|
 August 2025
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
It’s hard to believe that Labor Day is here and summer is coming to an end. While this has been one of the coldest summers in decades, this weekend has proven to be one of the hottest with record-breaking temperatures in several Bay Area cities. I hope you will have a chance to enjoy BBQs, parades and time with family and friends.
August was all about families for me. I spent most of my time working on solutions for the child care crisis in San Mateo County and our region. Just last month I was stunned to see a statistic in the Wall Street Journal that confirmed how severe the problem is. The paper reported that San Mateo County has the fifth most expensive child care in the nation, with a median cost of $128,215 for five years of daycare up to kindergarten. The consequences of this crisis affect everyone in the county with people moving away and birthrates dropping. We have an obligation to resolve it and I feel that we have the momentum and support to do so.
The public view has shifted and is acknowledging that child care is not only a family need, it is a public need. It is infrastructure that is as essential as roads, bridges, public transit, clean air and clean water.
|
|
Board Presentation on the Child Care Crisis
The child care crisis is a workforce crisis that starts in the crib. 81% of parents in San Mateo County say child care affects their work. 60% have cut back their hours. Nearly 50 % have left the workforce entirely, a large percentage being women. In fact, the female workforce has decreased by 25% due to child care related issues, costing our county around $800 million in productivity.
During my presentation to the board on August 26, I illustrated how families are struggling. They use up their savings, drown in debt, or leave our area altogether. Over the last 15 years, 10,000 people have left the county. Others decide not to have children resulting in a declining birthrate, which over time means school closures, fewer workers and taxpayers.
The problem is devastating, but there are solutions we can work on immediately.
The first easy step is to build a centralized portal where parents can find providers with openings in real time that meet their needs by zipcode, compare costs and program types, apply for multiple programs with one application, and determine subsidy eligibility. The work on a portal is underway by the county executive’s office and other stakeholders.
We can also learn from success stories in other places. A fairly new concept that emerged during Covid is Trishare, a triple partnership between parents, employers and government who equally split the cost of child care. The first Trishare pilot was launched in Michigan in 2021, but it’s been copied in several states since. Parents can reduce their cost by two thirds and employers report higher retention rates and happier employees. I want us to launch a Trishare pilot here and demonstrate to employers that this innovative approach benefits them, too.
We should also explore a half-cent sales tax which could raise close to $120 million a year and could reduce child care costs for nearly every family in San Mateo County. Polling shows that more than 80 percent of San Mateo County residents across party lines and generations support investment in child care. One of the county’s top priorities is to provide services for children, families and seniors, so a child care investment initiative would be perfectly aligned.
Along the same lines, we should also look at investing more Measure K funding in child care. Right now that amount is only about $2 million a year.
And lastly, we could also increase our vehicle rental tax at the airport. That would generate money from tourists without burdening residents.
We have about 50,000 children younger than 5 in our county. We may not be able to help all of them immediately, but let’s start somewhere. I propose we launch a pilot for infants 0 - 2 where the child care shortage is the highest and most expensive.
You can watch my full presentation to the board here:
|
|
Child Care Town Halls
Supervisor Lisa Gauthier and I launched our listening tour on child care this month in South San Francisco and East Palo Alto. The stories we are hearing from parents and providers reaffirm how urgent the need for more and affordable child care is.
|
|
For example, at the South San Francisco event, Julia Rigling of Pacifica told us that she couldn’t find two slots for her twins. “I can’t separate my babies,” she said. “They’re a combo. We’re a package.” Unable to find care for both children together, Julia reduced her work hours to part time. |
|
At the East Palo Alto event, Tyrie Nelson, a single mom with a two-year old who lives in a home for high-risk mothers, told us that she gets up at 4 a.m. to take a two hour bus ride with her son to drop him off at her sisters in Santa Clara and then takes the bus back to attend classes at the College of San Mateo at 9 a.m. – a five-hour daily journey because she can’t find affordable child care near her.
|
|
At each of the town halls we asked attendees to describe their experience with child care in one word. Not surprisingly, that word was expensive at both events. |
|
 Our next town hall will be at the San Mateo Main Library on Tuesday, September 16 at 6 p.m. Please RSVP here. We hope to see you there!
|
|
Proposed Regional Transit 1/2 Cent Sales Tax
San Mateo County voters will likely be asked to vote on an additional half-cent sales tax for regional transit in November 2026. Bay Area transit agencies are projecting significant deficits in the coming years. During our board meeting on August 26th, we held a study session to allow the public to learn more about the proposed measure, Senate Bill 63, which is currently being drafted and amended in the California Legislature. Both State Senator Scott Wiener, the author of SB 63, and Assemblywoman Diane Papan, the author of proposed amendments, joined us virtually.
I have significant concerns about the lack of accountability measures in the current proposal and therefore voted against it during an opt-in vote on the Samtrans board earlier this month. As just one example, BART and MUNI would receive San Mateo County taxpayer money even though we have no representation on their boards. San Mateo County transit officials would be unable, on their own authority, to cut off payments to MUNI or BART even if those transit agencies unfairly reduced service to riders in our county or were not maintaining the safety and cleanliness of their stations.
Instead, our transit leaders would have to appeal to regional transit leaders for fair treatment of our riders. Assemblymember Papan’s amendments to permit the withholding of funds by our leaders for unfair treatment of our riders, or an action similar to withholding is needed to make this bill a decent option for the general public.
In addition, State budget shortfalls have resulted in local revenue for services like police, fire, healthcare services, and parks being taken from cities and the county. The loss of vehicle license fee funding owed to our county and cities will be over $100 million a year. That’s why I encouraged the county to sue the state for the “taking” of money owed our communities. With many public services facing cuts, we should have a serious discussion about how transit ranks when compared to other essential services.
|
|
Women’s Equality Day
The Commission on the Status of Women hosted a fun and inspiring event on Women’s Equality Day. You may not expect that a panel discussion about “women and money” could be funny and lighthearted, but moderator LaShauna Gutter made it so. She managed to extract interesting life experiences and even some secrets out of Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, Noelia Corzo and me. All three of us agree that economic equality can’t be separated from women’s equality.
 The county has successfully narrowed the gender pay gap in its own workforce from 6% to 4.8% across all job classifications since 2024. That is significantly lower than the national average of 15%, but our work won’t be done until we achieve a 0% difference.
|
|
Meeting the Homeless
As a member of the subcommittee on homelessness, I want to understand who in San Mateo County is unhoused and the best way to do that is to speak with them directly. I’ve spent a night at Safe Harbor shelter near the airport and visited We Hope in East Palo Alto. I joined Life Moves Homeless Outreach Team Case Manager James Paxton to visit homeless encampments in San Bruno. People are sleeping under trees and bridges and on freeway embankments. I met a Carlos (not his real name), 53, who has been homeless for 12 years and has built his encampment near several locations along Interstate 280 and 380. He lives with his dog and cat and suffers from severe arthritis that qualifies him for Supplemental Security Income. James has helped him secure a housing voucher and is now helping him find a place to live.
I also joined James at Saint Bruno Church in San Bruno where Catholic Worker Hospitality House serves breakfast, offers showers, and 12 beds to sleep. He made his rounds offering services to the people eating breakfast, all of them men that morning. Peter Stiehler, who runs the non-profit, told Assistant County Executive Iliana Rodrigues and me that the number of unhoused coming to the church has drastically decreased from 80 plus people every morning to a dozen. He credits the county with placing people in permanent housing. Paul (not his real name) was one of them. The morning we visited, he came for breakfast and socializing with friends. He was homeless for 15 years until three years ago when he finally accepted the services LifeMoves was offering him. He now lives in Pacifica and says he loves the stability and safety of his own home.
|
|
We also met Tom (not his real name) who became homeless three months ago when his mother whom he had cared for passed away. He was living in his car. Iliana called the county’s homelessness team and found a spot for him at the Navigation Center in Redwood City where he could move in immediately. |
|
North County Wellness Center Topping Off Ceremony
We got another step closer to bringing outstanding primary patient care to North County. At a topping off ceremony in early August, we signed the final beam that will be part of the building structure. The center is a promise kept. The 77,00 square foot building will double our primary care capacity with 18 exam rooms, 12 doctors and six nurses. We owe a special thanks to former Supervisor Dave Pine who worked so hard to make this a reality.
|
|
Before I Go…
Are you curious about the county’s inner workings? The San Mateo County Civics 101 Academy is your chance to find out! This free, nine-week course pulls back the curtain on how local government works and how it impacts your daily lives, from health and safety to funding and policy. You will hear from elected officials, department heads, and local experts to get a first-hand look at county services. You can participate in a mock trial, take a field trip to a correctional center, watch live demonstrations, and engage in discussion about your priorities as a San Mateo County resident.
The first session will be held on September 4th. Apply here.
|
|
|
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
All the best,
Jackie
|
|
|
|
|
