the pilot we planted daffodils and California Poppies at the Spur Trail in Hillcrest Blvd. with the Millbrae Leos Club.  This project’s goal is to bring the community together and beautify Millbrae.  I also lead the effort to build Millbrae’s first Community Garden.  Now people can grow food and flowers and get in touch with nature. 

Public Safety: I serve on SMC’s Emergency Services Council where we work on SMCAlert and disaster recovery planning.  I am an active Millbrae CERT member and will continue to support this critical community program.  I also serve on the County’s Bike/Pedestrian Advisory Committee working to make our community safer for pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, and skaters.  In this capacity I have hosted two Bike Rodeos that provide safe riding training and free helmets to those who need them.  Between our two rodeos we have distributed over 500 helmets. I also put together Millbrae’s first Disaster Preparedness Day so residents can learn about all the agencies and programs that help all of us prepare for disasters. I am very thankful to our Fire and Sheriff’s Departments and Chief Kunkel who really helped me make these events happen.  These events are truly a team effort.

What I would like to do if the voters give me four more years?

Public Safety is always an elected officials and governments main jog.  I want to work neighborhood by neighborhood to prepare for wildfires, create defensible space, ensure everyone is aware of evacuation plans and have a family communication plan.  All our neighborhoods need to help reduce flooding risks by understanding that too much hardscaping can lead to flooding in the lowland neighborhoods.  We need to install license plate readers to stop the burglary problem and solve the growing homeless population that BART leaves us at the end of the night.  Finally, I want to work with our Sheriff’s Department and County’s Behavior Health and Recovery Services to come up with better ways to help people in distress.

Economic Development:  We need to bring in commercial office space and diversify the business types within Millbrae by bringing in 21^st century retail (likely a mix of service and sales in the same location), tech business with the can do problem solving attitudes that are the driving force in California’s economy.  We have terrific restaurants, now we need to support a broad range of retail, so people come to Millbrae to eat and stay to shop.  To do this the City needs to partner with our businesses to update our downtown.  I support our Business Improvement District and want to see us widen our sidewalks, enhance landscaping, improve parking efficiency, and fill in some underutilized lots with mixed use parking and commercial projects.  We need to work with SFPUC to get new tenants into the OSH location, preferable something like Target that has a range of products from clothing to landscape plants.  The City did get Target, but SFPUC asked for a 20-year lease, clearly SFPUC isn’t in any hurry to fill a critical commercial site for Millbrae. Critical not just for sales tax but to provide for the needs of our residents.

Climate Change and Resiliency:  Millbrae finally approved our first Climate Action Plan (June 2020), now we need to move quickly and efficiently to implement carbon sequestration and resiliency programs.  Millbrae’s Urban Forest is the best tool we have to absorb carbon, but over the decades most of our trees have died or are suffering.  I want the City to provide trees to residents that are drought and disease tolerant.  Trees also cool the city, slow traffic, and improve property values so trees are both an environmental and economic win.  Trees can also help absorb airplane and train noise.

Growing Community:  We are a small town with a small staff.  I want to work with our residents and businesses to help Millbrae thrive.  There are processes within the City that make it harder for our people to make improvements.  I want to dive in and find ways to streamline permitting, give voices to neighborhoods and make real improvements to our town, together.

Political Philosophy:  An essay describing the candidate's political philosophy. Limit: 1,000 words.

I believe in America’s Democracy.  I believe it takes hard work and it takes honesty and transparency.  It also takes an engaged constituency, citizens, residents, the business community with City Council and staff. 

In my five years on Council Millbrae has made a few improvements on transparency.  We finally are taping Planning Commission meetings. The impetus was the big developments around the BART station that finally pushed the critical Commission to become more transparent. 

With COVID social distancing City Council and all our Commission and Committees now meet in a format that allows for greater public participation.  This is one of the few positive changes I think COVID has created.  I will work to see that the tools developed during the pandemic are continued in the future.  For example, many people simply cannot drive to City Hall to participate in Council meeting and other public meetings.  The reasons are varied from being a senior who no longer drives at night, to a single parent who is caring for their children.  Being able to comment live at a public meeting from a remote location is a great way to improve participation in government and to increase transparency in governing.

I hold myself to the same standards and have always been available to the pubic by phone, email, and social media like Next Door. I will continue to engage with the public and to help them with problems, learn from them and bring in their ideas as the City develops policies and programs. 

Millbrae still makes it too difficult for the average person to find documents and critical information on our website. This is another transparency problem that needs to be fixed.  Fixing this has been discussed for years but better city communication has consistently not made it to the top of council goals.  It should and I will continue to push for improvements.

I have worked in the environmental field for almost 40 years.  While my main specialty area is solid waste, working in this field really means understanding supply chains, all energy and material inputs, California’s place in the world economy and how each of us effects the future of the planet.  Caring for the planet, its plants, animals, and people is my core belief.  Leaving a better future for our children than the one I was born into is my goal in all that I do and that I advocate.

What this means in terms of budgeting, goal setting and specific projects is based on long term sustainability for the environment, for the economy and for equity for all.  I believe that money invested now for infrastructure will save the City money in the long run.  That deferred maintenance simply drives up the costs to the future.  So, I support spending the City’s money on rebuilding our Recreation Center, improving our roads, restoring our urban forest, and maintaining our public spaces.  I recognize that money was tight prior to the pandemic and will be even more tight now.  We will need to spend every dollar carefully.   I believe in working with the public in every way possible to stretch public dollars while improving the City.  I support our staff in bringing in more grant money for as many projects as possible.  I would like to see the City create more public/private partnerships to improve our downtown, Park Place & Park Blvd, our parks, public art, landscaping, noise abatement actions, and with our schools. 

I believe that Millbrae needs everyone to work together.  There has been some nastiness in the past, but I hope COVID has taught us all to work together and I look forward to being part of more open and supportive Millbrae.  I have spent my five years on Council working to strengthen our committees and our volunteers from Cultural Arts to Millbrae CERT.  I look forward to working with everyone in Millbrae.

When Anders says he will bring an entrepreneurial spirit and city development know-how to Millbrae City Council, he can back up these promises. Anders’s experience and business track record uniquely qualify him to deliver results.

Planning Commissioner

Anders Fung currently serves on the Millbrae Planning Commission. During his term as planning commissioner, Millbrae approved two Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) projects, negotiated for additional below market rate (BMR) housing units, pushed developers to increase the sustainability of their buildings as well as advocated for union labor and teacher housing. As a planning commissioner, Anders also works to increase transparency both in the permitting process and across city government.

Entrepreneur

Anders grew up in a public housing project in Hong Kong. He lived the first 18 years of his life in a 250sqft apartment with his grandparents, parents, and two sisters. He knows first hand how to live within his means, without the obvious abundance. Hard work, strong ethics, and dedication became his principles in life. Anders immigrated to California from Hong Kong in 1991. Accepted into Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Anders came to the United States to attend college, where he would eventually go on to receive a BS degree in computer engineering. Upon graduation, Anders secured a job at Cisco Systems. However, like many in Millbrae, Anders wanted to pursue his independent American Dream. So, at age 29, Anders decided to launch his own business. Less than two decades later, Anders provided over 30+ new housing units and continues to serve as president of both Collaborated Design Group and MAAN Global Development.

Anders’s work combines economic development with housing development. His portfolio reveals a strong value-adding strategy guided by a focus on fiscal responsibility and budget optimization. Anders has successfully revitalized many under-valued properties through an Affordability by Design approach. Utilizing this strategy, Anders has worked with the San Francisco Housing Authority to create intelligent, affordable housing.

Furthermore, as a certified green building professional (Build It Green), Anders understands the importance of sustainable housing. In his private development work, he has made sure all his projects are GreenPoint certified.

For his entrepreneurial work, Anders has been recognized as Vice Chairman of the Dongguan Entrepreneurs Federation of Bay Area San Francisco.

Volunteer

In addition to entrepreneurship, Anders is passionate about community service. He is a member of the Millbrae Lions Club where he volunteers and raises funds for educational and non-profit initiatives, including Youth Baseball League, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Youth in Government Week, Children ID and Protection Program, student essay contests, and student speaker programs. Recently, Anders volunteered with the Millbrae Lions Club and hand out 7,000 face masks to community members. Anders also volunteers for and supports the Lifesteps Foundation, Relay for Life, and Taylor Middle School. Anders also serves as a director for the Peninsula Chinese Business Association (PCBA)—a non-profit organization that fundraises for local schools and provides scholarship opportunities to students with financial needs.

Family Man

A Millbrae resident since 2009, Anders is motivated by his wife and children to contribute to Millbrae’s success. As a parent of two, he understands what makes Millbrae an ideal community for raising families, and he is committed to protecting and improving it.

A town is only as good as its people, and in my years here spent as chairman of the planning commission, a member of the Lions club, and as a parent, I’ve known Millbrae to be a town of good people. This recent coronavirus pandemic has only gone to show the true strength of the people here in Millbrae. When families such as mine couldn’t celebrate the graduation of our students the traditional way, our town made our own way. When the livelihoods of our neighbors running local businesses were threatened, many of us came to lend a helping hand. And when it became clear that masks would be crucial to the health and safety of our town, people came out to volunteer.

These recent months have filled me with confidence that Millbrae is ready to take a next step and bring further prosperity to our town. I am running for Millbrae city council because I believe that the people needed for Millbrae to reach that full potential are already here; and now, it is up to the city council to listen to its people and uphold their end of the bargain.

After my years spent listening to our citizens as chairman of the planning commission, I know that Millbrae will reach that potential by using what makes our town already great — fantastic public safety, a small town feel, and excellent education — to fuel further economic growth throughout our town. Namely, I think we all know that Millbrae will benefit greatly if we intelligently implement new development into our town. By expanding our housing capacity the right way, we introduce new people for our businesses and new taxpayers to our school. Now, it is important to understand that there is a right way to go about this, and I know real estate development forwards and backwards. Since I was 29, I have owned and managed my business in the real estate development industry. I have helped build everything from small family homes to large-scale housing developments in cooperation with the San Francisco Housing Authority. Through all my experience, I know just how unbelievably crucial it is to maintain the essential qualities of a community in order to usher in further prosperity. Development done right leaves everyone better off. And with my years in the industry both on the private and public side, I know that I can help Millbrae get it done right.

And doing it right will not just be a one-issue deal. It will require us to pay attention to a whole host of issues, each equally important to the goal of development itself. First and foremost, we can not scale up if we don’t have public safety taken care of. In that regard, I will work with the Sheriff's office to ensure that Millbrae has the law enforcement resources needed to protect citizens, homes, and businesses. We shall enact a neighborhood watch program in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office to deter criminal activities. I will also marshal the full spectrum of resources required to address homelessness and public safety challenges

effectively. Next, helping Millbrae take the next step will also require maintaining an unbending attitude towards government transparency. As a businessman, I know the importance of budget optimization and fiscal responsibility. The people of Millbrae do not deserve to see their tax dollars put to waste. Paramount to this goal is increasing government visibility, both physically and also virtually, the latter of which I feel we have neglected. The third and final necessary ingredient is upholding the vibrancy of our community. That means focusing on rebuilding our community center, further investing in our schools, and making sure our development is sustainable. On the issue of sustainability, I am proud to say that sustainability isn’t just an empty word for me. I take it seriously, as shown by me being a certified Green Building Professional and all my projects in real estate development have been Greenpoint Certified.

And doing it right will require a lot of time and attention to detail, both of which I am willing to put in. Why do I know I will put in every breathing second into making sure Millbrae develops the right way? Because I raise my family here. Like many of you, I am a parent raising his two kids here in our town. Everything I do in my candidacy is filtered through this lens. When I talk about public safety, education, transparency, or any other issues that I see here in Millbrae, I speak because (like you) I have a personal stake in these matters. As the only candidate raising their kids in Millbrae, I think about every issue by thinking how this will affect my kids. That’s why, way before entering politics, I spent my time as a member of the Millbrae Lions Club, or as director of the Peninsula Chinese Business Association where we helped provide scholarships.

So, if you want a candidate that has the experience to be effective in leveraging Millbrae’s best qualities, and to help reach Millbrae’s next jump forward, I hope you will support my campaign.

I am a first generation immigrant. My wife and 4 children moved here to California from the Philippines in 2006. Our three younger children are products of Millbrae schools. I finished my JD at the University of the Philippines where I practiced law for 14 years. I have a Master of Laws from Golden Gate University School of Law which I obtained in 2010. Since my admission to the California bar I have handled civil litigation, dispute settlement, consumer bankruptcy, family law, citizenship and naturalization, among many other areas. I have worked for law firms in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland before putting up my own firm. I have been actively involved in my church which is the Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame where I once served as a member of the Pastoral Council. I have also volunteered in several capacities in our children's schools especially in the sports program as 2 of our daughters played Varsity basketball in high school. I am active with the San Francisco Lawyers Network and the Attorney Action Club which are both based in San Francisco.

I believe in a democracy where governmental power emanates from the people. Holding a public office is a public trust and every public servant is always accountable to the people. A person elected to public office leads by service. He is not a ruler who lords it over the rest.