On a personal note, this month we said goodbye to two valued members of our Thrive team. Doug Silverstein has been a passionate advocate for Environment & Sustainability and has led the growth of our E & S Thrive Action Group for several years and created a strong cross-sector community, moving forward conversations on single-use plastics, water issues, youth involvement and much more.
Sara AbuGhazaleh, who has been with us for the last year and a half as our Policy & Advocacy Associate, will be returning to her home in Jordan. Her perspective as someone who's worked with international immigrant issues and is an immigrant herself has brought an extra layer of meaning to her work on census and civic participation, and her team spirit and hard work will be sorely missed.
We also want to welcome Yajaira Ortega as our new Policy & Advocacy Associate and highlight Rebekah Townsend, our Americorps VISTA, who will continue her instrumental support to our Environment & Sustainability work. More on these key staff members next month!
What We Are Watching
(Continue reading below for more details)
• GovernmentFunding for Nonprofits The County released the recommended budget to the Board of Supervisors (BoS). There will be hearings on the budget at the beginning of next week. This is your opportunity for advocacy! The proposed budget did not include funding from the American Rescue Plan. The state budget's May Revision was submitted and now the Legislature is reviewing it.
• County Housing The state eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of June, putting a large number of people in San Mateo in danger of eviction. If the state does not extend it, the BoS has said they will take action at their June 29 meeting.
• Public CommentAB339, which made it possible to submit public comment remotely even after the public health emergency is over, was watered down in committee to include only jurisdictions larger than 250,000. We are now watching closely to see what individual cities and agencies will do.
Join the California Policy Forum to learn about the redistricting process and timeline, ways redistricting affects our communities, and strategies for nonprofits and funders to get involved.
With Pastor Trena Turner, Member of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, and Executive Director of Faith in the Valley; Petra Silton, Director of Advocacy and Education at Thrive Alliance; Jonathan Mehta Stein, Executive Director of California Common Cause; and Christian Arana, Vice President of Policy, Latino Community Foundation.
For more Thrive and Community events, visit Thrive's event page.
Legislation, Policy Tracker, & Calls to Action
Eviction Moratorium Extension
State Update
CA COVID-19 Rent Relief will help income-eligible households pay rent and utilities, both for past due and future payments. The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provides funding to support the program and tenant (renter) protection laws signed by Governor Newsom.
County Update
Less than 1% of rent reliefmoney was given out in San Mateo County via the state program due to many factors, including application barriers.
With pressure from Faith in Action Bay Area Leaders, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Thrive, and over 40 community leaders, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors committed to placing the Eviction Moratoria on the June 29 BoS meeting agenda. Click here to view the letter.
The Supervisors requested that staff prepare one moratoria extension for the entire county and one for unincorporated areas, while county lawyers consider the legal terrain of these policies.
May was Affordable Housing Month
Housing Leadership Council celebrated Affordable Housing Month by conducting many events throughout May. View their past events on their website.
Redistricting Updates
San Bruno city officials and San Mateo-Foster City school trustees recently decided that they will also be moving to by-district elections. Stay tuned for more trainings from Thrive about how to get involved! Check out our webpage for more redistricting resources.
CBO Funding Request for Combatting Learning Loss
In a joint effort after our last get-together on May 11, the Peer Learning Series Planning Committee wrote a letter to SMC trustees, superintendents, and principals requesting that AB86 funding & partnerships include CBOs that have been and continue to support expanded learning for the most at-risk youth.
The Draft Plan Bay Area 2050 is our region’s long-range plan and includes visions of creating a better transit network, strategies to alleviate the housing crisis, and protections against sea-level rise. It was recently released for comment and your input is requested before July 20, 2021. Join the Metropolitan Transportation Commission at one of its upcoming public workshops or public hearings.
Have a New Campaign? Let Us Help You to Spread the Word and Announce it in Our Next Newsletter!
CCATs will be focusing on our own wellness as we discuss how to best care for ourselves while we continue to support our communities. Our outreach efforts are still focusing on overcoming vaccine hesitancy. Please reach out to us for any support you need for your efforts.
Last year and this year, Peninsula Clean Energy lowered its rates for generation, while PG&Eraised its overall charges resulting in a net increase of about 3.7% for most residents. Note that while rates are higher overall, Peninsula Clean Energy customers are paying lessthroughtheir ECOplus electric generation service than they would if they received electric generation from PG&E. Click here for more information.
.jpg?upscale=true&width=1168&upscale=true&name=thrive_policy_advocacy_banner%20(1).jpg)
