2025 July e-newsletter

Board approves $4.9 billion balanced budget

Dear friends,

After conducting three days of budget hearings featuring presentations from 25 department heads, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors passed a $4.9 billion balanced budget June 25.

The county’s spending plan for fiscal year 2025-26 continues funding for vital services including public safety, health care and affordable housing, although the county’s finance team caution uncertainties at the state and federal levels leave key revenue sources uncertain.

This includes projected shortfalls in California’s budget and to possible changes to federal priorities. The means we may need to adjust our expenditures later in the year depending on state and federal actions.

We’re navigating a time of increasing fiscal constraint, with contracting support from federal and state partners and mounting pressures from climate and economic change. Every dollar we spend must be justified and every position we add must be accountable to the residents of San Mateo County.

Among the biggest concerns is state funding remains unsettled. A tentative agreement reached Tuesday to close the state’s $12 billion budget gap largely relies on borrowing money, tapping into state reserves and shifting funding around to close the shortfall. This could impact the county’s budget outlook.

Federal changes could have local impacts. Policy shifts in Washington may affect Medicaid, housing assistance and other programs the county depends on. Costs also continue to rise. Inflation, labor agreements and the rising price of goods and services all put added pressure on the county’s finances.

A second round of budget hearings will be held in September which will give the Board of Supervisors more clarity about state and federal funding conditions. I’m proud to preside as President of the Board of Supervisors this year and am cautiously optimistic we can weather any economic uncertainties that comes our way.

San Bruno Mountain Park getting a $2 million revamp

I was excited to break the ground and celebrate the $2 million San Bruno Mountain State and County Park Day Use Improvement Project with officials from the county’s Parks Department, the city of Daly City and volunteers with San Bruno Mountain Watch May 30.

The project includes an interpretive center, new picnic areas with BBQ grills and new restrooms. 

San Bruno Mountain offers a great outdoor escape from close-by urban life with 12-miles of hiking trails, wildflower displays and spectacular views of San Francisco and the Farallon Islands. This project will enhance visitor experience and bring in more people to explore this remarkable place.

While the peaks of San Bruno Mountain Park are easily seen from Highway 101, its biological significance is not obvious. The park is home to rare and endangered plants and three rare and endangered butterfly species including the Mission Blue and San Bruno Elfin that are found in only a few other places in the world. The new interpretive pavilion will feature exhibits and space for educational programs. 

I advocated for Measure K funding to support the improvements the public identified through surveys conducted in 2022 to 2023. I allocated $1 million in discretionary Measure K funds and the County Parks Department contributed an additional $1 million in Measure K funding for the project. This is the first major investment in the park in decades and I can’t wait for it to be completed later this year.

A link to the project is here: https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-day-use-improvement

Housing Leadership Council hosts annual policy breakfast

I was honored to kick off Housing Leadership Council’s annual policy breakfast alongside County Executive Mike Callagy as Affordable Housing Month concluded at the end of May. 

Together, we gave a presentation on the state of housing in San Mateo County and highlighted the Board of Supervisors’ priority areas which include housing and homelessness, children, families and older adults, emergency preparedness and mental health. This year alone, the Board has allocated $34.5 million to these priority areas.

The county has made great strides in recent years to address the affordability crisis by purchasing five hotels and converting them into interim housing and permanent supportive housing for the formerly homeless. There is also a sixth hotel in the pipeline in South San Francisco that is being converted into 45 studio apartments serving adults and families.

The county has also invested more than $439 million in local, state and federal funds since 2012 to construct more than 4,000 units of affordable housing across the county, including at Midway Village in Daly City, which is the largest affordable housing project in the county’s history at 550 units.

There are currently approximately 2,000 homeless individuals who reside in the county, half sheltered and half unsheltered. It is our hope, in partnership with advocacy groups such as Housing Leadership Council, to provide shelter for every individual in the county who wants it. Special thanks for HLC’s Jeremy Levine and Evelyn Stivers for convening a very lively and collaborative event.

County honors Dolores Huerta for a lifetime of achievement

Supervisor Gauthier and I proudly cosponsored a resolution honoring and commending Dolores Huerta for a lifetime of achievement on the occasion of her 95th birthday and were proud to present it to her alongside Supervisor Mueller at a celebration in East Palo Alto June 18.

Dolores has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to justice, equity, and dignity for all people, coining the rallying cry “Sí se puede” (“Yes, we can”), which continues to serve as a beacon of hope and empowerment. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, our country’s highest civilian honor.

Dolores, at 95 years of age, remains an active and influential voice for social justice, through her work with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, labor unions, and other organizations with which she partners to engage communities across California to promote civic participation, education, environmental justice and economic equity.         

Her work will live on for generations through the Dolores Huerta Foundation which has inspired a civic education project to help train the next generation of leaders and organizers here in San Mateo County to utilize the tools that she has used to mobilize so many people over the past 70 years, helping to increase civic education among our residents.

Dolores is a trailblazing labor leader, civil rights icon, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, whose tireless advocacy for the rights of workers, women, immigrants, and historically marginalized communities has inspired generations across the nation.

Happy Fourth of July!

From my family to yours, have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July as you celebrate with your friends and families this weekend. Independence Day reminds us of the long road Americans have traveled to reach the freedoms we have today. Be safe, be kind and have fun.
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