Help Plan the Future of the City of San Mateo

The City of San Mateo wants to make a good future for everyone who lives, works, and goes to school in San Mateo.  To make a good plan, the city needs opinions from everyone who lives, works, or goes to school in San Mateo.  

Read an article in the San Mateo Daily Journal about this important issue.

Read the information below to learn how you can share your opinion.

Talk with a SMAS staff member if you need help using the online map or writing an email.

How Should We Change Over the Next 20 Years?

We’ve just released a new online activity as part of our General Plan update and would like the community to participate! Please take a few minutes to use this mapping exercise and share your ideas about:

• What kinds of housing do we want?
• What kinds of jobs should we plan for?
• What improvements are needed to help people move around?

San Mateo is updating the General Plan, which is a road map for the city’s future through 2040. Please help spread the word and share feedback through this online activity by January 22, 2020. This stage follows on the community’s work to create a Vision for the future, and ten study areas to analyze first for future change.

This is one of the most important conversations we can have about San Mateo’s future, and it starts with your ideas and input!  Use the online mapping tool to share your ideas, and tell your friends and family too!

Questions? Want to submit written feedback instead? Please email: generalplan@cityofsanmateo.org Stay engaged by visiting StriveSanMateo.org.

City of San Mateo - Tenant Protect Measures

San Mateo Enacts Tenant Protection Measures 

The City Council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance to provide many San Mateo renters just cause eviction protections until new statewide tenant protection laws go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. San Mateo’s local urgency ordinance prohibits evictions without cause, and retroactively applies starting Oct. 1, 2019. Certain limits apply based on building type and term of occupancy.

The Council adopted the ordinance during a Nov. 4 public meeting after hearing from tenants who indicated they received eviction notices following the passage of Assembly Bill 1482. That statewide law goes into effect next year and includes rent caps as well as just cause protections. Other San Mateo County cities – including Daly City and Redwood City – have also adopted rules to address the gap between when the law was signed and when it goes into effect. The San Mateo City Council did not adopt rent caps, however noted the governor’s current emergency protections stemming from the wildfires, limit rent increase to no more than 10 percent. Review the nonprofit San Mateo County Legal Aid Society’s informational brochure for more information

Celebrating the City of San Mateo's 125th Birthday!

City of San Mateo Celebrates 125th Anniversary with "September Nights on B Street" 

The City of San Mateo is turning 125 years old! Join in commemorating San Mateo's quasquicentennial with pop-up dining, drinks and dancing in downtown.

There will be free live music, dance lessons and entertainment for the whole family during September Nights on B Street - the City's newest downtown event series Thursday evenings from 5-8 p.m. on September 5, 12 and 19.

Grab take-out from a local restaurant and join outdoor pop-up dining on B Street between Second and Third avenues. The street will be transformed into an outdoor dining pavilion featuring tables and chairs beneath the twinkle lights. Beer and wine will be available for purchase on site. 

Visit the September Nights on B Street web page to find out more, including the band line-up and entertainment!

Schedule of events, 5 - 8 p.m. each night:

• Thursday, September 5: Historic Council Reenactment & Dueling Pianos, Waltz
• Thursday, September 12: Trivia Time & West Coast Swing
• Thursday, September 19: Trivia Time & Latin Night: Let's Salsa

SMAS Group Volunteer Project at the Second Harvest Food Bank

Community Involvement is Win-Win

When SMAS English as a Second Language students get involved in volunteer work, it's win-win!  The community benefits through their contributions of time and effort, of course.  But the students benefit, too.  They learn new vocabulary, practice their English, deepen their knowledge of community resources, make new friends, and enlarge their social and business networks. 

Patty Made It Happen 

This group volunteer event was arranged by Transition Specialist Patty Villar.  Sometimes students - and people everywhere! - fear trying something new alone.  Many students have never volunteered anywhere before.  So she set up a time for ESL students to go together to the Second Harvest Food Bank. 

What They Did

SMAS Volunteers gathered together at the end of their volunteer session.
Alt text:  Students and Staff wearing red gathered at a Food Bank.

Twenty three students and two staff members went to the event.  They boxed COBS - condiments, oils, baking goods, and spices.  They readied food for distribution by verifying dates, sorting, labeling, and packing donated food items.  SMAS students and staff sorted and boxed a total of 3,500 pounds of food during their two hour shift.

 

The SMAS Group at work
Alt text:  Volunteers in red by sorting bins

 

Words From Patty

"As the Transition Navigator at SMAS, I help students transition into college and careers, but also to become active members of their community.   At SMAS, we strongly encourage volunteering and promote it as a win-win situation!   The community benefits from our students time and effort, and our students benefit by practicing their English, learning new vocabulary, deepening their knowledge of community resources, making new friends, and enlarging their social and business networks.  This group volunteer project was organized to give SMAS students an opportunity to volunteer with their classmates.  Many had never volunteered anywhere before and were fearful of trying volunteering on their own for the first time.   Due to high interest in this project, and a waiting list, more group volunteer projects will be organized in the future!"   

Quote from Student Volunteer

Student Shelley commented that, "Participating in this volunteer activity gave me a sense of happiness and accomplishment". 

More Projects in Future

The event was a big success.  Now Patty is arranging more of these group volunteer events.  If you have an idea for a good one, please contact her at pvillar@smuhsd.org.

If you want more information about volunteering at Second Harvest, click here.

San Mateo Adult School Helps in North Central Clean Up

Love Your Neighborhood

San Mateo Adult School is part of the North Central Neighborhood of San Mateo.

The Home Association of North Central San Mateo - HANCSM - organized a North Central Neighborhood Clean-up on June 9th, the Saturday after International Day.

HANCSM President Amo Lee
and Mayor Rick Bonilla
getting things started

360 volunteers show up to show love to the North Central Neighborhood.  410 people pledged to take care of it in an every day way in the future.



SMASrs getting it done!

SMAS - Community Contributor

About 30 people from the San Mateo Adult School participated in the event including Morning Student Vice President Jackie, Evening Student Council President Misael, English Learner Specialist Marina, Director Tim, and many students.




Making a difference in red SMAS shirts

Great Weather and Great Preparation

The weather was beautiful.  There were doughnuts to get people going in the morning and a barbecue in the afternoon after the clean-up.  There was information to help people know what to pick up and what not to pick up.



SMAS Student Chau waiting at the grill

SMASrs enjoying barbeque
after the clean up

SMAS Student Chau Nguyen writes about the event:

I have experienced from neighborhood clean up day of Love North Central that is I should not litter indiscriminately. Limit the use of plastic bags, because the decomposition of plastic bags for a long time. It polluted the area I live in and also affect myself. Participating in the event, I find out that my neighbors is very friendly, they smiled and thanked us for cleaning around their homes. That made me feel very happy.

The Home Association of North Central San Mateo - HANCSM - wrote in thanks to SMAS:

Tim, Marina, Chau, and Jackie, 

 

Thank you for helping to make Saturday a huge success! We felt uplifted by this experience and all the ways that our community members came together. It was truly inspiring and we hope that this is the beginning of a neighborhood tradition. 

 

This morning we posted some pictures and appreciations on our website and social media recognizing your tremendous contribution: https://hancsm.wordpress.com/2018/06/11/410-pledges-and-360-volunteers/
 

Please know how deeply we appreciate your love of the North Central community. 

 

Thank you, Amourence 



HANCSM President and event organizer
Amourence Lee is on the right

 

 

SMAS Bake Sale Hurricane Benefit

Two big hurricanes hit the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean very hard.  Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma brought terrible flooding and catastrophic winds.  Buildings collapsed.  Roads flooded.  People and animals drowned. 

Climate Change has intensified hurricanes - made them longer and stronger.  The damage caused by these hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and other Southeastern states, and the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and other islands in the Caribbean is very bad.  It will take a long time for communities to recover.

Hurricane Irma

Devastation from Hurricane Irma

A family escaping flooding in Houston

from Hurricane Harvey

The SMAS community came together to help these communities.  Some staff and students came together with a plan:  a bake sale benefit.  They held a bake sale on Tuesday, September 12 at noon and in the evening, and another smaller sale at breaktime on Wednesday, September 13th.  Many folks helped in many ways - from baking and donating goods for sale to creating wonderful signs to helping at the sale.   

Together, we raised 2,201 dollars and 66 cents!

This money will help communities recover

and rebuild.  Recovery from a disaster is a long-term process.   There are many things to do. Many things to build and repair.  And people have experienced trauma.  They need time to recover emotionally and mentally as well

as physically.

SMAS Garden Club

donated 100 dollars

For the noon sale, the students of Teachers Mary, Vasyl, and Betty raised funds in their classroom. 

The Garden Club made a special donation of one hundred dollars.

Staff and Students - including Sayaka, Marina, Carolyn, Patty, Mary, Jessica, Yoshie, Cristina, Denise, Pam, Cynthia and others helped to organize and manage the event. 

Cynthia, Sayaka, Marina, and Carolyn 

Delicious homemade empanadas were a real hit

So many treats -

including beautiful

cupcakes made by 

Carlota's daughter

So many staff and students 

contributed delicious 

food for the benefit.

SMASrs pulled together as a community again in the evening for part two of the Hurricane Bakesale Benefit. Teacher Jay and Nang rigged up lights so that everyone could see the tasty selections. Bienvenida, Nilson, and another student volunteered to manage the coffee kiosk.

Betty, Stephanie, Carolyn, Donna, Cristina, Denise, and Guy all helped manage the food and donation line.   People came together to make this good thing happen.

The evening benefit.

SMASrs lining up to purchase treats -

in benefit of Hurricane survivors

Thank you to everyone who turned out with donations of delicious food and donations of money to help communities in need. When we come together as a community to help other communities it's a win-win for everyone. 

The 2,201.66 in donations will go to:

Red Cross:  First on scene with support

Houston Humane Society:  Rescuing large and small animals

Marion Thatcher’s Fund for Adult Ed in Texas:  Help Adult Ed recover

Habitat for Humanity Texas:  Rebuild housing for low-income families

Catholic Charities Hurricane Relief:  Helping immigrants recover 

St John Community Foundation in the US Virgin Islands

Special thank you to Teacher Jessica's students for these wonderful signs!

Habitat for Humanity

will help people rebuild lost homes

Marion Thatcher's Fund will help Adult Education

Catholic Charities helps immigrants

The Red Cross is first on the scene with emergency shelters and help

Student Leadership Opens the Door to Immigrant Integration

SMAS Assistant Director Tim Doyle
opening the CCAE Bay Conference

CCAE is the California Council of Adult Education.  It is the only Adult Education organization that includes everyone - students, teachers, administrators, and community members.  Saturday, March 4th was the CCAE Bay Section Conference.  Schools from all over the Bay Area came to discuss and celebrate Adult Education. 

SMAS Student Leaders presented a dynamic workshop at the conference.  They explained how student leadership opens the door to immigrant integration.

What does "integration" mean?  Integration means bringing things together, combining them into a smooth mix, connecting different parts into a whole.



Juliana, Lupita, Edwin, Inna, Sayaka

Student Council President Lupita Segura, Vice President Edwin Turuy, Secretary Sayaka Okada, and Board Members Juliana de Lima and Inna Liubarska inspired their audience with information about how our Student Council works and what it accomplishes.

Juliana got the workshop off to a great start with a warm introduction and a straw poll to find out who was in the audience. 

Juliana shows what the workshop will cover.



Edwin explaining the importance of student involvement

Edwin described the value of being a leader.  He shared his personal story.  He said that through Student Council leaders can help others as they have been helped.

Sayaka explained how Student Council works and is maintained.  She said that it is symbol of immigrant integration.  Students from all over the world work together to achieve wonderful things. 



Inna making things clear

Inna talked about how SMAS Student Leaders have been involved at local, state and national levels. She pointed out the challenges and benefits of leadership.  She advised listeners not to be afraid to take the first step. 

Lupita started things off by reminding the audience that without students, there is no school.  Students, school, and community work in a mutually beneficial way.  Lupita shared her story and then reminded everyone that if she can do it, they can, too.



Edwin and Lupita in action

Student Leaders were assisted by Marina Kravtsova.   Marina is the English Learner Specialist at SMAS and the Student Council Coordinator.  She is a former SMAS student and Student Leader, herself. 

Other former leaders were there to support, as well.  Denise Carrasco and Cristina Munoz Ulrich came to cheer on the new team.

From start to finish, we can see that student leadership creates immigrant integration - in the workshop, at the Conference, at our school, in our community, across the state. 

A big, warm and much deserved thank you to the Student Leadership team and Coordinator Marina for bringing this inspiring and informative workshop to the conference.  The attendees listened closely, had many questions, and were excited by what they learned.

Adult Learner wisdom matters!

Juliana, Edwin, Lupita, Sayaka, Inna, Marina, Cristina, Denise

Here are the slides from the powerpoint:


Immigration Information and Resources

Some federal immigration policies and practices may change under the new Trump administration in 2017.

Here are information and resources to help you understand possible changes, prepare for them, and find help if you need it.

You can ask College and Career Navigators Angelica and Patty, or English Specialist Marina, your teacher, or another SMAS staff member to help you find information  in these websites.

My (Un) Documented Life:  Up-to-Date Information and Resources for Undocumented Immigrants

Recommendations for School Administrators, Educators, Counselors, and Undocumented Students

Educators for Fair Consideration:  Post-Election Updates

San Francisco Legal and Immigrant Education Network  SFILEN – is a network of 13 organizations which help immigrants

Coastside Hope - Services and referrals for Coastside residents

International Institute of the Bay Area  --  Redwood City Office

International Institute of the Bay Area offers information presentations followed by legal consultations every Monday. Call 650-780-7530 for more information.

Legal Help for Low-Income Immigrants in San Mateo County Area


From the San Mateo County Office of Immigrant Support and Information

Immigration and Legal Resources

Post Election Talking Points and Resources- ILRC

DACA and California Driver's Licenses- ILRC

What Immigrant Families Should do now- ILRC

Know Your Rights- National Immigration Law Center

Events and Consultations

Sheriff's Department and Catholic Charities is hosting an informational town hall meeting including a "Know Your Rights" presentation on December 5th, at 6:30pm located at the Siena Youth Center.International Institute of the Bay Area offers information presentations followed by legal consultations every Monday. Call 650-780-7530 for more info.Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto offers free bi-weekly intake clinics for consultations. Call 650-326-3440 for more info.Catholic Charities hosts informational presentations and legal consultations every Monday in San Mateo, first Wednesday in Redwood City, and Third Wednesday in East Palo Alto. Call 650-295-2160 for more info.


Counseling and Health Services

StarVista Counseling Services

Youth Services Bureau of the YMCA

Pyramid Alternatives Counseling

SMC Behavioral Health & Recovery Services

Peninsula Family Services 


Human Services Agency Public Benefits

Many clients and service providers may have questions or concerns regarding the status of a clients’ health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act or possible impacts to other services given the presidential election results.  While we can’t predict the future, HSA would like to share some information that they have at this time.

Covered California's enrollment for 2017 coverage should still be encouraged.  Coverage will remain intact for 2017.  For Medi-Cal, HSA is continuing to promote and process new enrollments and renewals as always.

While there’s some uncertainty, and concern, about potential changes to these important public programs, HSA will focus on the present and ensure their clients have the health insurance coverage that they are eligible for today and through next year. If these programs change in the future, they will respond to those changes at that time.

For further information regarding eligibility and programs HSA offers, refer clients to the benefits line at 1-800-223-8383

Resources for Teachers and Educators:
 

Teaching Tolerance- A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center

Preparing for Cultural Diversity: Resources for Teachers- George Lucas Educational Foundation

Help for Immigrant Families Post Election- ILRC

 

The Benefits of the Public Library for English Learning Students

Distance Learning Student Chigusa Uematsu shares from her experience:

English learning students can get many benefits from the library. 

First, you can borrow books to practice reading in English.  If adult books are difficult to read, you can go to children's books and find books of your level. 


Burlingame Public Library

You can also borrow DVDs for movies and TV drama series.  You will enjoy watching them at your own pace. 

The Library even offers English learners conversation groups.  These groups are open to people who wish to improve and practice their spoken English with a native speaker.  And it's free to attend.



Foster City Public Library

San Mateo Public Library

Lastly, if you open your library account and get a library card, you will have the privilege to receive FREE passes to local museums and other cultural institutions.  I visited the California Academy of Sciences, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the California Historical Society with this benefit.  I am planning to visit San Mateo County History Museum next. 

As you can see, the library is a beneficial and helpful place for English learners to learn English and to be familiarized with the local culture. 
 
 



For more information about the library, check out:

The Public Library is Your Friend

Peninsula Library System

Ebooks and audiobooks

Discover and Go (visit museums and other cultural institutions)