Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: President Don Horsley, District 3
Subject: Reappointments to the Housing and Community Development Committee
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation for reappointments to the Housing and Community Development Committee, each for a term ending December 31, 2026:
A) Richard Hedges, representing Member At-Large, for a first full term; and
B) Annie Tsai, representing Member At-Large, for a second term; and
C) Laura Escobar, representing Homeless Continuum of Care Planning Board, for a third term.
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BACKGROUND:
The Housing and Community Development Committee (HCDC) makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors related to the expenditure of all housing and community development funds. The HCDC also reviews and provides a forum for public comment on affordable housing and community development needs and priorities related to the development of the Consolidated Plan and related Annual Action Plans.
DISCUSSION:
Richard Hedges has served on the HCDC since his partial term was approved in June 2021 and is being recommended to serve a first full term effective January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
Annie Tsai has served on the HCDC since her term began in January 2019 and is being recommended to serve a second term effective January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
Laura Escobar has served on the HCDC since 2013 and is being recommended to serve a third full term effective January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026.
Rich Hedges attended Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas where he received a Bachelors of Science in Education degree in 1970. He moved to San Mateo in 1970 with his wife Linda to take advantage of the educational opportunities in the San Francisco Bay area. He worked as a substitute teacher and he attended San Francisco State University, and received his Master of Arts Degree in 1973 in American Urban History with an emphasis in Urban Planning from San Francisco State University.
Rich has served San Mateo in many ways. He served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for Bay Meadows II and the Transportation Corridor. In addition, he served on the City of San Mateo Community Compass, the City of San Mateo 2002 Charter Revision Committee along with Larry Atkinson and Mayor Jane Baker and he attended the Citizens Academy. He served for one year on the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury.
Rich conducted three political campaigns within the City of San Mateo. The first Campaign, Measure F, raised the money to repair the flood infrastructure for the City. That repair released 8000 homes from paying flood insurance. This alone brought millions of dollars back into the City of San Mateo that helped with economic development instead of sending the money to Washington, DC. The second Campaign was Measure S that will raise 150 million dollars to repair needed infrastructure over the next 30 years. With the help of dedicated committee members, both measures passed by 70%. The third campaign was Measure W in 2020 that raised 60 million dollars over 30 years to help replace the revenue lost by shrinking sales tax.
Rich served on the Personnel Board and is currently serving on the Neighborhood Watch Board for the City of San Mateo and the Measure S Oversight Committee for the City of San Mateo.
He served from 1995 until 2008 as an officer on the Board of the United Home Owners Association and is currently a delegate to that body from Harbortown Home Owners Association. He serves on the Executive Board of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, the San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board from 2003 until 2014, the Citizens Advisory Committee to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, and the Policy Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He has served as a Board Member of the State of California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and has served as their Vice President and President. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County. Rich is an active member of Kiwanis of Greater San Mateo, and active in Sustainable San Mateo, Silicon Valley Joint Venture, and SAMCEDA.
Annie Tsai has been a resident of San Mateo, CA since 2012 and prior to that grew up in Millbrae, CA (since 1986). She is a proud product of San Mateo County and the University of California's public education system (go Bears!), and today is Chief Operating Officer of software company Interact. In addition to supporting affordable housing expansion in the county, Annie invests her time in working towards education equity and representation in software - she is Board President of the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation where she leads strategic initiatives and partnerships and is on the Board of Techtonica, which partners with companies to sponsor socioeconomically disadvantaged women and non-binary individuals to receive free job-training and be hired as software developers. Annie has for several years advocated for affordable housing to enable socioeconomically diverse communities to continue to thrive in San Mateo County and would be honored to support the Board of Supervisors in continuing this work with the HCDC.
Laura oversees United Way Bay Area (UWBA) programs related to basic needs and emergency services in our community. She directly coordinates all aspects of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) and oversees Labor Community Services and the 211 program. For the past 29 years, she has managed the multimillion-dollar grant making portfolio in federal EFSP funding in eight Bay Area counties for approximately 125 food, shelter, and rental assistance agencies. Laura also acts as a liaison with the Santa Clara Emergency Assistance Network (EAN) and coordinates UWBA grants for disaster response and recovery work, such as COVID-19 and Wildfire Relief Funds. She currently serves on the San Mateo Housing and Community Development Committee which oversees the federal Community Development Block Grant and affordable housing funding; the San Mateo Community Action Agency Board which allocates State Community Services Block Grant funding (CSBG); and the Solano County Tri-Partite Board which also allocates CSBG funding. Laura began her 33-year career at UWBA in their Helpline Call Center as a Homelessness Prevention Specialist, helping families navigate food, shelter, and rental assistance resources in their local communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.