Fixin’ San Mateo County (FxSMC) is happy to announce the receipt of a grant from the Grove Action Fund to help with operating expenses and community outreach. The Grove Action Fund, affiliated with the Grove Foundation, is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that provides financial support for organizations involved in advocacy work, consistent with the mission of the Grove Foundation. FxSMC Board Chair Jim Lawrence says, “We are grateful for the Grove Action Fund’s commitment to independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office.”
The grant from the Grove Action Fund capped a great week. The highlight was the Fixin’ SMC summer celebration at the Half Moon Bay Brewery, attended by more than 60 people. The associated auction raised more than $2,500. The celebration was co-sponsored by Abundant Grace, Puente de la Costa Sur, Coastside Families Taking Action, La Honda Indivisible, and The San Mateo County Democratic Party Farmworker Affairs Committee, along with Half Moon Bay Mayor Deborah Penrose, Vice Mayor Joaquin Jimenez, and Councilmembers Debbie Ruddock, Harvey Rarback, and Robert Brownstone.
FxSMC is endorsed by 50 local elected officials, five city councils of East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Portola Valley, Redwood City, and San Mateo, and the North Fair Oaks Community Council, which together represent ⅓ of the county population, as well as by a coalition of 28 community organizations. In September 2022, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create a subcommittee to research oversight models, and in November voted to move ahead with an ordinance that would incorporate both the civilian board and Inspector General that Fixin’ SMC had recommended. The County shares Fixin’s expectation to have an ordinance in place by year’s end, to be operational in 2024.