ORDINANCE NO._______________

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO,

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

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AN ORDINANCE REVISING CHAPTER 2.52 OF THE SAN MATEO COUNTY ORDINANCE CODE REGARDING THE PROCESS FOR

FACILITY NAMING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY

 

The Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, ORDAINS as follows

 

SECTION 1. Chapter 2.52 (comprised of sections 2.52.010 to 2.52.080) of Title 2 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code is hereby repealed and replaced with a new Chapter 2.52 (comprised of sections 2.52.010 to 2.52.080) to read as follows:

 

Chapter 2.52 Facility Naming

 

2.52.010 Purpose.

Many individuals have made significant contributions to the citizens of the County of San Mateo through their work, their civic involvement, or through their monetary or other donations to the County and to foundations which provide support to County programs. It has been the County’s policy to recognize and honor such contributions when appropriate to do so. One method of recognizing significant contributions to the County is through the naming of County facilities in honor of the individual for his or her contribution.

 

It is the intent of the Board that the naming of a County facility only occurs in exceptional circumstances, taking into account the time period over which any contribution is made, the number of people affected by the contribution, and the extent to which the County’s population has been affected to the better by the actions of the individual proposed for recognition.

 

2.52.020 Applicability.

For purposes of this ordinance, “facilities” shall include substantial structures, open spaces, or natural features, including, but not limited to, buildings, wings of buildings, indoor or outdoor auditoriums, gardens, parks, tree groves, plazas and trails, but shall not include small meeting rooms, park benches, or similar small structures.

 

2.52.030 Nominations.

Nominations for recognition by the naming of a facility may be made by any member of the Board of Supervisors by bringing the nomination directly to the Board, or by referring the nomination to the County Manager. All other nominations shall be made to the County Manager on an application form created by the County Manager. The County Manager shall conduct such review as the County Manager deems necessary, including, but not limited to, the referral of the application to a review panel; and shall make a recommendation to the Board after any required waiting period. Any such recommendation shall be to approve the application to name the requested facility, to deny the application, or to honor the individual in some other way.

 

2.52.040 Criteria.

In order to be considered for recognition by the naming of a facility, the individual must have made a significant contribution to public service or the betterment of San Mateo County, through service as an employee of a governmental organization or non-governmental organization, through service as a volunteer, or through a significant monetary contribution or dedication of property to the County, or through similar contributions to foundations which directly support County activities and facilities.

 

Particular consideration should be given to the following:

 

a.

The period of time over which the individual made a significant contribution.

 

b.

The number of people that were directly or indirectly impacted by the contribution.

 

c.

The extent to which the actions of the individual bettered the lives of those impacted by the contribution.

 

Recognition by naming shall be limited to the naming of a single facility, except in extraordinary circumstances, in which case such recognition may be extended to a collection of facilities.

 

2.52.050 Eligibility.

No person serving in a County elected office or serving as a County employee may be eligible for nomination during such service or for a period of one (1) year after termination of such service. A nomination of a deceased individual, including a County elected official or a County employee, may be considered by the Board no sooner than one (1) year after the individual’s death.

 

2.52.060 Voting Requirement.

No person may be selected for recognition unless approved by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the Board.

 

2.52.070 Approval of Foundation Naming Policies.

Subject to prior approval of the Board of Supervisors, foundations established for the specific purpose of augmenting County resources benefiting County programs, or augmenting County services provided to the citizens of the County, may promulgate and implement policies for the naming of County facilities. Such foundations include the San Mateo County Parks Foundation and the San Mateo County Medical Center Foundation, and any similar foundation which may be established in the future. Any such policy may provide for the naming by the foundation of small facilities that are not covered by the terms of this chapter. The Board may approve, disapprove, or modify the terms of the policy to conform to the requirements of this chapter. No foundation may name any County facility, whether covered by the terms of this chapter or not, without first establishing a policy and obtaining Board approval for the policy. Any changes to policy must first be submitted to the Board of Supervisors for its approval.

 

2.52.080 Reporting.

Any foundation which has an approved policy under Section 2.52.070 shall submit an annual report, in writing, advising the Board of those facilities which were named in the previous fiscal year. Such report shall be submitted to the Board no later than September 1 of each year.

 

SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall be effective thirty (30) days from the passage date thereof.

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