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!

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

Meet Our New NRM Interns

In January of 2020 San Mateo County Parks Natural Resource Management was excited to welcome our first intern team. Meet Alex Wilbanks, Johanna Harrison, and Olivia Kurz.

San Mateo County's Removal Defense Fund & Rapid Response Network

The federal government has continued to increase the extent of immigration enforcement in San Mateo County, continuing a trend of more immigrant residents of the County being placed in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review.  Many immigrants in such proceedings lack the resources to secure legal representation in such proceedings. 

Powerful testimonial from Immigrant Legal Resource Center's Founder

Multiple accounts have surfaced regarding the conditions of detained families along the U.S. and Mexico border, but Professor Bill Ong Hing's detailed testimonial from his visit to the border patrol processing facility in Clint, Texas has truly highlighted the dire conditions in which these children are being held in as well as the urgency for services and resources for our immigrant community. 

July 2019 News Update: Potential ICE Activity in the Bay Area

As reported by various news sources, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to initiate nationwide raids this weekend.  The Office of Community Affairs encourages everyone to become aware of their rights and to share important resources with everyone in the community.  

Housing Resources

Home Share by Hip Housing  What is Home Sharing? Our Home Sharing program helps match individuals seeking housing with people who have a room to rent.