CITY OF SAN MATEO
City Council Special Meeting
January 3, 2022
5:30 PM
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Rick Bonilla, Mayor
Diane Papan, Deputy Mayor
Joe Goethals
Amourence Lee
Eric Rodriguez
AGENDA
DUE TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA’S DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY – THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO AUTHORIZATION FROM GOVERNMENT CODE 54943(b)(3) / AB 361 (2021) – CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSION MEETINGS ARE NO LONGER OPEN TO IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE.
ANYONE CAN WATCH AND PROVIDE COMMENTS REMOTELY IN THE WAYS DESCRIBED AT THE END OF THE AGENDA.
To join via Zoom – click here: Monday, January 3, 2022 Zoom Meeting To join via telephone: (408) 638-0968
Webinar ID: 837 0513 7163 Passcode: 631543
CALL TO ORDER
Roll Call
CLOSED SESSION
The public will have an opportunity to comment before the consideration of these items. Following the meeting a report of action from Closed Session will be provided if required.
1. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation
(Paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 54956.9)
Name of Case: San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board – Administrative Civil Liability Complaint No. R2-2021-1023
STUDY SESSION
The public will have an opportunity to comment during the consideration of these items.
2. Consideration of Fine Elimination at City Libraries
Review the elimination of fines within the San Mateo Public Library system and provide direction as to whether fines should be permanently eliminated.
3. Consideration of Support for Single-Payer Healthcare Discuss and consider directing staff to return to Council with a resolution in support of single-payer healthcare.
ADJOURNMENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AGENDAS: Agendas and material are posted on the City’s website on the Friday preceding each Council Meeting and can be viewed on the City's website at www.cityofsanmateo.org . Any supplemental material distributed to the Council after the posting of the agenda will be made part of the official record.
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WATCHING A MEETING ON TV: City Council meetings are broadcast live on Comcast/channel 27, Wave/channel 26, or AT&T/channel 99.
For transmission problems during the broadcast, please call (650) 522-7099.
For all other broadcast comments, call (650) 522-7040, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
WATCHING A MEETING ON A COMPUTER: There are three ways to stream. 1) Public Meeting Portal www.cityofsanmateo.org/publicmeetings 2) City YouTube channel and stream it on YouTube: http://youtube.com/CityofSanMateo 3) Watch TV live stream: https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/193/Channel-San-Mateo-Live-Stream PUBLIC COMMENTS – Can be received in the following ways (Time limits will apply) :
Prior to the meeting in writing: Send comments to: [email protected] until 4 p.m. the day of the meeting.
During the meeting by computer: Click the link at the top of the agenda and you’ll be added to the meeting. All attendees are muted by default.
When the item of interest is open for consideration, select the “Raise Your Hand” icon and you will be called on at the appropriate time.
During the meeting by telephone: Call (408) 638-0968 and enter the conference ID found at the top of the meeting agenda. When the item of interest is open for consideration, select *9 to raise your hand. When called upon, press *6 to unmute, state your name and provide your comments.
ACCESSIBILITY: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, those with disabilities requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting may contact the City Clerk’s Office at (650) 522-7040 or [email protected]. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. 2 of 17
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 2 Section Name: STUDY SESSION File ID: 21-5257 TO: City Council
FROM: Drew Corbett, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Library Department
MEETING DATE: January 3, 2022
SUBJECT:
Consideration of Fine Elimination at City Libraries
RECOMMENDATION:
Review the elimination of fines within the San Mateo Public Library system and provide direction as to whether fines should be permanently eliminated.
BACKGROUND:
Historically, libraries have used nominal fines as an incentive for patrons to return library materials on time. As a matter of principle, public libraries have never sought to use fines to punish patrons or to generate significant revenue to support operations. Over the last decade, the San Mateo Public Library’s (SMPL) fine revenue has been trending down dramatically as our peer libraries in the Peninsula Library System (PLS) have enacted steps to increase access for patrons, especially those facing financial limitations. In fact, over the past ten years, practically every major public library system in the nation, including PLS, has eliminated fines for senior, teen, and children’s materials. Several years ago, PLS instituted automated renewal of items that had no holds on them, which greatly reduced the chances of patrons accumulating fines because they no longer had to remember exact due dates.
Furthermore, many public libraries have also decided that the process of collecting fines was one of “spending dollars to collect pennies” when viewed from the lens of the amount staff time spent on the task. SMPL staff believe they can be more efficient and effective in overall service provision without having to pursue small fine sums from patrons. Staff research indicates that fine elimination over the past several years has not resulted in a significant change in patron behavior. This is supported by the monitoring of behaviors during the pandemic when SMPL and all PLS members paused fines. The vast majority of patrons who usually returned their items on time have continued to do so. The patrons who were prone to not returning items on time continue to do so, but that results in them losing borrowing privileges as opposed to accumulating fines. Currently, SMPL is one of just two PLS libraries still collecting fines. The other one, Daly City, is also in the process of a fine elimination review.
The Library Board considered this policy change in late 2021 and was supportive of eliminating fines for library materials.
BUDGET IMPACT:
In fiscal year 2018-19, the last full year of library operations, San Mateo Public Library collected $55,640 in late fines, which is down from just seven years ago, when SMPL collected $127,000. This downward trend is expected to continue due to related developments in library services by all Peninsula Library System members, most notably is that fines have been eliminated by nearly all PLS members. Further, since fines are still on pause during the pandemic, the fiscal impact of fine elimination has already effectively been incorporated into the operating budget. 3 of 17
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ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This item is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
None
STAFF CONTACT
James Moore, City Librarian
[email protected]
(650) 522-7802
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Number of Patrons
Blocked By Year
• Most of the patrons blocked
have been active recently.
• 338 patrons or about 7%
have been blocked since
2014, about five years ago.
• Inactive patron records are
usually purged every 7 years,
give or take.
Year Count of PAT REC #
2010 54
2011 55
2012 47
2013 57
2014 83
2015 444
2016 259
2017 956
2018 562
2019 1516
Grand Total 4033
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Card Type Count
Adult 3043
Juvenile 871
Young Adult 92
Grand Total 4006
Blocked Cards by Type
• The vast majority (75%) of
blocked cards are adult cards.
• Approximately 25% of blocked
cards are youth cards – juvenile
or young adult. This means that
young people are not
disproportionately affected by
having a blocked card.
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Collections
$22,266.68, 9.24% Hold
$47.75, 0.02%
ILL
$20.00, 0.01%
Library Card
$229.49, 0.10%
Manual
$202.47, 0.08%
Overdue
$94,117.26, 39.06%
Replacement, $124,046.70,
51.49%
Fines by Type: $240,930.35
*includes all SMPL items
from all patrons throughout PLS
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Main Hillsdale Marina Total
16-17 232859 43043 25285 301187
17-18 233247 40388 26571 300206
18-19 226317 39373 26209 291899
Circulation of Children’s Items
Factors affecting circulation:
• 7/1/16 - All Juv PLS cardholders no longer charged overdue fines. • 7/5/16 - Library hours permanantly extended for all three SMPL locations. • 4/17/18 - Communico, library app, went live, giving patrons more options to renew & view account. • 12/01/18 - Auto renewal for all PLS libraries implemented. 8 of 17
232859
43043
25285
233247
40388
26571
226317
39373
26209
0 50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
SMP HIL MAR
Circulation of Children's Items
16-17 17-18 18-19
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Trend Shrinking revenues from fine collection.
FY 20-21: $10,521 (fines and fees suspended during FY)
FY 19-20 (July 1 – March 16, or 6.5 -8 months): $27,284 (12-month projection: roughly $40,000 - $50,000)
FY 18-19: $55,644
FY 17-18: $66,411
FY 16-17: $59,864
FY 15-16: $74,488
FY 14-15: $89,710
FY 13-14: $116,187
FY 12-13: $125,599
FY 11-12: $126,998
FY 10-11: $134,342
FY 09-10: $138,753
FY 08-09: $140,672
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 3 Section Name: STUDY SESSION File ID: 21-5624 TO: City Council
FROM: Drew Corbett, City Manager
PREPARED BY: City Manager's Office
MEETING DATE: January 03, 2022
SUBJECT:
Consideration of Support for Single-Payer Healthcare
RECOMMENDATION:
Discuss and consider directing staff to return to Council with a resolution in support of single-payer healthcare.
BACKGROUND:
At the November 15, 2021 Council meeting during reports and announcements, Council Member Lee brought up the concept of adopting a resolution of support for single-payer healthcare. A majority of Council agreed to discuss this at its January 3, 2022 meeting.
Per Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), single-payer national health insurance, also referred to as Medicare for All, is a system in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes healthcare financing but the delivery of care still largely remains in the private sector. Under this system, all residents of the United States would be covered for medically necessary services. In addition to all residents being covered, proponents of a single-payer system also cite other benefits including a healthier population overall due to access to preventive care and decoupling healthcare from your employment status. Critics of a single-payer system cite the cost of such a program, which would necessitate additional taxes and the potential for reduced government spending in other areas, as well as longer wait times to see specialists.
In 2021, the City of South San Francisco adopted a resolution in support of single-payer healthcare. That resolution is included as Attachment 1 for reference.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is no budget impact for considering a resolution in support of single-payer healthcare.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This study session is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 - City of South San Francisco Resolution
Att 2 – Public Comment received as of 12/30/2021
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STAFF CONTACT
Drew Corbett, City Manager
[email protected]
(650) 522-7002
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City of South San Francisco
Legislation Text
P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400
Grand Avenue)
South San Francisco, CA
Resolution in support of Single-Payer Healthcare by South San Francisco City Council.
WHEREAS, every person in South San Francisco deserves high quality healthcare; and WHEREAS, the number of Americans without health insurance before the COVID-19 pandemic was still nearly 30 million, with more than 40 million Americans underinsured, despite important gains made since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and
WHEREAS, the current COVID-19 pandemic has led to record levels of unemployment, loss of employer-sponsored health insurance, a severely strained healthcare system, widespread illness, and taken a profound toll on our community’s mental health, all of which is placing significant demands on our healthcare system, and
WHEREAS, many people delay seeking needed healthcare due to an inability to pay, leading to a sicker and poorer population in the long run; and
WHEREAS, such a population is significantly more likely to develop serious illness if exposed to COVID-19 and will subsequently face higher mortality rates from the disease; and WHEREAS, the ever-increasing costs of healthcare, which are further elevated due to the pandemic, may challenge our already strapped state and municipal budgets; and WHEREAS,COVID-19 related treatment could cost uninsured patients tens of thousands of dollars; and WHEREAS, in order to equitably and effectively address the healthcare burden of the COVID-19 crisis, we must urge the United States Congress and California State Legislature to expand health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage to every resident without any cost sharing; and WHEREAS, Single-Payer Healthcare would provide health insurance for every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care; and WHEREAS, Single-Payer Healthcare would provide coverage without copays, deductibles or other out- of-pocket costs, and would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship and assure patients a free choice of doctors; and
WHEREAS, recent polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All; and WHEREAS, Single-Payer Healthcare will guarantee that all residents of South San Francisco will be fully covered for healthcare without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions File #: 21-525, Version: 1
City of South San Francisco Printed on 7/19/2021Page 1 of 2 powered by Legistar™
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File #: 21-525, Version: 1
fully covered for healthcare without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions in taxpayer dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage for government employees; and
WHEREAS, the quality of life for the residents of South San Francisco will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the South San Francisco City Council urges the United States Congress and the California State Legislature to enact emergency legislation to provide universal, comprehensive health coverage with zero cost-sharing for patients during this crisis and enthusiastically supports Single-Payer Healthcare and calls on our federal and state legislators to work toward its immediate enactment, assuring appropriate and efficient healthcare for all residents. * * * * *
City of South San Francisco Printed on 7/19/2021Page 2 of 2 powered by Legistar™
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From: Debra Kattler < >
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2021 3:57 PM
To: Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment for Tonight's Council Meeting
To the Council:
On behalf of myself, a proud San Mateo resident of 6 years, and a San Mateo representative to Indivisible SF Peninsula and CA-14 (over 1600 members). I'd like to request that San Mateo City Council agendize a resolution for a future meeting supporting single-payer health care, also known as Medicare for All. The pandemic has exposed how important it is to make health care accessible to all, and we can't delay any longer. Passing this measure would help inform state and federal officials in our area of this strongly held belief that we must no longer waffle on this critical issue. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to revisiting this issue with the council once it's placed on the agenda.
Sincerely,
Debra Kattler
Leadership Committee Member
From: Sandra Lang < >
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2021 3:25 PM
To: Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment
Honorable City Council Members ,
I urge the city council to agendize Medicare for Allin an upcoming meeting .
Seniors , their extended families and disabled people often have fewer financial resources for everyday preventative care let alone catastrophic medical issues .
If San Mateo would take a new step forward by adopting a resolution in support of Medicare for All and/ or a policy basic and vital health care needs could be vastly improved .
Now more than ever we have an aging population compounded with inflation. The time is now .
San Mateo shines as a good city now ! . This step forward would elevate the quality of life for everyone and establish San Mateo as a regional health care leader .
Thank you ,
Sandra Lang
Elected Member of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee .
Health Care Advocate
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From: Cheryl Kozanitas <>
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2021 2:25 PM
To: Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Please add agenda item re: Support for Single Payer Healthcare
Dear San Mateo Council Members:
Please add to the Council's agenda a resolution to support Single Payer Healthcare.
Such a resolution is necessary in order for EVERYONE, all citizens and all residents, to be healthy. Single payer is the best, safest and least expensive way for a healthy community to thrive, especially during a pandemic.
I want everyone to be healthy!
I want a simplified method of paying for ALL healthcare and prescriptions! So many hours of our lives are wasted on complicated billing systems and continually changing insurance plans. In Europe the average person never sees a bill! As an American having an ER visit in England I tried to pay my bill. The staff couldn't figure out why I wanted to pay. There was NO bill!
As a nation we CAN afford single payer. The trillions spent on war are never questioned or in short supply. They can be redirected to other things and especially to Single Payer Healthcare. Please do the right thing and add a pro-Single Payer resolution to the agenda.
Thank you.
Cheryl Kozanitas
From: Michael Romeyn < >
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2021 10:50 AM
To: Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Resolution in Support of AB1400 & Medicare for All
To: San Mateo City Council
Re: Resolution in support of AB1400 (the California single payer bill) and Medicare for All
I commend your resolution in support of AB1400 and Medicare for All. It is (past) time that we simplify healthcare delivery and provide for the well being of all.
Thank you.
Michael Romeyn
San Mateo, CA
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Post Packet Comment - Study Session 3
The following public comment was received after 4pm deadline day of meeting.
From: Chet Lexvold <c>
Sent: Monday, January 3, 2022 3:40:58 PM
To: Joe Goethals <[email protected]>; Diane Papan <[email protected]>; Rick Bonilla <[email protected]>; Eric Rodriguez <[email protected]>; Amourence Lee <[email protected]>
Subject: Single-payer healthcare / Medicare for All resolution: please adopt resolution as-is from advocates
Hello San Mateo City Councilmembers:
As a resident of San Mateo, I encourage you to adopt the single-payer healthcare resolution language that has been previously emailed to you and not make amendments. It's really quite simple: single- payer healthcare saves lives and saves money. That's why 58 other countries have adopted similar systems over the past 60 years, paying half of what the average American pays in healthcare costs. And specific to San Mateo, much of our city budget goes towards paying for city employee healthcare or other social services that should be paid through a state, or preferably federal, program. Single-payer would free up cities to spend their budgets on much-needed housing, public transit, and other services.
In order to pass either the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (HR 1976) or CalCare (AB 1400), we must build support locally, and I hope you will join the South San Francisco City Council in adopting and passing a resolution in favor of single-payer health care.
Sincerely,
Chet Lexvold
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