A press release sent by Interim Los Banos City Manager, Greg Wellman states that after nearly 16 years of service to the City of Los Banos, 14 years as a city council member and two years as mayor, Mayor Tom Faria has submitted a letter announcing he will be leaving office as of Sept. 17 because he will no longer be a resident of Los Banos.
Wellman said, “Mayor Faria, by his dedication and commitment to his duties and the community of Los Banos, has greatly contributed to the governmental process of the City of Los Banos and we offer him our sincere gratitude and appreciation for his many years of service.”
Faria submitted this letter explaining his reason:
Good afternoon, Mr. Wellman,
I am writing to inform you that as of tomorrow, Saturday, September 17, I will no longer be a resident of Los Banos, so I will be unable to hold the office of Mayor.
It has been an honor to serve my city for 16 years, first as a council member, and, as for the last two years, as Mayor.
My goal was always to make Los Banos the best place possible for families to live and to thrive. During my tenure, our City Council, Staff, and Citizens accomplished a great deal; but there is much more to be done.
Working with our Council, Staff, and Citizens, I am pleased to have been involved in a number of successes in our city:
1. Community Center
a. Although I voted against the final plan for the Community Center because I felt the cost
was too great for the square footage of the facility, the design with the two large buildings and smaller activities rooms was my idea.
2. Measure P/A/K for Public Safety
3. Construction of new Schools
a. I supported the School District bonds which have enabled the construction of a new high
school, junior high, and two elementary schools.
4. County Courthouse
a. As Mayor Pro Tem, I held the gavel as the State Administrative Office of the Courts brought us our new, State-of-the-art Courthouse. We had many challenges, and I spent many hours on the phone to keep that project on track. Getting it moved from the original Mercey Springs location also enabled the school district to build a new, low-cost school, which now serves over 400 students.
5. Measure H, which has provided greatly increased public safety funding, along with funding for a vastly expanded recreation program with a full-time professional recreation director, finally making full use of our Community Center.
6. New Fire Training Tower
7. New Police Station
8. Pacheco/Pioneer Corridor complete Streets Project.
9. Improved infrastructure for water, wastewater, and transportation.
10. Development agreements for future projects.
For all my time as councilmember and mayor, we always strived to keep our own money at home, balance our growth, and, through community engagement, to solve our own problems.
May God bless Los Banos now and in the future.
Respectfully yours,
Tom Faria
Mayor of the City of Los Banos
