New Commissioners and Committee Members Sworn in at Last Night's City Council Meeting
๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ to our newly-appointed Commissioners and Committee Members! Nearly all were sworn in at last nightโs City Council Meeting, which officially starts their terms (Erin Becker of OSEC and Trudi Davis of Parks and Recreation Commission were sworn in earlier today):
Meet your newly-appointed Commissioners and Committee Members -
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐งโฃ
- Alex Lau, Planning Commission for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Sandip Patel, Planning Commission for a term through January 2026โฃ
โฃ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐โฃ
- Linda Dettmer, Complete Streets Safety Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Dariusz Wodziak, Complete Streets Safety Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
โฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ โฃ
- Erin Becker, Open Space and Ecology Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Shanna Calmes, Open Space and Ecology Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Glenn Fieldman, Open Space and Ecology Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Mary Rogers, Open Space and Ecology Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Michele Salmon, Open Space and Ecology Committee for a term through January 2026โฃ
โฃ๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐งโฃ
- Renee Commerford, Parks and Recreation Commission for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Trudi Davis, Parks and Recreation Commission for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Natalie Ocampo, Parks and Recreation Commission for a term through January 2026โฃ
- Tom Seawell, Parks and Recreation Commission for a term through January 2025โฃ
โฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ (๐๐๐๐) ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ โฃ
- William Lok, IDEA Committee for an initial term through January 2024โฃ
- Alexandra Horton, IDEA Committee for an initial term through January 2024โฃ
- Mangesh Kohlatkar, IDEA Committee for an initial term through January 2024โฃ
- Dianne Oseto, IDEA Committee for an initial term through January 2024
As Mayor Mackin said, we are extremely appreciative of your willingness and your ongoing efforts to serve your community!
In Further Recognition of Black History Month
Also at last night's meeting, the Brisbane City Council proclaimed February 2022 as Black History Month. Tomika Price, Branch Manager for the Brisbane Library, was on-hand to receive the Proclamation:
Tomika shared how the Library will be offering two special events in celebration of Black History Month:
- Tuesday, February 22 at 11am - African and African American Stories and Song With Kirk Waller
- Monday, March 14 at 6:30pm - Author event with Black Food authorย and James Beard Award-winning chef and educator, Bryant Terryย (copies of Black Food will be on-hand a few weeks prior to the event)
Speaking of Black authors, the Brisbane Parks and Recreation Department is continuing to recognize Black authors on their social media accounts. See more on Parks and Rec's Facebook and Instagram pages.
For the month of February, we've been recognizing some lesser-known names, some of whom were trailblazers but may not be household names. Find that in place of our Quote of the Week at the end of The Blast.
Mural at Midtown Market Being Restored!
The first few steps have to do with stabilization - reinforcing areas of paint under areas of coating loss, re-adhering flaking paint to the substrate, and filling/repairing losses to the substrate to create a smooth surface for the restoration work that will come later. Conservation Assistants Samantha Emmanuel and Brandon Phuong, working with Kiernan Graves ofย Site & Studio Conservation, are completing this stabilization work, which they started last week. You can see the difference their work is making, when comparing the first photo against the second; the colors in the first are so much more vibrant!
The mural was commissioned by BES/PTO (formerly BEST/PTO) in 2002 as a fundraiser for the local schools. Its artist, world-renown muralist Mona Caron, will be returning to Brisbane to restore the mural. Afterwards, it will get a new coating applied by Site & Studio Conservation, which includes an anti-graffiti and anti-UV component so it can continue to delight passer-bys for many more decades to come.
Sign Up for SMC Alert
Citizens and employees working in Brisbane are encouraged to sign up for the Countyโs free alert notification system that can send emergency alerts to email accounts, cell phones, and landline phones.
Immigrant Inclusion Survey
San Mateo County launched a survey last Tuesday to gather info about the needs of the County's immigrant communities to inform their first-ever Immigrant Integration & Inclusion Strategic Plan. They hope to tailor local initiatives and outreach that promote immigrant inclusion.
Woman's View 2022: Call For Artists!
Womenโs View 2022 recognizes, celebrates, and honors the women of San Mateo County during March, National Womenโs History Month. Womenโs View 2022 is co-sponsored by San Mateo Countyโs Commission on the Status of Women, and is in its 17th year. The group art exhibition runs March 1- April 29ย and is open to women, non-binary, and gender nonconformingย artists whoย live or work San Mateo County. Email 1 photo of your artwork to curator@smcgov.org. They'reย accepting painting, photography, tapestry, mixed media, digital art, and other art forms. The deadline for submissions is TODAY, February 18th at 5pm.
Hiking with your Dog? Please Read!
Did you know that Owl & Buckeye Canyons were the site of the San Bruno Mountain fire of June 2008? They're also managed by different entities; the CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) manages the San Bruno Mtn. Ecological Reserve, and San Mateo County Parks manages the land higher up on the mountain. And they have different regulations pertaining to dogs on-leash. If you're entering the canyons at the Quarry Rd. trailhead,ย dogs are allowed on-leash in the San Bruno Mountain Ecological Reserve (the Yellow Zone). In the State and County Park Area of San Bruno Mountain (the Green & Pink Zones), dogs are NOT allowed. On this trail, you are only allowed to walk your dog approximately halfway on this trail in the Ecological Reserve.
To help delineateย where CDFWโs property ends and the Countyโs property begins, CDFW is looking into putting up a sign with mention of 'No Dogs Beyond this Point'. In the meantime, please abide by the regulations; we wouldn't want you to be cited by a County Parks Ranger. And thank you for picking up after your dog!
Brisbane Blood Drive at Sierra Point Next Wednesday, Feb. 23
Farmers' Market: Thursdays in the Park, 2-6pm
Kunugi Noodle is here every Thursday, selling fresh Japanese Udon, Tempura, Donburi rice bowls, and other delicious Japanese food!
Find fresh produce, hummus, tamales, handcrafted baos, fresh-popped kettlecorn, and ice cream at Brisbane's weekly Farmers' Market. And if you're wondering if you'll be able to get lobster rolls, tots, or tacos again, rest assured. Cousins Maine Lobster will be returning this coming Thursday,ย February 24th! Thank you for your support of the market!
Get Tested at the San Mateo Event Center
Unfortunately, Curative again needed to cancel their mobile testing site at the Park this past Thursday. We also put up a notice on the signboards letting the community know, along with the link to find alternative testing sites at smcgov.org/testing. New County testing partner, Carbon Health, started operations at the Event Center last month and can accommodate 2,000 people/day. They're offering walk-up PCR testing, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8am - 4pm, at no cost to the recipients.
According to the County Health Department's data dashboards, Brisbane has had 592 confirmed historical cases. Brisbane resident Amrit Lall has been keeping track of the historical cases released per week, and let us know that Brisbane recorded 52 new COVID-19 cases this past week. It's 24 more than last week's reported cases, so we all must continue to stay vigilant to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy.
For the continued health and safety of the community and of staff,ย despite the State and County lifting their indoor mask mandates for fully vaccinated individuals this past Wednesday, February 16th, visitors to City Hall and its facilities are still being required to wear masks for the time-being. Disposable masks are available for those that do not have one with them. Thank you for the public's cooperation! A reminder of the various services that can be conducted remotely can be found here: brisbaneca.org/online-services.
San Mateo County Libraries Also Continuing to Require Masks
San Mateo County Libraries will continue to ask all visitors ages 2 and older to wear face coverings inside their libraries. SMC Libraries appreciates the public's cooperation with extended safety precautions to support visitors of all ages. SMC Libraries can also provide masks to any patrons as requested, and they continue to offer virtual as well as in-person experiences.
CA Mortgage Relief Program
A new state mortgage relief program is helping homeowners who missed mortgage payments last year because of a COVID financial hardship. If you are behind on your housing payments, the California Mortgage Relief Program may be able to help.
CA COVID-19 Rent Relief
The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program covers 100% of unpaid rent and utilities for eligible renters and their landlords who have been impacted by the pandemic. Applying to the program will not impact your residency status or your path to citizenship.
The Brisbane City Council has made $100,000 in rental assistance available to those that need it. Brisbane's Rental Assistance Program is being administered by Samaritan House, with theย YMCA Community Resource Center processing the applications. Please call at (650) 276-4101 or send an email at crc@ymcasf.org to get the application process started today!
North County Fire Authority Safety Tips
Annual Lions Club Crustacean Dinner Dance To-Go, February 26 | Order by the 21st!
The Brisbane Lions are once again offering a to-go style crustacean dinner (pick-up at Mission Blue between 2-4p), followed up by a virtual DJ dance party, on February 26th. Thank you for supporting the Brisbane Lions Club and all the events they put on to bring the community together, including this one.
Flags at Half-Staff until Midnight Tonight
President Biden ordered the United States Flag to be flown at half-staff effective immediately earlier today, returning to full staff at midnight tonight, Friday, February 18, 2022. This is to pay respect to United States Representative Jim Hagedorn from the State of Minnesota. Representative Hagedorn passed away yesterday, February 17, 2022.
City Council Meeting - Thursday, February 17, 2022 - 7:30pm
Recognition of the Week: Phyllis Wheatley
Born in Africa about 1753 and sold as a slave in Boston in 1761, Phillis was a small 8 year old who caught the attention of John and Susanna Wheatley. The small girl was named after the ship that brought her to Boston, the Phillis, and her master, Wheatley. Susanna soon discovered that Phillis had an extraordinary capacity to learn. She relieved the child of most domestic duties and educated her, with assistance from her own daughter, Mary, in reading, writing, religion, language, literature, and history.
In 1773, around age 20, Phillis Wheatley accomplished something that no other woman of her status had done. When her book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, appeared, she became the first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to have her work published. Shortly after, her owners freed her.
Influential colonists read Wheatleyโs poems and lauded her talent. Her work, which reflected her close knowledge of the ancient classics as well as Biblical theology, carried strong messages against slavery and became a rallying cry for Abolitionists: โRemember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, /May be refinโd and join thโ angelic train.โ She also advocated for independence, artfully expressing support for George Washingtonโs Revolutionary War in her poem, โTo His Excellency, General Washington.โ Washington, who himself had been forced to end his formal education at age 11, appreciated Wheatleyโs support and extolled her talent.
Reading about Phyllis' poetic talents made me think about Amanda Gorman, who was actually one of Parks and Rec's features last week. It's evident to me Phyllis is one of the broad shoulders she has to stand on.
This concludes our update; we'll be sending out the next Blast on Friday, February 25th, in the afternoon. Please note that City Hall be closed on Monday, February 21, for President's Day. If this email was forwarded to you or you saw it on social media and would like to subscribe, sign up here. As always, please keep connected with us via our website and social media pages. Thanks for reading and staying engaged with us!