Dear Marci,



It was an honor to be selected by my colleagues as Vice President of the Board of Supervisors for 2023. I am looking forward to a productive year aimed at governing with equity and tackling some of the most difficult issues that we face.

Homelessness, emergency preparedness and affordable housing are representative of those complex problems. There is no single silver bullet for addressing these issues but rather it will take all of us – residents, non-profits, cities, special districts, the business community and the county all pulling in the same direction.

The pandemic changed the governance model. The era of governing in silos is gone and the era of uber collaboration is upon us.

Some of my agenda items for the first quarter of this year include bringing forward a strengthened tenant protection ordinance, a tougher fireworks ordinance and the opening of an opportunity center in North Fair Oaks.

My work on independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office will continue. President Dave Pine and I, working collaboratively with the community, are making progress on this front. We both look forward to listening to residents on this important topic.

And finally, I continue to be impressed with the county team. The storms of the past many weeks once again proved that we have a dedicated and competent staff who serve residents with their heart and soul.

Sincerely,

Warren Slocum

While writing this newsletter – the news of the shooting in Half Moon Bay broke, sadly taking the lives of 7 individuals and one person in the hospital who is currently in critical condition. This is on the heels of the gun violence that occurred 48 hours earlier in Monterey Park in Southern California.

As San Mateo County mourns the tragic loss of life in Half Moon Bay caused by a lone shooter, I think we all know that it’s going to take more than vigils on the steps of the state capitol to address California’s gun problem. As a Board, I know we will be looking at ways to address this immediately, including working with our State legislators to fix this problem.



To the victims – you are in our hearts and minds. We as a County will continue to offer the services needed to help you and your loved ones heal from this senseless event.

New Supervisors: The Board of Supervisors had our reorganization meeting on January 3, where two new Supervisors were sworn into office, representing the largest change on the five-member Board in a generation (the last time two new members were sworn in was in 1993). Also at the meeting, Supervisor Dave Pine was selected as our new Board President, and I was honored to be selected as Board Vice President.

Let me share a little about our two new Supervisors.

As the first Latina elected to the Board, Noelia Corzo will represent District 2 which includes the cities of San Mateo, Foster City and most of Belmont. She grew up in San Mateo’s North Central neighborhood and has lived experience with poverty and as the proud single mom of an 11-year old son. Prior to joining the Board, Noelia was a social worker and on the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees.

Ray Mueller will represent District 3 which includes cities of Atherton, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Woodside and part of Belmont, along with large unincorporated areas on the Coast. Ray, an attorney and resides in Menlo Park and prior to being elected to our Board, served on the Menlo Park Council, including twice as the Mayor of the city.

I look forward to working with both Noelia and Ray and give them a hearty welcome as my new colleagues!

New Committees: Much of the work of a county supervisor takes place on the various boards and commissions on which we serve. These committees further the work of the county and play important roles in moving our collective agenda forward. At the beginning of each year, the Board President formalizes committee assignments and this year, with the new Supervisors, I have been given a few new assignments. These include: the Commission on Disabilities, San Mateo County Libraries Joint Powers Authority Governing Board, City/County Association of Governments, Emergency Services Council, San Mateo County Law Library, South Bayside Waste Management Authority and subcommittees on Sheriff’s Oversight, Women’s Reproductive Freedom and Healthcare Privacy and Electronic Health Records. To see the full list of my committee assignments, click here.

New Staff: I have a new Legislative Aide – Susie Castoria – who has joined my District 4 office. Susie, a former nurse, has spent 8 years working for former Supervisor Carole Groom. In District 4, she will work on issues relating to seniors, those with disabilities, health-focused, public safety, disaster planning and emergency services, as well as be my liaison to the Commission on Disabilities and the Emergency Services Council. Susie can be reached at scastoria@smcgov.org. Susie – welcome to the District 4 team!

Saying Goodbye: Maggie Cornejo, who has served as a Legislative Aide the past five years, will be leaving us. Maggie will be working in a new position with the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula – and we couldn’t be prouder of her! Maggie has worked diligently supporting my work in North Fair Oaks, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto – with compassion and vigor. We will be searching for an internal candidate to fill her position and will keep you updated. Good luck Maggie and thank you for your service to District 4 residents!

Coming soon: The Board will be tackling complex issues in the coming months, and so will District 4. These will include updated tenant protections to protect our residents from unwarranted evictions; strengthening the County’s fireworks ordinance to protect our residents from harm to person and property, an update to the North Fair Oaks Community Plan – now 10 years old and the continuation of our legal defense fund for immigrants. We will also make progress on the Middlefield Junction affordable housing project in North Fair Oaks, continue conversations with the residents and management of Sequoia Trailer Park on maintenance issues, and hopefully by year-end we will move into the new County office building which will be the first all-timber government building of its kind. So stay tuned!

What a beginning to 2023 it has been! With 11 storms in 20 days – it was an unprecedented beginning to the year starting with the torrential rains on New Year’s Eve – continuing to this writing. In fact, it is the wettest three weeks in 161 years in the Bay Area – when Abraham Lincoln was President.

And the County – beginning with the first storm on New Year’s Eve – opened our Emergency Operations Center to plan, monitor and prepare for the real possibility of flooding, power outages and more. Our Department of Public Works deserve much gratitude for their exceptionally hard work – in the face of flooding, mudslides, downed trees and sinkholes - to keep the roads safe and free of debris. As do our emergency responders and EOC team working with constituents affected by this emergency.

Right now the weather forecast for the next week looks dry. However, should new storms come our way, here are some resources and information to help, including for sandbags, emergency shelter and more. And – for storm-related non-emergency assistance, please call 2-1-1.

Small Business Grants in North Fair Oaks: In November, the Board of Supervisors approved $750,000 in ARPA funding to further support North Fair Oaks small businesses. 103 businesses who had received an earlier grant this past summer and are still in operation will receive an additional $5000 grant. Additionally, up to 26 businesses who did not receive a grant will get a $10,000 grant. And many of these business owners have already been able to pick up their grant checks at the North Fair Oaks branch of the San Mateo Credit Union, our partner for this program.

North Fair Oaks Opportunity Center: Our Board also selected two organizations, JobTrain and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to begin the work on an opportunity center to help with employment services, including job training, and small business and entrepreneur support services in North Fair Oaks. And the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has given an additional $500,000 grant to fund this center. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting opportunity in North Fair Oaks!

Healthy Community Mural Update: We are getting so close to the reality of this mural! To recap where we have been and the next steps: last November, the Healthy Community Mural Committee held a community meeting at the North Fair Oaks Library to help guide the project of these 16 individual murals at the Fifth Avenue Underpass in North Fair Oaks. Out of 11 qualified applicants, three artists were selected by the Committee as finalists for this project: Morgan Bricca, Emily Fromm and Elizabeth Gomez. They attended the meeting to learn what “healthy community” means to those in attendance, and to hear more about the spirit of the North Fair Oaks community. 

These 3 finalists will present their vision for the murals at the next community meeting on February 7, 2023 from 6-8pm at the North Fair Oaks Library located at 2510 Middlefield Road in Redwood City. One of these artists will be selected to paint this mural. 

A huge thank you for the work of the Healthy Community Mural Committee and the partners in this project, including the Culture Collective of North Fair Oaks and the San Mateo County Office of Arts & Culture. This mural is going to mean much to our community!