Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: President David Canepa, District 5
Vice President Noelia Corzo, District 2
Subject: Resolution Establishing a 2026 Charter Review Committee to Make Recommendations to the Board of Supervisors Regarding Proposed Amendments to the County Charter
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution establishing a 2026 Charter Review Committee to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding proposed amendments to the County Charter.
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BACKGROUND:
Section 801 of the County Charter provides as follows:
“The Board of Supervisors shall convene a Charter review committee within eight years of the last complete Charter review. The committee shall review the Charter and, after public hearings, make appropriate recommendations for amendment or revision to the Board.”
The County’s last Charter Review Committee was convened in 2018. Therefore it is appropriate for the Board to convene a new Charter Review Committee which would develop potential County Charter amendments for the Board’s consideration. In September of this year, the Board established and appointed President Canepa and Vice President Corzo to an ad hoc subcommittee for the purposes of developing and presenting recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the creation of the 2026 Charter Review Committee.
The subcommittee reviewed prior charter review materials, and after meeting with staff from the County Attorney’s Office, has developed recommendations concerning the composition, scheduling, and guidance to be given to the 2026 Charter Review Committee.
DISCUSSION:
The subcommittee presents a resolution for the Board’s consideration and approval that would form the 2026 Charter Review Committee. The proposed resolution does the following:
1. Specifies that the 2026 Charter Review Committee will consist of fifteen (15) members, selected as follows: (a) each Board member will select one member; (b) the following ten (10) organizations would each select one designee to serve on the Committee: the Council of Cities, the County School Boards Association, the League of Women Voters, the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA), the REACH Coalition SMC, the Commission on Aging, the Youth Commission, Green Foothills Foundation, and the San Mateo County Coalition for Immigrant Rights. All designees shall be individually named, and there shall be no alternates. It should be noted that, in light of the desire to convene the Charter Review Committee meetings as soon as possible in 2026, the Board should appoint its nominees at the January 13, 2026 Board meeting.
2. Specifies that County Counsel and the County Executive, or their designees, shall serve as staff to the Charter Review Committee.
3. Provides guidance regarding the organization of the Charter Review Committee and the conduct of its business in the following areas: compliance with the Brown Act, appointment of officers, and quorum and voting requirements.
4. Specifies that the Charter Review Committee should consider any changes to the County Charter as authorized by the Constitution and State Law, which in its opinion are appropriate, including but not limited to any specific issues identified by the Board of Supervisors.
At the January 13, 2026 Board meeting at which the Committee members will be appointed, the subcommittee will also present specific recommendations for issues for the 2026 Charter Review Committee to consider.
Additionally, recent amendments to the Brown Act authorize the Board to enable certain “subsidiary bodies” of the Board to meet via teleconference without complying with the traditional teleconferencing rules if the Board finds that it would increase public participation and promote the attraction, retention, and diversity of eligible members. The “subsidiary body” still must designate a physical location for the public to participate in person as well as any committee members who chose to participate in person. The subcommittee intends to recommend that the Board make the necessary findings at the January 13, 2026 Board meeting to authorize Committee members to participate via teleconference in order to attract a broad pool of potential members.
Individuals interested in participating in the 2026 Charter Review Committee as a Board appointee will submit the County’s Standard Application Form for Boards, Commissions, and Committees, revised as needed for this committee.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
Adopting this Resolution will initiate the 2026 Charter review process required by the County Charter, which ensures periodic public review of the County Charter.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The convening of a 2026 Charter Review Committee will result in only incidental impact to the General Fund relating to the staffing of the committee.