[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6578077,"mediaKeyId","3076519-34e9d8fb595964db1bf562129bfa5f88","parentId",3076519,"title","San Mateo council approves consent calendar, funds bike‑ped project; staff to pursue train quiet‑zone planning","audioSeconds",584,"startMs",2696000,"endMs",3280000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3076519-34e9d8fb595964db1bf562129bfa5f88&start=2696&end=3280","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3076519-34e9d8fb595964db1bf562129bfa5f88/thumbnail_2696000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6578077/San-Mateo-City/San-Mateo-County/California/San-Mateo-council-approves-consent-calendar-funds-bikeped-project-staff-to-pursue-train-quietzone-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578077-c9628c40b2249605f69d70fcaa8354c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141133&Signature=BPkjieH6-WutKcrddFeMr3H3x3Dtfk4Fe1IMXJmBL3~jXKRXi-UKcTqH6PtdUmduIpehSQhvYVnk3LxqVBl6o7uLHKfvHP0bMLrrjKi4tt409-kIQbUDy8twCpRKRg3y~k085Sz4bRv5ryBfC8~egTQcs-6nrcOecsqJoQYbc4pElkX6k1DqAvKd0UBxPzQbLnCUzWklR5PBl~FTdoHlFTj316eIogJyX2tnks5DFGxPGxYtHJNb0mG7H0dqA66gwXUZkv-E5~HYyMMp13rl-eQANkw93tzKKhShOosh-e~IrhmEXuHGA7jHl03OqqvA6ckGXgsXBjdLXc2pWRrOAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CityOfSanMateo","date","2025-04-22T06:21:51.503Z","article","The San Mateo City Council on Monday approved its consent calendar by unanimous vote, including funding for a Hillsdale Caltrain Station bicycle‑access gap closure project after brief council questions and public comment focused on Caltrain horn noise and local bike‑lane plans.

The council approved consent calendar items 2, 3 and 5–9 in a single motion, and after additional discussion took item 4 (Hillsdale Caltrain Station bicycle access gap closure) separately. The clerk recorded a 5–0 roll call for both the omnibus motion and the separate vote on item 4 (Deputy Mayor Lorraine; Council members Fernandez, Diaz Nash and Svirko Gaditsky; Mayor Rob Newsom all voting yes).

Public comment and city response

Several speakers urged the council to shift funds or accelerate work on a Caltrain quiet zone. One in‑chamber commenter said “that $300,000 will be better spent towards the grade separation projects that are desperately needed for pedestrian, train, and car safety, and also the noise pollution in San Mateo.” Another caller from the Sunnybrae area described recurring horn noise and asked the council to press Caltrain and federal regulators for broader quiet‑zone relief.

City Manager A. Kojikens told the council the item on the consent calendar was “specifically for the bike‑ped project itself here. It’s not for the train quiet‑zone noise initiative,” and that staff will return in August with the next steps for the quiet‑zone project. The quiet‑zone work under discussion covers six at‑grade crossings north of Hayward Park station and the station’s pedestrian grade crossing; city staff said implementation would include about a year of construction if council decides to proceed.

Councilmembers asked whether the consent‑calendar funds are flexible. City staff said a portion of the project budget (staff cited roughly $140,000 for a Peninsula off‑ramp connection) could be reallocated to other transportation projects, but that the current item is intended to complete design and connectivity work between Delaware, 28th Avenue, El Camino and Hillsdale Station. Public Works Director Matt Fabry stated the project “would not take away lane travel” under 28th Avenue based on current design.

Other public comments at the meeting addressed local matters including Golf Course VIP reservation rules at Poplar Creek; Parks & Recreation staff said they will review the VIP program and return with updates.

Votes at a glance

- Consent calendar (items 2, 3, 5–9): approved 5–0 (Deputy Mayor Lorraine; Council members Fernandez, Diaz Nash, Svirko Gaditsky; Mayor Rob Newsom).
- Item 4, Hillsdale Caltrain Station bicycle access gap closure project agreement: approved 5–0 after council discussion and public comment.

Why this matters

The Hillsdale bicycle‑access project focuses on connectivity to a major transit station and is part of the city’s active‑transportation program. The council’s direction to return in August on a broader train quiet‑zone plan signals follow‑up work that could reduce recurring horn noise at at‑grade crossings if the city chooses to proceed and secure necessary approvals from Caltrain and federal regulators.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article appear in the council record for the consent calendar item and the meeting’s general public comment period. The votes on the consent calendar and item 4 were recorded by roll call.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Regular Meeting 4/21/25","oneSentenceSummary","The City Council on Monday approved the consent calendar 5–0, including a Hillsdale Caltrain Station bicycle access project. Council and public commenters also pressed staff on a Caltrain horn 'quiet zone'; city staff said a broader quiet‑zone plan will return in August.","taxTitle","San Mateo City, San Mateo County, California","taxId",3865,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6578081,"San Mateo council directs staff to draft tenant-protection measures, defers rental registry",11688,3962000,15650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3076519-34e9d8fb595964db1bf562129bfa5f88&start=3962&end=15650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3076519-34e9d8fb595964db1bf562129bfa5f88/thumbnail_3962000.jpg","/articles/6578081/San-Mateo-City/San-Mateo-County/California/San-Mateo-council-directs-staff-to-draft-tenant-protection-measures-defers-rental-registry","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6578081-fbef02f7a7b2a9f4c50ebee4af7c28e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141133&Signature=jC1DDHLMogqDDbVRdT0lvsRa9djfbum43qRlyQFxKR9Hlqijxu4SFMhhXsTXhgU7jSikU--An1JQR6DU-PcJlqe3G4oIcWPQbXt7YMX8o2DqgZJx0FGLCImDWS-DhBlfRcB4mGgcBcQPYc-wfhlSo0bg-Wl6ahOmx82KlK-PXWYFBIhXMewh18KjWMDaTtsh6Sb4lIoiFl0G0A5ZaM2lYu3jBRB0-FKt7aZqOjwEoI4ExAelwN~SBE0E8JELlgCdWX8sQHSH1Rwy1hk59Ub4JZbGE8IqPDMso2rDkOPDiMfeEMc263gC6iPEfMXPw5dl6ccFL~yAxUdaLYsXwdNhVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The San Mateo City Council on Monday directed staff to draft ordinances implementing portions of the city’s certified 2023–2031 housing element aimed at protecting tenants from displacement, while declining to adopt a citywide rental registry at this time.

The direction came after a staff presentation by Rachel Horst, housing and neighborhood services manager, and Jennifer Mora, housing specialist, a multi-hour public comment period and council discussion during a study-session item on housing element implementation and anti-displacement measures.

Staff framed the discussion around several housing-element commitments: expanding relocation assistance, a right-to-return following demolition or substantial remodels, strengthening enforcement for tenants displaced by unsafe or substandard housing, and researching options for a rental registry to better track rents and evictions. Horst told the council that “rent control is not 1 of those considerations this evening.”

Public commenters and organized groups were split. Representatives of the Our Home San Mateo coalition, the Housing Leadership Council and faith-based groups urged stronger tenant protections; Theresa Gebler said the community “really cares about renters issues.” Trade and landlord groups, including the California Apartment Association and the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, warned that additional regulation could increase costs for small “mom-and-pop” owners and reduce housing supply; Mitch Spiegel of the Realtors group said, “Supply solves this issue, Only supply.”

Council directions and next steps

- Relocation assistance: Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance extending relocation protections described in the housing element to tenants with tenure under 12 months, with the council’s working threshold set at 11 months. At the meeting the mayor summarized a majority direction to bring back an ordinance with that threshold. At the same time councilmembers signaled different views about the immediate dollar amount; the mayor noted a working summary that initial implementation would proceed with one month of relocation assistance while staff prepares ordinance language and impact analysis and returns to council.

- Right to return after substantial remodel/demolition: Council members agreed staff should include a notice-and-right-to-apply provision for tenants displaced by demolition or substantial rehab; the council requested the right to return be implemented at the re‑let (post‑rehab) market rate rather than holding the returning tenant to the pre‑displacement rent.

- Enforcement and temporary relocation payments: Council asked staff to strengthen the city’s enforcement and penalty structure for code‑enforcement displacements and to explore calculating temporary relocation payments using actual costs for up to 90 days rather than tying payments strictly to HUD fair‑market rent formulas.

- Rental registry: A majority of the council declined to adopt a citywide rental registry at this time, directing staff instead to refine and use existing data sources (business license records, commercial rental databases and regional data partnerships) and to return in roughly one year with a reassessment. Staff noted examples and costs from other Bay Area cities and cautioned that setup and staffing costs vary widely.

- Emergency rental assistance and priorities: Council directed staff to return with a proposal for an emergency rental‑assistance program (staff identified potential funding sources including the affordable housing fund and an initial budget figure in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars for study and administration). Councilmembers also asked staff to prioritize education/outreach to tenants and landlords and to explore a hearing‑officer model for disputes related to unsafe/substandard housing enforcement.

No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; the item was a study session and the council’s decisions functioned as direction to staff to draft ordinance language, cost estimates and an implementation plan for return to council. Council members said they expect staff to return with ordinance language and budget information and to report back within a year on initial outcomes.

Why this matters

San Mateo’s housing element commits the city to anti‑displacement measures as it meets regional housing goals. Council direction to draft specific code language and to pursue emergency assistance and stronger enforcement represents the city’s next step from policy toward actionable rules and programs. At the same time, the council’s decision to pause on a rental registry reflects council concern about start‑up costs and staffing burdens and a preference to pursue lower‑cost data options in the short term.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are those who took part in the discussion and public comment at the study session. The council’s direction was not a final legislative action; ordinances implementing the agreed changes will return to the council for formal consideration and vote.","After a lengthy study session and more than an hour of public comment, the City Council instructed staff to draft ordinances implementing parts of the certified housing element aimed at reducing displacement, directed work on emergency rental assistance and enforcement changes, and decided against creating a citywide rent registry for now.","actionData","errors"]

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San Mateo council approves consent calendar, funds bike‑ped project; staff to pursue train quiet‑zone planning

San Mateo council directs staff to draft tenant-protection measures, defers rental registry