WHEREAS, Government Code Section 8630(b) and Chapter 2.46 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code authorize the San Mateo County Director of Emergency Services (“Director”) to proclaim the existence of a local emergency when the County of San Mateo (“County”) is threatened by conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of the County which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the County and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat and the Board of Supervisors is not in session; and
WHEREAS, the County Manager, acting in the role of the County’s Director of Emergency Services, finds that in the days immediately following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25, 2020, conditions of civil unrest have resulted in numerous acts of violence across the State of California and the Bay Area, including infliction of personal injuries, looting, arson, and vandalization of public and private property in numerous nearby jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, peaceful and lawful protests are planned within the County on June 2 and June 3, 2020 and the County has specific information that these protests have attracted planned civil unrest from actors who threaten various retail locations within the County with coordinated looting, property damage, and other violent activities, giving rise to the creation of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the County of San Mateo that are or likely to be beyond the control of local resources and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat; and
WHEREAS, the mobilization of local resources, ability to coordinate interagency response; and accelerate procurement of vital supplies, use of mutual aid, and allow for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments will be critical to successfully responding to this emergency; and
WHEREAS, these conditions warrant and necessitate that the County proclaim the existence of a local emergency.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that a local emergency exists in the County, and the local emergency shall not remain in effect for more than seven days unless the Board of Supervisors has ratified and extended it; and
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND PROCLAIMED that during the existence of said local emergency the powers, functions, and duties of the emergency organization of the County shall be those prescribed by state law, by ordinances, and resolutions of the County; and
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED AND PROCLAIMED that a copy of this proclamation be forwarded to the Director of California Governor's Office of Emergency Services requesting that the Director find it acceptable in accordance with state law; that the Governor of California, pursuant to the Emergency Services Act, issue a proclamation declaring an emergency in the County of San Mateo; that the Governor waive regulations that may hinder response and recovery efforts; that recovery assistance be made available under the California Disaster Assistance Act; and that the State expedite access to State and Federal resources and any other appropriate federal disaster relief programs.
Dated: June 2, 2020
Director of Emergency Services
County of San Mateo