1. EDUCATION
2. WORKING FAMILIES
3. SAFETY
4. QUALITY OF LIFE
5. ENVIRONMENT
6. GOOD GOVERNMENT
   
   

2. WORKING FAMILIES

Working families are the backbone of our community, and Supervisor Church has worked hard to provide the affordable health care and housing that families need.

Helped Create New Legislation to Address the Child Care Crisis

As Co-Chair of the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, Supervisor Mark Church helped create new legislation (AB 1326) providing more affordable, quality child care spaces for needy working families.  The existing system was failing local families and providers with unrealistic financial limits. Supervisor Church worked with the child care community and State Senator Joe Simitian to develop legislation permitting limited waivers of specific state eligibility rules.  By testifying before the Assembly Committee on Human Services and the Senate Committee on Education and appearing before several editorial review boards, Supervisor Church helped secure passage of the bill, which not only increased child care slots but also brought financial relief to providers. 

Advocate of Healthy Kids Initiative

Supervisor Church was an early advocate of bringing the Healthy Kids initiative to San Mateo County. The Healthy Kids program now provides low-cost health insurance to more than 17,000 low- and middle-income county children, helping kids stay healthy, stay in school, and avoid chronic health problems later in life.

Supporter of Universal Health Care

Supervisor Church supports universal health care coverage for adults in San Mateo County. He voted to create the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Adult Health Care Coverage, which is charged with exploring ways to provide coverage for the county’s estimated 36,000 to 42,000 uninsured adults. He also voted to hire Health Management Associates, a nationally-recognized consultant, to assess and redesign the county’s healthcare delivery system.

Spearheaded the Creation of the County Housing Department

Supervisor Church led the effort to create a county Department of Housing, enabling the county to coordinate the efforts of local cities, developers, non-profits and community groups, with the goal of increasing the county’s stock of affordable housing.

Led the Effort to Build the Grand Oak Apartments

Supervisor Church led the effort to transform 1.15 acres of surplus county land into 43 units of affordable housing for seniors, the disabled and working families.

Helped Create and Fund the HEART Housing Trust

Supervisor Church voted to create and fund the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART). The HEART Trust, a joint partnership between government, business, and community organizations, has raised much-needed capital to build affordable workforce housing.

Helped create STEP Program (Summer Training and Employment Program) for Foster Youth

Supervisor Church initiated the Summer Training and Employment Program for Emancipated Foster Youth, in conjunction with the county Human Resources Department.  Using funding from the Federal Government, this program was developed as a pilot effort to employ foster youth as interns with the county during the summer months.  This successful pilot program may evolve into a full employment training program for Emancipated Foster Youth.

Launched the “Coast2Coast” Pharmaceutical Drug Discount Program

Supervisor Church partnered with Financial Marketing Concepts to introduce the Coast2Coast Rx card for San Mateo County residents.  With the high cost of prescription drugs, the Coast2Coast Rx card offers an opportunity for residents to receive some financial relief when purchasing prescription medicine.  The discount card is available to all residents at no cost regardless of income, age or health status.  Cardholders have saved an average of 38 percent on the cost of prescription drugs.