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Dear Friends,
As we celebrate March as National Women’s History Month, let me tell you how it all began. Though it was established 38 years ago when the U.S. Congress passed legislation, Women's History Month actually originated here in the Bay Area. The tradition was born in Santa Rosa nine years earlier when a local education task force organized women’s history week. They picked the week to align with International Women’s Day on March 8th.
Women's history has historically been underrecognized. Did you know that from 1865 to 1900, 5,500 patents were issued to women in the United States? Marie Curie was the first person to receive two Nobel prizes. Grace Hopper was responsible for crucial, early advancements in computer programming. The word "bug" was coined by her because she was trying to get a moth out of an early computer. Mary Anderson created the windshield wiper. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson was responsible for the research that created caller ID and call waiting.
 On a local level, in 1978 there was an attempt to create the Commission on the Status of Women, but it went down to defeat; it was seen as too radical! In 1980, when I was first elected to the Board of Supervisors, I started a campaign to revive the effort and we established the Advisory Council on Women because we didn’t want to be too threatening. Shame on us for not going for the commission title from the beginning! We now of course have a powerful Commission on the Status of Women here in San Mateo County.
But, there is some sobering and disheartening news on the horizon. We are at a pivotal point in history. We are quickly turning the clock back. The New York Times ran a piece the day before international Women’s Day that published a long list of words President Trump is seeking to purge from federal government websites. Here is a small sample of words national documents can no longer include:
Women, Female, Feminism, Sex, Gender, Race, Race and ethnicity, Equality, Discrimination, Diversity, Injustice.
It’s notable, yet not surprising, that the word men is not on this list.
This list is more than alarming. It is important for us to speak out against a national effort to demean women and to discourage laws that protect and promote them. At the board meeting on March 11th, we designated March 2025 as Women’s History Month and reaffirmed our commitment to protecting women’s rights. We presented a proclamation to the Commission on the Status of Women which recently published an important report, "Fund the Future," on the investment in child care and women’s economic health in San Mateo County.
 Listening to You
Thanks to the city of San Bruno for hosting my first town hall at the beautiful new Recreation and Aquatic Center. I spoke about the impact of federal government actions on San Mateo County. According to a report from the National Economic Education Delegation, between 10,000 and 15,000 residents of our county work for the federal government, and could lose their jobs. It is widely feared that the current administration will cut Medicaid spending. The House committee tasked with cutting $880 billion over ten years has little choice except to significantly cut Medicaid, known as MediCal in California. Because our county operates a hospital and clinics, these cuts would have significant impacts. The same report indicates that MediCal cuts in the 15th Congressional District, which is primarily located in San Mateo County, could result in 43,000 people losing coverage.
In light of the national uncertainty, San Mateo County has to be smart and diligent in providing core services. We need to adjust our use of Measure K funds to address the most essential countywide needs of housing, food and healthcare. I was pleased that the board unanimously voted to re-evaluate the effectiveness of each Measure K grant and shorten the funding cycles. For the last few years we were able to match our resources with our priorities, but I believe significant changes in federal funding will "trickle down" like a cataclysmic superstorm.
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