Spectrum June 2013 Issue - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood ...

As I Was
Saying… Publisher
| Steve Penna
I, like many residents of San Mateo County, was
not in favor of changing the election process for
the county supervisor seats from “at large” to
districts. Voters approved that change last year
and, since then, sitting supervisors have been
concentrating more on the cities and areas within
their boundaries.
The main argument to wanting “at large” seats
was that supervisors voting on issues outside of
their represented area should be held accountable
by voters if they are making decisions for all
districts. They still vote that way today although
elected now by individual districts. I hope that is
not too confusing.
Anyway, for those of us who are passionate
about and have been waiting for a county
supervisor to pay some much-needed attention
to the North Fair Oaks (NFO) unincorporated
area of Redwood City, this change has now been
welcomed as Supervisor Warren Slocum is
making an attempt to focus on the neighborhood I
was born and raised in.
Now, I am not saying that Slocum holding
regular community meetings, cleanup days or
glorified festivals is a large step forward, but it
is a step nonetheless and it should be noticed and
acknowledged. But let’s take it a step further and
not just concentrate on all the touchy-feely good
stuff that gets those doing it mentioned in media
outlets. Let’s get to work!
I always get a real laugh from all the elected
officials and wannabes who attend the NFO
Community Festival in the summer, where they
try to act like they are supportive and a part of
the neighborhood when you know that is the only
time you will see them in that neighborhood. It
is absolutely embarrassing for me to watch them
pretend that they care when, in reality, they attend
that event to create the illusion that they do. It is
actually pathetic and is one of the reasons that the
neighborhood continues to cope with the existing
problems they have. The ones who can really help
don’t spend any time there.
There are some unique issues facing that
neighborhood, and we should all be concerned
and get involved with them because we interact
with each other on a daily basis. I would bet
most of you probably don’t even realize that our
community is split and represented by different
governmental agencies. Let me try to break it
down in simple terms.
Incorporated areas of Redwood City are
represented by our City Council and served by
the Redwood City Police and Fire departments,
water districts, Parks and Recreation Department
and so on. Unincorporated areas are represented
by county supervisors, the county Sheriff’s
Office, county fire services and so on. The areas
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of Redwood City that are unincorporated are the
NFO and Emerald Hills neighborhoods. Got it?
So if you live in the incorporated area and your
local tax dollars stay there and vice versa, why
should we care about “them”? Well, let me give
you a few reasons. In many areas of our city, one
side of the street is incorporated and the other
is not. That alone should be enough. But if that
is not, here are a few others. 1) Students in both
areas go to some of the same schools. 2) Crime
control information is shared and the involved
agencies work together to reduce and control it. 3) We
share garbage and recycling services and therefore
the same concerns and pricing. I could give a few
more examples, but I think you get the idea that
we are neighbors regardless of boundaries. We
need to communicate and need to interact.
The NFO Community Center location
on Middlefield is a prime example. Part of
the property is unincorporated and part is
incorporated. But they work together to provide
services like the senior center and the library.
So what do we need to concentrate on or give
some attention to? Well, I am no expert, but I do
keep track of activity in my old neighborhood by
shopping there, volunteering there and visiting
friends and associates who live there. The issues
in that neighborhood are more societal than
anything else, and those types of issues are hard
to work on. I mean, the federal government
cannot even do that. But we must try.
I was impressed to read a statement from
Slocum that captured the neighborhood: “I have
come to learn, however, that in many ways there
are two San Mateo Counties. One is punctuated
by wealth, software and biotechnology. The other
is a place where 40 percent of third-graders don’t
read at grade level, 67,000 adults don’t have health
insurance, 180,000 are without dental insurance
and more than 50,000 cannot afford necessary
medications. The percent of families living in
poverty has increased significantly countywide,
and there is an area between Atherton and central
Redwood City where more than 20 percent of the
people live in poverty. Government policies that
shape our work, families and lives could be better,
and we all know it. We also know that government
can be more efficient, more responsive and cost
less, and I made it my personal responsibility to
do just that during my time in office. I like nothing
better than rolling up my sleeves, tackling problems
one by one and making things work better,”
Slocum stated.
Low-income families are among the biggest
issues facing that area, and those are the issues
that need attention. I sometimes wonder who is
actually supposed to feel good after the cleanup
days, outside office hours and coffee-with-cops
type outreach? But gathering information is a
vital first step and what those types of activities
are supposed to foster.
Someone once told me that “most of us are
just a paycheck or two away from poverty.” That
has always stuck in my mind and is probably the
reason I buy the special things I like in bulk. That
way, if I can’t afford it next month, I have it.
So how do Slocum and others like him address
those issues? It sounds clichéd, but it is most
definitely “thinking outside the box.” Knowing
your community and the existing problems and
developing new ways of addressing them is key.
All you need to do is look at the violence in East
Palo Alto and realize that they need someone to
“think outside the box” and try something different.
In fact, the Sheriff’s Office or some other law
enforcement agency needs to intervene there
to assist as they had to do a decade or so ago to
reduce the crime and killings that have exploded
again recently. How many lives have been lost
because of the lack of leadership in finding
solutions? That is something a county supervisor
might want to take on. In fact, one of the current
supervisors, Don Horsley, was county sheriff
when they had to assist back then and might be
the one to lead the effort now.
As you may remember, cursed by a flourishing
drug trade and violent gang wars, East Palo Alto
recorded the highest murder rate in the nation
during 1992. A partnership of sorts with the Sheriff’s
Office quickly reduced crime and the murder rate.
At that time, that was “thinking outside the box.”
Slocum’s approach in part seems to be gathering
information, and he is doing quite well at that.
Every Wednesday, he holds weekly evening office
hours in NFO. Residents are encouraged to drop
in and share their concerns. The hours are from 5
p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fair Oaks Community Center
at 2600 Middlefield Road in Redwood City. In
response, he is getting interest.
He also has a great communicator of information
in his own home. His wife, Maria Diaz-Slocum,
attended Hoover School in the NFO area and
graduated from Sequoia High School. She currently
works at the NFO library and serves on the board
of trustees for the Redwood City School District.
She has years of knowledge to share.
Recently the “Be Seen Keepin’ It Clean” cleanup event
in NFO attracted over 225 residents volunteering
to help in the effort. The neighborhood is better off
because of this collaborative effort with the North
Fair Oaks council.
The CityTrees organization is currently working
with Slocum to try to get a tree pruning and
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