Tuesday night's City Council meeting includes a proclamation recognizing Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. In 1960 in New Orleans, Ruby Bridges bravely integrated her elementary school at the young age of 6 years old.
In 2018, a group of fifth graders in the South San Francisco Unified School District were so inspired by Ruby's courage that they advocated to establish an official Ruby Bridges Day. With the help of the San Mateo County Office of Education, their dream became a reality. Menlo Park joined the effort in 2019 and in September 2021, the California State Senate passed a resolution proclaiming November 14th* as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day!
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the legacy of school segregation and its lasting effects to this day, and Safe Routes to School. For more information about this important day, please visit the San Mateo Office of Education's website here.
Happy walking!
Warmly,
*When November 14th is a Saturday or Sunday, Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is celebrated on the following Wednesday. This year it is being recognized on Wednesday, November 17th.
Below are some additional items that may be of interest.
SRI's "Parkline" Proposed Master Plan Submitted
On October 15th, Lane Partners and SRI International officially filed its development review application for the proposed Parkline Master Plan. In the coming weeks, city staff will be creating a new project webpage as well as adding it to the development project map. When available, information will be here. Stay tuned.
Housing Commission Special Meeting
Housing Element Policies
November 17th at 6:30pm
Save the date of November 17th at 6:30pm for a special Housing Commission meeting where housing policies, especially those related to the enabling of affordable housing development, will be discussed. This is part of the larger Housing Element update process. For more information about the Housing Element, please see my past newsletters and the City's Housing Element webpage. The agenda for the meeting on the 17th will be posted here 72 hours prior to the meeting.
City Council Rail Subcommittee Meeting
November 15th at 5pm
Next week on November 15th at 5pm, the City Council Rail Subcommittee, made up of me and Councilmember Mueller, will meet. For those community members interested in the Quiet Zone this meeting will be of particular interest to you. The agenda for this meeting will be published within 72 hours of the meeting. Stay tuned.
San Mateo County Redistricting
Public Hearing on District Boundaries
November 9th at 9:30am
Just like the City of Menlo Park is redrawing its district lines based off of the new 2020 Census data, so too is the County of San Mateo. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will begin a series of public hearings to discuss proposed maps and give residents the opportunity to voice their interests and provide input on the redrawing of supervisorial district maps. The first meeting will be held virtually at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. The agenda and public participation details are available here. The Board’s Tuesday public hearing will be the first since an advisory commission last month recommended two proposed maps, which are:
By law, the Board must decide on a final map by Dec. 15, 2021. In doing so, the Board may consider the recommendations of the District Lines Advisory Commission, consider other maps submitted by the public or the County’s demographer, and/or instruct the County’s demographer to create a new map or maps for the Board’s consideration. All commission agendas, draft maps and other information can be found at smcdistrictlines.org.
Virtual Town Hall
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Dr. Anthony Fauci
November 9th at 6:45pm
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo will be holding a virtual Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, November 9th at 6:45pm with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, to discuss Covid-19. Those interested are encouraged to submit questions for Dr. Fauci ahead of the meeting HERE.
