THE COMMUNITY
The City of San Mateo (pop. 104,490) is the second largest municipality in San Mateo County located in the central Bay Area on the San Francisco Peninsula. It covers 14.6 square miles, including 3.87 miles of tidelands, from the San Francisco Bay to the east and a range of coast mountains to the west. This culturally and economically diverse community offers an extraordinary quality of life characterized by safe neighborhoods, quality city services and assets, friendly people and ideal location.
San Mateo’s scenic landscape includes 35 parks (including the City’s signature Central Park and Japanese Garden), six recreation centers, three libraries, and an 18-hole golf course. Broad recreational programming appeals to residents of all ages and interests and the City’s popular special events are long-standing traditions that draw thousands of participants, build community and provide easily accessible family-friendly fun.
The robust economy has renewed interest in the increasingly vibrant and walkable downtown area, which continues to attract a wide array of small-to-medium sized businesses some of which, according to community members, include many of the best dining options in the Bay Area. The San Mateo Farmer’s Market is one of the most popular outdoor markets in the region.
A center of commercial and residential activity in the Silicon Valley, San Mateo’s desirable location provides direct access to interstate highways, rail lines, a trans-bay bridge, public transit routes, and the San Francisco International Airport. The Transit Center is a downtown multi-modal transportation hub allowing people to board Caltrain to travel to destinations as far north as San Francisco and as far south as Gilroy. The community is further served by excellent schools, a community college, two major medical centers and two major regional shopping centers.
As with other communities in the Silicon Valley, San Mateo is currently experiencing significant growth and the challenges attached to that, including increased traffic and a lack of affordable housing. The City works diligently to plan growth carefully, with elected officials working together with community stakeholders to strategically support quality development that maintains the City’s exceptional quality of life.
CITY GOVERNMENT
A charter city, San Mateo has a Council-Manager form of government with a five-member Council elected at large. Council members are limited to three consecutive terms, and the Mayor is rotated annually among all Council Members. San Mateo has a total annual budget of $170.9 million ($119.4 General Fund) and a capital improvement program that approximates $800 million over the next five years. The City provides a full range of municipal services, including police and fire protection, planning, building, sewer, street maintenance, and general administrative services. Water is provided to City residents by California Water Services, a private company; the City operates and maintains wastewater treatment facilities.
The City has long been considered a progressive organization that is characterized by mutually respectful and civil relationships between the Council and staff. Mutually respectful and civil interactions between the public, City staff and Council are also the norm. Over 700 staff members subscribe to clearly articulated organizational principles that emphasize the importance of accountability, working as one team and striving for constant improvement. The majority of the city’s team members are represented by one of ten bargaining units.
San Mateo takes great pride in its public facilities which include a modern, state-of-the-art library and police station, both of which were designed as certified “green buildings” that incorporate energy-saving and environmentally sensitive features. The City is working to incorporate green and sustainable practices in all current and future development. San Mateo has a stable economic base projected to grow even stronger, and current development activities are designed to further enhance the City’s long-term financial viability.
San Mateo has benefitted from a stable history of leadership having just three city managers over the last 28 years. The current City Manager, Larry Patterson, will have served for five years upon his retirement which is scheduled for this December. Prior to being appointed to the city’s top executive seat, Larry served as San Mateo’s Public Works Director for 13 years.
In addition to the City Manager’s traditional duties, the San Mateo City Manager’s Office also encompasses Economic Development, Communications, Sustainability, and Volunteer Engagement. The activities of the office are carried out by a team of 8 FTE.
City of San Mateo
Organizational Vision
Mission
Serving the San Mateo community through collaboration,
innovation, and professionalism
Values
Respect · Creativity · Integrity
Transparency · Inclusivity
Organizational Principles
Engaged and accountable workforce
Working as one organization
Maintaining long-term perspective
Seeking constant improvement
Leading through informed risk-taking
