May 7, 2024

San Mateo County Supervisors approved an ordinance to promote racial and social equity in delivering public services and within the organization.

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The 5-0 vote commits County officers and employees to “advancing equity by creating the conditions that allow all County residents to fully participate in the economic and social opportunities of the county and prosper.”

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New measures include creating racial and social equity actions plans and a renewed focus on using data to inform how, where and when services are delivered. The ordinance – which carries the force of law – also calls for an Office of Racial and Social Justice to support implementation and building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the county.

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The ordinance includes key actions:

• Integration of equity values in job descriptions for departmental leadership and executive leadership.

• Inclusion of Equity Impact Statements on Board of Supervisor memos.

• Advance an inclusive democracy through strategies such as diverse representation on County boards and commissions and increased community engagement efforts.
   

The ordinance is needed for the County to confront enduring forms of racial discrimination. Across the United States, government agencies have played a painful and significant role in creating and maintaining racial and social inequities through explicit and implicit policies and practices.

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One example is “restrictive covenants” — language written into deeds to keep a piece of property from being bought by or sold to a non-Caucasian, practices that contribute to today’s wealth gap. Inequities persist.
 

Read the article from the County of San Mateo.

November 30, 2020

Through the advocacy of the REACH membership, we were able to secure permanent, no-cost testing in areas that are most affected by COVID-19.

More details can be found at this KRON-4 article. 


November 16, 2020

Increased community testing sites secured in Daly City, East Palo Alto, and North Fair Oaks.
 

November 9, 2020

Because of your support of the Reach Coalition, we were able to accomplish all four of the initial goals:

 

• GOAL 1: Expand the central planning committee and suggested partner agency lists to fully reflect the residents of the county with a particular emphasis on those from historically underrepresented groups.

  • SUCCESS! The county placed 12 members of the REACH Coalition on the COVID-19 Recovery Council and supporting committees. Our coalition’s voices were critical to ensuring that the pathway forward centered the most vulnerable and residents from marginalized communities.
     

• GOAL 2: Conduct a comprehensive review of the San Mateo County COVID-19 Long-Term Strategic Plan in partnership with our community leaders and partner organizations, or representatives thereof, to ensure that the principles of social justice, equity, and access are woven throughout the document in a meaningful and intentional manner.

  • SUCCESS! The San Mateo County Recovery Initiative final draft has a clear equity lens, and all recommendations were evaluated using a core set of equity-based questions. The County will soon be releasing more widely information about the Recovery Initiative and the data being used to track our progress.
     

• GOAL 3: Designate allocation of SMC Strong funds specifically to a) community-based, non-profit organizations led by and serving communities of color, and b) minority-owned small businesses in our most underserved communities.

  • SUCCESS! Thanks to the leadership of the San Mateo County Economic Development Agency (SAMCEDA), SMC Strong allocated $200,000 specifically for minority-owned businesses in high-need areas of the county. The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a small business support organization that focuses on racial, economic, and social justice, has helped distribute funds and provide long-term support and consultation for eligible small businesses in the community.
     

• GOAL 4: Establish an Equity & Access Task Force made-up of elected officials and locally-selected community leaders to ensure that the voices of underrepresented groups remain present at all levels of planning and decision-making through Stage 4 of the Resilience Roadmap.

  • SUCCESS! The County created the Equity Recovery Group to vet all items in the San Mateo County Recovery Initiative. Members of the Equity Recovery Group continue to work with county officials to ensure that equity continues to be a priority.

 

May 18, 2020

We received a response from the county manager and he has scheduled a meeting with representatives from the coalition on May 29, 2020. We also received comments of support from State Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Phil Ting.
 

Our list of supporting elected officials and community-based also continues to grow. We’d like to welcome Mayor Glenn Sylvester, Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo, and Councilmembers Ray Buenaventura and Rod Daus-Magbual from the City of Daly City; Councilmember Larry Moody, City of East Palo Alto; Mayor Cecilia Taylor, City of Menlo Park; Vice President Sharifa Wilson, Ravenswood City School District; and Trustee Cecilia Márquez, Redwood City School District.

 

May 15, 2020

Our community coalition letter was delivered by email on Friday, May 15 at 4:30 p.m. to County Manager Mike Callagy with a courtesy copy to the Board of Supervisors, State Senators Hill and Weiner, and Assemblymembers Ting, Mullin, and Berman, and all elected officials that signed on to the letter.