Following our work to increase community participation in the Federal census to get an accurate count of the County population, Thrive has been actively engaged in the redistricting process. We started by educating our community about the meaning and significance of redistricting, engaging in community outreach, and advocating for an Independent Redistricting Commission. (The County Board of Supervisors ultimately rejected creating an Independent Commission in favor of an Advisory Commission, whose members were vetted by the Leagues of Women Voters to ensure fair representation.) The work culminated with Thrive’s convening 15 community leaders and organizations to develop and propose a new map – the Unity Map – that grouped communities of interest together and would have given a larger share of voice in county elections to historically underrepresented communities.
The Unity Map was one of two maps advanced by the Advisory Commission to the Board of Supervisors following a lengthy process, which involved multiple meetings and extensive public comment. Both maps recommended changes to the current map that strengthened communities of interest and sought to advance equity in representation. This week we were dismayed when the Board of Supervisors adopted a third map that had no public support other than from the Board itself and that failed to take into account the extensive public comment in support of greater change in support of equity. The map is a “minimal change” map that preserves the political status quo, with minor tweaks to adjust for changes in population, but that does not address issues raised by the public.
The Board of Supervisor’s decision does a disservice to the entire redistricting process, including the work of the League of Women Voters, who spent much time selecting members of the Advisory Commission, the work of the Commission itself, and the large number of community members and organizations who advocated for better representation and whose concerns were discounted.
We look forward to building on the partnerships we developed through these efforts.
In partnership,
Petra Silton, Director of Advocacy & Education
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Join Thrive to continue the series designed to collectively focus climate goals based on your priorities. In this meeting, we will look at the climate components narrowed down from our previous meeting and look at goals best suited for collaboration and advocacy efforts. Read more about the previous meetings.
This session will be facilitated by Matt Biggar, Ph.D., Principal of Connected to Place.
Policing In San Mateo: Data, Impact, and Discussion
Mon, December 6, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Recent events locally and nationwide have raised our collective awareness of the disparate impact that policing can have in diverse communities. These events call on each of us to explore and better understand the impact of policing in our own communities. It is important to work collaboratively to ensure law enforcement best serves the needs of our entire community.
This is the first of two convenings to explore the issue of policing here in our communities. In this first meeting, we seek to understand: What information is there about police activity and race disparities in SMC? How do you find it? What does it mean? We will present a real-life case study of how to get data on policing, review the data on arrests and racial disparities in SMC, and then host a facilitated conversation among researchers, law enforcement, those working with juvenile justice, and community activists.
Peninsula Family Service and Thrive Alliance are committed to fostering a vibrant dialogue that builds strong communities. We are coming together to co-produce this convening to create an environment where all organizations, nonprofits, police, city, county, neighborhoods, and neighbors can learn and grow. Policing is integral to the fabric of our societies, and having frank, balanced, and well-informed conversations benefits all of us. Join us for an honest, facilitated discussion about the data and the impact of policing in San Mateo County and the City of San Mateo.
This session will be moderated by Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center Executive Director Malissa Netane-Jones. The participants are San Mateo PoliceChief Ed Barberini, San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos G. Bolanos, Fresh Lifelines for Youth San Mateo Director Kate Hiester, Public Policy Institute of California Policy Director Magnus Lofstrom, Stanford Master's Candidate Andrew Skelton, and SMFCSD Trustee Shara Watkins.
Join Thrive for our fifth annual Holiday Mix & Mingle! This very special event will be filled with fun, games, prizes, and great opportunities for the nonprofit and public sectors to mix and mingle! Don’t forget to wear your most festive holiday sweater. Everyone who registers will receive a special holiday cookie recipe and a yummy drink recipe!
For more Thrive and Community events, visit Thrive's Event Page.
Thrive's Advocacy
The Unity Map Coalition Story
For the past month or so, Thrive, along with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, has been supporting members of the Unity Map Coalition. This coalition was created in response to San Mateo County District Lines Advisory Commission's call for engagement from the public.
Thrive brought together twelve community-based organizations (CBO's) and four community leaders, representing the most underprivileged and underserved communities, to create a map that truly represented the idea of equity. These communities included but were not limited to immigrants, farmworkers, low-income, renters, language access, unincorporated areas, and many more. After long hours of public comment and civic participation, the District Lines Advisory Commission advanced our map along with one other.
The Coalition collected more support for the Unity Map: the Grove Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, plus the 10 additional organizations and 33 individuals who signed on after the map was submitted.
The Unity Map truly reflected community engagement, public comment, and emphasized the importance of keeping communities of interest together as defined by federal redistricting legislation. We shared our work through one on one meetings with supervisors, public comment, and by adjusting our map with Supervisor Pine's suggestion (Unity Map - San Bruno revision).
After two meetings, the Board of Supervisors decided not to heed the public comment or the recommendations of the Commission and chose a minimal change map which had been voted down in the advisory commission. They renamed it "Communities Together Map".
On Thurs, October 28, Thrive once again brought together the San Mateo County Environment & Sustainability community. We narrowed the focus of the climate components (listed in the climate planning tool document from our previous meeting) and looked at areas with the most potential for success through increasing cross-sector collaboration and climate justice efforts. Towards the end of the event, we sent a survey asking the audience to select up to seven system components they thought should be included in collective climate goals for San Mateo County based on the criteria of potential for collaboration, climate justice, climate mitigation, and climate resilience. See the survey results and read more of the event here!
Thrive will continue this conversation in the next Environment and Sustainability meeting on Thurs, December 9. In this meeting, we will look at the climate components narrowed down from the survey results and look at climate themes best suited for collaboration and advocacy efforts.
COVID-19 Updates
Vaccinate Your Kids!
Vaccination is your child’s best protection against serious illness caused by COVID-19. COVID-19 Vaccines have been thoroughly tested and are safe and effective for kids ages 5 and up. Talk to your child’s doctor or visit MyTurn.ca.gov to make an appointment. #VaccinesSaveLives
Peninsula Clean Energy
$1,250 To Install Solar Panels + Battery Backup
Through Power on Peninsula Program
Are you interested in solar to reduce energy costs while keeping the lights on during a power outage? Peninsula Clean Energy offers $1,250 to install solar panels + battery backup under its Power On Peninsula program. They are working with Sunrun to design, install, and maintain solar + battery backup for your home. You will be part of a community electricity storage network that charges the batteries by day and provide you with power in the evening and in the case of grid shutdown.
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