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Council reviews boards-and-commissions demographics; directs reapplication and expanded outreach
Summary
City staff presented a 2025 demographic survey of San Mateo’s appointed boards and commissions and an outreach/recruitment plan; the council directed staff to require reapplication for expiring commissioners, add sexual-orientation as an optional survey item in future outreach and expand bilingual and digital recruitment tactics.
City staff presented results of the city’s 2025 demographic survey of boards and commissions at the March 3 meeting and outlined an outreach and recruitment success plan aimed at broadening applicant diversity.
Deputy City Clerk Chantal Eaton and City Clerk Martin McTaggart told the council the survey received 46 of 47 responses and compared current membership to prior surveys (2017 and 2023) and 2020 census tables. Key findings included an average length of residency among commission members of 24.5 years, continuing underrepresentation of people of color, fewer commissioners who speak languages other than English at home compared with the general population, a majority of commissioners in older age brackets (more than 50% age 50+), and a majority holding postgraduate degrees. Staff also reported increases in applications for several commissions during the 2024 recruitment cycle (for example, park and recreation applications rose sharply) and outlined targeted outreach steps taken in 2024, such as partnerships with community organizations, translated recruitment materials and outreach to student leadership programs.
Council members asked for additional applicant-side data and better tracking of who applies. The clerk’s office said a demographic questionnaire was offered at application but completion rates were incomplete; staff agreed to emphasize and improve demographic data collection from applicants. Several council members asked staff to pursue more targeted and modern outreach, including social-media geofencing, streaming ads and video spotlights of serving commissioners, expanded bilingual materials and outreach to PTAs and school distribution lists.
Council consensus directed staff to require commissioners whose terms expire to reapply and be reinterviewed rather than be automatically reappointed. Council also asked staff to include a question about sexual orientation and related optional demographic items in future surveys and to explore language-access and translation options — noting translation services can be expensive and may require a citywide policy discussion. Staff noted the civic arts committee currently lacks term limits and will return with an ordinance if direction to set limits is desired.
Why this matters: The city uses boards and commissions to advise council on a wide range of issues. The survey and the outreach plan are intended to make advisory bodies more representative of San Mateo’s population, identify barriers to participation and expand recruitment into underrepresented neighborhoods and age groups.
What’s next: Staff will incorporate council direction into recruitment procedures for the upcoming spring recruitment, expand bilingual recruitment materials, add optional sexual-orientation questions to future demographic surveys and require reapplication by expiring commissioners for the current cycle.
