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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.

Part of the San Mateo County network. View county hub.
Foster City civic mark
Daily Summary
2026-06-08

Foster City Agenda Highlights City Council Regular Meeting

Upcoming published agendas for Foster City City Council include City Council Regular Meeting. This summary is based on published agenda items and meeting materials, not confirmed meeting outcomes.

The council also has a city council regular meeting listed for June 15. Residents can review the meeting page and agenda materials to track what the council is scheduled to consider next.

Meeting: Foster City City Council • City Council Regular Meeting

Top Issues in Foster City

All tracked issues

Priority issue threads currently being tracked across meetings, agencies, and public records.

VLF Revenue Shortfall & Long-Term Fiscal Health
active
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
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
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
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
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…

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Elections

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Upcoming Civic Activity

Organizations
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Upcoming meetings

Full calendar
City Council Regular Meeting
6/15/2026 • 6:30 PM
Foster City City Council
UpcomingAgenda available
15-ACRES PT – PHASE B (THE TRITON WAVERLY COVE) 2015 The Triton – 220 apartments and 5,000 sf ground floor commercial and 20 townhouses at Waverly Cove 2018 PT – PHASE C…

Recent meetings with summaries

Meeting archive
City Council Regular Meeting
6/1/2026 • 6:30 PM
Foster City City Council
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened City Council Regular Meeting's 2026-06-01 meeting centered on A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Foster City, California, Establishing the Property Tax Rate for... and A Resolution of the City…
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

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Budget preview

Foster City budget preview

FY 2025-26 final/adopted baseline with FY 2026-27 preliminary comparison
View sources

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