City of San Mateo
2026 Draft Strategic Plan
Mission and Values
Mission:
Cultivate a vibrant, safe community through collaboration, innovation, and sustainability.
Values:
Prosperity: Cultivating a diverse and thriving economy with different types of homes, jobs, recreation, lifelong learning opportunities, and services for both current and future generations.
Inclusivity: Striving to include everyone in community life and decisions for a shared, sustainable future.
Diversity: Embracing diversity, arts, and culture, and respecting the experiences, contributions, and aspirations of people of all ages, abilities, incomes, and backgrounds.
Resiliency: Leading in sustainability, making San Mateo strong and resilient by acting boldly to adapt to a changing world.
Integrity: Ensuring transparency and accountability for our actions.
San Mateo Strategic Priority Initiatives
Climate Resiliency
Infrastructure
Transportation
Housing
San Mateo Strategic Initiatives:
Economic Development
Healthy Community for All Ages
Public Safety
Land Use
Organizational Health and Good Governance
Community Engagement and Communications
San Mateo Priority Initiatives
Climate Resiliency
Proactively address a changing climate through the City’s policies, projects, activities, and programs.
Goals
• Create a comprehensive climate resilience strategy to account for climate change impacts. • Implement the Climate Action Plan to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. • Continuously evaluate opportunities to incorporate climate resilience into new City policies, projects, activities, and programs.
San Mateo Priority Initiatives
Infrastructure
Maintain and continuously improve a resilient and sustainable City infrastructure system to meet the needs of all members of the community.
Goals
• Create and implement an infrastructure management program for critical assets that includes proactive assessment, maintenance, and repair.
• Plan for the future of City infrastructure based on the changing needs of the community and with a focus on equity, accessibility, resiliency, and sustainability.
• Actively and continuously seek funding opportunities and partnerships to support infrastructure needs.
San Mateo Priority Initiatives
Transportation
Maintain and continuously improve a safe, multimodal, accessible, and efficient transportation network.
Goals
• Work toward a transportation system that prioritizes user safety, accommodates future growth, and maintains efficient and safe operations for all users.
• Seek funding opportunities to accelerate transportation project implementation. • Pursue initiatives that increase access to transit, improve east-west travel, and expand last mile connections.
San Mateo Priority Initiatives
Housing
Support all forms of housing and achieve greater housing equity and access for all residents.
Goals
• Implement the Housing Element to affirmatively further fair housing, meet the City’s housing allocation, and retain certification. • Strategically deploy housing funds and leverage outside funding and partnerships to meet the housing needs of the community. • Focus on identifying and taking local actions that can contribute to reducing overall housing costs.
San Mateo Initiatives
Economic Development
Create an environment that supports a thriving and diverse economy with opportunities that meet the needs of the entire community.
Goals
• Attract and retain a wide range of businesses to create a robust economy that supports employment opportunities within the San Mateo community.
• Create vibrant commercial areas Citywide by improving the customer experience, developing partnerships, and exploring enhancement opportunities.
San Mateo Initiatives
Healthy Community for All Ages
Create and promote an environment that empowers all community members to thrive.
Goals
• Seek opportunities for City services and programs to support people of all ages and abilities for their mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being.
• Ensure greater access to the systems that support healthier lifestyles and increase well-being throughout all neighborhoods with a focus on equity priority communities.
San Mateo Initiatives
Public Safety
Provide a safe and secure quality of life through professional and proactive police and fire services, and effectively prepare for future emergencies.
Goals
• Provide fire and emergency services through professionalism, collaboration, and public trust. • Protect and promote safety and well-being with a proactive approach while serving San Mateo residents, businesses, and visitors.
• Develop a comprehensive approach to emergency preparedness.
San Mateo Initiatives
Land Use
Utilize the General Plan 2040 to guide policy and permitting decisions that shape the physical environment.
Goals
• Complete a comprehensive Zoning Code update to implement the policies and actions in the General Plan 2040. • Update the City’s specific and area plans to be consistent with the City’s General Plan 2040.
San Mateo Initiatives
Organizational Health and Good Governance
Promote a high-performing and resilient organization by upholding the highest standards of integrity, customer service, and fiscal responsibility to effectively serve the community.
Goals
• Efficiently and effectively manage the City’s resources to support financial health, operate with transparency, and provide services that are responsive to the community’s needs.
• Continuously support our employees’ professional development and wellness, and foster a healthy culture that attracts and retains a talented, innovative, and accountable workforce.
San Mateo Initiatives
Community Engagement and Communications
Build community by empowering the public to be informed and involved.
Goals
• Provide an accessible avenue for everyone in the community to have the ability to participate and be heard. • Inform, educate, and encourage feedback from all community stakeholders.