The Redwood City Library was one of only three in the state to receive the coveted "Five Star Rating" from the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service, the premier public library national rating system instituted by the Library Journal. The rating makes the Redwood City Public Library not only the top-rated library in San Mateo County, it is one of the top-rated in California and the country.

My staff and I stopped by the soon-to-open Fair Oaks Health Center when we noticed that the door to the facility was propped open. The facility was full of staff who had gathered for a Thanksgiving potluck which is scheduled to open in a couple of weeks! It was a chance to gather the staff from the three clinics that will merge at the new Fair Oaks Health Center. It was a chance to see the new facility, participate in a safety training, and celebrate and give thanks. It was a joyous day! Can't wait for it to be open for our patients!

At the November 5th Board of Supervisors meeting, my colleagues and I recognized the amazing people that saved the lives of hundreds of Redwood City residents this year or helped these fire victims rebuild their lives. Chief Jim Skinner of the City of Redwood City did a masterful job of coordinating the responding fire departments. The recent fires were six-alarm fires requiring complicated rescues of injured and medically fragile individuals from multi-story buildings.

Congratulations to Patrick Tornes, a 16-year old junior at Woodside Priory, who earned his Eagle Scout badge for completing the Serenity Garden project for the Maple Street Shelter in Redwood City. The Maple Street Shelter serves single adult homeless people--about half of its residents are veterans. Patrick conceived of the idea for this beautiful garden, raised the money to build the project, and recruited the help of 24 of his scout mates and 10 adults to do much of the labor.