CASE STUDY
Understanding Community Needs:
San Mateo County Measure K Listening Sessions and Community Survey
Residents shared their thoughts on camera as part of a video montage that was shared with the San Mateo County’s Board of Supervisors.
How does the County of San Mateo ensure that public funds are judiciously allocated to meet and align with residents' diverse needs across its vast geographic and demographic expanse? InterEthnica facilitated a comprehensive community-led data-gathering exercise to answer this very question. By designing and conducting intercept, phone, and online surveys and implementing eight in-person listening sessions across the five supervisorial districts in 4 languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog), InterEthnica connected with 2,661 residents as they expressed their communities' needs, which will ultimately inform how San Mateo County will allocate Measure K funds (half-cent sales tax) to meet community needs best.
Residents across San Mateo County were invited to multilingual listening sessions where InterEthnica's bilingual staff welcomed residents to participate in various activities that allowed participants to share where they live, prioritize the distribution of Measure K funds across four key categories, and engage in small group discussions.
InterEthnica utilized the collected qualitative and quantitative data to develop and present key recommendations to the County of San Mateo's Board of Supervisors on how funding could best be allocated to meet the community's needs. InterEthnica's strategy, process, report, video, and presentation were highly praised by the Board of Supervisors, County Executive, Chief Financial Officer, and community members and will serve as the County's template for future inclusive engagement efforts.
