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San Mateo parking enforcement resumes Wednesday

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Parking enforcement resumes in San Mateo on Wednesday. That includes parking meters, pay stations, street cleaning zones and residential parking permit areas, according to the city.

The city reminds residents in the residential parking permit program to display a 2020-2021 residential parking permit or visitor tag.

Click the links for info on street cleaning schedule, downtown parking garages, or the Residential Parking Permit Program.

Photo: City of San Mateo

Gov. Newsom rolls back reopening as COVID-19 cases rise

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Gov. Gavin Newsom today ordered California counties, including San Mateo County, to shut down indoor dining, movie theaters, family entertainment centers and bars amid a statewide spike of COVID-19 cases.

Also ordered to close are family entertainment centers, zoos, museums, cardrooms, and bars. Breweries must close both indoor and outdoor operations. Outside dining is still allowed.

“Governor Newsom’s measures further emphasize the need for all of us to do our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health Officer, said in a statement. “That means wearing a face covering, maintaining social distancing, and limiting our activities. It’s up to us to determine our future.”

On Friday, San Mateo County saw a record 108 new cases, surpassing the previous one-day record of 90 set Friday, July 3. A total of 4,045 cases have been reported in the county.

“The county’s rolling seven-day positivity rate stands at 4.9 percent, below the state average of 7.7 percent,” county officials said.

San Mateo County is not on the COVID-19 watch list. Thirty counties on the list have been ordered by the governor to close gyms, churches, hair salons, malls and other businesses.

For more county COVID-19 data, visit here.

Redwood City council to consider land swap plan with county to build Blomquist Street Extension

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Redwood City invites community input on regulating firearm retailers in city

At its meeting Monday night, Redwood City’s council is set to consider a land swap agreement with the county within the city’s Inner Harbor Area to facilitate construction of a second access roadway and bridge for residents and visitors in Bair Island.

The council’s vote follows unanimous approval for the land swap plan by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on July 7.

The agreement would enable the city to move forward with the first of two phases of the Blomquist Street Extension, which aims to extend Blomquist Street from Maple Street to Bair Island Road, and includes building a bridge over Redwood Creek.

The land swap involves properties at 1580 Maple St., which the county owns and where it has a 145-bed homeless shelter and a decommissioned jail, as well as 1402 Maple St., a city-owned former CEMEX site that is mostly vacant but includes the Bair Island Aquatic Center (BIAC) to the north along the waterfront. The city says the BIAC will be unaffected in the land swap plan, nor would public access to the waterfront. As part of the agreement, the county would likely relocate its homeless shelter to 1402 Maple St. in 24 months. Space next to the shelter would be set aside for Redwood City’s new Safe Parking for RVs program, which aims to provide safe haven for a growing number of homeless individuals living in their vehicles.

The Blomquist extension, according to the city, would improve connectivity and safety to and from Bair Island, home to about 1,620 residents, many of the city’s car dealerships and one of its newest hotels. Whipple Avenue is the only access point for residents and visitors to Bair Island.

The first phase of the extension project includes extending Blomquist from Maple to just before the eastern edge of Redwood Creek. That stretch is set to be funded by the ongoing Strada development, which will consist of up to 131 townhomes at 1548 Maple.

First Phase of Blomquist Street Extension/City of Redwood City

The project’s second phase — the vehicular bridge across Redwood Creek — is expected to be funded partly from future developments on Bair Island, the city said.

While the city and county appear poised to move forward with the land swap, an online petition started by community activist Kris Johnson seeks to delay tonight’s decision, saying there hasn’t been adequate opportunity for public discussion about the proposed agreement.

The petition supports the Blomquist Street Extension project but argues against the land swap deal, saying it opposes any plans for housing on the former CEMEX site. The petition also expresses opposition to moving the county’s homeless shelter and the city’s Safe RV Parking program to 1402 Maple, a short distance from the BIAC. It advocates for solely recreational development in the area.

“The CEMEX Land is a very bad location for housing – especially for a shelter or low income housing,” the petition states, arguing that housing for marginalized community members should not exist on industrial land subject to flooding.

City officials were unable to provide a comment prior to this story’s publication. Evelyn Stivers, executive director of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, supports the land swap deal as one of many needed solutions to the dire problem of affordable housing in the city and county, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People cannot shelter in place without shelter,” Stivers said. “Covid has shown us that housing is healthcare. San Mateo County has a growing population of homeless people, and most have access to vehicles. Providing a safe parking place for people without housing is the very least we can do. We urge the city council to support the land swap and provide safe parking for homeless families.”

Caltrain to hold hearing on proposed Atherton station closure

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Caltrain to offer free rides for New Year's Eve revelers

Caltrain is set to hold an online public meeting later this month on a proposal to permanently close its Atherton station, a move transit agency officials say would benefit both Caltrain and Atherton.

The Zoom meeting is set for Wednesday, July 29, at 5:30 p.m. (see the bottom of this story for meeting information).

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Atherton station received limited weekend-only service every 90 minutes serving an average of 114 riders per weekend day. Weekday service to the station was cut in 2005 due to low demand, the transit agency said. Also, the the station’s center boarding configuration limits operations, “as trains traveling in the other direction are required to wait while the train at the station is boarding,” according to Caltrain.

“If the station remains, an upgrade of substantial cost would be necessary to prevent disruption of the expanded service that will come with the electrification of the corridor,” the transit agency said in a statement.

Relocating service to nearby stations would be more efficient for riders and would reduce maintenance costs, according to the statement.

In January, the Town of Atherton tentatively endorsed closing the station subject to an agreement with Caltrain. The town would see reduced noise and increased safety by closing the station and an opportunity to use the site for its Civic Center redevelopment plans, the transit agency said.

The transit agency’s Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on the proposal Aug. 6.

Public Meeting

Wednesday, July 29, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

Zoom Info: zoom.us/j/97368870471

Webinar ID: 973 6887 0471

Access via Telephone: 1.669.900.9128

Meeting ID: 9736 8870 471

Public Hearing

Thursday, August 6, 2020, 9 a.m.

Zoom Info: zoom.us/j/95032112562

Webinar ID: 950 3211 2562

Access via Telephone: 1.669.900.9128

Meeting ID: 950 3211 2562

Prior to the hearing, comments may be sent by completing the online comment form at  www.caltrain.com/athertonclosure, by mail, e-mail or phone:

Board Secretary

Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board

P.O. Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306

Changes@caltrain.com 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448)

For translation or interpretation assistance, call Caltrain at 1.800.660.4287 at least three days before the meeting.

San Mateo: Mountain lion sighting in Laurelwood Park

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San Mateo: Mountain lion sighting in Laurelwood Park

A mountain lion was reportedly seen walking through Laurelwood Park San Mateo Thursday morning, police said.

A witness reported seeing the mountain lion at 11:30 p.m. near the dam, police said. The big cat was described as knee high and light-brown colored.

The witness said the mountain lion was “not aggressive” and was “merely walking through nature,” police said.

Following an extensive search of the area by police officers and a park ranger, the lion was not located. The park was cleared of people in the area until 2 p.m., including several summer camps in the area, police said.

If you see a mountain lion in your neighborhood, please dial 9-1-1.

Photo credit: San Mateo Police Department

Dr. Fauci to join Stanford Medicine virtual fireside chat

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Dr. Fauci to join Stanford Medicine virtual fireside chat

White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to participate in a virtual fireside chat with Dr. Lloyd Minor, dean of Stanford University’s Stanford School of Medicine, during which Dr. Fauci will answer pre-submitted questions from the public.

This event will take place on Monday, July 13 from 10:30- 11 a.m.  To watch, click here, and to submit your questions, click here.

During the virtual discussion, Dr. Fauci will discuss the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the path needed to overcome it.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, Dr. Fauci has led efforts to research, prevent, diagnose and treat established infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, malaria and Ebola. He’s become a household name while advising the nation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Fauci has advised six U.S. presidents on domestic and global health issues and was one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program credited with saving millions of lives throughout the developing world, according to the NIAID.

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Redwood City: Hot prowl burglary suspect arrested

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Redwood City police arrest kidnapping suspect

A 40-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of committing a hot prowl burglary in Redwood City on Wednesday, police said.

Vashon Conway was booked into San Mateo County Jail for residential burglary, being under the influence of a controlled substance and a probation violation in connection with the incident that occurred at 11:50 p.m. in an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Hilton Street, police said.

Redwood City police responded to the scene on a report of an in-progress residential burglary. Officers arrived to find Conway in front of the apartment complex. When they approached the victim’s apartment, they saw the front window screen had been removed and the front window open, police said.

“The victim told officers he was awakened by someone in his apartment,” police said. “The victim exited his bedroom and found the suspect standing in his living room. The suspect fled the apartment, but was later positively identified by the victim.”

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Redwood City Police Detective Sergeant Nick Perna at 6650-780-7672 or the Redwood City Police Department’s Tip Line at 650-780-7107.

Stanford to cut 11 varsity sports programs

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Stanford University will cut 11 of its 36 varsity sports teams at the end of the 2020-21 school year “to create fiscal stability for Stanford Athletics, and to provide the support we believe is essential for our student-athletes to excel,” according to an open letter from the university’s top officials.

The programs being cut are men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling, the open letter states. “All of these teams will have the opportunity to compete in their upcoming 2020-21 seasons, should the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 allow it, before they are discontinued at the varsity level,” the university said.

The 11 programs consist of more than 240 student-athletes and 22 coaches.  Cumulatively, over 4,000 alumni contributed 20 national championships and 27 Olympic medals to those programs. The cuts also mean 20 support staff positions are being eliminated.

All existing athletics scholarship commitments and coach contracts will be honored.
“All of the affected sports will have the opportunity to transition to club status after they conclude their 2020-21 varsity season,” the university officials said.

Stanford said the athletics program dealt with escalating costs and ran a deficit before th COVID-19 pandemic.

“That deficit was projected to exceed $12 million in FY21 and to grow steadily in the years ahead,” the open letter states. “The COVID-19 pandemic and associated recession have only exacerbated the gap; before these sport reductions, our revised forecasts indicated a best-case scenario of a $25 million deficit in FY21, factoring in the effects of COVID-19, and a cumulative shortfall of nearly $70 million over the next three years. These projected deficits could become much greater if the 2020-21 sports seasons are suspended or altered due to COVID-19.”

The 11 sports to be cut were decided after a review of a broad set of criteria, including sponsorship at the NCAA Division I level, local and national fan interest, potential expense savings of eliminating the sport, investments needed to maintain or elevate the sport’s achievement on a national level, impact on gender equity and Title IX compliance, and history of the sport.

Photo credit: Stanford University 

Candlelight vigil planned for Vanessa Guillen in Redwood City

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A candlelight vigil planned for slain U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillen in Redwood City this Sunday is part of a national movement demanding justice for Guillen and changes in how the military handles sexual assault and harassment cases.

Organizers say the peaceful event will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Redwood City Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway. Participants must wear a face covering and are encouraged to bring water and a candle for the altar. The event will include several performers and presenters.

Guillen, 20, who worked as a small arms repairer with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, was last seen at the Fort Hood military base in Texas on April 22. Her remains were found June 30 buried about 20 miles from the base. Authorities believe Guillen was murdered by fellow Fort Hood soldier Aaron Robinson, who shot and killed himself when confronted by investigators. From the time Guillen went missing, her family expressed frustration at the Army’s handling of the investigation. Protesters are calling for a congressional investigation into Guillen’s murder and are demanding cultural changes in the military to halt sexual abuse.

County supes establish fund for COVID-19 immigrant relief

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San Mateo County Board votes to restrict County resources from assisting immigration authorities

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved providing $2 million to a fund supporting immigrants who are economically impacted by COVID-19 and who are not eligible for state or federal assistance due to their immigration status.

The San Mateo County Immigrant Relief Fund also includes $5 million in seed funding provided by local developer and philanthropist John A. Sobrato, and $1.7 million from additional private donors, the county said.

The county will partner with nonprofits Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and the Mission Asset Fund to coordinate and administer the fund.

“These individuals often work in low-wage jobs in the restaurant, hospitality, home-care and other service industries in an area with some of the highest rents and property values in the country,” county officials stated.

The $2 million provided by the county comes from Measure K, the voter-approved, countywide half-cent sales tax extension. The Board of Supervisors will receive a status report about the fund in about a month and will consider adding funds to the effort, according to the county.

Learn more about the fund and apply here.

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