|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
At the Redwood City Council’s annual State of the City address on Monday, council members walked the public through the connection of Redwood City’s history to its current programs and future goals, highlighting the city’s progress and what lies ahead.
Titled “Grounded in History. Shaping the Future,” the event explored housing, transportation, community, climate resilience, safety, and economy. Council members introduced each topic with a video recording of themselves at a Redwood City landmark, then offered a live explanation of the city’s gains, challenges, and futures in each category.
Housing
Council member Diane Howard began with housing, introducing her topic from the historic Offerman House, the oldest surviving building of Downtown Redwood City, she said.
“Housing in Redwood City today reflects a much more complex community than it did in the 1800s,” Howard said. “Our city now includes single-family homes, apartments, ADUs and affordable, senior and supportive housing developments.”
Howard highlighted plans to build more housing under the city’s state-certified housing element and issue building permits for 490 homes in 2025, 217 of which are deed-restricted.
According to a staff report published this year, however, in 2025 the city was still 400 units behind the pace needed to stay on track for the state-mandated target of building 4,588 new housing units in Redwood City from 2023 to 2021.
To support renters while preventing displacement, the city’s new Tenant Protection Ordinance, which took effect Jan. 1, includes components like minimum lease terms, just-cause eviction protections and relocation assistance, Howard said.
To address homelessness, the city has adopted a “service-first” approach, Howard said, in collaboration with San Mateo County and other regional partners, aiding 126 people transitioning to interim and permanent housing in Redwood City and reducing calls for service related to homelessness.
The adoption of Hopeful Horizons last year has also helped the city respond to homelessness, Howard said, as the ordinance prioritizes outreach, services, connections, and shelter over encampment cleanups. A partnership with Life Moves is also meant to expand ground outreach and case management.
“A stable place to call home is foundational to opportunity and community life,” Howard said. “Our work continues to focus on helping more residents find, afford and keep a place to call home, while supporting neighbors who need help getting there.”
Transportation
Council member Isabella Chu focused on transportation from the Caltrain station, noting that Redwood City has used rail service for over 150 years, and that the Caltrain station now has the fourth-highest ridership in the system.
After acknowledging that Redwood City experienced more than 3,200 traffic collisions between 2020 and 2025, with 3.5% resulting in severe or fatal injuries, Chu highlighted the city’s Vision Zero Initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries as a response to these grim statistics.
Transportation, Chu said, is the “largest area of investment we’re making,” with millions of dollars dedicated to roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signals and safety improvements. These include the $385 million 84-101 highway transformation and the Roosevelt Avenue traffic-calming project, both aimed at improving safety and efficiency.
Bikeability is also a big priority for the city, reinforced by its Vera Avenue Bike Boulevard and Bay Road Complete Streets projects, while the city is in the final phase of implementing a 15 miles-per-hour speed limit around schools, scheduled to start in the summer.
Community
Council member Chris Sturken addressed community health, noting the city’s expansion projects at Jardin de Niños Park and Hoover Park, as well as the development of Bayfront Park by the shoreline. He also highlighted programs at the Redwood City Public Library and Redwood Shores Branch Library, including bilingual programming, senior social connection programs, and an educational speaker series for neurodiverse youth and families.
Sturken also emphasized the city’s partnership with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley in hosting food distributions at the library, which serves around 100 families a week. Redwood City Together, he said, is another great example of uniting schools, nonprofits, public agencies, health care providers and community organizations to support families across Redwood City and North Fair Oaks.
Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos interjected to share that the city’s new Veterans Memorial and Senior Center will officially open on May 4 and is intended to “serve residents of all ages for years to come” through its partnership with the YMCA, offering fitness, wellness, and recreational resources.
Climate Resilience
Council member Gee discussed climate resilience, noting the Redwood Shores Sea Level Rise Protection Project, to raise the levee system to protect the 11,500 residents, schools, businesses and critical infrastructure along the shores.
Gee also turned to the Greater Downtown Area Plan, which includes plans for flood risk response near Redwood Creek, and involves the addition of open spaces, habitat areas, and urban greening opportunities to help absorb flooding, protect ecosystems and strengthen environmental health.
The Climate Action Plan, Gee said, offers transparency through data collection, which “helps the president see” the progress the city is making, and where it still needs effort.
Safety
Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin began her presentation on Marshall Street, beside the historic fire bell outside of Fire Station 9, which she said has been in place since the 1860s as a community effort to fight fires.
“Public safety is no longer only about responding to emergency,” Eakin said, “it’s also about prevention, preparedness and building trust within the community.”
Segueing into a discussion about public safety, Eakin looked at the Redwood City Fire Department’s new community risk reduction division, which focuses on preventing emergencies through safety inspections, education, wildfire preparedness and outreach. The city is also coordinating with San Mateo County to update its local hazard mitigation plan to better identify earthquakes, floods, severe weather, and reduce their impacts before they happen.
By participating in the county’s Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team, the Redwood City Police Department partners with mental health professionals to respond to behavioral health situations, focusing on de-escalation and care. The police department also has a full-time Crisis Response Clinician to provide mental health support.
Eakin also highlighted the city’s new police substation at Sequoia Station, to increase police response time and “strengthen the sense of safety” at a “key commercial area,” she said. Eakin also flagged that the police and fire department have started a drone program to support emergency search efforts and improve situational awareness.
Economy
Council member Marcella Padilla ended the presentation with a discussion of Redwood City’s economic vitality.
“What began with lumber, shipping and trade has grown into a much more diverse economy that includes technology, life sciences, small businesses and innovation,” Padilla said of Redwood City’s economic history.
Padilla pointed to the city’s Elco Yards development at the intersection of El Camino Real and Main Street as “one of the most significant private investments in our history,” which is a major office, housing and retail development in the South-Main area. A testament to the value of the development includes the signing of the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative’s lease there, as well as the relocation of the globally recognized law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Silicon Valley office there, too, she said.
The city’s Community Development Department, Padilla acknowledged, recently launched a new, online portal for building permit applications and inspection scheduling, with a digital planning application portal slated to go live this summer — all to improve transparency, reduce barriers for small businesses and improve efficiency and responsiveness.
The city’s Small Business Conference, Business Spotlight Series, and Innovate RWC are all opportunities for local entrepreneurs to connect and learn from one another, Padilla noted. The city’s Economic Mobility Action Plan, which outlines strategies to expand access to quality jobs, workforce training, and business support, was one of the final economic features Padilla mentioned.
Earlier this year, the council discussed the city’s projected annual budgetary shortfalls ranging from $14.1 to $19.7 million starting in fiscal year 2028-29, which are at least $6.3 million more than expected in June 2025, prompting the city to tap into reserves earlier than planned.
Martínez Saballos concluded the address.
“Across our country and in communities everywhere, we see division, we see uncertainty and real challenges facing families and local governments alike,” the mayor said. “But what gives me confidence is the strength of this community and the people who continue to show up.”
