Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, center, greets city officials and community members before her Sate of the City address on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Fremont, Calif. FREMONT — In her last “State of the City” address, Fremont Mayor Lily Mei on Wednesday said building more affordable housing, hiring more police officers and firefighters and pursuing greater environmental sustainability are among her top priorities as she exits office.
The city had hoped to add another 156 affordable rooms at a former Motel 6 in South Fremont on Research Avenue, but Mei said the state quietly denied the city’s multiple requests for the estimated $35 million in funding needed to complete the project. Mei said she and the City Council share a goal of having a public park within a 10-minute walk of every residents in the city of roughly 230,000 people so they can enjoy open space. Several new parks have opened over the past few years — and more park improvements are still in the works.
The city, she added, is facing a shortage of police officers and firefighters, which is becoming more of a problem in the police department with waves of retirements and the time it takes to train new cops. “People are realizing how paramount public safety is to the quality of life, not just to the residents, but to the businesses too,” Mei said.