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 January 2026
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Dear Friends,
2026 is not off to a good start. I’m deeply distraught about the killings of citizens, rounding up of five-year-olds, manhandling and pepper spraying of protesters, assaults on elected officials, and harassment of local law enforcement. As this year marks the 250th anniversary of our democratic experiment called United States of America, the very ideas of our founding fathers are at risk. The federal administration is dismantling the checks and balances of our Constitution and undermining the international world order. We are feeling the impacts right here in our county. We can’t stay silent because being silent is being complicit. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Be assured that San Mateo County is committed to protecting the rights and security of every resident.
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January 6th Anniversary
Our first board meeting and reorganization was on January 6th. I noted that President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 declared December 7th, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, a day of infamy. The word infamy means a wicked or evil act. For our generation, a day of infamy was January 6th, 2021. It was the day when someone lost an election and fiercely attempted to hold on to power. The attempt ultimately failed.
I believe it is important for Americans to reclaim January 6th as a symbol for the peaceful transfer of power. So, on January 6th, 2026 the San Mateo Conty Board of Supervisors unanimously elected Supervisor Noelia Corzo as President of the Board and Supervisor Ray Mueller as Vice President of the Board.
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Committee Assignments
I will remain on most of the committees I served on last year. Here is my updated committee list:
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Human Trafficking Awareness Month
With Super Bowl a week away and the World Cup coming in June, law enforcement has been on heightened alert to spot and stop human trafficking activities, both labor and sex trafficking.
I’m very pleased that San Mateo County has renewed its efforts to combat human trafficking, one of the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises. Back in 2014 when I was still in Congress, I launched an effort called the San Mateo County Zero Tolerance Initiative that resulted in a task force and anti-human trafficking protocol. We worked in close collaboration with local, state and federal law enforcement, service providers and San Francisco and Santa Clara counties. We made real progress in identifying and stopping exploitation.
Unfortunately, those efforts stalled in 2022 when the anti-trafficking unit housed in the Sheriff’s Office was defunded. Last June, Supervisor Mueller and I revived San Mateo County’s efforts and created a human trafficking program. Then last December, we hosted a training event for 250 law enforcement, hospitality and transportation workers, hospital workers and service providers.
This year, the District Attorney’s office and the Sheriff’s office are partnering to form a unit of five dedicated employees to further expand our work to address human trafficking. Supervisor Mueller and I had the honor to present DA Steve Wagstaff with a resolution to commend him for this work.
Major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup create critical opportunities to mobilize communities and strengthen regional cross-sector collaboration. However, it is important to extend our vigilance beyond major sporting events and address this issue year-round. San Mateo County is demonstrating that it is committed to eliminating human trafficking.
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Point-in-Time Homeless Count
As a member of the homeless subcommittee, I continue to prioritize the county’s work to house our homeless population. The county has reached a significant milestone where fewer homeless individuals live on the streets than in shelters: 981 individuals are sheltered while 735 remain unsheltered.
 On Thursday, January 29th I participated in the Point-in-Time Homeless Count that is required in every community every two years by federal law. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandated count started in 2007 and remains the primary source on national homelessness data. High volunteer participation results in more complete and accurate data which in turn helps communities receive their fair share of federal funding to address homelessness. I applaud the 350 volunteers who showed up for this early morning assignment.
I paired up with Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, and Anat Leonard Wookey, LifeMoves’ Vice President of Programs and Services, to locate and record homeless individuals in Millbrae around Central Park and surrounding residential neighborhoods. This was my first time participating in the one-day count and it was an eye-opening experience. We started walking through the park at 5 a.m. in the dark at 45 degrees. We didn’t see any people or encampments, probably due to the low temperature. When we walked the perimeter of the park, we looked for signs of unhoused individuals, such as condensation on the inside of car windows, windows covered with clothing, or large amounts of belongings inside vehicles. Then we continued our work by car and drove slowly through about 15 miles of residential neighborhoods meticulously looking for signs. All told, we recorded three potential sightings into the counting app. It’s important to note that the Point-in-Time Count includes both individuals on the streets and individuals in shelters, which especially matters during cold nights.
The whole process gave me a little bit of an uncomfortable feeling of being a peeping Tom, but I understand that while this method of counting is subjective and open to error, it tracks trends. Homeless numbers have fluctuated since the count started in 2007, but we have seen overall increases since 2024 driven by lack of affordable housing and the expiration of pandemic assistance.
San Mateo County is responding by increasing homeless outreach, filling shelter capacity and building more permanent supportive housing. We’ve made progress, but more work needs to be done.
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Save The Date: E-Bike Town Hall February 10th
With an explosion in popularity of e-bikes it’s not surprising that we are seeing more e-bike involved accidents. Injuries resulting from e-bike accidents are significantly more severe than injuries from manual pedal bicycles. They look more like motorcycle injuries with severe head injuries and bone fractures. In a tragic accident last year, a four-year-old boy was fatally struck on a sidewalk in Burlingame by a car that collided with an e-bike. Sales of e-bikes in the U.S. have jumped from less than 300,000 in 2019 to more than 1.5 million last year. I’ve had several constituents come up to me expressing their concerns about e-bike safety.
On Tuesday, February 10th at 2 p.m. I am hosting a town hall to hear your thoughts on e-bikes and ideas to improve e-bike safety. More details on that soon.
Fatal Mushrooms
I want to share a very serious warning from San Mateo County Health: Eating certain mushrooms can be lethal. An unusually high number of people from Sonoma to San Luis Obispo have been poisoned by death cap mushrooms (Amanita Phalloides) since November 2025. In the short period of two months, 39 people were hospitalized for poisoning, four of them died, three of them needed liver transplants. In a typical year, five or fewer cases are reported.
Amanita phalloides, commonly known as death cap, is the most poisonous known mushroom. It resembles several edible species which can lead to accidental poisoning.
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Please don’t eat mushrooms that you are not 100% certain are edible. It’s not worth the risk. If you do experience mushroom poisoning symptoms, such as vomiting diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and dehydration, seek medical care immediately. You can call California Poison Control 24/7 at 800-222-1222. |
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Before I go…
The Sage Bakehouse coffee truck will be back at Sawyer Camp Trail tomorrow morning, January 31st. I’m so excited that this private-public partnership has been successful. I first suggested the idea to former Parks Director Nicholas Calderon last fall and the truck was there three weekends in November 2025. People clearly love to have a cup of coffee and pastry before or after a walk, run or bike ride. Look for more of these opportunities in other county parks this year.
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We are living in challenging times with an overload of news and images coming at us every day, but maybe we have reached a turning point. Let me leave you with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
All the best,
Jackie
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