News

As California inches closer to the November election, new survey results suggest that nearly three-quarters of likely voters support a move to mail-in ballots opposed by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders.

The Public Policy Institute of California’s latest survey, which polled 1,706 adults statewide in late May, shows an “overwhelming majority” support such a policy.

Voters’ views differ by political party, however.

Making it safe to vote during a pandemic shouldn’t be a partisan issue. But Republicans, including and especially the president, are turning it into one.

On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau will reopen several Bay Area field offices it shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, which also put a stop to most census outreach and forced a months-long delay for the 2020 count.

Starting on Memorial Day, field offices covering most of Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Contra Costa counties will reopen to allow census staff to drop off a questionnaire at any home that doesn’t have a traditional mailing address — that’s mostly in rural areas and places that rely on P.O. boxes.

Local lawmakers awed at the depth of the severe spending cuts proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in the revised California budget racked by COVID-19, while echoing calls for federal support to help the state weather the economic storm.

Assemblymen Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, and Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, along with state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, acknowledged the painful decisions ahead of the July budget deadline.

San Mateo County’s elected leaders, including those from local, state and federal offices are standing with the API Caucus in San Mateo County against racism and xenophobia. 

Those pledging to support actions against hate crime and assaults on Asians include U.S. representatives Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, state Sen. Jerry Hill and assemblymen Kevin Mullin, Marc Berman and Phil Ting. According to U.S. Census 2018 and 2019 estimates, some 30% of San Mateo County’s 766,570 residents are of Asian heritage, compared with 15.3% for all of California, according to a press release. 

Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) is proposing that every California voter get a ballot in the mail, in case the coronavirus outbreak requires physical distancing during the November election.

"It's critically important that we create a system that provides maximum safety and reliability for voters and for the people who volunteer at the polls," Berman said.

Under the proposal, which Berman plans to introduce as Assembly Bill 860, limited in-person voting would still be available.

By Marc Berman

What if I told you that, in exchange for just a few minutes of your time, you could personally generate from the comfort of your home thousands of dollars for your community? And, if you have a spouse and two kids, that the amount would increase to tens of thousands of dollars? Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

It is — and all you have to do is answer nine questions. That is the power of the national once-a-decade population count known as the Census.

Special to CalMatters

Forty-five percent of San Mateo County households have completed the census — the second highest rate in the state — and the highest self-response has been in San Carlos, Hillsborough and Belmont.

Only Santa Clara County is ahead of San Mateo County statewide, Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, said Wednesday.

“California is a big, bold, beautiful, diverse state,” Berman said.

He spoke during a telephone town hall about impacts of COVID-19 on the 2020 census.

Now more than ever, it’s time to be counted

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically upended all of our lives, and sometimes it can feel like everything is out of our control. But in this very unique moment, every household in San Mateo County has the ability to generate tens of thousands of dollars for your family, and your community, by filling out the 2020 census.