October 2020 Newsletter

Greetings!

Election Day nears and there is still plenty of time to study your ballot and cast your vote. I voted and mailed my ballot in last week. I invite you to do the same.

Many parts of the country are now facing a second wave of the COVID pandemic. It is more important than ever to continue the practices to protect yourself, loved ones, friends and our community – social distance, wash hands, get tested and most importantly – wear your mask when in public places!

I hope this newsletter arrives with your family doing well.
 
Regards,
Warren Slocum  
Vote – There are lots of easy options
With the Presidential election less than 15 days away – I urge you to vote. As a former Chief Elections Officer for this County, I have never witnessed the dangerous efforts across our nation to suppress the vote. It’s as if the country never had a Voting Rights Act,

We cannot stand for this. Our voices matter – and democracy depends on it.

Voting in San Mateo County is easy. We have 3 locations in the County for early in-person voting from now until October 31st. From October 31 through Election Day, there are 42 locations to either vote or drop off your ballot in person. Finally – this year, you can track your ballot and receive alerts via text message, email or a phone call every step of the way by subscribing to “Where’s My Ballot?” at Wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov. 
TESTING, TESTING, TESTING
San Mateo County is now in the state’s red tier for risk level for COVID-19. The state has also recently added an equity component that must be met to move to a less restrictive tier. What this means is that we must, as a community, test more and more of our residents – especially those who live in the most vulnerable areas of the county.

Testing is particularly important in communities of concern. Increased testing in these communities will mean limiting the spread of COVID-19. Widespread testing also helps inform the public health response, allowing our health care professionals to quickly discover patterns and respond to outbreaks.

And starting today, children 5 years or older can be tested with an appointment! To find out where you can register for a COVID-19 test, visit the Project Baseline website. And to find out when our pop-up testing locations will be in your neighborhood, click here. Testing is easy and it’s free – and can help limit the spread of COVID-19 to your family and community.
HELP FOR SMALL LANDLORDS
San Mateo County continues to provide historic support to those most vulnerable in our community, particularly during this pandemic.

At our October 2 Board meeting, we approved a “Small Residential Rental Property Owner Assistance Program” to help small landlords with the economic impacts of COVID-19. These grants will provide relief for rent nonpayment during the period of the eviction moratorium from April –August 2020 and help to improve the stability of affordable rental housing in our county. 

Applications for this program will open on October 15 until October 28 and can be found, along with more information, at www.smcstrong.org.
MASKS ARE NOT JUST FOR HALLOWEEN!
In a normal year, October is a month of excitement for our youngest residents because it is when we celebrate Halloween. Due to the pandemic, there will be no large scale “trick or treating” and so families must find safe ways to enjoy this fall holiday.

Wear your mask – not for your Halloween costume – but for the safety of yourself, loved ones and friends, and our community! And look for the County’s new Mask Mobile out in the community – helping to save lives with free masks and cleaning supplies. Remember to #MaskUpSMC!

We can do this – but our comeback depends on all of us.
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Stay home and stay healthy. Enjoy fall and remember to wear your mask when out in public!

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