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Dear Equity Ally,
At the County Board of Supervisors' first meeting of the year, the Board elected Supervisor Warren Slocum as Board President and Supervisor David Canepa as Vice President for 2024. Upon accepting his new role, President Slocum shared a lesson he learned from the late Supervisor Don Horsley, "the opportunity of the presidency is greater than a task list. It is about setting a tone, creating a vision, and letting our staff go to work."
President Slocum then shared what we could unite on as a community in these divisive times, "poverty hurts everyone, racism is destructive, and everyone deserves a home and an opportunity to climb the economic ladder of success. [And] as times change, so must we." He outlined several priorities to work on these unifying goals, including strengthening our equity work through passing an equity ordinance, holding an equity-focused Board of Supervisors retreat, and bolstering the work and functions of the Office of Racial and Social Justice.
We are excited to work on these priorities with President Slocum, the rest of the Board of Supervisors, and the community throughout the year ahead. And as President Slocum said in closing his speech, "Together, let's continue to work towards a more prosperous and inclusive future for everyone."
Happy New Year,
County of San Mateo Office of Racial and Social Justice
Shireen Malekafzali (she/her), Chief Equity Officer
Belén Seara (she/her), Equity and Belonging Manager
Andrew Knaack (he/him), Equity and Belonging Associate
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 The County of San Mateo is currently recruiting for its new Independent Civilian Advisory Commission on the Sheriff’s Office and is encouraging a diverse array of residents to apply.
The new commission will advise the Board of Supervisors about community-police relations, accountability, transparency and public engagement.
The commission will have seven voting members, plus two alternates. Meetings will be held at least four times a year. The commission is anticipated to launch this summer. Eligible applicants must be county residents. Citizenship status is not considered.
The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. The application is available below.
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The October 7th attack on Israeli residents and the continued hostage situation by Hamas and the subsequent war, death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have had significant impacts on our local communities. People have lost loved ones, experienced increased hate and divisiveness, and some have lost a sense of belonging and community.
Purpose: The goal of this webinar is to increase understanding and belonging as we acknowledge the experiences of many Muslim and Jewish communities and beyond in San Mateo County..
Date/Time: Thursday, February 29th 5:00pm – 6:15pm (Tentative)
Format: Live webinar featuring leaders in the Jewish and Muslim community, with facilitated Q/A from the virtual audience.
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 Local business and vendors, please answer our call! The County’s Supplier Diversity Study aims to understand and remove barriers for local, small and diverse businesses and organizations to access the County’s procurement opportunities. We are conducting phone surveys to understand the makeup of local vendors that could do business with the County.
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You are invited to the RISE 2024 Women’s Leadership Conference on Thursday, March 28 at College of San Mateo (Bayview Room) from 8am-2pm. Confirmed speakers include Supervisor Noelia Corzo, Chief Equity Officer Shireen Malekafzali, and Planned Parenthood VP Lauren Babb. Early Bird Registration is January 17 – 31.
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Feb 13, Mar 21, Apr 17, or Apr 24-Rainbow Kids webinar en Español
Please join facilitators Jennifer Ventura (Bilingual Early Childhood Specialist and Consultant) and Tania Cisneros-Ventura (Bilingual Childhood Educator and Family Therapist) for Rainbow Kids en Español. This free 90-minute webinar, offered by Community Equity Collaborative on 2/13, 3/21, 4/17 and 4/24, focuses on why and how to talk with young children about diversity as it relates to gender, families and love. They'll share age-appropriate information and guidance on these topics along with practical strategies for supporting children as they evolve their sense of self and others during these early years.
A moment of centering: What is equity? Equity is just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. source: PolicyLink
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Job Postings
Peninsula Clean Energy is seeking a skilled and enthusiastic communicator to join our team as the Community Outreach Specialist! This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative local public agency addressing climate change by providing clean energy solutions. We also help our communities transition from fossil fuels by electrifying transportation and buildings.
Have feedback? We would appreciate feedback about what information you most want to hear from us. For feedback, please email Andrew Knaack (aknaack@smcgov.org).
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