$4M/yr dedicated, locally controlled, & sustainable funds!
San Mateo property owners voted YES to fund resilient infrastructure to protect our safety and well-being. The Community Flood and Storm Protection Fee passed by a majority vote, thanks to the dedicated coalition of supporters! Until now, San Mateo has never had dedicated revenue to maintain or improve our aging stormwater system. This new fee will generate a projected $4M annually to steward and upgrade our 130 miles of storm pipelines, 20 miles of open creeks and drainage channels, 10 pump stations, and the Marina Lagoon flood control basin.
This is my third successful ballot measure. I have helped bring an estimated $9.8M in net new annual revenue to fund city services since 2019. It's important to remember that even during the pandemic, peak inflation, massive layoffs, and times of uncertainty, progress on #climateresilience is achievable through collaboration and shared purpose.
Our Path to Victory
An estimated 10,000 homes and businesses flooded during the Winter Storm in 2022-2023. My first action as Mayor was to declare an emergency and launch a Flood Relief Fund, which raised nearly $60,000 in two weeks. We leveraged the funds with a City allocation to get funds to flood victims ahead of FEMA. Community members came to City Hall demanding flood prevention investments, and I joined the Flood Free San Mateo Coalition (Blue Shirts Team). I approved a historic $3M allocation from our reserve fund for immediate upgrades and flood mitigation efforts leading up to El Niño Season, and also voted to put the stormwater initiative on the ballot.
The Flood Free San Mateo core campaign committee included myself, Councilmember Rich Hedges, Danielle Cwirko-Godycki, and Evelyn Stivers, executive director of the San Mateo County Housing Leadership Council. Our coalition, comprised of dedicated leaders and community volunteers, remained steadfast in addressing the pressing issue of flooding in San Mateo. We rallied to generously donate $44,000 and thousands of hours to walk neighborhoods and educate voters.
Flood Free San Mateo ran a successful grassroots campaign unanimously endorsed by the City Council and San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Congressman Mullin, Senator Becker, San Mateo County Labor Council, San Mateo Police Officers' Association, San Mateo Consolidated Firefighters Association, San Mateo Downtown Business Association, San Mateo Chamber of Commerce, SAMCAR, San Mateo Climate Action Team, Greenbelt Alliance, Save the Bay, dozens of small businesses, Democratic Clubs, unions, neighborhood, and faith leaders.
I'm so proud to be part of a community that believes in science and embraces solutions that keep us safe and climate-resilient.
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