Issue Archive
Older, resolved, or archived civic issues. Sorted by most recent activity first.
VLF Revenue Shortfall & Long-Term Fiscal Health • Featured
active • Budget Priorities
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: Jun 1, 2026
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 lea…
SB 79 & Transit-Oriented Development Pressure • Featured
active • Housing
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: Jun 1, 2026
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 Calt…
District Elections — A New Democratic Era Begins • Featured
active • Elections & Civic Process
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: Jun 1, 2026
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 finalized…
Sea Level Rise — The Levee Is Done, But the Work Is Not • Featured
active • Stormwater & Flooding
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: Jun 1, 2026
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 Floodpla…
4% of the Way to a Mandatory Goal • Featured
active • Housing
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: Jun 1, 2026
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 st…
Sheriff's Office Aftermath — Rebuilding Accountability & Trust • Featured
active • Police Accountability
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: May 24, 2026
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 • Featured
active • Budget Priorities
Created by CivicCause
Last activity: May 24, 2026
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 red…