City Manager’s Update
Daniel Barros, City Manager
Welcome to Colma, Raising Canes! Now open and well worth the wait, we are excited to welcome the newest restaurant to our Colma community within the 280 Metro Center. On November 18th, members of the City Council were amongst Canes Staff and other community partners for their Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. In line with the Town’s 100th anniversary, it is only fitting that Canes is opening their 100th California restaurant right here in Colma. We understand the drive-through can be quite popular, though I would encourage you all to pop inside when you get the chance to see all the wonderful artwork that pays homage to the local community and its rich history within the region.
As we reflect on last month’s local election results, I’m happy to inform you of the passing of the Town’s local Sales Tax Measure AA! This critical measure now aligns our sales tax with that of the rest of San Mateo County and will help sustain critical and essential Town services for years to come.
Lastly, on behalf of the Town of Colma, I would like to extend the utmost gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to outgoing Mayor, John Irish Goodwin. Mayor Goodwin has served 2 terms on the Colma City Council. Mayor Goodwin has made a tremendous impact on many City Council Priorities and continues to be a voice within the community for enhanced bicycle and pedestrian safety, recreational enrichment, and Veteran support. Please join us as we celebrate Mayor Goodwin’s accomplishments and contributions to the Town of Colma over the last 8 years during our City Council Reorganization on Tuesday, December 10th at 6PM at Colma Town Hall.
City Attorney’s Update
Christopher Diaz, City Attorney
California’s new laws for 2024 introduce impactful changes across various sectors, affecting the daily lives, rights, and responsibilities of Colma’s citizens. This year, the Governor vetoed about 18% of the nearly 1,000 bills passed by the State Legislature, but signed a variety of laws into effect including the following which may be of interest to Colma residents:
- Legacy College Admissions (AB 1780): This legislation bars private non-profit colleges from making admission decisions based on whether a student has ties to a donor or an alumnus.
- Library Book Bans AB 1825): Public libraries in California are now required to establish clear policies for choosing or prohibiting books, including a way for community members to voice their objections. Overall, the legislation prohibits public libraries from banning books solely because they deal with race or sexuality.
- Voter ID Requirements (SB 1174): Local governments are now prohibited from requiring voters to present identification to vote. Under state law requirements, voter identification is already required when someone registers to vote, and there are numerous protections already in place to prevent voter fraud, so requiring an ID to vote is unnecessary per the legislation’s author.
- Tribal Governments and Private Cardrooms (SB 549): Tribal governments now have the right to sue cardrooms such as Lucky Chances. The tribes have been given this right as they believe cardrooms are illegally offering table games inconsistent with state law. It is unclear how this legislation may impact the Town and Lucky Chances, but any lawsuits could impact the ability for Lucky Chances to operate.
- Folic Acid in Corn Masa (AB 1830): Folic acid must now be added to corn masa flour. The purpose behind the legislation is to make pregnancies healthier by ensuring folic acid is found in a variety of corn masa products, including tortillas, corn chips and other food.
- New State Symbols (AB 2504, AB 1797, AB 1850): The State of California has three new state symbols. AB 2504 would designate the shell of the black abalone as California’s official state seashell. AB 1797 would name the Dungeness crab the State crustacean, and AB 1850 would recognize the banana slug as the State slug.
- More Time to Respond to an Eviction (AB 2347): Californians now have more time to respond to an eviction. This legislation provides tenants with 10 days to respond to an eviction from the current 5 day response timeline.
- Banning of Plastic Bags (SB 1053): California has once again banned disposable plastic grocery store bags. This legislation would ban all plastic grocery store bags leaving consumers with either choosing a paper bag or using their own reusable grocery bag. California previously banned plastic grocery store bags in 2016, but that legislation still allowed for a store to provide a consumer with a plastic bag so long as it was thick enough for reuse. This new law goes further and bans all plastic grocery store bags.
These laws reflect California’s efforts to address a variety of issues. This is just a small subset of the new legislation that was signed into law and I encourage all Colma residents to become informed about these and other changes in state law.
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