State Awards $42.8 Million to Spur Local Affordable Housing, Including for Farmworkers

Note: This is a revised version posted at 5 p.m. Redwood City – The state has awarded $42.8 million to spur development of three local affordable housing projects, including coastal apartments reserved for farmworkers and their families. The funds will go to helping build a total of 212 units for residents with low incomes in projects in Daly City, Burlingame and Moss Beach, where 18 new apartments will be dedicated for farmworkers.

County Launches Task Force to Improve Living Conditions for Farm Laborers

Half Moon Bay – The County of San Mateo today announced the launch of a task force that is committed to improving the living conditions of farmworkers who reside in employer-provided housing. The task force will ensure compliance with local and state rules and regulations that affect the health and safety of employer-providing housing for farmworkers and their families.

Arts Commission Cultural Equity Statement

The San Mateo County Arts Commission, which views the arts as an essential part of a healthy and vibrant community, champions policies and practices that promote social and cultural equity. We strive to promote inclusive and diverse programming and to ensure equitable access to arts and culture for all, with consideration for race, ability, sexual orientation, age, gender, economic status, and cultural background. We also commit to partnering with artists and arts organizations that represent and celebrate the diversity of our county, through the fair and equitable distribution of programmatic and financial support. Through these actions, arts are a vehicle for social change.

Meet Our New NRM Interns - Winter 2021

We're excited to introduce our new Natural Resource Management interns. Meet Johanna, Alissa, and Aidan!

Aug. 4, 2020-Fines Now Possible for Violating Health Orders, Including Refusing to Wear Face Covering

Individuals who violate health orders, including refusing to wear a face covering in San Mateo County and commercial entities who allow these violations now risk incurring fines after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors today adopted an urgency ordinance allowing the new penalties immediately.

Aug. 4, 2020-Update on County Response to COVID-19

The County of San Mateo continues to work to protect public health and safety in response to the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.

July 30, 2020-County Joins State Monitoring List, County Manager Media Briefing, Testing Locations, and Current COVID-19 Case Count

The County of San Mateo continues to work to protect public health and safety in response to the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Reseeding a Natural Preserve with Native Grass

Our task was to level and install seed beds for the Green Grass Project at Edgewood Farms —an amazing project spearheaded by the Friends of Edgewood group, which has been helping steward the park and its incredible diversity of plant life for over 25 years.

San Bruno Mountain Elfin Monitoring

Every other year the Natural Resource Management team does a survey of San Bruno Elfin, an endangered species on San Bruno Mountain. Their larva, or caterpillars, feed an attractive native succulent that grows on rocky outcrops.

"Oh No! I Think It's Dead, It Has No Tail!"

It is quite common to mistake a lizard that has just lost its tail for dead! While unfortunately the lizard is now tail-less, it isn't dying, far from it actually. It is very much still alive. Lizards utilize caudal autotomy (tail dropping) as a survival strategy for predatory response! When being chased or spotted by a predator a lizard may drop his or her tail and speed away while the piece of tail continues to wriggle and squirm, mimicking another lizard. If a lizard is bit by a venomous snake it may drop its tail as well, to ensure that the toxin does not reach the rest of the lizard’s body. In some cases, the tail will even grow back, however the regenerated tail does have less function.

Meet the Pacific Purple Sea Urchin

As a Natural Resource Management Intern I visit many of the parks to analyze different habitats and support vegetation management activities.

Stalking the California Golden Violet

A few feet farther up the slope I saw the telltale yellow flowers, looking like a garden “pansy,” peaking out of the mass of green. It was California Golden Violet, Viola pedunculata