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The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) matched a $300,000 contribution by the City of Redwood City to provide emergency relief funding for local small businesses.

The total $600,000 contribution to the San Mateo County Strong (SMC Strong) Fund’s Small Business Grant Program will specifically support Redwood City small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The contribution augments CZI’s initial commitment of $5 million to assist Bay Area public health agencies, local organizations and schools in the recovery. Established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, the Redwood City-based organization is also collaborating with local universities on efforts to increase regional COVID-19 testing and to research solutions to prevent the virus’ destructive spread.

Its latest contribution shows the organization’s commitment to the Redwood City, which it has called home since 2018, said Councilmember Giselle Hale.

“CZI sees our small businesses as an essential part of what makes us special,” said Hale, who helped facilitate the CZI contribution. “This funding provides a lifeline to a number of those small businesses at their greatest time of need. That’s being a good neighbor. We are proud to have them in Redwood City and thankful for their generosity.”

Cristina Huezo, director of CZI Community, echoed Hale’s sentiment, expressing pride in calling the “vibrant and inclusive” community home.

“We want to do our part to support them in this extremely difficult time and look forward to when they can safely open again,” Huezo said.

Mayor Diane Howard thanked Hale, CZI and the unanimously supportive council for their support of additional relief funding.

“Our small businesses create jobs, foster innovation and provide essential goods and services,” Mayor Howard said. “They also create a sense of place unique to Redwood City.”

The needs by small businesses have proven to be immense. In just the first hours of opening the application period for small business grants on April 27, the countywide SMC Strong Fund received 2,500 responses. The Fund was launched March 24 with an initial $3 million contribution of Measure K funds by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. About  $1 million of that initial funding was pledged specifically for small business relief.

The SMC Strong Fund is seeking to raise more funding to support the economic relief effort. Donations are encouraged by visiting the website www.smcstrong.org.

Photo description: Dr. Priscilla Chan, co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, speaks at CZI’s January launch of the Community Space in downtown Redwood City that offers free meeting and event space for nonprofits located in and serving San Mateo County, as well as for Redwood City and County government agencies.

It wasn’t the revival of the Jerry Springer Show. Rather, it was the San Mateo County Harbor District Commission meeting. But the display was just as theatrically combative.

The meeting, conducted via Zoom on April 15, ended in explosive fashion when Commissioner Sabrina Brennan launched into a long tirade during which she repeatedly called fellow Commissioner Tom Mattusch a sexual predator. Commissioners who attempted to calm and reprimand Brennan were shouted down by Brennan and called enablers. Brennan’s choice of words were risqué enough that Climate has chosen not to post the publicly-available video, but rather to share the link with a Not-Safe-For-Work warning here.

The incident unfolded after Mattusch cast a vote in favor of hiring Questa Engineering Corporation to design and build a new public restroom and green space at pillar Point Harbor RV Park. Brennan voiced opposition to the agenda item and began commenting on Mattusch’s character and past actions that she claimed should nullify his vote.

The pair of commissioners have history. In 2017, Brennan accused Mattusch of sexual harassment stemming from allegations that in part included a 2014 email he sent to her and reportedly dozens of others that included pornographic images. At the time, Brennan was assisting Mattucsch in his campaign for commissioner. Mattusch claimed the email was a misguided attempt at a joke. An investigation commissioned by the Harbor District found Brennan’s sexual harassment allegations “more likely than not unfounded.”

San Mateo has become the latest Peninsula city eyeing the possibility of closing certain streets to allow outdoor spaces for restaurants to serve customers.

Also being considered in Redwood City and San Carlos, the concept aims to boost economic activity for local businesses impacted the shelter-in-place order.

San Mateo Mayor Joe Goethals mentioned the possibility of doing this on B Street and 25th Avenue, among other streets, and also other open space opportunities like parklets. Goethals said at least three restaurant owners are “very supportive of the idea.” The mayor, Councilmember Eric Rodriguez and city staff will explore it further in the coming days.

“You got to make sure they can serve alcohol outside,” the mayor told staff. “It’s an important part of this if we’re going to keep them in business.”

Climate recently reported how Broadway in Redwood City and Laurel Street in San Carlos are among streets that may soon  become spacious outdoor cafes. Ideas include providing rent-free outdoor spaces with tables to every local restaurant, and spacing them out to promote proper social distancing.

Councilmember Giselle Hale said the proposal would provided a much-needed boost to restaurants that re-open with reduced indoor seating due to social distancing requirements.

On social media, Hale shared a CNN report about a city in Lithuania that has implemented a similar plan.

San Mateo County’s health officer expressed hope Monday that progress in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will allow for further easing of shelter-in-place restrictions prior to May 31, when the newly revised order is set to expire.

To issue such an order, the state needs to revise its health order, according to Dr. Morrow, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has indicated will happen Friday. The state is set to allow retail businesses such as bookstores, clothing stores, toy stores, florists and others to reopen for curbside pickup, and also to allow manufacturers that support those retail supply chains to resume production. Office building, dine-in restaurants and shopping malls will not be allowed to reopen.

The governor’s announcement prompted questions on how a revised state health order would influence existing, more restrictive public health orders set for six Bay Area counties through May 31, including San Mateo County.

In a statement Monday, Dr. Morrow warned of “gut-wrenching” decisions ahead as public health officials and policymakers weigh the trade offs of reopening the economy.

“The decisions I need to make about the slow reopening are based on public health considerations balanced by many other competing interests,” he said. “These decisions allow activities that, while allowing the spread of the virus, are specifically designed to slow spread in the population and therefore reduce the chance of a uncontrollable and unmanageable surge. The surge that you have seen in other places in the US and world, but, thankfully, have not seen here, was probably due to the early and aggressive action here.”

As an example, Dr. Morrow referenced how the existing Bay Area health order was revised from an earlier order to allow summer camps for kids in small groups. While that still poses a risk for the spread of COVID-19, “the balance here is the developmental needs of children, who may have lifelong adverse ramifications if these needs are not met,” he said.

Reopening decisions will be based on those considerations, but will be joined by “an aggressive containment strategy, a much more widespread testing strategy and hardening of the healthcare system with additional equipment, PPE and surge capacity,” the county health officer said.

“The next step in reopening businesses will probably be to allow those, regardless of what the business does, that can comply with and implement social distancing protocols to reopen under those procedural constraints, somewhat similar to what you now observe in grocery and other stores that are open,” Dr. Morrow said. “These businesses should now begin thinking about how this would apply to their operations and what modifications need to be made.”

To read the full statement by Dr. Morrow, go here.

A person was fatally struck by a southbound Caltrain at the Main Street crossing in Redwood City late this afternoon.

Caltrain No. 156 carrying around four people and three bicycles struck the victim at about 4 p.m., according to Bay City News, citing Caltrain spokesman Alex Eisenhart. No injuries onboard were reported.

Following the collision, Caltrain was delayed in both directions and both directions of Main Street were closed to traffic.

San Mateo County has announced a program that reimburses local businesses who deliver three daily, nutritious meals to eligible residents who are quarantining at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Great Plates Delivered program, which was conceived at the state level and anticipates partial reimbursement from federal sources, aims to assist residents in need while also assisting struggling restaurants and local food providers. Participating local businesses will be reimbursed up to $66/day to provide three meals per day per eligible resident. The offer excludes food providers that are participating in another state or federal meal service program.

Residents eligible to receive meals must be 60 and older who live alone or with another eligible adult resident;who have COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus; who are at-risk due to underlying conditions; who aren’t receiving additional assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs; and who earn less than 600-percent of the federal poverty limit.

Businesses participating in this program must meet volume and nutritional standards, cultural needs and prioritize local jobs, worker retention, worker health and safety, and other guidelines.

Lisa Mancini, director of Aging and Adult Services, a division of San Mateo County Health, said the program will “provide food security for one of our most vulnerable populations and help provide essential economic stimulus to local businesses struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 crisis.”

“We appreciate this program being launched and will do everything we can to support its fullest execution,” Mancini said.

All registered food businesses in the county were sent an email participation survey, which can be accessed here in English, here in Chinese, and here in Spanish.

The force is with frontline healthcare workers in San Mateo County.

Today, local leaders joined the police and fire departments and other county first responders today to honor San Mateo Medical Center staff during their battle against COVID-19.

Congressperson Speier came dressed as  Queen Amidala for the grand gesture of gratitude, which had the “May the 4th be with you” Stars Wars theme. State Sen. Jerry Hill,  Assemblymember Kevin Mullin, County Manager Mike Callagy and even McGruff the Jedi Knight participated.

“We’re here today to say thank you to these extraordinary heroes of America,” Speier said. “And the first responders of San Mateo and other cities in the area joined with us to make sure they realize that we recognize that what they’re doing is putting their lives on the line to save lives.”

The San Mateo Medical Center “has been here for the poor and oppressed for so long, we wanted to make sure they were recognized,” the congressperson added.

In a Facebook post, the San Mateo Police Department echoed the bravery of healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. SMPD were joined by Belmont and Foster City police and local firefighters in honoring healthcare workers.

“Social distancing was very important to us and as our friends in healthcare told us, it is very difficult for them to social distance as they are in close contact with patients regularly (as the nature of their job doesn’t allow for distancing), but we still made sure all attendees of our caravan were suited up with masks and gloves and were spaced at distances appropriate,” the police department stated. “The hospital staff was free to roam between us. Even McGruff has a mask over his nose.”

Photo credit: San Mateo Police Department

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Activities League has launched a clothing and diaper drive for families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drive began Friday and the sheriff’s office said it can pick up donated items.

For more information email Mary at mcmoreno@smcgov.org.