Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: President Noelia Corzo, District 2
Supervisor David Canepa, District 5
Subject: Resolution Appointing Members to the 2026 Charter Review Committee and Authorizing Committee to Conduct Teleconference Meetings
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Appointing members to the 2026 Charter Review Committee; and
B) Authorizing the 2026 Charter Review Committee to conduct teleconference meetings pursuant to California Government Code Section 54953.8.6; and
C) Directing the 2026 Charter Review Committee to consider potential changes to the County Charter, if any, identified by the Board at its meeting of January 13, 2026.
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BACKGROUND:
Section 801 of the San Mateo 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.” In September of 2025, 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.
At its December 9, 2025 meeting, the Board adopted Resolution 081557 establishing the 2026 Charter Review Committee, which included setting criteria for the composition and appointment of the Committee. That Resolution provides that the 2026 Charter Review Committee will consist of up to sixteen (16) members, selected as follows: (a) each Board member will select one member from the residents within the Board member’s District; and (b) the Board will select up to eleven (11) members representing the following community interest groups and organizations: (1) cities; (2) schools; (3) organized labor; (4) businesses; (5) underserved communities; (6) LGBTQI+ community; (7) seniors; (8) youth; (9) environmental groups; (10) immigrants’ rights groups; and (11) voting rights organizations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may choose to fill all, some, or none of the representative seats described above.
The application period for the 2026 Charter Review Committee was open until December 19, 2025, and the County received 43 applications, including applications from residents of each Supervisorial District.
DISCUSSION:
Staff has prepared a Resolution for the Board’s consideration and approval to appoint individuals to the 2026 County Charter Review Committee consistent with Resolution 081557. The following individuals have been identified by the indicated Supervisor for appointment to the 2026 County Charter Review Committee:
Supervisor Speier (District 1): Tom Adams
Supervisor Corzo (District 2): Jacquelyn Foust
Supervisor Mueller (District 3): Iliana Rodriguez
Supervisor Gauthier (District 4): Rosanne Foust
Supervisor Canepa (District 5): Daniela Jonguitud
Applications for each applicant for appointment to the 2026 County Charter Review Committee are included with this memorandum.
Recent amendments to the Brown Act authorize the Board to enable members of certain “eligible subsidiary bodies” of the Board, such as the 2026 Charter Review Committee, to meet via teleconference if the Board finds that it would increase public participation and promote the attraction, retention, and diversity of eligible members. The “subsidiary body” must designate a physical location where the public may participate in-person as well as any committee members who chooses to participate in-person.
Before authorizing the 2026 Charter Review Committee to conduct teleconference meetings, the Board is required to identify the type of remote public participation that will be made available by the Committee, and to provide the public an opportunity to comment. The Resolution specifies that if the 2026 Charter Review Committee approves the use of teleconference meetings pursuant to California Government Code Section 54953.8.6, it shall make available remote public participation in the meetings via a two-way audiovisual platform, such as Zoom.
Through the Resolution, the Board can make the required findings to authorize the members of the 2026 Charter Review Committee to meet via teleconference. Use of teleconferencing allows the public to participate in Committee meetings without having to travel to a physical meeting location. Allowing Committee members to participate remotely promotes the attraction, retention, and diversity of eligible Committee members, and facilitates member participation, which decreases the chances that a meeting needs to be cancelled for lack of a quorum. The Committee is required to conduct at least one in-person meeting to approve the use of teleconferencing by Committee members.
Lastly, the ad hoc subcommittee recommends that the 2026 Charter Review Committee consider the following potential changes to the County Charter, in addition to any other changes to the County Charter as authorized by the Constitution and State Law, which in the Committee’s opinion are appropriate:
1) Whether County Charter Section 412.5 (Removal of Elected Sheriff for Cause) should be amended to delete subsection e, which currently states that Section 412.5, which vests the Board with authority to remove a Sherrif for cause, shall sunset and be of no further force and effect as of December 31, 2028.
2) Whether the County Charter Section 202 (Election) should be amended to either: a) delete the term “consecutive,” thereby imposing a lifetime ban on election to a supervisorial seat following three terms in office; or b) specify how long an intervening period a supervisor must be out of office before being eligible to be elected to, or otherwise serve as a County Supervisor.
3) Whether the County Charter should be amended to add a new Section requiring the Board of Supervisors to annually review the Board’s governance processes and practices.
4) Whether Section 415 of the County Charter should be amended to further specify Board procedures in the event that the Board makes an appointment to fill a vacancy in an elected office.
5) Whether the County Charter should be amended to identify procedures in the event that the Board has cause to believe that an elected office has been or should be vacated because the incumbent official has become physically, mentally, or otherwise incapacitated.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
Adopting this Resolution will appoint members to the 2026 Charter Review Committee and authorize the Committee to meet via teleconference, which will commence the mandatory public review process of the County Charter and promote public participation in the review process.
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.