The Coalition for a Safer San Mateo County

The Coalition is made up of more than 30 local community organizations that support strong, independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office. Faith groups, political and justice organizations, and civil rights advocates are represented. Fixin’ San Mateo County is a member of this coalition.

The Coalition meets the second Tuesday of every month by Zoom. If your organization would like to join the Coalition, or for more information, please email info@fixinsmc.org.

Coalition Members

On September 12, 2023, the Coalition submitted the following letter to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors:

Honorable President Pine, Vice President Slocum, and Supervisors Canepa, Corzo, and Mueller:

We, the undersigned, are sending you this letter on behalf of our below named community organizations. We represent organizations all over the county with an estimated 5,000 members among them, which are involved in civil rights, faith-based social justice, anti-racism, immigrant rights, and more.

We support the creation of an independent civilian oversight board and an Inspector General’s Office with oversight of the County Sheriff’s Office. Each of our organizations has officially voted to endorse oversight on behalf of its membership, including Fixin’ San Mateo County, which helped bring our various groups together for this important cause. We join together in calling upon the County Board of Supervisors to pass a strong ordinance for civilian oversight as soon as possible. 

Thank you for your leadership and support for oversight, allowing San Mateo County to be on the right side of history.  

Signed,

  • Allyssa Victory, ACLU Northern California
  • Jason Miles, ACLU Mid-Peninsula Chapter
  • Beth von Emster, ACLU North Peninsula Chapter
  • Kristi Iverson, Action Council of the UU Church of Palo Alto
  • Trena Patton, Adam Wantz, and Michyle LaPedis, Belmont Neighbors Against Racism
  • Stacy McCarthy, Coastside Families Taking Action
  • Dee Nelson, Center for Common Ground/Peninsula-South Bay Chapter
  • Adriana Guzman, Faith in Action Bay Area
  • Jim Lawrence, Chair, Fixin’ San Mateo County
  • Martha Ortega, President, Fools Mission
  • Bill Stewart, Chair, Foster City Association of Black Residents   
  • Katie Hiester, Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)
  • Becca Kieler, Co-founder, In Our Care
  • Reverend Michael Cronin, Island United Church
  • Lynnette Vega and Sue Henkins-Haas, La Honda Indivisible
  • Reverend Lorrie Owens, President, NAACP San Mateo
  • Lorri Holzberg, Peninsula Democratic Coalition
  • Reverend Penny Nixon and Pastor Marlyn Bussey, Peninsula Solidarity Cohort
  • Rita Mancera, Executive Director, Puente de la Costa Sur
  • Gail Sredanovic, Raging Grannies Action League
  • Kalimah Salahuddin, REACH Coalition of San Mateo County
  • Clara Jaeckel, Redwood City for Racial Equity
  • Paul Bocanegra, Co-founder, ReEvolution
  • Diane Leeds, Facilitator, San Francisco Peninsula People Power
  • Sarah Lee, San Mateo County Coalition for Immigrant Rights
  • Susan Raye, San Mateo County Democracy for America
  • Karen Maki, Chair, San Mateo County Democratic Party
  • Victoria Sanchez de Alba, Chair and April Vargas, Vice-chair, SMC Dems Farmworker Affairs Committee
  • Lígia Andráde Zúñiga, President, San Mateo County LatinX Democratic Club
  • Shara Watkins, San Mateo County Law Enforcement Accountability Group
  • Sister Joan Marie O’Donnell, Sisters of Mercy Solidarity Committee
  • Reverend Brian Ferguson, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City
  • Debra Leschyn, Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo Anti-Racism Committee
  • Reverend Katie Goetz, Woodside United Methodist Church