Thursday Town Information

THURSDAY TOWN INFORMATION

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Newsletter Highlights - What You Need to Know

Applications Due Tomorrow - Apply to Serve on a Town Board or Committee
Housing Element Visioning Workshop - Next Wednesday, November 3rd at 6pm
Help Shape Hillsborough's Future - Apply for the Housing Element Advisory Committee
Mass Vaccination Site at San Mateo Event Center - All Vaccines Available!

Community Announcements

Protecting You and Your Home from Wildfire

As we have recently seen throughout California, wildfires know no boundaries and may spread quickly from one neighborhood to another so everyone should prepare now to protect your family and home against an approaching wildfire. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CAL FIRE) Ready, Set, Go program gives step-by-step guidance to “plan, prepare and stay aware.”

Be READY – reduce vegetation and combustibles around the outside of your home to create a defensible space area. Also consider how to increase the fire resistance of your home by using low-cost retrofits to help protect gutters, eaves, vents, siding, windows, decks and more.

Get SET – Create a family wildfire action plan that includes an emergency supplies list, identifying personal items to take with you if you need to evacuate quickly, designate an out-of-area contact all family members call if separated from each other, and an evacuation plan on how to quickly leave your neighborhood if required. If you have not registered for SMCAlert to receive local emergency or alert information, go to www.smcalert.info. Do you know which emergency evacuation zone you live in? If emergency evacuations are needed, you will receive an SMCAlert with important information for zones requiring evacuation. To find out which your zone your home is in, visit www.myzone.zonehaven.com.

Be Ready to GO - When it is time to evacuate, use your wildfire action plan and evacuate immediately. Town of Hillsborough Newsletter 2021, Quarter 4 Draft Articles Fire Blotter 19

For more information on CAL FIRE’s Ready, Set, Go program, visit https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/ready-set-go/

Hillsborough Firewise Tip!

Wet Soil Conditions Make for Easy Scotch Broom Removal

Why Be Concerned?

Scotch broom is a potential fire hazard - it is an invasive species, which displaces native vegetation.

Handpulling is easiest when seedlings are small and the soil is moist. Soil disturbance, which can create a flush of seedling growth, should be minimized.

Control - Prevention and early detection are the best means of control.

Do not buy or plant Scotch broom
Remove seedlings when young because they can be pulled easily
Monitor the site and promptly remove new seedlings

In the event of a fallen tree or other roadway issue, residents may:

Contact the Public Works Department at 650-375-7444 or via email.
Use the SeeClickFix smart phone program for iPhone, Blackberry, or Android.
After hours and on weekends, please call the Hillsborough Police Department at 650-375-7470. In the event of injury or emergency, call 911.

Sandbags for Hillsborough Residents

The Town of Hillsborough is providing free sandbags for residents who may be in need of protection from the rain.

Pick-up - Sandbags are available on a self-serve basis, day or night, at the Town Hall Walnut parking lot. The sandbags will be covered with a plastic tarp.

Delivery - Town staff can delivery sandbags (up to 10) with at least one week advance notice. Contact the Public Works Department at 650-375-7444 or via email.

Please note there is a maximum of 15 sandbags per household and they are not for commercial or construction use.

SamTrans is Recommending Changes to Bus Routes

The new bus system is designed to

Prioritize Equity - prioritize buses to high-need communities from underused and duplicate routes;

Improve Efficiency – create faster, reliable service through more direct and consolidated routes; and

Expand Connections – provide expanded all-day service, and more service to transit hubs and job centers

SamTrans needs to hear from you. Please go to reimaginesamtrans.com or call 1-800- 660-4287 by November 8, 2021 to learn more and make comments.

Fall Pedestrian Safety Tips

It’s a two-way street. Drivers and pedestrians must work together to demonstrate safe behaviors on the road, helping to protect themselves and those around them.

Safety tips for pedestrians:

Make yourself visible: wear bright colored clothes and carry a flashlight if you are walking at night.
Avoid dangerous behaviors: always walk on the sidewalk (no jaywalking), stay sober and make eye contact with drivers – don’t assume the driver can see you.
Stay off your phones, talking and especially texting distracts you from paying attention to your surroundings.
Look before you step: cross streets at marked crosswalks/intersections, obey traffic signals and watch for turning vehicles.
Look left-right-left before crossing a street.

Safety tips for drivers:

Don’t speed, follow the speed limit and never use your phone; always be cautious of your surroundings.
Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions such as at night or in bad weather.
Pedestrians have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection, so yield and be prepared to stop.
Stop at the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to pedestrians too.
Be cautious when backing up – pedestrians, especially young children, can move across your path.

For additional safety tips, research and statistics on pedestrians: NHTSA

Save the Date

Congresswoman Speier to Unveil Exhibit Honoring San Mateo County Residents Who Died of COVID-19

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14) will open a week-long exhibit, “In America: Remember” to reflect on the San Mateo residents who passed away from COVID-19 on Sunday, November 7, 2021 at noon at Leo Ryan Park in Foster City.

The exhibit is inspired by an installation of more than 690,000 white flags artist Suzanne Firstenberg placed on 20 acres on the National Mall in Washington, DC in September.

“Visiting the exhibit in DC was deeply moving and I want to bring that impact home to my district,” Rep. Speier said. “Suzanne Firstenberg succeeded in illustrating the enormity of the pandemic tragedy. I believe that displaying the white flags in every county in America could help us heal and come together. It is also a way to remember the lives of people who we have lost locally.”

Rep. Speier will be joined in remarks by Foster City Mayor Sanjay Gehani, Dr. Grace Firtch of Kaiser Permanente, and Pastor Paul Bains of WeHOPE. Singer Liz Buljan and bagpiper Fred Payne will provide music for the event.

According to the San Mateo County Health department, there have been 623 COVID deaths and 52,723 cases in the county as of October 27, 2021. The vaccination rate is over 90 percent, one of the highest in the country.

Wear your Red and Blue on November 11th!

The Hillsborough Beautification Foundation invites all residents to attend our town’s Veterans Day outdoor celebration in front of Town Hall on Thursday November 11^th at 10:00 a.m.

The morning will include remarks from Mayor Al Royse, HBF President Amy Bick, and will feature local veterans.

The ceremony will culminate with a wreath laying in Centennial Park. This year’s celebration will honor Navy veteran Jess Benton, Lieutenant JG who served from 1963-1966 on the USS Lowe, as well as in Guam and Saigon.

Sustainability Corner

Check here for recent updates, tips, and announcements supporting Hillsborough's efforts to create a more sustainable community.

Composting is Good for the Environment and is Now the Law

A new legal requirement that takes effect January 2022, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring residents and businesses to separate organic waste. Materials such as food, yard trimmings, and paper products must be removed from garbage bins because they release methane gas when it breaks down in landfills.

Landfills are the third largest producers of methane in California, responsible for 20% of the state’s methane emissions.

Need a Reminder of What Goes Where?

Become Better at the Bin by Watching Educational Videos from Recology - available in English, Spanish, and Chinese or test your knowledge by playing Rethink Waste's Interactive Carts Game

San Mateo County Updates

Mask Mandate Progress Dashboard

County Health has launched a new dashboard to chart the county’s progress against the criteria offered by the Bay Area health officers for lifting local indoor mask mandates.

The dashboard will be updated weekly, on Tuesdays.

Children’s Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged 5-11 are expected to be approved by early November. Pediatric providers and pharmacies are preparing to make vaccinations available soon after the federal and Western States bodies’ approval.

County Health will update information on its vaccine calendar and in MyTurn to list the pediatric vaccinations available through its clinics. Residents are encouraged to check on MyTurn, pediatric providers’ websites (e.g., Kaiser, Sutter, PAMF, Stanford) and local pharmacies (e.g., CVS, Walgreens, Costco) to find the best option for children’s vaccination.

Vaccine Boosters

San Mateo County Health is now holding mass vaccination clinics for ALL COVID-19 booster vaccinations at the San Mateo County Event Center - Moderna, Pfizer and J&J all available!

If possible, please bring an ID and your vaccination card. Same-day registration available.

If you are eligible (click HERE for eligibility information) and interested in receiving a booster at the Event Center, you can come directly to the drive through clinic during operating hours.

No appointments are needed, we will register you on site! However, if you would like to make an appointment, please go to MyTurn and search for the Event Center address: 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo.