San Mateo County, CA

 
 

The County of San Mateo has long recognized the economic, social and cultural value that immigrants bring to our community. One in three San Mateo County residents is an immigrant! We are proud to have been recognized as a Welcoming County since 2018. As a division of the County Executive Office, the Office of Community Affairs, or OCA, is the first stop for foreign-born residents. OCA is in touch with all of the services and resources available to our valued immigrant community. We have developed a variety of programs and resources to foster inclusivity, connectedness and equity for immigrants in San Mateo County. Some of our current programs and initiatives include:

  • Language Access: Facilitate equitable access to resources and services for residents, by working with County departments to provide spoken interpretation, written translation and universal signage in over 200 unique languages.

  • Immigrant Inclusion Strategic Plan: Develop a strategic plan for fair and equitable inclusion of all residents, which is essential to growing a strong economy and building vibrant and resilient communities.

  • Civic Engagement: Work to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and develop the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference.

  • Community Engagement: Lead a multi-departmental committee to ensure all county employees share a baseline understanding of community engagement by developing a readiness toolkit and training across County departments with a focus on advancing equity in process and outcomes.

  • Business Engagement: Support and promote economic prosperity by providing a value-added set of strategies, activities and partnerships for the needs of businesses.

  • Communication and Outreach Toolkits: Create toolkits providing information and resources to help identify target populations for outreach and develop action-oriented messaging tailored to specific audiences that will help engage communities in outreach efforts.

  • Special Projects: Assist with outreach and engagement on the following projects, such as

    • Choose Local SMC

    • Emergency Rental Assistance Program

    • COVID-19 Outreach and Education

    • Illegal Dumping / Beautification Projects

    • Middlefield Road Improvement Project

    • North Fair Oaks Community Council

    • County Housing Element Update Planning (2023-2031)

    • Equity Initiatives

    • County Redistricting