A fixed elevator means Christmas visits at San Mateo County jail

An elevator maintenance problem at the county jail had suspended in-person visits from loved ones for what Angela and her mother, Maria, said was far too long. As soon as they heard the news that in-person visits were available again, Angela and Maria, who did not want to give their last names, figured out the earliest they could visit. 

On Tuesday afternoon, they sat in the Maguire Correctional Facility lobby for over an hour awaiting their appointment. Both Angela and Maria were emotional. 

Maria’s husband has been in the correctional facility for almost a year. This will be the first Christmas they spend without him and, without a scheduled court date to be, they’re not sure how much longer he’ll be inside. 

“He doesn’t know we’re coming today, it’s a surprise to him,” Maria said. “It’s going to be Christmas, and we are lucky, now, to see him. ... We don’t know how long they’ll keep allowing visits in person.” 

Last week, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the two county jail facilities, announced that the elevator at Maguire Correctional Facility was back up and running — for the time being. The entire elevator system at the jail will be replaced throughout 2026, and will mean the visitor elevator will be taken out of service yet again at an undisclosed date. 

But for now, Maria is happy Angela will see her father. 

“It’ll be hard to see his daughter, he’s always calling her, asking how she’s doing,” Maria said, holding Angela’s hand, crying. “Thirty minutes in there is going to be nothing.” 

While the visits are scheduled for an hour, intake takes about 15 minutes and often the time in person can be cut short, for one reason or another. In whatever time they have, there’s a lot to catch up on, Maria said. 

Maria started getting sick while her husband was inside, and had to have multiple risky surgeries that made the reality of the situation all the more poignant. Maria lost her father the year before, and her mother the year before that. 

Throughout this process, all Maria could think while she was getting treatments was that she didn’t want to leave her daughter, Angela, alone while her father was still inside. 

“There was a reason I’m OK, that I survived. We’ll be together.” Maria said. 

While the elevator was down, loved ones were encouraged to make phone calls or do virtual visits on tablets. While it was better than nothing, phone calls begin to cost money, and tablets are left uncharged or not given to the incarcerated persons when they ask, Maria said. 

“We had sometimes an appointment for a video call, he told the guard that we had an appointment but they don’t let him borrow the tablet,” Maria said. “I was so frustrated and mad. But you can’t tell nobody, you can’t complain.”

Angela said she’s extremely happy that she’s finally able to see her dad in person after half a year. 

“Whoever finally decided to put in the money to fix the elevator, or at least temporarily open it up, hopefully they continue with this,” Angela said.  

When Angela and Maria were first told the elevator was broken and they couldn’t visit, there was no date given by which it would be fixed, and no one seemed to have an answer as to who was responsible for fixing it. 

“No one was taking accountability, no one would apologize or say it’s my mistake or I feel bad about the situation, they just said they didn’t know,” Maria said. “Because it’s not you inside? Because it’s not your family inside? That’s why you don’t know?” 

San Mateo County owns the Maguire Correctional Facility and the Department of Public Works oversees all of its maintenance. The facility was constructed in 1988, and built with a single elevator to accommodate in-person visitation, and the elevator’s age and “reliance on outdated parts” were blamed for the delay in restoration. 

Before the elevator outage, the Sheriff’s Office was seeing an average of 20 daily in-person visits from loved ones. On Tuesday, the second day the option was made available again, there were only six individuals signed up. While Maria worried that’s because not enough people know they can visit again, jail staff attributed the low number to many people waiting for Christmas Day to visit. 

Either way, Maria hopes more people realize they can visit, for the sake of their loved ones. She can tell the difference it makes for her husband, and she imagines it’s the same for others inside as well.

“We know they’re not angels, we know some are guilty, but also know some are innocent; but we’re all humans and we deserve some bare minimum,” Maria said. 

In-person visitations are scheduled in advance on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning at 6:30 a.m. the day prior to the intended visit. Those wishing to visit must call (650) 699-3000 to schedule.