Greetings!
It’s a new year and that always brings me hope. I know there is much concern right now with Omicron, but there is also much to look forward to as we enter 2022.
If we can look to the teaching of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose birthday we celebrate this month, we can remember to focus on the positive to bring about change. As Dr. King noted, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”. My hope is that this newsletter reflects what we, as a county and a community, are doing for those who need our help.
My January newsletter contains:
- news and updates on COVID19 and Omicron;
- updates on affordable housing located in District 4;
- updates inside District 4; and
- new Board actions
Happy New Year. Stay safe and healthy. Continue to mask up and get your booster shot!
Best,
Warren Slocum
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COVID19 UPDATE: OMICRON &
INCREASED TESTING CAPACITY
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It was just after Thanksgiving that our region had the first case of Omicron – and it is now the dominant variant in the nation and is highly transmissible. Even here in San Mateo County, where we are over 90% vaccinated, our numbers are spiking to levels not seen during this pandemic.
What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones? First, all who are eligible to do so, should get vaccinated. And beyond that – if you are eligible, get your booster shot. We know that in most cases, being both vaccinated and boosted will greatly lessen the risk of severe illness and hospitalization if you get COVID19.
San Mateo County has increased testing capacity in recent weeks. So, if you have COVID symptoms or are exposed to someone who has the virus, get tested. We have opened a mass testing site at the Event Center where appointments are greatly encouraged and can be made here. There are also other testing options on the San Mateo County website. And if you test positive but are asymptomatic, please isolate for 5 days and then get tested again. If you are unable to get tested and do not feel well, stay home. Please do not visit hospital emergency departments only for COVID-19 testing!
If the last two years have taught us anything, it is that we will need to learn to live with COVID-19. We all need to continue the protective actions such as wearing our masks and staying home when sick. Speaking of masking, due to the rise in cases, the state has extended the statewide indoor masking requirement through February 15th.
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Our Board of Supervisors is committed to continue to invest in our community for the length of this pandemic, now nearing its second anniversary. As of now, we have given a total of over $218 million, including state and federal leveraged funds, to ensure that those most vulnerable received rental assistance, food support and other essential items.
During the last two years, we set up a fund to assist individuals and families who did not qualify for state support and gave out $16 million in grants. We helped small businesses with grants, and micro-businesses to start up their businesses. We funded childcare facilities to enable parents to get back to work. When students in underserved communities needed access to the internet due to distance learning, we put dollars towards boosting public WiFi. And we awarded grants to non-profits who do such important work helping our community members most vulnerable, so that they can continue their vital services. And we are committed to continue to invest in our community throughout the recovery.
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On January 26, the State’s Strategic Growth Council will vote to award funding for two affordable housing projects in District 4. The Middlefield Junction project, located in North Fair Oaks, will have 180 units on the County-owned Middlefield property behind the Fair Oaks Clinic. It will be built by Mercy Housing. The other project, located at 965 Weeks Street in East Palo Alto, will see136 units built by MidPen Housing on City-owned property. These projects have been in the works for some time – and it is exciting news about these possible funding-awards that will total over $45 million. Thank you to our Department of Housing staff and all parties involved – the Middlefield Junction project scored the highest in the state and 965 Weeks Street scored fifth highest.
On January 4th, the Board of Supervisors approved another purchase of a hotel. The units will be converted to affordable housing for the homeless. This hotel, Comfort Inn & Suites in Redwood City, was purchased through the State’s Homekey Program funding. It furthers our work to bring homelessness in this County to functional zero.
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On January 4th, the Board of Supervisors held our reorganization meeting and elected unanimously Supervisor Don Horsley as President and Supervisor Dave Pine as Vice President. In his opening remarks, Supervisor Horsley set his priorities as homelessness, continued work on equity and community safety. I look forward to our collaboration and work on all these important issues.
At this same Board meeting, we also approved the nomination of Peggy Jensen as Assistant County Manager. I have worked closely with Peggy for many years – she is a dedicated public servant, a true leader and has worked tirelessly on the past 2 years on COVID recovery efforts and the work to end homelessness. Congratulations Peggy - to a promotion well-deserved!
Many jurisdictions are taking up the issue of divesting from fossil fuels. At the January 11th Board meeting, our Board voted to direct our Treasurer to report back no later than 6 months from now with a plan to divest the County’s investments in industries tied to fossil fuels. It is an important step as we face climate change and its impacts to our county and region. Treasurer Sandie Arnott has already begun this work.
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Realize Flood Park: the 21-acre Flood Park project is transitioning from reimagining to realizing a new park for the community. Building upon the community-developed landscape plan for Flood Park, the public will participate in the next stage of the project - designing the 2020 Landscape Plan features. Stay tuned: in early February and continuing to the fall, there will be a variety of events, including meetings, community events and online activities to gather your ideas. The first community meeting is scheduled for February 2nd and details on this meeting and more about this project are here.
East Palo Alto Library Update: Last month, the East Palo Alto City Council approved an agreement to purchase land adjacent to the EPACENTER as a potential site for the new East Palo Alto library. We look forward to this moving forward so that a new state-of-the-art library can serve the community in the coming years.
Saying Goodbye to Small Business Owner Juvenal Campos: I first met Juvenal Campos the owner of El Paisano, a small business in the heart of Middlefield Road, because he called my office regarding parking in front of his store. Since that time, I have enjoyed getting to know him and appreciate that he was always sharing important information about community needs with my office. El Paisano also happens to make one of the best pozoles I’ve had! But the time has come, and Juvenal has sold his business and retiring. We wish him well on his new journey and hope the new owners will continue to serve up wonderful meals as well.
Constituent Meetings: We have been holding several constituent meetings to discuss increasing the number of trees in North Fair Oaks, which is a priority under the North Fair Oaks Community Plan. We have been meeting with Fair Oaks Beautification Association (FOBA) and Canopy to discuss enhancing the tree canopy in North Fair Oaks and will continue to keep you updated as we move forward.
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Stay tuned: District 4 will name our 2022 “Person of the Year” at the February 8th Board of Supervisors meeting. You can tune in to this moving presentation of this deserving honoree here.
You can now place your order for free at-home COVID19 tests through USPS - 4 per household, to arrive late January, here.
The San Mateo County Veterans Commission has elected 2 women to serve as Chair and Vice Chair, and both are U.S. Army Veterans. Congratulations to Chair Leah Grant, who is an archaeologist with the Veterans Curation Program, and Vice Chair Donna Vaillancourt, who is helping to guide the County’s COVID19 Recovery Plan. To learn more about our County’s work with veterans, click here.
Great news: non-profit Vision to Learn will soon be bringing free eye exams and glasses to school sites in San Mateo County for students in need, grades K-12. This is so important for students whose families cannot afford exams and glasses so they can see the board, read a book, and participate in their class. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.
The 2022 One-Day Homeless Count has been postponed until February 24. Volunteers to help with this important count and survey to assist with gathering information to help the community understand homelessness in San Mateo County. To volunteer and learn more, click here.
If you live in the North Fair Oaks area, please consider attending the North Fair Oaks Community Council meetings. They meet the fourth Thursday night of each month. For more information, contact our Office of Community Affairs at CommunityAffairs@smcgov.org.
Are you registered to vote in San Mateo County? If not – as the former Chief Elections Office, I encourage you to do so. This goes to the heart of our democratic values and rights. You can register to vote here.
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