Jackie's News, June 2026

Dear Friends,

Pride Month is coming to a close, we celebrated Juneteenth, and now our nation's 250^th birthday is approaching. At the core of our national holidays and designated months is the change of affirming a right where it was lacking. There is no clearer case of that change than the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States. Seeking political, legal and moral independence from the King of England, the Founding Fathers boldly affirmed their rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Over the upcoming 4^th of July holiday, let's celebrate our foundational values of freedom and independence and what we all have in common and what connects us.

Children Count

I couldn't be more excited that the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $10 million investment in child care. Since rejoining the board a year and a half ago, this has been my top priority, and the county will soon launch two pilot programs to help families by making child care more affordable and accessible.

San Mateo County has the fifth most expensive child care in the country. Working families are being crushed by costs that can easily exceed $30,000 a year per child. Providers are struggling to connect with families in a fragmented, inefficient system. Businesses are losing their workforce because many parents would have to spend all or the majority of their wages on child care. This broken system costs our county an estimated $775 million in lost productivity every year.

The first pilot is a one-stop portal that will allow parents to easily find providers, apply for child care, and assess subsidy eligibility. The second pilot is a Tri-Share program that is a partnership among the county, employers and parents to share the cost of child care. It's designed for working families making above the subsidy threshold, but not enough to afford child care. The pilot could help more than 1,000 families to reduce their cost. With this investment, San Mateo County is making a firm statement: children count.

Partial State Funding for Essential Services

We received mixed news from Sacramento and remain hopeful that Governor Newsom will support the Legislature's proposals for partial funding for essential services for residents. Thanks to our tireless champions, State Senators Josh Becker and Jon Laird, and Assemblymembers Diane Papan and Marc Berman, an appropriation of $77 million in the 2026-27 budget would go to San Mateo County and its 20 cities. That's 65% of what is owed to us by the State. Additionally, the budget includes a provision that would authorize the Department of Finance to allocate another $80 million for the shortfall we suffered in FY 2023-24 and 2024-25. The board sent a letter to the Governor asking him to support those proposals. He will sign the budget by June 29.

While this will still leave us with a $42 deficit for last year, it would ease drastic cuts to public safety programs, wildfire prevention and disaster preparedness programs, homelessness programs, housing support and development, and support programs for seniors, veterans and at-risk youth - all of which are also priorities to the State. In the long run, we need to find a permanent solution to this problem so we are not in the position of fighting for money that is owed to us year after year. It's our collective responsibility to provide stable services to our residents and keep them safe.

Supporting Filoli's Natural Lands Management Program

Filoli's is one of our greatest assets and destinations in San Mateo County. More than 750,000 people visit each year, 30,000 of them for free through the Museums for All, Blue Star, and Discover and Go programs. Since opening to the public in 1976, Filoli has served as a world-class public garden, accredited museum, and environmental and cultural education resource for residents and visitors alike. The estate encompasses six distinct California ecosystems on more than 400 acres of protected forest land, playing an important role in environmental stewardship and watershed protection.

I requested and the board approved $1 million of Measure K funding over 10 years to help Filoli prepare for growing future visitation and education demands. The funding will help pay for 11 miles of trails over the next decade, including ADA access routes to natural lands. It will also assist in implementing a long-term Natural Lands Management Plan, including wildfire risk mitigation, waterways restoration and biodiversity improvements. Additionally, it will help expand youth programs for students of all ages and community engagement events, such as Summer Nights and summer concerts.

This funding will benefit everyone in the county through Filoli's mission and outstanding programs.

A State-of-the-Art Home for People with Developmental Disabilities

In early July, the first residents will move into the Big Wave Project on the Coastside. I got a sneak preview of the beautiful building in early June. It provides 38 apartments for adults with developmental disabilities, spacious indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment areas, a commercial kitchen for culinary training, and a farm. Big Wave is a parent-driven non-profit that raised $37 million for the project with no government funding. It's the brainchild of founder and board member Jeff Peck and board and committee members Julie and Paul Schenkman. As parents of children with developmental disabilities, they turned into reality their vision for a supported living model with individual apartments, a community farm, job skills training, day programs, and recreational activities to foster independence, social connection, and personal development. This is going to be a model for human dignity.

San Mateo County Centenarians

I followed Supervisor Gauthier's lead in honoring our county's centenarians and was pleased to recognize Al Horn on the occasion of his 100^th birthday. Al Horn has served the people and families of San Mateo County for decades, both in his legacy as an attorney and in his dedicated public service and philanthropy. I had the pleasure of working with him on the board of the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation which he co-founded. He also served as president or chair of the Mills-Peninsula Health Care System, Mills-Peninsula Hospital Foundation, the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, the Peninsula Community Foundation, The Stanford Alumni Association, and the Boy Scouts of America. Al Horn is a remarkable man who does good every day.

Before I Go…

A San Bruno constituents alerted my office that a herd of goats that usually clears an unincorporated area near the airport of tall grass and shrubs had not arrived to do its annual work before the 4th of July this year. San Bruno being one of only two cities in San Mateo County selling fireworks, I shared his concern. With assistance from the county executive's team, OneShoreline and the airport, 300 goats were dispatched to the area on June 11th to fulfill their vegetation control duties. Thanks to them, the fire risk from fireworks will be greatly reduced.

The Board of Supervisors will be in recess for the month of July. I wish you a happy summer and hope you will have a safe and meaningful 4^th of July as we celebrate America's 250^th birthday. Our democracy has outlasted other democracies manyfold, but we can never take it for granted. Each and every one of us plays an important role in protecting it each and every day. Eleven years after Independence Day, the Constitution of the United States was ratified during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia. When Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall on September 17th, the last day of the convention, he was asked "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."

Our solemn obligation is to do everything in our power to protect and keep this sacred republic for future generations.

All the best,

Jackie