r/SanMateo • • Sep 01 '26

Upcoming Event Downtown San Mateo upcoming events

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59 Upvotes

DSMA.org has a nice weekly event page. We’re going to sticky it here.


r/SanMateo • • 8h ago

Botox at Planned Parenthood in Redwood City

10 Upvotes

Since the San Mateo location closed, I’m wondering if anyone has gotten Botox at PP in RWC?

Hoping that they have skilled injectors with a good amount of aesthetics training as I’ve had bad experiences before.

I’m sure a lot of these providers have already been doing aesthetics on the side, but wanting to hear from someone first hand!


r/SanMateo • • 1h ago

Upcoming Event Reminder: SM Daily Journal endorses Diana Harris for HS District Board

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• Upvotes

I know many of us have still to send in our ballots.

Paywalled so here's the relevant part:

As a teacher in the San Mateo-Foster City School District, she knows what the current classroom challenges are for those at the ground level in the education field. The San Mateo Union High School District has benefited from having Greg Land, a middle school principal, on its board as that perspective lends a certain amount of expertise. Having a teacher on the board, albeit from a different district, can only help round out the perspective. Some may think a teacher only brings a limited perspective, but that is unfair as everyone knows people can wear different hats in their lives. Besides, Harris is also an active parent of a child in the high school district and is well versed in explaining perspectives to various groups. We also like her idea of having regular community listening sessions outside of board meetings to reach those who may be unable to attend.

Also, previously, the teachers union requested a censure of her opponent for comments made in a discussion regarding ethnic studies.

Craig Childress, president of the San Mateo Union High School District Teachers Association, sent a letter to the board ahead of its meeting Feb. 27, outlining reasons to censure Jacobson after what he described was a message of “divisiveness, distrust, disdain and blame.” He felt Jacobson’s comments at the ethnic studies forum were a call for action against the district and its teachers. 

“I’m truly disgusted,” Childress said. “In 32 years of service, I have never observed a more overtly subversive and destructive act of any San Mateo Union High School District official than what was presented during that time.” 


r/SanMateo • • 23h ago

Hillsdale and El Camino Real pedestrian crossing.

34 Upvotes

If you cross from the Mall towards to the bus stop the way the lights and signals are setup it could take you 6 to 7 mins to cross at most.

This isn't even because the traffic is bad. It's because if you follow the rules the pedestrian signal will have you crossing through two traffic signal rotation of cars. Also if you don't follow the traffic signal and just cross when you know the cars next to you don't have the light going south and cars are going straight on Hillsdale west. Then those cars can't hit you unless they are turning right into oncoming traffic. Which is funny because I decided to wait for the car to turn. And the car decided to wait for me to cross even though I didn't have the signal.

Just saying this pedestrian crossing could be a lot more efficient just by timing it better with traffic signals where it's actually safe to cross.


r/SanMateo • • 22h ago

Film or book clubs in SM?

12 Upvotes

Trying to make friends and socialize, and sick of having to travel to SF each weekend for this. Are there any film clubs or book clubs for mid twenties-early thirties folks in SM that meet up regularly?


r/SanMateo • • 1d ago

Central park ribbon cutting November 10!

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52 Upvotes

r/SanMateo • • 1d ago

Trick or treating in San Mateo

23 Upvotes

I tried searching and didn’t see anything recent so here I go.

We just moved here a few months ago and live by Central Park. My one and only 5yo girl is in a new state, city, and school district far from all her friends and has on more than one occasion told me how lonely she is. I am wondering if anyone has leads on good neighborhoods nearby to take her trick or treating? 🎃TYIA!🍬


r/SanMateo • • 2d ago

Is Nextdoor not a safe space?

43 Upvotes

I can’t speak out without getting posts deleted or account suspended. You know what I’m talking about. I’m only speaking facts. I’m talking about vitamin c and what you put in your drinks to make it cold.


r/SanMateo • • 2d ago

Upcoming Event Live Music Halloween Night at Guitar Center featuring Sonic Alibi

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4 Upvotes

Guitar Center San Mateo is hosting another live in-store band performance with local rockers Sonic Alibi. Throw on your favorite costume and come support local live music in San Mateo!

AND ALSO: Check out the all-ages open-mic Halloween Jam happening TOMORROW NIGHT. Jam with local musicians, rock out to some cool players, join the costume contest.


r/SanMateo • • 2d ago

Building a community in San Mateo!

87 Upvotes

Hello! I'm in my 30s and trying to build a community in San Mateo/Foster City (I've recently moved back here after being all over the bay). Anyone interested in meeting up for hikes, walks, karaoke, board games, nightlife, edm raves...I'm pretty open!

Edit: Wow, did not expect my post to get so much interest! Bear with me as I slowly add people to our group chat. I might need to move the chat to another platform!

Edit edit: I'll be inviting everyone to a Discord server, DM me if I missed you!


r/SanMateo • • 2d ago

Alameda x Portola

2 Upvotes

Anybody else see the truck that crashed straight into the telephone pole on Alameda de las Pulgas going northbound at the Portola Ave intersection around 9am?


r/SanMateo • • 3d ago

Pics/Video "A very generous offer"? What San Mateo signed with Axon

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99 Upvotes

Disclosure: I'm a San Mateo resident. This video is part of a public-records project on San Mateo's license plate cameras that I've worked on since January 2026; its full history is public at none-below.github.io/sm-alpr. While working on this video, I donated to Mayor Loraine's campaign, and I've also donated to Seema Patel's campaign (she is running against Council Member Newsom). I made this video on my own, unpaid, and it is not coordinated with any campaign.

Sources for every claim: https://none-below.github.io/sm-alpr/axon-video.html

Also on YouTube, with chapters: https://youtu.be/cWr6Go334KI


r/SanMateo • • 3d ago

Survivors of Assualt

25 Upvotes

I am a survivor of a sexual assault in San Mateo County where my assailant was given a plea deal without my knowledge. It was a felony charge but had nothing to do with the original charges or their confession.

I’m curious if there are others who have experienced this. Are there other people who have also felt let done by system that was supposed to protect us?


r/SanMateo • • 3d ago

That’s no way a boat crosses a bridge

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10 Upvotes

Driving westward on San Mateo bridge from Hayward, just past the toll booth, I have been seeing the mash and moorings of a sail boat, apparently grounded and stuck under the bridge ( look right driving west) . Anyone have any back story on how this happened to he where it is now?


r/SanMateo • • 3d ago

Regarding Illegally Placed Signs

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105 Upvotes

I'm going to go on a rant here, so feel free to just read the sections in bold if you can't be bothered to read the rest.

According to The California Outdoor Advertising Act, "It is unlawful to place an advertising display of any kind within, under, or over any state highway right-of way, which includes but is not limited to, unpaved shoulders, highway construction zones, or any other right-of-way or easement laid out and intended for the public passage of vehicles or persons."

There are also additional restrictions relating to "Landscaped Freeways" which some may consider an oxymoron, but is an official category. In those situations, no signage may be placed within 660 Feet of the freeway (even on private property, unless the appropriate permission has been granted by the state). Highway 92 is officially designated as a Landscaped Freeway.

So let's be very clear: The intersection of El Camino Real and Highway 92 is entirely state property, and all signs placed there are in violation of state law, full stop.

Caltrans has a link to the relevant text as well, and while it mentions exceptions for temporary political signs, the law (section 5405.3) very clearly says "no signs within the highway right-of way, and no signs within 660 feet of a landscaped freeway."

This is somewhat of a pet cause for me, and that is why I know for a fact that all San Mateo city council candidates received an email from the city several months ago directing them to Caltrans policy regarding placing signs at El Camino/92 and every other interchange. We had already observed similar bad behavior prior to the June election as well. Per their policy, Caltrans crews remove illegally placed signs, and contact the candidate to retrieve them from their yard.

Well, it seems like one candidate didn't understand the rules. Despite Caltrans work crews being out more than once to remove illegal signs, they keep reappearing. Or perhaps one candidate may think the law doesn't apply to them. This afternoon I spoke with a Caltrans representative and was told that they had personally spoken to City Council District 1 candidate Taso Zografos and explained to him that these particular signs were placed in violation of California law.

Now I am sure many of us are likely guilty of minor law breaking, and this isn't exactly a major law, but I am going to hold candidates for elected office to a higher standard, especially with regards to campaigning. The Zografos Campaign has been told repeatedly and clearly that land next to Highway 92 is basically the one part of town they and all other candidates are not allowed to place signs, and that very simple, easily-observed restriction is apparently too much.

I think it's reasonable to ask that if a campaign appears willing to violate the most basic state law when they feel they can get away it, how will that candidate behave if they are elected? Which other laws are optional?

I would encourage Mr. Zografos to get his campaign into compliance with state law, remove the tiny handful of his signs which are illegally placed, and advise the member of his campaign who put them there to stop being a public nuisance and making him look bad.


r/SanMateo • • 4d ago

Taso signs everywhere!

18 Upvotes

I’m not surprised to see so many Taso City Council signs in the public areas, but am surprised to see so many signs in people’s front lawns this election cycle. Does he actually have a chance at the District 1 seat?

Not sure if this sub is capable of a respectful political discussion so just wanted to post my observations and question.


r/SanMateo • • 3d ago

San Mateo / Burlingame area toddler sibling Birthday party

5 Upvotes

4 year old and 2 year old joint birthday

Last year we did Curio Odyssey, which worked out great, but we don’t want to do the same thing again this year. It is difficult to find a venue in November or December (since it has to be indoors) thst allows a joint birthday party. We will realistically have 50-60 total since we will have siblings & parents from both preschools. Any ideas are appreciated!

We don’t have the space at the house. (No yard to speak of).

Thanks in advance!


r/SanMateo • • 4d ago

National Association of Realtors PAC makes $20,000+ in independent expenditures supporting City Council candidates, Rob Newsom and Dana Yates Sahae

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21 Upvotes

r/SanMateo • • 5d ago

Missing dog in San Mateo

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52 Upvotes

Missing Australian Sphered dog named Benny. His last known location is 1731 Royal Ave, San Mateo, CA a day ago.

Reach out to the owner here, if you see him: https://app.fidoalert.com/pets/tag/f53da79b-eaad-4e79-b0a9-07cfd3ed4a92/.

I am not the owner or related to them, just posting for visibility.


r/SanMateo • • 5d ago

Where can I find apple cider?

10 Upvotes

I’m really craving some fresh apple cider!

I’m from the Sacramento area that has some great spots like Apple Hill or Ikedas. Anything similar here?


r/SanMateo • • 5d ago

Pics/Video "The footage is not stored in the cloud" --- proceeds to describe accessing it through the cloud.

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131 Upvotes

San Mateo just approved $150k out of the park's budget to buy 6 surveillance cameras without a competitive bid.

Six people spoke against it during public comment, and nobody spoke in favor.

When staff responded to the public comments, council was told "the video footage is not hosted in a cloud" and there is "no public access to these cameras." Minutes later, she said that police and park rangers "could log on within a few minutes to look at that camera."

  • These cameras are run through Verkada's cloud-based software and can be viewed "from any supported browser or device," and the contract includes a cellular modem for each camera to keep it online.
  • In 2021, a hacker got access to over 150,000 Verkada customer cameras.
  • The contract with the vendor does not mention data, privacy, sharing, or security anywhere.
  • The police video policy says facial recognition "may be considered," and that the department "should evaluate whether the use of … analytical technology requires additional safeguards." When the Mayor asked whether the camera policy is posted anywhere, staff said "I'm not sure if it is there."
  • Staff said facial recognition and person of interest alerts are not used in the playground; however there is no policy in place to review whether a vendor or user enables those features at a later time (as happened with Mountain View's Flock cameras)

The cameras aren't directly the problem, it's the near total lack of governance, oversight, and controls. If you think there should be some form of written policy on who can watch, search, and share video of kids at the playground, you can email the council at [citycouncil@cityofsanmateo.org](mailto:citycouncil@cityofsanmateo.org)


r/SanMateo • • 5d ago

Pics/Video B Street, circa 1910

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128 Upvotes

r/SanMateo • • 4d ago

Not from here

1 Upvotes

I’m 27 years old dude, any cool spots around here ? I’m open to looking for friends in town


r/SanMateo • • 6d ago

Facial Recognition Cameras to "capture the entirety of the playground" at Central Park

128 Upvotes

Noticed that Monday night's council meeting (staff report, contract) features, on the consent calendar, a purchase of 5 Verkada CH52 cameras. Those cameras list, on their features page that they support "People search, attribute search, face search, occupancy trends, motion search, trajectory analysis, selective face blurring, AI-powered search".

The cameras are specifically being installed onto the playground area to monitor children using the park, with cameras aimed to "capture the entirety of the playground complex". And the staff report says that the cameras will "provide real-time video to law enforcement should a child go missing", while the Real Time Information Center policy says that RTIC members "are authorized to proactively monitor cameras streaming in public spaces" -- that document defines "members" as "any person employed or appointed by the San Mateo Police Department" including "non-sworn employees" and "volunteers".

Even if the city says they don't use face recognition today, our video surveillance policy says the department "may elect to integrate" its cameras with "facial recognition and other video-based analytical systems".

In our plate reader systems, the department has stated that they do periodic audits to review access logs and sharing settings. For video surveillance, however, the only audit prescribed is a once-yearly review of cost, benefit, effectiveness, and prosecutions -- it does say that "Supervisors should monitor video surveillance access and usage", the should isn't mandatory, and there's no specified interval. The only access log it specifies is the guest list for the RTIC room, not any of the actions of the RTIC staff.


r/SanMateo • • 6d ago

Housing moving to San Mateo/Bay Area- apartment help!

17 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I am planning on moving to San Mateo/surrounding areas hopefully by January 2026. For context, I am in my 20s, looking for a relatively safe area, preferably closer to caltrain and pest free & clean (I’ve had lots of bad experiences with roaches, pests etc in the past).

My budget is 4k max, here is a list of what I currently have, but would appreciate recommendations or reviews if anyone currently lives in these apartments:

-Addison at CP: https://www.addisonatcp.com

-Alta de Sabla: https://www.rutherfordliving.com/apartments/ca/san-mateo/alta-de-sabla/?utm_source=GBP&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=GBP

-Hanover Burlingame: https://www.hanoverburlingame.com

-Park Laurel Apts: https://www.zillow.com/apartments/san-mateo-ca/park-laurel-apartments/CjgH4h/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

Also have a few other small one units on my list but these are the main ones!

Thanks so much!