1 From: Robert Whitehair >
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2026 2:59 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo)
Cc: Alex Khojikian; Zachary Reda; Andrea Chow; Clerk; Michelle Hudson Subject: Legislative positions
Dear Mayor Loraine and City Council, thank you for your consideration of legislative positions, moving forward.
My apologies for not reading the Council agendas earlier, and being a little late to the game in raising the following concerns.
In response to agenda Item 1 on the City Council Special Meeting at 6 PM tonight, it is respectfully requested that one of the City's legislative priorities, specifically "Utilities, Infrastructure, and Climate Adaptation" be modified.
I believe that including climate change issues under such a broad list of "Other" policy issues along with Utilities and Infrastructure, does not give significant climate matters the attention and gravitas that climate issues deserve. This is of special concern given that San Mateo has been and continues to be a leader in response to the climate crisis, and also because the City has at the request of advocates and the Council, taken strong positions on behalf of the climate. Memorializing all these, in the form of legislative positions would be a great start of a platform for the future.
Therefore, it is requested in the Proposed Legislative Advocacy Policy, that Climate issues be removed from the "Utilities, Infrastructure, and Climate Adaptation" category, to be inserted into a new category:
"Climate Response", thereby creating for this new category the same importance as Community Development and Housing, Transportation and Public Works, Parks Recreation and Community SErvices, and Governmental Transparency and Public Meeting Access.
Other, possibly new line items in this new "Climate Response" category, could include the addition of The City of San Mateo's stated position on banks having investments in fossil fuels, or taking a position on cap and reinvest (aka cap and trade), as well as other issues such as the fiscal responsibility of fossil fuel companies for damages to the environment. I do note that the proposed line item: "Oppose legislation that transfers wildfire-related costs from investor owned utilities to cities or their residents" is a great place to start, and respectfully request a position on the other items listed in this paragraph.
Thank you for your consideration of this last minute request.
Robert Whitehair (he, him)
Co-Leader San Mateo Climate Action Team
Robert (he, him)
2 Acknowledgement: I reside on the unceded lands of our indigenous ancestors the Ramaytush Ohlone, while benefiting from racial privilege. We begin making reparations by accepting only a kinship view of our place on the planet: All life is interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated.