County year-end report shows signs of progress County year-end report shows signs of progress (December 31, 2003)

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer
When Supervisor Mark Church takes over as president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors next week, he will face daunting challenges, but not all the news is bleak.

On December 10, the current board president, Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson, recapped "the progress we made despite the challenges we faced," in a year-end report in the county's historical museum in Redwood City.

Just the previous day, Ms. Jacobs Gibson presided at the ground-breaking for a new $125 million Youth Services Center in San Mateo, which will replace the old Hillcrest Juvenile Hall. "The center's purpose is not to lock up children, but rather provide them with the skills to succeed in life and in our community," she said.

The new facility will become a one-stop center for kids in trouble. It will include a new juvenile hall, a girls' ranch, a group home, probation offices, courts, and related services.

The Youth Services Center will follow the new crime laboratory, which opened this year, in applying green building standards. Already energy savings in the crime lab have netted the county a $600,000 check from PG&E, Supervisor Jacobs Gibson reported. "That's a pretty nice rebate check."

Supervisor Jacobs Gibson summarized other developments in the county, including:

** Forming an Economic Development Committee to identify and promote opportunities for growth.

** Establishing the Housing Endowment and Trust to secure funds for affordable housing projects in cities throughout the county. Nine cities have joined so far, including East Palo Alto, Atherton and Menlo Park. "We have 11 more cities to go," she said.

** An "electronic benefits transfer" system for the Human Services Agency, which will streamline distribution of cash, food stamps and general assistance electronically. The new system has minimized lost and stolen benefits for more than 4,000 people and families -- and saved money for the county.

"We must remember that community-building starts at home," said Supervisor Jacobs Gibson. "And each of us has the responsibility and the power to be engaged in what happens in our neighborhoods, and committed to the well-being of our residents."

E-mail a friend a link to this story.