San Mateo County District 5 Supervisor Canepa July 2018 Report

Article Source: Supervisor David Canepa

July 2018 e-newsletter

County forgives $12.6M in juvenile hall fees

Dear Friends,

I’m pleased to announce the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution I co-sponsored to stop the collections of juvenile administrative and defense fees that forgives $12.6 million in debt for more than 6,000 families. The action the board took went beyond the requiremeints of Senate Bill 190 which went into effect Jan. 1. The law prohibits counties from assessing the fees going forward but San Mateo County decided to stop collecting the fees dating back nearly two decades.

Children were previously being charged $30 a day to pay for their own incarceration and between $220 to $319 each for a private defender. The San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission urged the board to take the action after Commissioner Susan Swope researched SB 190 and surveyed California’s 58 counties on the law’s implementation.

She discovered that black youth are 18.8 times more likely to be placed in detention than white youth and that Latino youth are 5.2 times more likely to be detained than white youth. I was particularly struck by the story of Daniel Casillas, who is a JJDPC commissioner and was formerly incarcerated as a youth. Casillas accumulated more than $20,000 in fees during his incarceration and paid back about $10,000. The debt still follows him around, however, limiting his ability to get credit or loans. Casillas, 21, took it upon himself to tell his story so that he may improve the lives of youth who are currently incarcerated.

As the liaison to the JJDPC and the Board of Supervisors, I partnered with Supervisor Dave Pine, Probation Chief John Keene and Revenue Services to pass this ordinance. No child should be forced to pay for their own incarceration that could impact their ability to pursue a simple life.

Click here to read Daniel Casillas’ story in the San Mateo Daily Journal.

Seton cuts ribbon on new Skilled-Nursing Unit
I was delighted to join officials from the Health Plan of San Mateo and Seton Medical Center to cut the ribbon on a brand new Skilled-Nursing Unit on the hospital’s Daly City Campus June 20. Our most vulnerable residents, our aging older population and individuals with disabilities are often overlooked.

County bans flavored tobacco products
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance I co-sponsored June 5 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes. The vote came the same day that San Francisco voters went to the polls and overwhelmingly approved a ban on such products. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and despite overall smoking prevalence having generally decreased since 2004, the use of menthol cigarettes actually increased over the same period of time.

There are more than 15,500 flavors of tobacco products on the market today with names like Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy and Vanilla Blast that are definitely marketed to children. Big Tobacco is desperate to lure new daily smokers and e-cigarettes with their thousands of flavors are the latest device to entice individuals into a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

The ordinance also bans all tobacco sales at pharmacies in unincorporated San Mateo County. I’d like to thank Edith Cabuslay and Shaunda Scruggs with the Health System and Kimberly Marlow with County Counsel for their hard work on this ordinance. I was glad to partner with Supervisor Carole Groom on this ordinance, who first urged the Federal Drug Administration by board resolution to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes back in 2011.

Philippines flag raising
The dream of a sovereign Philippine Republic was realized after a long and hard-fought victory over Spain on June 12, 1898.

It’s a day that lives in infamy for Filipinos around the world. To celebrate Filipino independence, I hosted a first-of-its-kind raising of the flag of the Phillipines at Courthouse Square in Redwood City to celebrate the nation’s 120thanniversary. Consul General of the Philippines Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. was the guest of honor as we were also joined by Sheriff Carlos Bolanos, supervisors Dave Pine and Carole Groom and others such as Redwood City Mayor Ian Bain and Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo. District 5 in San Mateo County has one of the largest populations of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Since thousands of Filipinos have embraced San Mateo County as their home – and for many, it is the only home they know – our community has flourished. I believe it is crucial to celebrate the Filipino heritage that has taken root and blossomed here and look forward to raising the flag next year.

Hike San Bruno Mountain
Join me and members of the San Mateo County Parks Department 9 a.m., Saturday, July 28 for a guided tour of San Bruno Mountain. We will meet at San Bruno Mountain Main Entrance at 555 Guadalupe Canyon Parkway. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. San Bruno Mountain is the nearest wilderness to the homes of over one million people with a native ecosystem unique to the area. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Michael Richardson at mrichardson@smcgov.org or call (650) 363-4247.

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In friendship,

/s/ David Canepa

Bill Silverfarb

Legislative Aide

Office of Supervisor David J. Canepa

County Government Center

400 County Center, 1st Floor | Redwood City, CA 94063

Direct: (650) 363-4042 | Fax: (650) 363-1916 | bsilverfarb@smcgov.org