Top stories of 2023 in San Mateo County

In San Mateo and San Carlos, pump malfunctions were considered part of the problem while poor and disorganized upkeep of Cordilleras Creek contributed to flooding in Redwood City, residents argued. Officials have since vowed to improve infrastructure management.

Tragedy in Half Moon Bay

Not long after the showers ended, tragedy struck. A gunman entered two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay, shooting and killing seven people — Zhishen Liu, 73, Aixiang Zhang, 74, Qizhong Cheng, 66, Jingzhi Lu, 64, Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, Yetao Bing, 43, and Jose Romero Perez, 38.

Chunli Zhao, the alleged gunman who remains in custody on no-bail status, is accused of firing on his coworkers over a work dispute after a supervisor allegedly demanded Zhao pay a $100 fee for damaging a forklift.

The incident rallied the local community around one another but also exposed the untenable conditions in which many county residents live. Those residing on the farms — 37 people, including 11 children, making up 18 families — were displaced after officials found the homes they lived in were not permitted; many lacked hookups to basic amenities like electricity or water.

That discovery has since sparked the creation of a farmworker housing task force meant to inspect sites and work with farmers on accessing the necessary permitting. It also underscored the importance of developing more affordable housing across the region, especially farmworker housing.

Real estate woes

Stories on both housing and commercial real estate markets also gained readers’ attention this year. After years of a commercial development boom, proposals stagnated this year, office vacancies grew and experts began to doubt whether new development would pencil out.

Throughout the Bay Area, vacancy rates within the biotech industry sat around 11% in the third quarter, up slightly from the previous quarter, and overall demand for lab space dropped from 3.3 million square feet to 2.8 million square feet in that same period. In Redwood City, news broke that major redevelopment of the Sequoia Station Center may not happen after the site changed ownership and Block 21 in San Mateo is being left a flat empty piece of ground for now.

As for the housing real estate market, this year saw little growth in an already small inventory, drooping prices and everyone taking a wait-and-see approach, according to experts. High interest rates were again to blame, dropping median home prices by 8.81% this April compared to last year when it was $1.99 million for a single-family home in San Mateo County.

La Quinta Inn debate

Not all affordable housing efforts have been met with open arms. The county’s attempt to purchase the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Millbrae to transform the site into permanent affordable housing sparked strong community backlash before the $32 million deal could be announced.

Residents and city officials accused the county of forgoing a fair and transparent public process in its push to buy the hotel, which they said would hurt the city budget and decrease safety. Alternatively, county officials have said they followed the same process used when purchasing other hotels in the county and have offered additional funding support to the city to cover lost tax revenue and cover any increased policing costs.

Still, the fight is not over. Millbrae officials in November filed a petition with the San Mateo County Superior Court asserting Article 34 of the state Constitution, initially approved by voters in 1950, prevents the county from purchasing the site for low-income housing without taking the issue to a local vote first.

There is a statewide effort to repeal the law.

Inflation nation

Inflation had many standing at the pump or in the checkout line at the grocery store wondering when relief would arrive. Local gas prices alone skyrocketed to $6.43 per gallon of regular unleaded gas in June and many complained they were spending substantially more at the market.

Inflation peaked at 6.8% in June 2022 and the Federal Reserve has spent its time since attempting to calm spending with interest rate hikes, hitting a 22-year high of about 5.4% this summer. Experts say the nation’s financial outlook should steady with inflation expected to fall to the Fed’s goal of 2% by the end of 2024.

DA report on San Mateo council conflict

Before the year could start, disarray in San Mateo regarding the annual mayoral rotation and the selection of a fifth councilmember led to the District Attorney’s Office reviewing claims by Councilmember Amourence Lee of outside interference.

The District Attorney’s Office announced in a report this year its investigation concluded there was no evidence of an illegal attempt to corrupt the process during the December City Council meetings. Later, there was a recall effort against Lee that ultimately failed and an apology by the City Council to those who were accused of illegal activity.

Sheriff oversight

After years of growing pressure, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors this year adopted a Sheriff’s Office oversight model meant to balance the independence of the department with the community’s hunger for more transparency.

With some initial exceptions, the commission will have seven county residents serving three-year terms. The majority will be appointed by the Board of Supervisors, with the sheriff receiving one appointment. The commission will also be responsible for advising and providing recommendations to the board at least annually, and an inspector general could be available on an as-needed basis.

Community members, including those associated with the nonprofit Fixin’ San Mateo, a key proponent of sheriff oversight, have argued the county’s model doesn’t go far enough but supervisors argued the model can be adjusted over time.

Justice for Karina Castro

The grisly murder of Karina Castro, a mother of two, rocked the San Carlos community in 2022. Just more than a year later this November, Jose Rafael Solano Landaeta, the father of one of Castro’s children, was found guilty of first-degree murder after an unconventional two-week trial and two days of deliberation, amidst an emotional courtroom atmosphere as Castro’s family received the news.

President Biden visits Filoli

While most activities from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference were held in San Francisco, two major world leaders, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, took a Nov. 17 meeting at the Filoli estate in Woodside, bringing strong media attention and public eyes to the Peninsula.

State budget bounces

After a historic surplus year in which state officials pondered over how to spend more than $90 billion in surplus funds, many of those same bright minds flipped to penny-pinching as budget projections showed the state should brace for a deficit. By the end of 2023, deficit projection from the Legislative Analyst’s Office grew to $63 billion.

Still, those elected to represent the Peninsula at the state Capitol assured the public their best interests will be kept in mind as challenging spending discussions pick up speed next year. The governor is expected to release his proposed budget in January with negotiations taking place through June when a final budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year will need to be approved.