Public Safety

Natural hazard events such as wildfires, earthquakes, and flooding are an increasing issue impacting our county. Mitigation planning, local emergency exercises, funding for essential infrastructure upgrades and funding of reliable emergency communications and connectivity to the internet are all essential measures to provide for the safety of residents.

The administration and regulation of police power to appropriately provide for public safety is one of the highest responsibilities of local government. I believe transparency and effective police policy are essential. San Mateo County has a long history of collaborative and forward-thinking community policing and we must continue our work with community stakeholders and law enforcement professionals to build solutions which protect the public. I support innovative solutions such as the use of licensed mental health clinicians assigned to join law enforcement officers in responding to mental or behavioral health crises.

Public Health

Public Health is a large part of the county’s annual budget and the pandemic has made it an even more critical area of concern. Despite the county’s strong efforts, the pandemic has highlighted inequities in access to gaining both public health services and information. There is much work to do alongside county stakeholders in our most vulnerable populations including seniors, the disabled, those with access to functional needs and under-represented communities of color.

All seniors and families in San Mateo County deserve access to quality medical and mental health care within a reasonable distance from their communities. I will support policies that stabilize and expand the reach of the county healthcare system to residents, particularly on the coast, and ensure our health care workers have the resources they require to safely provide healthcare for those in need.

Affordable Housing

San Mateo County is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis that threatens both public health and the diversity of communities we all value. Everyone deserves to be housed. This includes public employees, like teachers and firefighters. Cities have an absolute responsibility to create housing to balance jobs at all levels of affordability. Local control has to include local responsibility to both plan for and create housing supply. As Supervisor, I will work collaboratively with our communities in housing creation. I will support vibrant housing development located near transit that will reduce traffic congestion, build diversity in our community, and benefit the public health,

Transportation & Infrastructure

Planes, trains, and automobiles; District 3 has them all. Bikes and buses too! At our airports in San Carlos and on the coast, both of which occupy county land, I will work to implement technology to identify “bad actors” who disregard policies related to time of day and use, resulting in nuisance noise that negatively impacts the quality of life of neighboring residents.

I will work diligently to ensure the stability of our regional public transit agencies and invest in multimodal transportation engineering and policies which address the “last mile” problem we have regionally. Connectivity from transit hubs into communities, bikeable and walkable communities, incentives to reduce automobile traffic and enhancement of safety and efficiency. In addition, the county must lead on CalTrain’s future and work to resolve the regional disagreements which threaten to destabilizing its infrastructure.

Finally, I believe the county needs to take a more active role in helping cities create safe routes to schools. Beyond taking cars off the road, there are tremendous physical and mental health benefits for children and families who are active walking and biking to school each day.

Economic Vibrancy

The pandemic has battered our local economy. Small business owners have suffered tremendously. Additionally, the closing of schools and childcare centers have disproportionately impacted people of color and working families forced to choose between working and taking care of their kids. As Supervisor, my priority will be to work toward a just, proactive and pragmatic economic recovery plan that involves many stakeholders and voices, working toward the same goal.

Environment

From the Santa Cruz mountains to San Francisco, the San Mateo County coastline and open spaces are among the most beautiful natural settings in the world. The protection and stewardship of our forests, open spaces, county parks, and beaches is an important priority. I will be committed to this responsibility, ensuring investment of resources and policies which will preserve these lands and waters for the health and enjoyment of everyone; and climate policy that will sustain them now and for generations to come.