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On Your Ballot in November
General Election is Nov. 8, 2022
Yes, 2022 is a general election year and unlike previous years, registered voters in Belmont's Districts 1 and 3 will vote for a councilmember, and all registered voters in Belmont will vote for an at-large mayor. Districts 2 and 4, will vote for your councilmembers in 2024.
The following candidates have met the criteria for candidacy in November. You can read all the details about each candidate on our elections webpage.
At-large Mayor Candidates:
Warren Lieberman
Julia Mates
District 1 Councilmember Candidates:
Michael Craig
Gina Latimerlo
District 3 Councilmember Candidate:
Robin Pang-Maganaris
Don't know your district? Don't know why you're in a district? Find answers to those questions here: Belmont Districts.
Measure K
In addition to the City Council race, a measure was placed on this ballot by the City Council. Measure K asks voters whether to raise the hotel guest tax (also known as transient occupancy tax) from 12 to 14 percent. A simple majority is required to pass the measure.
Are you registered to vote in Belmont? Check your status or register to vote here: https://registertovote.ca.gov/. Belmont's first by-district General Municipal Election is Nov. 8, 2022.
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Are You Traffic Aware?
More Vehicles are on the Road
As families throughout Belmont transition to their school-year routines, you’ll likely notice traffic patterns changing around your neighborhoods.
Keeping people safe as they move around our city, whether driving, bicycling or walking, is something we can all always keep top of mind.
Traffic patterns, volumes, types of vehicles are changing again and we ask you to be aware while commuting or following your regular patterns of travel.
Please be sure to leave extra time when you head out and take special care, especially in school zones.
In the meantime, we remind each of you to:
- Eliminate distractions, whether driving, biking or walking. Phones, music, kids, pets – there are so many things that vie for our attention every day. Tragedy can occur in a split second.
- If you have an e-bike in your family, please make sure you understand the rules of the road.
- Allow extra time over the next few weeks to get where you need to go. Even beyond our borders, as people return back to work and summer vacations which could affect freeway traffic.
- Be kind to one another. Be patient. Be a good neighbor. We want everyone to get home safe.
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Community Workshop Tuesday Night
Alameda Corridor Project Update
The Alameda Corridor project wants to hear from you. Join your neighbors from San Carlos, along with the Alameda Corridor project team for an update on the project on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 6-8 p.m. at Carlmont High School in the Student Union.
As many Belmont residents know, this project began as a study and just recently received state funding to move to the next stage. Now the project team wants to hear resident feedback on its current status as the project moves ahead.
Join us Tuesday night or find complete project information here: www.belmont.gov/AlamedaCorridor.
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Invest in Your Well Being Here At Home
Fall Activity Classes Open for Signups
Fall is peeking around the corner. Are you spending too much time on your patootie? Is your new fitness routine not feeling very new anymore? Are you forgetting to schedule some me time?
Our 2022 Fall activity guide is out now and you can register for a variety of activities right here at home.
Want to read the complete Activity Guide, click here to flip through the list of all things activity in Belmont or check out the options online.
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 City Council, Commission, & Committee Meetings
City Council:
In recess until September
Planning Commission
Sept. 6, 2022 7 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Commission
Sept. 7, 2022 7 p.m.
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 Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element & EIR Update
The 45-day public review period has concluded for the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element and Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR). For more information and next steps, please visit www.belmont.gov/housingelement.
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COVID-19 Update: SMC Drops to “Low” Community Level
Health Officials Continue to Urge Caution
Redwood City — San Mateo County has moved to the “low” or “green” COVID-19 community level – meaning case rates and hospitalizations are falling.
The move Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, does not mean the end of the pandemic.
Overall COVID-19 cases, fueled by the Omicron variant, remain high compared with previous periods and local health officials continue to recommend caution.
Read the full news release.
Movies in the Park Starts Tonight
We're proud to host -- and welcome all Belmont residents -- to our annual Movies in the Park.
Tonight, Friday, Aug. 19 at sunset (7:45 p.m.-ish), we'll light up the night in the Twin Pines Park Meadow with the scent of popcorn and the delightful, "Encanto" up on the screen.
REMEMBER: Bring something to relax on, but if it's a high-back chair, be mindful of your fellow movie-watchers. Make sure people around you can see the screen, too.
On Aug. 26, this time at McDougal Park, we'll have "Luca" on the big outdoor screen.
Thank you to our generous sponsors, Belmont 4-H and the Belmont Library, for making these events possible.
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Aug. 27 is Bike Safety Day
All levels of bicyclists are welcome to Belmont's Bike Safety Day on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 9-11 a.m. at Barrett Community Center.
The event brings together Bay Area biking enthusiasts along with City staff from Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Police departments. Expect to see a bike safety course, demonstrations, info on biking on the peninsula, and the always popular Bike Smoothie!
Special After-Event Bike Tour
Road-skilled cyclists can even join a special bike tour with staff and organizers after the event. Plans include a 45-60 minute ride along Redwood Shores and the Bay Trail. Please bring your own road-ready bicycle, helmet, and water.
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Belmont Library Book Sale - Aug. 20
It’s the Annual Friends’ Summer Book Sale.
You can support the library by buying used books at the Friends of the Library Book Sale.
Books for all ages are available. All books, CDs, and DVDs in the Friends’ Store will be 20 – 50% off!
Sale runs Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details here.
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How Did it Get This Hot?
New website answers heat questions
Heat.gov is the web portal for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS).
Did you know: NIHHIS identifies needs for extreme heat services, develops science-based solutions, and leverages partnerships to empower communities with improved communications, capacity building, and decision-making.
The agency has a single vision: A nation free from heat-related illness and death
Heat.gov is a collaboration of NIHHIS Federal partners, which include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, Forest Service, National Park Service, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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First Responders Need Your Help
Free CERT Training Begins Soon
Who needs backup in an emergency? First responders do and it could be you!
When a major catastrophe or a community emergency hits, our community needs trained volunteers who can assist first responders. Local trained volunteers are known as The Community Emergency Response Team aka CERT.
Our hometown fire personnel, San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department, along with veteran CERT trainers, rely on nationally recognized FEMA curriculum to train and ready all CERT volunteers in the event of an emergency.
The next CERT Course (it's free) begins in September -- all classes are in person, with hands-on demonstrations and group tasks, taught in the evenings in Foster City -- and after just eight classes you will have a CERT certificate, ready for deployment.
Be advised that the final class is a full Saturday.
Registration is open now at: www.smcfire.eventbrite.com.
Once registered, you will be trained alongside your neighbors and together you will build a strong bond with fellow trained CERT members in Belmont. CERT training is free, though registration is required. Minimum age is 16.
For more details and to see a complete class list, click here: https://bit.ly/3SFz7B6.
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Non-profits: County launches Care Grant Program for Youth
Deadline for Applications Approaching
On July 26, 2022, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved $2,562,500 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to create the San Mateo County 2022-23 Out-of-School Care Grant Program. This grant program is for providers that commit to using grant funds to:
- Expand access to out-of-school care programs for low-income and youth from historically marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds or communities (e.g., students with special needs, in foster care, English Language Learners, experiencing homelessness);
- Support the social-emotional wellbeing of youth to mitigate the setbacks and hardships associated with COVID-19; and
- Provide opportunities for youth to re-inspire and propel learning to counterbalance the loss of learning opportunities attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and distance learning.
Selected grantees will be awarded funding proportional to the number of youth they currently serve (prior to award), as follows:
- Program sites currently serving less than 100 youth:$50,000
- Program sites currently serving 100 or more youth: $75,000
Need FAQ? Click this link. Apply for funding here: Application.
Deadline for applications is Aug. 22, at 5 p.m.
Kids Climate Resiliency Activity Book
For Learners in Grades 3 through 6
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program has released the publication of a new climate resilience children's activity book co-produced with its grantee and partner, Nurture Nature Center.
The activity book was designed for learners in grades 3-8 for use in formal and informal educational settings. Each of the six sections of the book mirrors key concepts from the NOAA Environmental Literacy Program's Theory of Change to help learners identify ways to build resilience to climate change in their own communities.
Teachers, parents and caregivers, NOAA has also produced an Educators’ Guide to help educators facilitate the activities.
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Students Invited to Apply for Youth Climate Ambassadors Leadership Program
Applications are now open for a yearlong leadership program for high school students in San Mateo County who are interested in learning about climate change and motivated to take action within their schools and community.
The Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) Program is offered by San Mateo County’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Citizens Environmental Council of Burlingame, which piloted the project in 2018; the county’s Office of Education; and Peninsula Clean Energy. Students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible.
The deadline for applications is Monday, Sept. 5.
The program is offered from October 2022 through May 2023, with twice-a-month Thursday meetings on Zoom and three in-person retreats on Saturdays. Students will build their knowledge of climate change, explore various climate solutions and develop a final project to create positive environmental change in their school or local community. The schedule and online application are available at https://tinyurl.com/SMCYouthAmbassadors.
The Youth Climate Ambassadors will receive a stipend of up to $500, and additional funds will be available for students living in households with limited financial resources. Students who are part of the program can also apply for funding of up to $500 for their final project.
Details are available at https://tinyurl.com/SMCYouthClimate2022.
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Smoke Testing Sewer Lines Starts in September
Helping Staff Identify System Defects and Connections
If you live in Basins 1, 2 or 14, expect to receive a letter in the mail from our Public Works Department as early as this weekend. The department is advising residents of upcoming maintenance work on the sewer system which may require access to properties, especially those with sewer easements.
Starting Sept. 5, staff will be using a process called 'smoke testing' which consists of blowing harmless smoke into the sewer lines in the neighborhood. The smoke is harmless and home owners do not need to be home.
To read the complete notice, visit www.belmont.gov/SewerSystem.
Bike Bridge Maintenance
You might see Public Works staff on and around out Bike Bridge near Hwy 101 next week.
The bike bridge will be closed next week for maintenance, starting Tuesday, Aug. 23 to Thursday, Aug. 25 from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the closure may end early If work Is completed ahead of schedule.
The maintenance team will be freshening up the legends and striping on the bike bridge.
Look for detour and warning signs, we thank you for your patience.
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 Did you know?
The City of Belmont's Planning Commission meets every first and third Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, One Twin Pines Lane, Belmont. Sign up to receive meeting notifications and agendas.
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 Open for Registrations
Don’t miss Belmont’s annual Water Dog run with something for everyone, from serious runners to a Fido and kids run. This year, the run is set for Saturday, Oct. 8.
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