San Mateo County District 5 January 2019 Report

Article Source: San Mateo County District 5 Supervisor David Canepa

January 2019 e-newsletter
Happy New Year!
Dear friends,As I begin my third year in office on the
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, I am thankful for what my office has been able to accomplish these past two years. We have held numerous events to bring our community in north San Mateo County together like never before and have passed policy that will improve the lives of many of our residents. We have crafted policy to improve public safety, the environment, health outcomes and forgave more than $12.6 million in debt to formerly incarcerated juveniles. We formed a bi-county task force with members of San Mateo and San Francisco counties to save Seton Hospital and embarked on an initiative to have every city in the county certified “Age-Friendly” by the World Health Organization. 2018 was a great year and I’m looking forward to hearing from you in the coming months on how 2019 can be an even greater year for all of us.

Public Safety: Expanding Emergency Alerts
I was proud to partner with San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos and the Office of Emergency Services in 2018 to introduce a resolution that will allow OES to further expand upon its existing alert notification system, to send emergency alerts to a greater number of residents in the county. Currently, only about 12 percent of San Mateo County residents, 80,000, are signed up for SMC Alert.

With the San Andreas Fault running right through the middle of the county, we know another big quake is looming and during the state’s deadly wildfire season, we heard too many times that residents felt they did not have adequate access to information that could have saved lives. Being on the same page as a community during any natural disaster is the greatest way to preserve public safety.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 821 into law Sept. 21, 2018. It allows counties to work with public utilities, for the sole purpose of emergency notifications, to provide their customers with important information in the event of a major disaster. While the intent is to garner a greater audience for notifications, customers will still have the ability to decline the service.

SMC Alert is San Mateo County’s alert and warning notification system for first responders and emergency management agencies to send emergency alerts to the community. For individuals who live and/or work in San Mateo County, they may go to SMCAlert.info to sign up and register for this free service.

Working Group Convenes to Save Seton
Our District 5 office has convened three Save Seton Hospital Working Group meetings comprised of officials from San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Seton’s owner, Verity Health, filed for bankruptcy Aug. 31. The group formed in an effort to keep the medical center from closing. Seton serves primarily residents in North San Mateo County and southwest neighborhoods in San Francisco.

The working group consists of health care administrators, labor and elected officials, doctors and Seton workers and has met three times so far. We have looked to define why Seton has struggled financially in recent years and have addressed Seton’s seismic issue including what work has already been done, what the total cost of the work will be and the $15 million contribution from San Mateo County for seismic upgrades at Seton.

The group will also study Seton’s payer mix. Up to 87 percent of Seton’s patients are either on Medicare and Medi-Cal. The hospital is Daly City’s largest employer, with about 1,500 workers. The working group’s core mission is to ensure the 1,500 workers continue to provide health care services to Seton’s thousands of patients. The hospital served 28,000 patients in its emergency room last year. These are some of the county’s poorest individuals and the reason the fight to save Seton Hospital has continued. We suspect to hear good news very soon that Seton has been bought by another hospital operator.

County Forgives $12.6M in Juvenile Hall Fees
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution I co-sponsored to stop the collections of juvenile administrative and defense fees that forgives $12.6 million in debt for more than 6,000 families. The action the board took went beyond the requirements of Senate Bill 190 which went into effect Jan. 1, 2018. The law prohibits counties from assessing the fees going forward but San Mateo County decided to stop collecting the fees dating back many years.

Children were previously being charged $30 a day to pay for their own incarceration and between $220 to $319 each for private defender representation. The San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission urged the board to take the action after it researched SB 190 and surveyed California’s 58 counties on the law’s implementation.

It discovered that black youth are 18.8 times more likely to be placed in detention than white youth and that Latino youth are 5.2 times more likely to be detained than white youth. I was particularly struck by the story of Daniel Casillas, who is a JJDPC commissioner and was formerly incarcerated as a youth. Casillas accumulated more than $20,000 in fees during his incarceration and paid back about $10,000. The debt limited his ability to get credit or loans.
No child should be forced to pay for their own incarceration that could impact their ability to pursue a simple life.

County Bans Flavored Tobacco Products

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance I co-sponsored in June to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products including menthol and electronic cigarettes. The vote came the same day that San Francisco voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly approved a ban on such products. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and despite overall smoking prevalence having generally decreased since 2004, the use of menthol cigarettes actually increased over the same period of time.

There are more than 15,500 flavors of tobacco products on the market today with names like Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy and Vanilla Blast that are definitely marketed to children. Big Tobacco is desperate to lure new daily smokers and e-cigarettes with their thousands of flavors are the latest device to entice individuals into a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

The ordinance also bans all tobacco sales at pharmacies in unincorporated San Mateo County. I am also pleased to announce that a local state lawmaker has decided to take the lead of San Mateo County and bring this legislation to the state Senate for approval. If approved, this ban of flavored tobacco products will keep these deadly products out of the hands of our children.

Age-Friendly San Mateo County Initiative is Underway!
To improve the quality of life for all residents and generations in San Mateo County, the county and my office has embarked on an initiative to enhance the age-friendly nature of cities within the county. Age-friendly cities benefit all demographics since these cities tap the economic benefits and social capital of more age groups, and typically lead with more infrastructure innovations. This results in healthier communities.

As the first step, the county is partnering with the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence (CAFE), a program housed in the Los Altos Community Foundation, on a pilot project to achieve World Health Organization (WHO) designation for three communities within the county over the coming year. WHO has developed evidence-based standards and programs (per eight measurable domains) to guide cities.

The pilot project is funded by the county and they selected CAFE as their partner because of CAFE’s successful prior work with Santa Clara County and the model process they developed, which resulted in every city in Santa Clara County achieving Global Age-Friendly Community designation.

San Mateo County staff and a core group of community leaders from throughout the county identified Redwood City as their first age-friendly city and then will expand their focus to Daly City and Pacifica. CAFE has already organized a six-month task force to guide Redwood City’s application to WHO. Stay tuned for further updates

District 5 Office Supports Trades Introduction Program
With a high volume of new construction projects and many current union workers prepping for retirement, job opportunities with solid wages and benefits are available for those entering the union workforce in the trades. Last month, my office granted $100,000 in Measure K district-specific funds to support the Trades Introduction Program, TIP San Mateo, a certified 90-hour pre-apprenticeship training course that introduces trainees to a variety of programs in the construction trades. The Measure K grant will support 25 students in the program conducted in part by the San Mateo Labor Council. The program is especially seeking women, veterans, at-risk youth and underserved populations to apply. Please contact Rayna Lehman at (650) 341-7711 for more information.

Friday Office Hours
Over the past few months we have been holding office hours in District 5 on Fridays to better serve our constituents. Our location in January will be Daly City Hall.

If you would like to meet to discuss district issues with myself or my staff in north San Mateo County, reach out to Tony Bayudan in my office to schedule an appointment (650) 363-4565.

Follow the office on social media
If you want to get more insight into our office please connect with us on social media. It’s also a great way to interact with the office and to get notifications on upcoming events. Click the icons and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

In friendship,

David J. Canepa

IMPORTANT NUMBERS:
Public Safety non-emergency services:
Colma: Police (650) 997-8321 – Fire (650) 755-5666 – Public Works (650) 757-8888
Daly City: Police (650) 991-8119 – Fire (650) 368-1421 – Public Works (650) 991-8038
Broadmoor: Police (650) 755-3840 – Fire (650) 755-5666 – Public Works (650) 363-4100
Brisbane: Police (415) 467-1212 – Fire (650) 368-1421 – Public Works (415) 508-2130
South San Francisco: Police (650) 877-8900 – Fire (650) 829-6645 – Public Works (650) 877-8550
San Bruno: Police (650) 616-7100 – Fire (650) 616-7096 – Public Works (650) 616-7065

Parks and Recreation/reserve park space or rent a facility/senior centers:
Colma: (650) 985-5678. Click here to visit website.
Daly City: (650) 991-8001. Click here to visit website.
Brisbane: (415) 508-2140. Click here to visit website.
South San Francisco: (650) 829-3800. Click here to visit website.
San Bruno: (650) 616-7180. Click here to visit website.

Libraries:
Serramonte Main Library, 40 Wembley Drive, (650) 991-8023
Westlake Library, 275 Southgate Ave., (650) 991-8071
John Daly Library, 134 Hillside Blvd., (650) 991-8073
Bayshore Library, 460 Martin St., (650) 991-8074
San Bruno Public Library, 701 West Angus Ave., (650) 616-7078
Skyline College Library, 3300 College Drive, (650) 738-4311
South San Francisco Main Library, 840 West Orange Ave., (650) 829-3860
Grand Avenue Library/South San Francisco, 306 Walnut Ave., (650) 877-8530
Brisbane Library, 250 Visitacion Ave., (415) 467-2060

The San Mateo Medical Center has two clinics in the North County including:

South San Francisco Clinic
306 Spruce Ave.
New Patients: (650) 372-3200
Make Appointment: (650) 877-7070

Mike Nevin Health Center
380 90th St.
(650) 301-8600
Offers general family medical services for San Mateo County residents including non-emergency urgent care. Located in the Mike Nevin Health Center Building at 380 - 90th Street, Daly City. Services include well baby clinic, immunization, HIV testing and counseling, AIDS clinic, adult primary care, senior care services, tuberculosis clinic, and nutrition and family planning services.

Ombudsmen Services:
Ombudsmen receive, investigate and resolve complaints including elder and dependent adult abuse made by or on behalf of, individual residents residing in long-term care facilities. Residents and/or their family members or friends can file a complaint directly to the local Ombudsman Program: (650)780-5707 or to the State office at 1-800-231-4024.

County Veterans Services Office:
Established in 1946, the San Mateo County Veterans Services Office (CVSO) helps veterans access state and federal benefits that help veterans, their spouses and family members. The CVSO also provides information and referrals to a wide range of services and connects veterans to programs such as the California Veteran College Fee Waiver for veterans and dependents. Call Norman at (650) 802-7501.

TIES Line for Aging and Adult Services:
For every reported case of older adult or dependent abuse, 24 cases go unreported. Signs of abuse can appear as unexplained bruising, depression, anxiety, unusual financial activity, isolation, fluctuations in weight or the inability to do daily tasks. If you suspect a loved one may be a victim of abuse, contact the TIES Line at (800) 675-8437 for resources and assistance. Help us break the cycle of abuse – it’s everyone’s business.

LifeMoves | Family Crossroads
LifeMoves is the largest and most effective providers of shelter and supportive services across Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula. Since 1987, our mission is to provide interim housing and supportive services that creates opportunities for homeless Veterans, families and individuals to rapidly return to stable housing and long-term self-sufficiency. LifeMoves operates over 17 sites from Daly City to San Jose. 50 Hillcrest Drive Daly City, CA 94014 Phone: (650) 994-8169

Project Sentinel
Project Sentinel is an HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency that (1) helps tenants and landlords resolve their rental housing problems through counseling, conciliation, and mediation; (2) investigates complaints of housing discrimination and provides counseling on fair housing issues; and (3) provides a complete suite of mortgage and homeownership related housing counseling services. FREE Rental Housing Helpline: (650) 399-2149 1615 Hudson St., Suite A, Redwood City, CA 94061

Bill Silverfarb

Legislative Aide

Office of Supervisor David J. Canepa

County Government Center

400 County Center, 1st Floor | Redwood City, CA 94063

Direct: (650) 363-4042 | Fax: (650) 363-1916 | bsilverfarb@smcgov.org

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Source Credit: Supervisor David J. Canepa

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