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Foster City

Foster City is a city of 34,000 built entirely on reclaimed baylands along San Mateo County's eastern shore — a master-planned community developed from scratch in the 1960s on a former island, governed by a five-member Council, known for its lagoon system and exceptional fiscal stability.

CivicCause organizes issues, meetings, elections, and public activity around Foster City so you can see what is happening locally and how it connects to broader county decisions.

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Foster City civic mark
Daily Summary
2026-09-08

Foster City City Council has an upcoming meeting on 2026-07-06

The Foster City City Council had a scheduled regular meeting on July 6, 2026, which was cancelled. This cancellation means no city council decisions or discussions took place on that date, leaving the agenda items for that session unaddressed.

Looking ahead, the City Council is set to meet again on July 20, 2026, providing the next opportunity for local governance and public input. Residents should also be aware of ongoing city issues such as the transition to district-based elections starting in November 2026, pressures from the new state transit-oriented housing law SB 79 despite Foster City lacking a Caltrain station, and the city's challenges meeting its housing production goals under the current RHNA cycle. These topics remain important for future council discussions and community engagement.

Meeting: Foster City City Council • City Council Regular Meeting - CancelledMeeting: Foster City City Council • City Council Regular Meeting
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Priority issue threads currently visible across meetings, agencies, organizations, and public records.

VLF Revenue Shortfall & Long-Term Fiscal Health
active
Created by CivicCause
Like every city in San Mateo County, Foster City is squeezed by the countywide vehicle license fee (VLF) replacement revenue shortfall that is draining millions from local general funds annually. Foster City's general fund is relatively le…
SB 79 & Transit-Oriented Development Pressure
active
Created by CivicCause
Foster City faces a new pressure from SB 79 — the state's transit-oriented housing law taking effect July 1, 2026 — despite not having a Caltrain station of its own. The city is served by SamTrans bus routes connecting to the Hillsdale Cal…
District Elections — A New Democratic Era Begins
active
Created by CivicCause
Foster City is making a historic governance transition in 2026 — its first-ever district-based elections after decades of at-large Council seats. At a public hearing on December 2, 2025, the City Council adopted a district map and finalize…
Sea Level Rise — The Levee Is Done, But the Work Is Not
active
Created by CivicCause
Foster City completed the largest public works project in its history in February 2024 — a multi-year levee improvement program that is already earning national recognition. The Levee Improvements Project has been recognized by the Floodpl…
4% of the Way to a Mandatory Goal
active
Created by CivicCause
Foster City is in a housing production emergency. Two years into the 2023–2031 RHNA cycle, Foster City has completed just 73 of the 1,896 homes it is required to plan for and has approved only 38 new units — roughly 3 to 4 percent of its s…

Civic Activity

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Elections

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11/3/2026 November 3, 2026 California General Election
Candidate races
Member, City Council, District 1
Measures
San Mateo County Charter Amendment Measure – Affirmation of RightsSan Mateo County Charter Amendment Measure – Extension to Call a Special Election or AppointSan Mateo County Charter Amendment Measure – Extreme Weather EventsSan Mateo County Charter Amendment Measure – Reapportionment of Supervisorial DistrictsACA 20: Save for California's Future Act

Upcoming meetings

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Recent meetings with summaries

Meeting archive
City Council Regular Meeting
6/15/2026 • 6:30 PM
Foster City City Council
RecentSummary availableAgenda available
What's Scheduled City Council Regular Meeting's 2026-06-15 agenda is scheduled to focus on City Council Regular Meeting. This is an agenda-derived preview, so it describes scheduled topics and proposed actions rather th…
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…

Recent news

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Budget preview

Foster City budget preview

FY 2025-26 final/adopted baseline with FY 2026-27 preliminary comparison
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Foster City's FY 2025-26 final budget covers the City of Foster City and the Estero Municipal Improvement District. The all-funds view includes enterprise activity such as water and wastewater, so it should not be read as simple city operating spending.

All-funds budget / requirements
FY 2025-26 final/adopted
$219.7M
FY 2026-27 preliminary/proposed
$168.4M
Lower all-funds requirements are mainly tied to enterprise/wastewater timing, not a simple service cut.
General Fund operating expenditures
FY 2025-26 final/adopted
$64.9M
FY 2026-27 preliminary/proposed
$69.7M
General Fund operating expenditures increase in the preliminary budget.

FY 2025-26 is the final/adopted baseline. FY 2026-27 is preliminary/proposed and should not be described as adopted until a later adopted source is reviewed.

Sources: FY 2025-2026 Final Budget · FY 2026-27 / FY 2027-28 Preliminary Budget