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 March 2026
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Dear Friends,
Spring arrived with record temperatures, rising gas prices, international turmoil, and financial uncertainty here in San Mateo County. Please take care of yourself during these stressful times and spend time doing things that give you joy. Go for a hike, a bike ride, have dinner with a friend, take an exercise class, listen to live music. Throughout history, hope and persistence have empowered us. Women’s History Month is a good reminder of that. Everything we achieved we had to fight for. Women’s right to vote is a perfect example. It took the suffragists 70 years to accomplish that, more about that in a moment. Bottom line, we can never say a challenge is too big or too hard. We can never give up.
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Celebrating Women’s History Month
Did you know that Women’s History Month grew out of a tradition that was born in Santa Rosa, California? In 1978, a local education task force organized women’s history week during the week of International Women’s Day, March 8th. The week was transformed into Women’s History Month when Congress passed legislation in 1987, 39 years ago.
One of the most pivotal events for women was undoubtedly the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote in the United States. That was 106 years ago, and it was a tough and long fight.
Many of the early suffragists, including Susan B. Anthony, did not live to enjoy the victory of the 19th Amendment and the great transformation that followed. They demonstrated extraordinary bravery to secure the right to vote.
Beginning in the mid-19th century, they lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied and practiced civil disobedience to change the constitution. Three years before the passage of the 19th Amendment, the National Women’s Party began to picket at the White House in January 1917 to pressure President Woodrow Wilson. Until then nobody had ever picketed the White House. The women protested in silence, earning them the name “Silent Sentinels.” They were yelled at, spat on, peppered with rotten eggs and even beaten and, in some cases, sexually assaulted by jeering mobs. On November 14, 1917, after being arrested, a group of women were met at the prison by guards with clubs. The women were choked, kicked, and one was stabbed between the eyes. They were fed rotten food and denied medical treatment. When some women went on a hunger strike, they were force fed with tubes through their noses.
Now here at home, we celebrated five remarkable women as the newest members of the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women’s Hall of Fame each of whom eloquently shared their passion for public service: Alyson Suzuki, a first-generation Chinese American nonprofit leader; Terry Nagel, a community leader for over 40 years and sustainability champion; Andrea Jones, a community leader focused on advancing the well-being of children and families; Amani Shroff, chair of the San Mateo County Youth Commission; and Danika Gonzalez Johnston, a Half Moon Bay High School senior and eating disorder survivor and awareness advocate.
This was the 36th biennial celebration of the Women’s Hall of Fame which was the brainchild of former Congresswoman and Supervisor Anna Eshoo. She was my partner in 1982 on the Board of Supervisors when I first came up with the idea to start a Commission on the Status of Women. It’s amazing to see this advisory body thrive after 44 years of improving the quality of life for women of all ages. You can watch the entire ceremony here:
I had the great honor to introduce my long-time friend and former colleague Terry Nagel who served on the Burlingame City Council for 12 years, three terms as mayor. Terry may be slight in stature, but she is mighty in her work. Her work on making our county more sustainable has been nothing short of transformative.
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Daly City is the first city in our county that launched its own Women’s Hall of Fame. They celebrated Women’s History Month and invited me to speak at their inaugural event. My favorite part was seeing the young women honorees who will be our future leaders.
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Financial Uncertainty Ahead
The county faces existential financial problems because the state of California is withholding money that is owed to us. At stake are $119 million in reimbursement that would significantly reduce the ability of the county and all 20 cities in the county to provide essential services such as fire, police, health care and affordable housing. Through a complicated process related to vehicle license fees and education funding, the state is fully reimbursing funds to every county except for San Mateo County, Alpine County and Mono County. We are singled out and treated unfairly. Last year, we sued the state to get back $38 million that was withheld. This year, Governor Gavin Newsom’s recommended 2026-27 budget wrongfully did not include $119 million in funds owed to San Mateo County. If the state withheld this money from us, it would wipe out our entire Measure K budget because we would have to use Measure K funds not for key programs but to make up for the vehicle license fee shortfall. This must be corrected, and we will need everyone’s help to bring this illegal taking to the Governor’s attention. You will hear much more about those efforts in April.
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More E-bike Accidents
Another e-bike accident in our region took the life of one of our youth. A 13-year-old boy was killed and another teen was injured in an accident in San Jose on March 19th. According to authorities, the teens lost control of the bike and skidded. This comes on the heels of two e-bike related fatalities in San Mateo County within six months. A 16-year-old on an e-bike died after colliding with a box truck in Half Moon Bay in February. Last August, a four-year-old boy on a Burlingame sidewalk was fatally struck by a car that had collided with an e-bike ridden by an 11-year-old and a 10-year-old.
NBC Bay Area’s Robert Handa reported on the latest fatality in San Jose:
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How many more cases do we need before we act to protect the safety of our kids and on our streets? On March 10, Supervisor Mueller and I brought to the board an e-bike ordinance designed to enforce existing state law and regulate unsafe riding behavior. We had been working closely with the county attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office. We held a public town hall in February and received input and feedback from law enforcement, local elected officials and school board officials. We made our case why action is needed in an opinion piece in the San Mateo Daily Journal on March 9, Buyers beware: Not all e-bikes are e-bikes.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the support from the board to move this item forward, so we postponed the introduction of the ordinance. We are incorporating suggestions to broaden a diversion program for children and adults, are clarifying some terminology, and are continuing outreach to stakeholders. In my many years of service, I’ve never introduced legislation that didn’t meet resistance. Any effective law will change the status quo, and human nature is to resist change. This issue is too important to ignore. We have a public health crisis and an obligation to protect lives. We will bring this ordinance back to the board in the near future.
Save The Date: When I Grow Up…
Calling on all elementary and middle school girls! If you want to be inspired to find your dream job, mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25th, 10 a.m. to noon. I am restarting my favorite event ever, When I Grow Up… We all need some good news and some inspiration.
Four professional women and myself will share how we embarked on our career paths and prime the girls’ imagination. I am thrilled to let you know about our stellar line up:
- Yvonne Cagle, a physician and astronaut
- Luz Pena, ABC7 News reporter and anchor
- Christina Bell, Redwood City Police Chief
Don’t miss this fun event on the beautiful Genentech campus. Sign up here, capacity is limited.
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Lightbulb Ideas For Better Government
Employees are our most valuable asset in the county. We have amazing people working in San Mateo County dedicated to providing services to all residents. To incentivize them to get even more creative, I funded the Lightbulb program with Measure K funds last year. We asked employees to come up with ways to make county services more efficient and effective. I got the idea from a program that existed in the federal government when I served in Congress. Employees dreamed up programs that saved thousands of dollars and streamlined processes.
This month, we awarded the first round of eight winners with $1,000 each. Their ideas ranged from using AI to cut inquiry backlogs and speed up response times, to increasing efficiency in administering two-part vaccines, to creating department maintained mini-parks, to providing child care for emergency responders. Congratulations to the winners. I look forward to seeing these ideas turn into reality.
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Two Retirees Who Will Leave Their Mark
The county is saying thank you to two retiring outstanding can-do attitude public servants, Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee and Department of Public Works Director Ann Stillman. Superintendent Magee is retiring after 31 years in public education. I can’t think of anyone more committed to preparing our students for the future. Nancy’s work on making our schools safer was unwavering and we can say without fear of contradiction that there were 70 headlines in San Mateo County that didn’t happen because of the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities protocols she helped put in place.
 Ann Stillman is leaving the county after 38 years of service. She started as an extra help Senior Engineering Aide fresh out of college and worked her way to the top of the Department of Public Works. Ann has demonstrated excellence, professionalism and calm in every role. Both Ann and Nancy will be missed and leave behind giant shoes to fill.
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Before I Go…
I never miss an opportunity to talk to Mercy High School students, my alma mater. So when the Mercy seniors class visited County Center in early March, I immediately raised my hand. My message to them: You can do anything you want. Don’t be afraid to fail. Pursue your dreams.
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As Women’s History Month comes to a close, let’s celebrate the women of the future and remember the women who came before us whose shoulders we are standing on.
All the best,
Jackie
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