New County Representative for Los Gatos, Monte Sereno
During my tenure as a California State Legislator, I represented both Los Gatos and Monte Sereno for a brief time, and well remember holding some of my first “sidewalk office hours” in this beautiful part of our County.
Now that redistricting has come around again, and these two communities have moved from our County’s District One to District Five, I’m looking forward to getting even better acquainted, this time as your County Supervisor. In addition to the North County area, I now represent four of the five West Valley (with Saratoga and Cupertino already in District Five).
One of the challenges of serving on a five-member board that oversees a $9 billion annual budget for two million County residents is the range and variety of things we do—from public health, safety, and transportation, to County parks and roads, to helping forge solutions to social and economic problems like affordable housing and food insecurity.
Over the years, however, I’ve found that issues too big for one person, one group, or one city alone can be tackled successfully in partnership. Together with civic and community leaders, I’m proud to have fostered initiatives to help kids cope, improve mental health resources, safeguard our environment, build inclusive housing and playgrounds, and treat our taxpayers—and tax dollars—right.
Taking care of our seniors is another of my cornerstone priorities. I plan to continue pursuing partnerships with community organizations like SASCC—to support older adults through access to healthy meals, health care, jobs training, transportation, and social interaction.
The pandemic, of course, has necessarily been a main focus these past two years, certainly so at the County’s Health and Hospital Committee (HHC), where I serve as Chair. Early on, I pushed for countywide access to COVID-19 testing, and for a “no wrong door” vaccination policy so folks who live or work in the County could go anywhere for shots, rather than waiting on private insurers/providers. I convened a special HHC hearing on long COVID, bringing together public health and medical experts to discuss the scientific and clinical aspects of this chronic and little understood condition, and to help chart a course for the future.
Recently, in response to the fast-spreading Omicron variant, I urged County staff to significantly scale up distribution of at-home rapid tests. I also successfully proposed a low-interest loan program to help our small businesses and their employees.
I’m honored to have partnered on numerous initiatives with your former Supervisor, Mike Wasserman, who has always been a great advocate for the communities he represents. One example, the RYDE (Reach Your Destination Easily) program—which SASCC helped pioneer—has expanded throughout the West Valley and beyond to provide affordable curb-to-curb transportation for older adults.
I’m glad that Mike—a former Los Gatos mayor—is going to be with us on the Board throughout the rest of the year as a resource my office and I can call on. Mike has told me he expects a high level of service from me now that he’s my constituent! I will strive to meet that expectation for every one of you.
My office and I look forward to being present and accessible in our district’s two new communities, and to the eventual return of in-person events, like sidewalk office hours. I also stay in touch through my website and monthly newsletter (sign up at SupervisorSimitian.org), Telephone Town Halls, and special events like our “Understanding the Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience” panel discussions.
I know Los Gatos and Monte Sereno as communities with strong identities—with folks who are caring and deeply engaged. I want to make sure you get the help you need when you need it from our County. If you have questions or need help, please call my office at 408-299-5050 or email me at [email protected]. Stay in Touch!
Joe Simitian
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
This article was originally published in The Outlook in March 2022.