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TO: MAYORS OF SAN MATEO COUNTY
FROM: SUKHMANI S. PUREWAL, SECRETARY
SUBJECT: REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY SELECTION COMMITTEE Mayor Rico E. Medina, Chairperson of the San Mateo County City Selection Committee called for a Regular in person meeting of the Committee at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023, at Colma Fire House – 50 Reiner Street Colma, CA 94014.
AGENDA
1) Roll Call
2) Selection of one (1) Councilmember to serve on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) representing Cities (All Cities are eligible), for a term of two (2) years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.
i. Belmont Vice Mayor Davina Hurt, is seeking reappointment 3) Selection of one (1) Councilmember to serve as a regular member on the Domestic Violence Council (DVC) representing Cities (All Cities are eligible), for a term of three (3) years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026.
i. East Palo Alto Councilmember Ruben Abrica, is seeking reappointment 4) Selection of one (1) Councilmember to serve as an Alternate on the Domestic Violence Council (DVC) representing Cities (All Cities are eligible), for a term of three (3) years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026.
5) Selection of one (1) Councilmember to serve on the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) representing Cities (All Cities are eligible), for a term of two (2) years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.
i. Burlingame Councilmember Emily Beach, is seeking reappointment 6) Selection of one (1) Councilmember to serve on the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) representing Northern Cities (Eligible Cities: Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Pacifica, San Bruno, and South San Francisco) for a term of two (2) years beginning January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.
i. South San Francisco Vice Mayor Mark Nagales, is seeking reappointment
SAN MATEO COUNTY CITY SELECTION COMMITTEE
Rico E. Medina, Chairperson
Eddie Flores, Vice Chairperson
Sukhmani S. Purewal, Secretary
400 County Center
Redwood City, 94063
650-363-1802
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7) Election of a Chairperson to the City Selection Committee for 2024 (Note: Candidates must be a current Mayor or Council Member) i. San Bruno Mayor Rico E. Medina, is seeking reappointment 8) Election of a Vice Chairperson to the City Selection Committee for 2024 (Note: Candidates must be a current Mayor or Council Member) i. South San Francisco Councilmember Eddie Flores, is seeking reappointment 9) Oral Communications and Announcements
i. Public Comment – Opportunity for the public to address the San Mateo County City Selection Committee.
ii. Any subject not on the agenda may be presented at this time by members of the City Selection Committee. These topics cannot be acted upon or discussed, but may be agendized for a later meeting date.
1 One Twin Pines Lane
Belmont, CA 94002
San Mateo County City Selection Committee
The Honorable Rico Medina, Chairperson and Mayor of San Bruno ℅ Sukhmani S. Purewal, Secretary to City Selection Committee 400 County Center
Redwood City, CA. 94063
November 30, 2023
Dear Honorable Chairperson, Mayors, and City Council Members of San Mateo County, I am writing to respectfully request your support to continue serving as the representative of the 20 cities and towns of San Mateo County on the board of directors for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and, in turn, the air quality regulatory body for the state- California Air Resources Board (CARB.) BAAQMD aims to create a healthy breathing environment for every Bay Area resident while protecting and improving public health, air quality, and the global climate. During my 4 years at the Air District, I served in pivotal roles, which has positioned me to effectively advocate for our communities at the regional and state levels. Highlights are serving as vice chair and secretary of the board, whereby I oversaw and managed with Chair John Bauters of Emeryville -
• the hiring of a new Executive Director/APCO,
• a board-initiated management audit,
• an overhaul of the administrative code,
• adoption of policies aligning human resources best practices, • initiation of a new strategic planning session,
• board labor contracts and critical litigation,
• along with the integral role in the creation of the first Community Advisory Council of the Board.
In our efforts to reimagine community engagement, I served as chair of the first Community Health Equity and Justice Committee of the board that focuses its time and attention on making sure all communities have a public pathway to being heard, especially those most impacted by stationary and mobile sources in our communities. Additionally, I am honored and humbled to be nominated this month and poised to be voted in as the next Board Chair for a two-year term in line with reappointment.
In conjunction with BAAQMD representation, I was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom and confirmed in a Senate confirmation Q&A hearing to represent the (9) counties of the Bay Area at CARB till 2026. As a board member of the CARB, I am one of only a few board members appointed from locally elected positions that bring the direct voice of cities, towns, and counties to the important work of CARB. Since my appointment, I have hit the ground running by forging new relationships for the county, bolstering existing ones, and making policy decisions to implement funding from the California State Budget as well as a range of programmatic funds derived from fees and penalties that will shape how well our communities transition to a green economy and attain carbon neutrality. I have attached a list of additional meetings I Item No. 2(i)
2 One Twin Pines Lane
Belmont, CA 94002
have taken outside of the Air District meetings to unite businesses and non-profit organizations to San Mateo County and the Bay Area.1 These are our future problem solvers working on unique opportunities to positively address our air quality problems.
Throughout my tenure on the BAAQMD board, I have made a great effort to learn about the regulatory and programmatic efforts of the district – which are many. The work of the district is critically important to protecting and improving public health and meeting the challenges of decarbonization to mitigate the worst outcomes of climate change. As we look to the future, I will remain an advocate for meaningful regulation, transparency, and accountability. I am passionately committed to ensuring programs such as the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP), Clean Cars for All Program, the Clean Air Filtration Program, and the Spare the Air service continue to provide tangible and equitable benefits to our cities and all district residents. I will continue to ensure traditionally underrepresented and under-resourced communities benefit greatly from district investments and regulatory policy to improve air quality and health outcomes. I am committed to continuing to fulfill BAAQMD’s critical mission with a focused eye on permitting and enforcement, while taking a progressive approach to regulate air pollution by internal and external systems.
After attending COP26 and COP27 as a California delegate, it is clear to me that at every level of community and government, we have critical work to combat climate change and clean our air quality. Knowing how imperative it is that we create a strategic plan to ensure we meet the ambitious goals for our state and globe, I am on the subcommittee for strategic planning for BAAQMD and will continue to monitor closely our implementation working groups of our various regulatory actions. Lastly, I will continue the great tradition of collaborative leadership that has been a hallmark of this county and persist in forming private and public partnerships to further our shared goals.
Leadership means listening, learning, and acting; this is what we do in San Mateo County to make positive changes. It has been my honor representing and advocating for San Mateo County Cities on the BAAQMD. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving with your trust and working hard for the needs of our diverse communities as a San Mateo County Cities’ representative, Vice Chair for BAAQMD, and board member for CARB.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Davina Hurt
City of Belmont Vice Mayor/Former Mayor
Vice Chair, Bay Area Air Quality Management District of San Mateo County Cities Board member, California Air Resources Board
1 October 2021-June 2023 Meetings of Vice Chair Davina Hurt of CARB as BAAQMD Representative (Pages 3-10) 3 One Twin Pines Lane
Belmont, CA 94002
CARB Quarterly Reports for Bay Area Air District Board of Directors Since Appointment October 2021-June 2023 Meetings of Vice Chair Davina Hurt of BAAQMD
1. October – December 2021:
2. January – March 2022:
3. April – June 2022:
4. July – September 2022:
5. October – December 2022:
6. January – June 2023:
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
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Belmont, CA 94002
Item No. 3(i)
Register online with the City of Burlingame to receive regular City updates at www.burlingame.org/enews.
MICHAEL BROWNRIGG, MAYOR
DONNA COLSON, VICE MAYOR
EMILY BEACH
RICARDO ORTIZ
PETER STEVENSON
TEL: (650) 558-7201
www.burlingame.org
The City of Burlingame
CITY HALL -- 501 PRIMROSE ROAD
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA 94010-3997
Dear Colleagues,
I would be honored to earn your vote as I seek reappointment to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA) Board of Directors representing Peninsula Cities-at-Large. Serving on the TA has been a top highlight of my public service, and I’m grateful for the opportunity you have entrusted me with during the past seven years. I am passionate about improving our county’s mobility with cost-effective, equitable, and innovative solutions. Transparency, fiscal responsibility, and sustainability are core values that guide my work on the TA.
I am currently the longest-serving member of the SMCTA Board, which enables me to provide important context and institutional memory for our team. I want to continue serving on the SMCTA Board so I can help navigate complex policy issues during the year ahead. These include:
• Overseeing the environmental review and preferred project alternative selection for the US 101 Express Lanes north of 380 to San Francisco County. This is a controversial project that requires thoughtful deliberation and experienced leadership. • Creating the first expenditure plan for the U.S.101 Express Lanes toll revenue. I will help ensure this expenditure plan is grounded in mode-shift, equity, and sustainability. • Launching and evaluating the effectiveness of the Express Lanes new-and-improved $200 annual community transportation benefit (equity) program “Version 2.0.” • Developing a responsible exit strategy for the TA’s $100M loan to the Express Lanes JPA. As a founding finance committee member, I am uniquely poised to help. • Beginning the next SMCTA five-year Strategic Plan update, which will likely include strategies for renewing our voter-approved Measure A half-cent transportation sales tax. • Developing and approving the first Countywide Automated Vehicles Strategic Plan in partnership with C/CAG.
• Administering SMCTA’s upcoming (and historically largest) Bicycle and Pedestrian call for projects and grants.
I take my role as your Cities-at-Large Representative seriously, and I always cast my vote with the long-term best interests of San Mateo County constituents in mind. I’ve worked hard to earn your trust by actively listening and seeking your perspectives, touring your communities, preparing diligently for meetings and policy discussions, and working to spread Measure A & W grant dollars fairly throughout the county. You can count on me to be vigilant about our fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of San Mateo County.
Item No. 5(i)
Register online with the City of Burlingame to receive regular City updates at www.burlingame.org/enews. Attendance, Engagement, & Continuity
I am honored to serve with such a collaborative and dedicated team of elected leaders and staff members at SMCTA. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Board, as demonstrated by my high level of engagement and 98% attendance record. In seven years, I’ve only missed two meetings (one for a family emergency, and one for international travel before Zoom options existed!) I volunteer on TA subcommittees, attend community outreach meetings about TA projects throughout the County to hear first-hand input from constituents, and occasional Community Advisory Committee meetings about controversial issues. It’s also been my honor to serve as one of three TA representatives on the San Mateo County U.S. 101 Express Lane JPA Board of Directors from its inception. Currently, Hon.
Alicia Aguirre and I are the only two founding Board Members still serving on the JPA.
SMCTA Board Accomplishments
During the past two years, SMCTA enjoyed celebrating ground-breaking and ribbon cutting events with you and your communities for projects our grants sponsored. In addition to those highly visible accomplishments, I want to take this opportunity to spotlight other important policy work happening behind the scenes at SMCTA and the Express Lanes JPA during my current term of service:
• Funded and constructed the U.S. 101 Express Lanes project on-time and under budget.
Launched operations with forward-thinking, equitable, and sustainable policies. • Launched the first pre-funded Express Lane Equity Program in the U.S. enabled by SMCTA’s outstanding credit rating and innovative financing strategy. The California Transportation Commission (CTC) and nationwide industry groups use our program as a national bestpractices model. • Funded free $100 Clipper Cards or FasTrak transponders to more than 3,000 low-income community members distributed by Samaritan House. 75% of participants chose the Clipper Card which reduced automobiles on our roadways and helped increase ridership for our struggling transit agencies. This is an important reminder to all of us policy makers that most lower-income people are transit-dependent and do not drive cars. • Delivered fiscally healthy and socially responsible toll-lane policies that reward all 3-person carpools with free rides, eliminate barriers to entry for low-income drivers who need to access the lanes in an emergency, and charge SOV choice-riders market rates. Despite a decline in commute traffic post-pandemic, revenues from choice-riders cover operational costs, loan payments, and produce additional net revenue for re-investment in JPA priorities. If we continue this responsible trajectory, the JPA is on-track to pay off SMCTA’s loan ahead of schedule.
• Implemented the TA’s five-year Strategic Plan which incorporated Measure W funds and core principals into our new scoring criteria. This yielded projects that prioritized equity and sustainability more than ever before. TA staff and consultants offered historical levels of technical assistance to cities (even required some grantees to revise projects accordingly) to ensure TA-funded projects achieve sustainable goals, not just Level of Service/traffic throughput.
• Co-sponsored and launched the County’s first autonomous vehicle strategic plan efforts with C/CAG.
Personal Commitment
Transportation policy is where I’ve chosen to focus significant time and attention. I believe thoughtful investment in transit improves our community’s quality of life and helps address housing and environmental challenges. My service on other regional transportation bodies helps broaden my perspective as a TA decision-maker. I serve as Vice Chair of Commute.org Board of Directors, a Register online with the City of Burlingame to receive regular City updates at www.burlingame.org/enews. member of Caltrain’s Modernization Local Policy Makers Group (including 7 years as Vice-Chair) and as a member of the County Office of Education’s Safe Routes to Schools Advisory Committee. In the past, I served for seven years as a member of C/CAG’s Congestion Management and Environmental Quality Committee (CMEQ), plus seven years as a member of C/CAG’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Back in 2020, I was appointed to the Federal Transportation and Infrastructure Advocacy Committee with the National League of Cities. I used that platform to advocate on behalf of our region for additional commuter rail funding for Caltrain (the electrification project, service improvements, and safety improvements like grade separations) plus robust bicycle and pedestrian grants for cities. I do my best to stitch together learnings from these committees to add value, insight, and context in our work together. Mobility solutions are also important to me personally. Literally every day, my family depends on Caltrain, SamTrans, the Dumbarton Express Bus line, BART, Commute.org shuttles, bicycles, and pedestrian infrastructure to get us where we need to go.
With your support, I will continue to steward Measure A and Measure W funds to improve our quality of life here in San Mateo County. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to seeing you on December 15th in Colma!
Respectfully,
Emily Beach
Councilmember
City of Burlingame
(415) 377-8125 (mobile)
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