Redwood City – The County hosted the first in a series of listening sessions Wednesday that drew about 50 coastal residents whose ideas and input will help inform how local tax dollars are invested in four key areas.
Held in El Granada, the 90-minute session began with a brief overview of how public listening sessions as well as surveys will inform how local funds will be invested in emergency preparedness, housing and homelessness, children and families and mental health.
“We want to hear from as many residents as possible over the next month,” said San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose office hosted Wednesday’s meeting. “The core of what we do as elected officials is listening to what our residents tell us about their needs and then working on allocating resources to help meet those needs.”
As in upcoming sessions, live interpretation was available Wednesday in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin. Following the overview, participants were invited to small-group discussions facilitated by InterEthnica, a team with expertise in engaging with diverse communities.
Residents are invited to attend any of six scheduled meetings that will take place in Daly City, East Palo Alto, Pescadero, South San Francisco, North Fair Oaks and San Mateo. (Live Tagalog interpretation available at the Daly City and San Mateo sessions.) No advance registration is required.
Staff will present the results from the listening sessions and surveys to the Board of Supervisors this fall. Supervisors will then consider allocating funds from the Measure K half-cent sales tax to address key community needs.
Additional Information:
Measure K Community Needs Survey
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org