Candidate for
Treasurer - Tax Collector; County of San Mateo

The County Treasurer-Tax Collector plays a vital role in ensuring the fiscal viability of San Mateo County. The office manages the County's $2.4 Billion Pooled Investment Fund; bills and collects property taxes; provides billing and revenue collection services for other County agencies, such as the San Mateo County Medical Center; administers banking services for the County; works to attract new investors to the County; and manages a staff of 66 employees.

The following ten points highlight the key areas I will focus on to make sure that the Treasurer-Tax Collector is effectively serving the needs of San Mateo County's residents and taxpayers:

• Make sure that we have an Investment Policy that is updated annually as required by law and that reflects lessons learned from past mistakes, current market realities, and the projected size of our investment pool

• Manage the County Pooled Investment Funds in compliance with the updated Investment Policy, with a focus on safety, liquidity, and capital preservation

• Be smart about knowing when to bring in professional investment advisors; build the expertise of our internal team, automate compliance reporting, create bench strength and backup, and lower transaction costs

• Benchmark the performance, processes, and methods used by the County Treasurer-Tax Collector against other counties in California and other select counties across the country to make sure we are implementing best practices

• Work closely with related County departments (especially the Assessor and Controller) to create a seamless technology infrastructure that increases revenue, reduces cost, increases efficiency, and increases customer satisfaction

• In light of the County's structural deficit which is on course to hit $150 million, implement quantitative performance measures in order to continuously improve quality and efficiency, and use this process as a model for other County agencies

• Make sure that we are collecting all the property taxes and revenue that we are due, and are not giving away our tax dollars due to errors in process or policy

• In order to ensure the continued accessibility and affordability of healthcare in our County, work to reduce the $50 million+ deficit at the County Medical Center by recognizing that revenue collection begins when the patient first walks in the door, not when they are sent the bill

• Treat all taxpayers, pool participants, local agencies, other county departments, and the employees of this department with the respect and transparency that they deserve in order to create a remarkable customer service experience

• Be a tireless advocate for the protection of our local property taxes against "borrowing" or raids from Sacramento