CITY OF SAN MATEO
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 17 Section Name: {{section.name}} Account Number: 10-1511 File ID: {{item.tracking_number}} TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: City Clerk's Office
MEETING DATE: June 2, 2025
SUBJECT:
Legal Advertising Services — Agreement
RECOMMENDATION:
Award an agreement to San Mateo Daily Journal for the City of San Mateo’s legal advertising in an amount not to exceed $100,000 over a period of five years; and authorize the City Clerk to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo Daily Journal has served as the Official City Newspaper for publication of all legal notices and ordinances since 2018. The agreement with the San Mateo Daily Journal expired on December 5, 2023, and the City entered into a short-term agreement for services rendered for 2023-2024 on August 15, 2024. The City has continued extending its agreement with the San Mateo Daily Journal on a short-term basis while the competitive bidding process was completed.
Section 9.07 of the San Mateo City Charter requires the City Council to periodically solicit bids from newspapers adjudicated to be newspapers of general circulation within the City, or if none, within the County of San Mateo, for the publication of all ordinances and other legal notices. In addition, the same section of the Charter specifies that the contract “shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder” and that “the council may designate the requirements for award of contract” to become the City’s official city newspaper.
On September 6, 2024, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting adjudicated newspapers of general circulation to submit proposals for legal advertising services. Two newspapers responded: the San Mateo Daily Journal and the San Mateo County Times. The RFP required proposers to include details on pricing, the number of lines and average word count per column inch, publishing schedule, advertising deadlines, submittal process, and prior experience serving government agencies. Proposals were evaluated based on cost, adjudication status, potential conflicts of interest, relevant experience, and any requested modifications to the City's standard contract terms. Staff recommended rejecting both proposals, as key information submitted by each required clarification. Rejecting the proposals also allowed staff to consult with the City Council on refining the criteria for awarding the contract.
A second RFP was issued on December 2, 2024, but the proposals received in that round were again rejected due to similar concerns related to clarity and completeness. To ensure a transparent and competitive process, the City Council authorized the bid rejections to allow for a further re-bidding process.
On April 7, 2025, the City issued a third RFP, again inviting adjudicated newspapers of general circulation to submit bids for the publication of the City’s legal notices. The RFP requested specific information including: cost per column inch, average number of lines and words per column inch, proof of adjudication status, publishing schedule, average daily circulation within the City of San Mateo, and the turnaround time required for ad placement.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
The City received bids from three newspapers: the San Mateo Daily Journal, the San Mateo County Times, and the San Francisco Examiner. To objectively determine the most cost-effective option, staff used a "total estimated cost per reach" formula:
Estimated annual column inches (2,238) × Cost per column inch ÷ Average daily circulation in the City of San Mateo This formula accounts for both the cost and the publication’s reach, enabling a balanced evaluation of value and effectiveness in communicating legal notices to the public.
Bid Results:
San Mateo Daily Journal:
$19.48/column inch
9,800 daily circulation
8 lines/column inch
40 words/column inch
Total estimated cost per reach - $4.45
San Mateo County Times:
$12.98/column inch
3,653 daily circulation
11 lines/column inch
44 words/column inch
Total estimated cost per reach - $7.95
San Francisco Examiner:
$15.00/column inch
1,980 daily circulation
12 lines/column inch
70 words/column inch
Total estimated cost per reach - $16.97
Staff recommends that the City Council award the contract to the San Mateo Daily Journal as the lowest responsible bidder, in accordance with the requirements of the City Charter.
BUDGET IMPACT:
This agreement has no budget impact, as each department needing legal advertising services has sufficient budget in their department’s operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This agreement for legal advertising services 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 – Agreement
CITY OF SAN MATEO
STAFF CONTACT
Martin McTaggart, City Clerk
[email protected]
(650) 522-7044