Commission unanimously appoints student journalist Jia Venkatesh to the Juvenile Justice commission

The San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission unanimously approved the appointment of Jia Venkatesh to the commission on March 25, following a presentation from the membership committee.

Membership committee representatives introduced Jia Venkatesh as a sophomore at Carmont High School who moved to the United States a year earlier, is a student journalist for "Scott Scoop," and has covered local youth issues including detention meals. The committee noted Venkatesh’s journalism, volunteer and youth‑leadership work — including participation on a city youth advisory committee and as a parks and recreation youth commissioner — as reasons for its unanimous recommendation.

The committee moved to appoint Venkatesh under the committee recommendation rules the membership committee described; no second was required. The chair called for a vote and commissioners voted to approve the appointment unanimously.

Votes at a glance: • Motion to approve the March 25 agenda as distributed — approved (voice vote recorded as unanimous during meeting). • Motion to approve minutes for February 25, 2025 — approved (voice vote recorded as unanimous during meeting). • Motion to appoint Jia Venkatesh to the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission (membership committee recommendation) — approved unanimously.

Why it matters: The appointment adds a student voice to the commission; commissioners noted Venkatesh’s reporting on youth‑impacting topics and committee members said her research and writing skills will inform commission work.

The commission did not record roll‑call tallies for those votes during the meeting; chair and staff recorded them as unanimous voice votes.