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Caltrain saw as much as a 95 percent drop in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place orders, but a series of surveys reveal riders plan on returning to use the system post-pandemic, the transit agency said Tuesday.

One of Caltrain’s surveys, the COVID-19 Rider Survey, aimed to clarify how the pandemic would impact its future ridership patterns. Survey findings indicated that 55 percent of riders plan on riding the same or more post-pandemic, while a third of riders expect to ride less. Only 1 percent of riders anticipate not returning to the system, per the rail service. Riders earning less than $50,000 annually are those most likely to continue their ridership, according to the results.

Polling done to get riders’ views on a potential Caltrain revenue measure showed that 43 percent of those surveyed, 68 percent of sporadic riders and 71 percent of regular riders planned on riding the same amount or more than they previously had.

Caltrain’s 2019 Triennial Customer Survey, which happens every three years, showed the amount of riders with access to cars has dropped from 60 to 51 percent. Growth was seen in the number of riders using its services due to traffic (up from 62 percent in 2016 to 72 percent) and to protect the environment (up from 26 percent to 43 percent). In 2019, Caltrain marked a milestone in that it was the first year people of color constituted the majority of its ridership, an increase from 47 percent in 2016 to 52 percent. The 2019 survey also underscored Caltrain’s diverse ridership, with 41 percent of riders being born in 107 countries other than the U.S.

Additional insight can be found in a survey of Go Pass companies, which illuminated that 92 percent of employees at companies taking part in the Caltrain Go Pass Program are currently telecommuting, compared to 13 percent before the pandemic.

In its Market Segmentation Study, Caltrain learned that riders and non-riders from all three of its service counties see it more favorably than BART, Clipper, VTA and Muni, as well as other companies like Uber and Lyft. The Caltrain board is currently considering top recommendations from non-riders on how to increase its ridership: lowering the price of riding and improving connectivity.

Before the pandemic, Caltrain served about 65,000 riders per weekday. The COVID impacts on ridership has put Caltrain, which relies heavily on ticket sales and has no dedicated source of funding, on the brink of financial ruin, according to transit agency officials and advocates. Transit advocates are hoping to place an 1/8 cent sales tax to rescue and support the agency on the Nov. 3 ballot. However, the three counties where Caltrain operates, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara, have not reached agreement on details of the proposal.

Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital announced today it received $10 million from a private Bay Area foundation that wishes to remain anonymous.

The gift is the most significant single donation in the history of the Sequoia Hospital Foundation. It will help fund substantial renovations in the hospital’s pioneering Heart and Vascular Institute, according to the hospital.

Dr. Hardwin Mead, physician leader at Sequoia Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Institute, said advancements planned for the institute’s cardiac electrophysiology laboratories “will measurably advance cardiovascular care at Sequoia — allowing us to continue providing state-of-the-art technology for cardiac procedures and helping patients achieve their therapeutic goals in the most efficient and safe manner possible.”

The donation is particularly welcome at a time when Sequoia Hospital has had to divert financial resources to the COVID-19 response.

“While the hospital continues to offer the same advanced, award-winning cardiac care for which it is well known, it cannot at this time fund updates to non-COVID- 19 hospital programs and projects,” according to the hospital. “At this challenging time, community donations such as this one are essential to a hospital’s operations and ability to provide high-quality, world-class care to the community.”

Sequoia Hospital’s electrophysiology program was founded in 1984 to treat cardiac arrhythmias. In recent years, the program established Sequoia as the first facility on the West Coast to implant leadless pacemaker technology, and the first on the West Coast to implement a type of irrigated ablation catheter that can resolve irregular heartbeat after only one treatment, according to Sequoia.

“To date, Sequoia ’s electrophysiology program has performed more than 6,000 ablations for atrial fibrillation and more than 10,000 cardiac ablations in total,” Dignity Health said.

Photo credit: Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital

The Redwood City Library is set to expand its curbside pickup service from 400 to 600 appointments per week beginning Aug. 4 in response to high demand for the service.

The Library launched contact-free curbside service at its downtown branch on June 16 in response to easing COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions. The service has been extremely popular, “with over 1,300 curbside deliveries provided in our first month,” according to library officials.

With increasing demand impacting wait times for curbside appointments, the Library said it aimed to make adjustments to allow more appointments.

“We hope these increased appointments reduce your wait times,” Library officials announced Monday.

To learn more about curbside service, visit here.

Photo credit: Redwood City Library

San Mateo police officers reported seeing a large mountain lion in the parking pot of the police academy at the College of San Mateo early Monday.

The offices were on routine patrol of the campus at 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd. when they spotted the mountain lion, police said. The mountain lion ran into the brush after seeing the officers, disappearing into its natural habitat, police said. Officers did not locate the animal after a search of the area.

“This alert is for information only and has been issued only as a precaution to our community,” police said.

Citizens who see a mountain lion in their neighborhood are encouraged to dial 9-1-1, and to remember these safety rules:

• Do not feed deer. It is illegal in California and it will attract mountain lions.
• DO NOT APPROACH a mountain lion if seen, especially one that is feeding or with offspring. Most mountain lions will try to avoid confrontation.
• Avoid hiking or jogging through wooded areas when mountain lions are most active—dawn, dusk, or at night.
• Keep a close watch on small children when hiking or traveling in or about wooded areas.
• Do not run if you encounter a mountain lion. Instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects; pick up small children.

For more information about mountain lions, click www.keepmewild.org.

A team of American Red Cross volunteers have been trained to provide virtual support to families and communities who have suffered a loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Mateo County is promoting the Virtual Family Assistance Center (VFAC) to its residents. Red Cross volunteers can help families navigate available resources during their difficult time, along with emotional support, counseling and education on COVID-related stress or mental health issues related to children.

“Grieving is always difficult, and we recognize the COVID-19 pandemic creates additional challenges and needs,” the Red Cross said. “This Virtual Family Assistance Center offers information and resources that we hope will help you during this time.”

Visit redcross.org/VFAC to access this resource. People without internet access can call toll-free at 833-492-0094 for confidential and free assistance.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is providing nonprofit organizations serving North Fair Oaks, Redwood City, Belle Haven and East Palo Alto grants of up to $100,000 as part of its 2021 CZI Community Fund.

Applications can be submitted online or through paper application through Aug. 17.

Created in 2017, the CZI Community Fund supports organizations providing resources and services for basic needs like housing and food assistance, education, and job skills training, and to help respond to issues impacting the community like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organizations selected for the 2021 Community Fund grant partner cohort will receive a one-time unrestricted or project grant and “the chance to participate in a collaborative codesigned capacity building program to support leadership and organizational development,” according to CZI.

“These are organizations working to ensure the economic and social well-being of communities most impacted by structural racism and inequities, including Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people; immigrants, regardless of documentation status; and people who identify as LGBTQIA+,” according to CZI.

Since its launch, the CZI Community Fund has made grants to more than 70 local organizations.

“Local nonprofits have long led the fight to make sure that all members of our community have the opportunity and resources they need to thrive,” Cristina Huezo, director of community at CZI, said in a statement. “Now more than ever, we’re proud to partner with these organizations, and are grateful for their tireless commitment to our community.”

Learn more about the CZI Community Fund, including application criteria and eligibility requirements, by clicking here.

CZI was founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2015 to leverage technology to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease, to improving education, to reforming the criminal justice system.

Image: Dr. Priscilla Chan

As part of Redwood City’s response to community calls to reimagine public safety in the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, five community dialogue sessions have been scheduled aiming to create “meaningful change in city policies, service delivery and policing.”

The meetings are set to take place July 28, Aug. 8, Aug. 13, Aug. 17, and Aug. 27, all via Zoom (see times and links below). Sign up quickly: the July 28 session has already reached participant capacity, as each session is being limited to 80 participants to enable time for all to share their perspectives, according to the city.

The city is partnering with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center on the dialogue sessions. One session is specifically designed for youth participants.

Themes and recommendations that result from these sessions will be reviewed during a Virtual Town Hall with City Council this fall, and could lead to changes in the city’s budget, the city said.

The community dialogue sessions are among steps taken by the city after it faced criticism over its initial response to community calls to change its policing model. Last month, the City Council endorsed the Obama Foundation Mayor’s Pledge to review the the city’s policing policies via a community engagement process, and aims to revise the city’s budget in October with agreed upon changes to existing policies. The City Council established an Ad Hoc Committee on policing to work with the city to ensure progress on council-endorsed initiatives.

The city also increased frequency of racial and cultural diversity training for city police from every five years to every two years, opted to return a military tactical vehicle donated by the federal government, prohibited the use of carotid restraint by police officers, and pledged to increase transparency by publishing more information about policing online.

In 2019, there were 93,854 calls for police service and officer-initiated incidents in Redwood City, the data showed. Of them, 5,826 involved law enforcement contacts with members of the public. Of those contacts, force was used in 57 cases, or less than 1 percent of the time, the city said.

Community Dialogue Schedule:

Tuesday, July 28 (English with Spanish interpretation)
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Register here: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJUqd-GgpjMuHdeEivMngo85eIkWuZkYv5ek

Saturday, August 8 (Spanish with English interpretation)
10 a.m. – Noon
Register here: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJwof–vrDksHtD_aeuGgqpERuKOw3IONZWp

Thursday, August 13 (Youth focused session)
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Register here: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJUvcu2gqTovHddi4G3h-G2tyskJz_He8Z7H

Monday, August 17 (English with Spanish interpretation)
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Register here: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJMld–vrDovGd3h6QflLR83XNQFXiF9p1xO

Thursday, August 27 (Spanish with English interpretation)
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Register here: https://zoom.us/…/regi…/tJcodOutqTkvH928MUix2LgKJVQNj4lQp-6S