Remember your very first job? Remember how hard it was to get without any experience? Every year, One East Palo Alto, an organization that brings together all of the community of East Palo Alto, holds a fundraiser for their Sponsored Employment Program (SEP) which helps young people from the city find paid internships and their very first job. This year they will place the 1000th young person.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015 the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to establish a Veterans Commission to better serve the needs of the 33,000 veterans who live here.
It is now time to reimagine Flood Park, to hear and learn from the community about what their dreams are for their park and how new park use and concepts may be incorporated into an overall design. The Parks Department and the design consultant, Gates and Associates, will hold a public meeting with idea-gathering exercises to encourage creativity and focus on the park's potential. Residents of Menlo Park, North Fair Oaks, Redwood City and Atherton are encouraged to attend. Read on for the details...
On May 30th, 170 people from the North Fair Oaks community turned out for the 3rd Annual NFO Clean-Up Day. In a couple of hours, we managed to pick up 2.61 tons of garbage, debris, tires, mattresses, cigarette butts and rubbish. That's over 5,000 lbs. of trash! Read more here...
San Mateo County issued new ID cards Wednesday that are meant to provide the county's approximately 33,000 veterans with an easy way to easily verify their status, eligibility for existing federal and state programs and merchant discounts.
On May 19th, the Board of Supervisors approved a three-year contract with AECOM, an engineering firm to create the redesign of Middlefield Road between 5th Avenue and Pacific Avenue. This begins an intensive two-year process. If all remains on schedule, construction will begin in the Summer/Fall of 2017. The rebuild and undergrounding of the utilities on Middlefield Road is expected to take a year.
OYE 2015 was an amazing conference with over 200 youth from around Redwood City and North Fair Oaks participating in the May 16th event. Students were allowed to select workshops to participate in - workshops that fit their needs and interests. Parents also participated in this day. I was particularly pleased to see the college scholarship workshops and workshops on preparing for college.
"Finding Success in the New Working World" The Jobs for Youth Program helps youth increase their self-esteem and job-seeking skills. They receive one-on-one support with the toal of attaining gainful employment and becoming responsible adults. There is no cost for youth to participate in the program. Katie Ferrick, of LinkedIn will be the keynote speaker at the breakfast on May 28th! Tickets are $50/per person. All proceeds go directly to youth services.
On May 19th, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted the Mini-Parks Policy amending the Parks Department Strategic Plan. It was a policy change that Supervisor Horsley and I asked our Parks Director Marlene Finley to develop, if it were feasible. With the help of the Parks Commission Subcommittee and community members, this new policy was created and unanimously approved by both the Parks Commission and our Board.
The Community Choice Aggregation initiative is being led by my colleagues, Supervisor Dave Pine and President of the Board of Supervisors Carole Groom. It is a local energy model that allows cities and counties to pool the electricity load of their residents, businesses and municipal facilities with teh goal of offering consumer choice, affordable rates, and cleaner energy. Read here...
Please join me in congratulating Dr. John Baker who will become the new Superintendent for the Redwood City School District (RCSD) on July 1st! He currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for RCSD. He works with every school in the district to ensure that all students are prepared for success in high school and beyond. He's well-qualified, speaks Spanish and cares deeply about the district. Having known Dr. Baker for years, I am looking forward to his leadership. Warm congratulations, Dr. Baker!
On April 7th and April 29th, I hosted Tenant & Landlord Informational Forums in North Fair Oaks. The purpose was to provide reliable information on the rights, roles, responsiblities for tenants and landlords and introduce the resources and organizations that offer assistance. Read details here...