CivicCause
Sign in

San Mateo County

CivicCause now covers the San Mateo County municipal network, helping residents follow meetings, budgets, leaders, issues, and organizations across the county.

Use this county hub to move between city pages, countywide meetings, regional agencies, and local civic updates without losing the neighborhood context.

San Mateo County civic mark

City Hubs

Local civic coverage by city
Live now
Atherton
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Belmont
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Brisbane
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Burlingame
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Colma
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Daly City
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
East Palo Alto
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Foster City
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Half Moon Bay
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Hillsborough
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Menlo Park
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Millbrae
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Pacifica
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Portola Valley
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Redwood City
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
San Bruno
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
San Carlos
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
San Mateo
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
South San Francisco
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Live now
Woodside
Open this city’s civic homepage.
Daily Summary
2026-08-15

Coach arrested for alleged sex with former student in Half Moon Bay

A coach and teacher with Cabrillo Unified School District in Half Moon Bay was arrested on allegations of child sex crimes involving a former student from 18 years ago. Paul A. Farnsworth, 61, was taken into custody by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which is encouraging other potential victims to come forward. This case has drawn attention across multiple local news outlets including Bay City News, KRON4, and Coastside Buzz.

Separately, a Foster City woman who was named San Mateo County’s 2008 Woman of the Year was sentenced to six months in county jail for embezzling over $800,000 from StarVista, a local mental health nonprofit. Residents following county governance and public safety issues should watch for any further announcements from the Sheriff’s Office regarding support for victims and updates on the investigation. There are no upcoming county meetings directly tied to these cases at this time.

News: Coach arrested for alleged sex with former student in Half Moon BayNews: Coach and Teacher with Cabrillo Unified School District Arrested for 2008 Sex Crimes Involving a Former Student; Sherif…News: Half Moon Bay coach, teacher accused of child sex crimesNews: San Mateo County’s 2008 Woman of the Year sentenced to jail for embezzling from nonprofit
Read previous published Daily Briefs for this city.
Browse Daily Brief Archive →

Civic Signals

Updated daily

Highest Activity

Biggest Movers

Top Issues in San Mateo County

All issues

Priority issue threads currently visible across meetings, agencies, organizations, and public records.

Sheriff's Office Aftermath — Rebuilding Accountability & Trust
active
Created by CivicCause
San Mateo County is still working through the fallout of one of the most dramatic law enforcement governance crises in the Bay Area in recent memory. In May 2025, an independent investigation found evidence of conflicts of interest, misuse…
The VLF Funding Crisis — A $157 Million Injustice
active
Created by CivicCause
San Mateo County is fighting one of the most consequential — and least publicized — fiscal injustices in California. The dispute centers on "in-lieu VLF" replacement funding that counties and cities receive tied to a vehicle license fee re…

Civic Activity

View All Civic Activity

Recent chronological updates from civic sources connected to San Mateo County.

Elections

Explore elections
11/3/2026 November 3, 2026 California General Election
Candidate races
No candidate races loaded yet.
Measures
ACA 20: Save for California's Future ActACA 22: Local taxes: limitationAuthorizes bonds for immunology researchCreates loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homesEstablishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements

Upcoming meetings

View all meetings
No upcoming meetings in the next two weeks.

Recent meetings with summaries

Meeting archive
Treatment Plant Advisory Committee
7/9/2026 • 4:00 PM
Treatment Plant Advisory Committee
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What's Scheduled Treatment Plant Advisory Committee's 2026-07-09 agenda is scheduled to focus on Treatment Plant Advisory Committee. This is an agenda-derived preview, so it describes scheduled topics and proposed actio…
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
7/7/2026 • 9:00 AM
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened AC Transit Board of Directors' 2026-05-13 meeting centered on Consider receiving a report on the FY 2026-27 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets and provide direction to staff... and Consider authorizing…
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
7/2/2026 • 9:00 AM
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened AC Transit Board of Directors' 2026-03-11 meeting centered on Consider approving amendments to Board Policy 211 - Lactation Accommodation Policy. Staff Contact: James Arcellana,... and Consider receiving a…
Treatment Plant Advisory Committee
6/11/2026 • 4:00 PM
Treatment Plant Advisory Committee
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What's Scheduled Treatment Plant Advisory Committee's 2026-06-11 agenda is scheduled to focus on Treatment Plant Advisory Committee. This is an agenda-derived preview, so it describes scheduled topics and proposed actio…
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
6/9/2026 • 9:00 AM
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What's Scheduled San Mateo County Board of Supervisors's 2026-06-09 agenda is scheduled to cover 26-436 Acting as the Governing Board of County Service Area No. 8, conduct a public hearing: A) Open public hearing B)...,…

Recent news

Former San Mateo County nonprofit employee sentenced to six months in jail for laundering $800,000 - The Mercury News
Google Pacifica • 2026-08-15
Former San Mateo County nonprofit employee sentenced to six months in jail for laundering $800,000 The Mercury News
Redwood City to let Flock Safety contract expire over automatic license plate readers concerns - San Mateo Daily Journal
Google East Palo Alto • 2026-08-15
Redwood City to let Flock Safety contract expire over automatic license plate readers concerns San Mateo Daily Journal
San Mateo County police reports: Aug. 15, 2026 - smdailyjournal.com
Google Redwood City • 2026-08-15
San Mateo County police reports: Aug. 15, 2026 smdailyjournal.com
San Mateo County's 2008 Woman of the Year sentenced to jail for embezzling from nonprofit - Local News Matters
Google Half Moon Bay • 2026-08-15
San Mateo County's 2008 Woman of the Year sentenced to jail for embezzling from nonprofit Local News Matters
San Mateo County’s 2008 Woman of the Year sentenced to jail for embezzling from nonprofit
Bay City News / Local News Matters • 2026-08-15
A Foster City woman has been sentenced to six months in county jail for embezzling $813,000 from StarVista, the San Mateo County mental health care nonprofit she formerly worked for, prosec…
Coach arrested for alleged sex with former student in Half Moon Bay
Bay City News / Local News Matters • 2026-08-15
A former student in the Cabrillo Unified School District has accused her former coach of sexually assaulting her 18 years ago, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. Paul A. Farnswo…
San Mateo Co.: Countys 2008 Woman Of The Year Sentenced To Jail For Embezzling From Nonprofit - SFGATE
Google San Mateo • 2026-08-15
San Mateo Co.: Countys 2008 Woman Of The Year Sentenced To Jail For Embezzling From Nonprofit SFGATE
San Mateo County death notices — Aug. 13 to Aug. 14, 2026 - San Mateo Daily Journal
Google San Mateo • 2026-08-15
San Mateo County death notices — Aug. 13 to Aug. 14, 2026 San Mateo Daily Journal

Budget Snapshot

Current budget status for this county.
County of San Mateo FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget
FY 2026-27 recommended budget
Recommended budget posted/submitted: May 22, 2026
Budget hearing: June 9, 2026
Final adoption deadline: No later than October 2, 2026
This San Mateo County comparison is prepared for the FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget. FY 2026-27 values are recommended/proposed, not adopted. Spending by function remains unavailable until a matching source-grounded table is confirmed.