Undocumented estimate higher than thought

The aim was to shed some light on a subject that our eminent Board of Supervisors seemed loathe to address in any forthright, constructive, data-driven way, even as the new White House occupant ordered a fresh campaign to deport those here illegally  posthaste.

Early prime targets are reportedly those with a criminal record and people who have so far avoided valid deportation orders. Those efforts appear to be coming to pass.

That said, perhaps the reluctant supervisors will note with some modest interest (one can hope) the latest published local total of undocumented residents here in the county: 55,000.

That estimate (7.2% of the county’s total population) comes from the Migration Policy Institute, which tracks these matters, and it does not include an additional figure for the number of county children born in the United States to at least one parent who is here without proof of legal residence — almost certainly a figure in the many thousands.

By definition, such youngsters are American citizens, according to the Constitution (in spite of recent efforts to throw out that important provision). The 55,000 figure represents about 1 in 14 people dwelling in this county today.

Real federal deportation moves aside, that is not an insignificant statistic. Residents here illegally represent a key demographic for a variety of reasons.

Their total has a direct bearing on the needs of, and services for, an important segment of the county’s population, not to mention the impacts it has on the citizenry overall, including the budgets for public schools, public health entities and the legal/law enforcement system, among other considerations.

HALL OF FAME DATE IS JUNE 26: The 2025 induction ceremony for the Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame has been scheduled for the evening of June 26.

The event, organized and presented by the San Mateo County Historical Association, will again be held at the county’s History Museum in downtown Redwood City.

Nominations for inclusion in the Hall of Fame in 2025 will be accepted until Feb. 15. The Hall of Fame, which made its debut in 1989, honors local athletes, coaches, officials, administrators and others who have achieved notable sporting success, both here and, in many cases, outside the area.

So far, more than 300 people have been included in the Hall of Fame, which is located in the History Museum. Please feel free to send a Hall of Fame nomination to the email address at the bottom of this column.

HOTELS HAVE HOPE FOR LURIE: It’s easy to point at San Francisco and lament conditions there. Homeless camps, rampant public drug use, well-publicized retail thievery, bureaucratic dysfunction, etc., they are all painfully on view. They have become valid reasons to avoid the city to the north. But there’s another perspective. S.F. tourism is important for Peninsula hotels and the enterprises that serve them. Our visitors and convention operation even changed its name to include “San Francisco” in its labeling. The hope within the local hospitality industry is that new S.F. mayor Daniel Lurie can turn things around, and quickly. Our county, for better or worse, has a financial stake in the success (or lack of same) of his tenure.

SIBLING COMBO HAS NEW BOOK: It’s something different. A local sister/brother writing combination has produced a new book that’s been receiving strong reviews prior to its publication this week. Jessica Barrows Beebe of Burlingame and her brother, Matt Barrows, have teamed up to produce “Muddy the Water,” a crime novel set in South Carolina. Both authors are journalists with long experience in the craft. Their book, which has received good early reviews from critics, is available via several sources, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart. Prices are listed as: $27.95, hardback; $19.99, paperback; $7.99, e-book.  

John Horgan has been writing about San Mateo County’s ins and outs, to the tune of an estimated 7 million words, since 1963, beginning modestly at the defunct Burlingame Advance Star. He can be contacted by email at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com or via instant messaging on Facebook and Instagram.