Greetings!
The month of February traditionally brings several celebrations – Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Presidents’ Day, and Valentine’s Day. Given the last two years of living under the tight grip of COVID-19, it’s important that we all celebrate. The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines celebration as “to do something special or enjoyable for an important event, occasion, holiday.”
And as Kool and the Gang encouraged in their 1980 hit record, “let’s celebrate.”
Highlights of the D4 February newsletter:
- District 4 “Person of the Year”;
- COVID19 updates;
- Board of Supervisors’ actions; and
- Updates inside District 4
Please share this newsletter.
Regards,
Warren Slocum
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MEET THE DISTRICT 4 “PERSON OF THE YEAR” BOB HOOVER
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In honor of Black History month, District 4 has named our 2022 “Person of the Year”. To quote author Marian Wright Edelman who wrote The Measure of Our Success: “The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.” This is exactly the credo that Bob Hoover – our “Person of the Year” lives by. Let me tell you about Bob’s extraordinary life and his contributions to generations of youth in East Palo Alto.
He is known as “Uncle Bob” to all he has mentored. Born in Gastonia, NC during the time of Jim Crow laws, Bob dropped out of school at 13, and was sent to a military boarding school where he learned the connection between education and discipline that guided him through his life. He was accepted to and attended Stanford University, came West with $20 in his wallet and has remained in East Palo Alto ever since.
During the 1960’s, civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael came to East Palo Alto and challenged Bob to work with and educate youth in his community – the conversation stuck with him and set him on his life path. Since 1963, Bob has started numerous programs that serve youth including the East Palo Alto Junior Golf Program and the East Palo Alto Teen Summer Project, co-founded Just Us: Taking our Community Back and founded Nairobi College.
Through the now-named Robert Hoover East Palo Alto Junior Golf Program, which he founded in 1991, Bob has taught life skills to youth through golf and has made an undeniable impact in the East Palo Alto community. This program boasts high school graduation rate above 90 percent and a history of sending kids to college. Bob has also been a leader in the Live in Peace/Students with Amazing Goals (SWAG), where he has developed programs and services that reduced the drop-out rate of high school students.
Bob, who turned 90 this January, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in the Korean War. He is also a world-class athlete who participated in the Pan-Am Games.
Working with the County Executive’s office, we will be naming an internship program for EPA’s SWAG students in his honor – the Bob Hoover Fellows Program. Thank you Bob – for your extraordinary work with youth!
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President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to seize the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans.
Think Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. And don’t forget Barack Obama and Kamala Harris.
It is also appropriate to acknowledge that throughout the COVID19 pandemic the disproportionate hardships that Black Americans shouldered.
At our February 8th Board of Supervisors meeting, we passed a proclamation for Black History Month. In doing so, our Board recognizes the importance of Black History Month and the value of African American residents to the strength, health, and richness of San Mateo County. You can read our proclamation here.
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GOOD NEWS - COVID19 UPDATE
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There is no question that January was a tough month for us with the Omicron variant spreading throughout the County and State. The good news is that the case rate from Omicron and other COVID19 variants is in significant decline. Further good news is that even though we had seen cases escalate higher than any time during the pandemic, hospitalization rates remained stable and below the high in 2021 thanks in large part to our high vaccination rate in San Mateo County.
What this means is that we are learning to live with COVID19. This is evident in the expiration of the State’s order for indoor masking for those fully vaccinated public that expired on February 15. However, the mandate remains in place for those unvaccinated and in certain settings, including public transportation, healthcare settings, childcare facilities or K-12 schools, correctional facilities, and emergency shelters. While the State will report at the end of this month if more masking requirements will change to recommendations, for now Bay Area health officers continue to strongly recommend masks be used as an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus.
Masks, Test Kits and Vaccinations/Booster Clinics: For those in our community in need of N95 masks and COVID19 test kits, you can now get them at one of our San Mateo County Libraries, including at the North Fair Oaks and East Palo Alto branches. They will be available as supplies last. And, if you or your child are still in need of a vaccine or booster, click here for a list of locations and for an appointment.
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ADDITIONAL $16M TO COUNTY
IN PROJECT ROOMKEY FUNDING
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Last month, the Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of the Comfort Inn & Suites in Redwood City that will be converted to affordable housing for the homeless. Earlier this month, the State awarded the County $16 million in Project Homekey Program funding to purchase, rehabilitate and operate the Comfort Inn & Suites as permanent housing with support services. And the Redwood City Council also approved funding for this project. This partnership furthers our work to bring homelessness in this County to functional zero.
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BOARD OF SUPERVISOR UPDATES
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Here are some of the decisions our Board of Supervisors made since the last newsletter:
ARPA Funds: an investment of $3.3 million was approved on February 8 to create the Summer 2022 Enrichment Program which will expand access to the program for low-income and vulnerable students and to support the social-emotional wellbeing of students to mitigate the setbacks and hardships associated with COVID-19. An investment of $400K was made to promote mental health awareness and provide support to those serving our most vulnerable residents through homelessness provider mental health and wellness grants. And $200K was approved to be used to support women and minority-owned business with certifications. More investments in our community will be considered by our Board at future meetings.
Title Change for County Executive: the Board approved title changes for our County Manager to County Executive Officer, in line with many other California counties, and of our County Counsel to County Attorney, consistent with many jurisdictions around the country.
A Pilot to Help Parents: the Board approved our District 4 Measure K grant for New Voices for Youth/¡Conéctemonos! for student-led digital divide pilot for a parent education program in North Fair Oaks. This will help parents with their digital needs including the creation of several bilingual self-help videos for them. The goal is simple: to help these parents become digitally independent.
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Middlefield Road Improvement Project: The Middlefield Road Improvement Project, a hallmark of the North Fair Oaks Community Plan, is well underway. And when it is completed, this stretch of roadway in the heart of North Fair Oaks will be the smartest street in America! And the community cannot wait – this well-travelled road is where families of North Fair Oaks meet, dine and shop. This project will bring widened sidewalks so parents can walk side-by-side with their children, dedicated bike lanes, and celebrate the diversity of this neighborhood. Read more about this project here.
Welcome new D4 constituents: The redistricting process has been completed and new supervisorial districts are now in effect. I’d like to welcome new constituents to District 4 and look forward to getting to know you. The new district includes the Selby Lane neighborhood in Redwood City and parts of Menlo Oaks in Menlo Park. If you’d like to know if your residence is in District 4, go to the address look-up tool on the Board of Supervisor’s website.
Realize Flood Park: After extensive community outreach since 2015, and collaborative community input to our San Mateo County Parks to reimagine Flood Park, along with the completion of the EIR process, this 21-acre park is about to realize the goals set as a new park for all. Building upon the community-developed landscape plan for Flood Park, the public is now asked to participate in the next stage of the project - designing the 2020 Landscape Plan features. The first community meeting was held on February 2, and more are planned, including with our Spanish-speaking residents. You can read more about this project here.
Registration is open for the OYE Conference: the 10th Annual OYE Conference will be held on March 19th at Canada College, and is for local teens and young adults ages 12-22. OYE gives youth and their parents the opportunity to explore questions of identity and purpose, and build community through hands-on workshops, inspirational speakers, artistic expression, community resource sharing and networking. This year’s conference will focus on “Construyendo Juntos/Building Together” and will have options for both in-person and virtual attendance. To register, click here.
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The 2022 One-Day Homeless Count will occur on February 24. Volunteers are still needed 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.
On Tuesday, February 22 at 6pm, join “A Conversation With East Palo Alto Elders About the Nairobi Movement,” part of the Equity Through Art Series held by San Mateo County Libraries, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and the County’s Chief Equity Officer. Learn more and register for this online event here.
If you are an immigrant and live or work in San Mateo County, please take this survey. It will give our community better insight to the needs of our immigrant community and help create the County’s first Immigrant Inclusion Strategic Plan.
The Menlo Park Library, including the Belle Haven branch are now open on Sundays from 10am-6pm. Click here for more info.
Redwood City Police Department will soon open a new substation at the Redwood Shores Library. More information will come soon.
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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If you want to get more insight into what my staff and I are working on, please connect with us on social media. It’s also a great way to interact with our office and to get notifications for upcoming events. Click the icons and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Finally, if you would like to see back issues of this newsletter, they can be found on my website here. They certainly reflect the long way we have come!
Warren Slocum
District 4 Supervisor
San Mateo County
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