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Redwood City

Redwood City is a city of 84,000 and San Mateo County's seat — a revitalized Peninsula hub with a rare deep-water bay port, home to Oracle and EA. Incorporated 1867, governed by a seven-member district Council, and boldly claiming "Climate Best by Government Test."

CivicCause organizes issues, meetings, elections, and public activity around Redwood City so you can see what is happening locally and how it connects to broader county decisions.

Part of the San Mateo County network. View county hub.
Redwood City civic mark
Daily Summary
2026-08-17

Redwood City Council has an upcoming meeting on 2026-05-11

The Redwood City Council will hold a regular meeting on May 11, 2026. This session is part of the council’s ongoing schedule to address city matters and community priorities, providing residents an opportunity to stay informed about local governance and upcoming decisions.

Following this, the council is also scheduled for a special meeting on May 18, 2026, focused on BCC interviews. Residents interested in city leadership and appointments should watch for updates from these sessions. Other key issues in Redwood City include ongoing negotiations for waterfront development, homelessness outreach contracts, housing production efforts, and the long-term Greater Downtown Area Plan, though no immediate meetings are set for these topics in the near term.

Meeting: Redwood City Council • May 11, 2026 Regular City Council MeetingMeeting: Redwood City Council • May 18, 2026 Special City Council Meeting - BCC Interviews
Read previous published Daily Briefs for this city.
Browse Daily Brief Archive →

Civic Signals

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Highest Activity

Top Issues in Redwood City

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Priority issue threads currently visible across meetings, agencies, organizations, and public records.

Waterfront Development — A Transformational Deal in Negotiation
active
Created by CivicCause
Redwood City's bayfront is the site of one of the most consequential development negotiations on the Peninsula. The City Council created a dedicated subcommittee in February 2026 to negotiate a major waterfront development agreement — a si…
The Greater Downtown Area Plan — A 25-Year Vision Taking Shape
active
Created by CivicCause
Redwood City is in the middle of one of the most ambitious long-range planning processes on the Peninsula. The Greater Downtown Area Plan, which City Council reviewed in its first meeting of 2026, is a 25-year land use, economic developmen…
Homelessness — A $1.2M Outreach Commitment With Accountability Built In
active
Created by CivicCause
Redwood City is taking a more structured, outcomes-focused approach to homelessness than most Peninsula cities. The City Council in February 2026 approved a two-year, $1.215 million contract with LifeMoves for encampment outreach, case man…
Housing Production & Tenant Protections — Leading the Peninsula, But Not Done
active
Created by CivicCause
Redwood City is one of the most active housing producers on the Peninsula, but affordability remains a stubborn challenge. City Council reported in March 2026 that Redwood City issued building permits for 490 homes in 2025 and 1,321 homes …
Sheriff's Office Aftermath — Rebuilding Accountability & Trust
active
Created by CivicCause
San Mateo County is still working through the fallout of one of the most dramatic law enforcement governance crises in the Bay Area in recent memory. In May 2025, an independent investigation found evidence of conflicts of interest, misuse…

Civic Activity

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Recent chronological updates from civic sources connected to Redwood City.

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Elections

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11/3/2026 November 3, 2026 California General Election
Candidate races
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Measures
ACA 20: Save for California's Future ActACA 22: Local taxes: limitationAuthorizes bonds for immunology researchCreates loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homesEstablishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements

Upcoming meetings

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No upcoming meetings in the next two weeks.

Recent meetings with summaries

Meeting archive
May 18, 2026 Special City Council Meeting - BCC Interviews
5/18/2026 • 17:00:00
Redwood City Council
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened May 18, 2026 Special City Council Meeting - BCC Interviews's 2026-05-18 meeting centered on Amendment No. 4 to Agreement for Services with Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates for revenue enhancement and.…
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
7/7/2026 • 9:00 AM
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
RecentSummary availableAgenda + causes
What happened AC Transit Board of Directors' 2026-05-13 meeting centered on Consider receiving a report on the FY 2026-27 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets and provide direction to staff... and Consider authorizing…

Recent news

Redwood City Council formally opposes rent control measure - Redwood City Pulse
Google Palo Alto • 2026-08-17
Redwood City Council formally opposes rent control measure Redwood City Pulse
Redwood City Council formally opposes rent control measure
Redwood City Pulse • 2026-08-17
Redwood City officials formally opposed a rent control and expanded tenant protection ordinance backed by more than 7,000 Redwood City petition signatures. The proposal will be the only loc…
School board incumbents face no challengers in Redwood City, Belmont-Redwood Shores - Redwood City Pulse
Google Redwood City • 2026-08-14
School board incumbents face no challengers in Redwood City, Belmont-Redwood Shores Redwood City Pulse
School board incumbents face no challengers in Redwood City, Belmont-Redwood Shores
Redwood City Pulse • 2026-08-14
Incumbents seeking board reelection in the Belmont-Redwood Shores and Redwood City school districts have an easy path to another term as they face no challengers in the Nov. 3 elections.
‘Theft by the state’: San Mateo County leaders warn of cuts without funding fix - Redwood City Pulse
Google San Mateo • 2026-08-14
‘Theft by the state’: San Mateo County leaders warn of cuts without funding fix Redwood City Pulse
Redwood City: County And City Officials Convene To Address Catastrophic Funding Loss From State - sfgate.com
Google Redwood City • 2026-08-14
Redwood City: County And City Officials Convene To Address Catastrophic Funding Loss From State sfgate.com
Redwood City Council races draw no challengers - Redwood City Pulse
Google San Mateo • 2026-08-13
Redwood City Council races draw no challengers Redwood City Pulse
Redwood City Council races draw no challengers
Redwood City Pulse • 2026-08-13
The regular filing deadline passed on Friday, Aug. 7, leaving three incumbent Redwood City Council members as the only candidates up to bat in their respective districts.
CivicCause budget overview

Redwood City Budget Overview

FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget

A compact view of Redwood City's adopted budget, focused on top-level revenues, expenditures, and General Fund revenue sources from the official Budget in Brief.

All funds revenues
$407.8M
Top-level revenue figure from the Budget in Brief.
All funds expenditures
$396.8M
Top-level expenditure figure from the Budget in Brief.
General Fund budget
$201.0M
General Fund expenditure budget stated in the citywide overview.

General Fund overview

General Fund revenues
$206.9M
Total shown in the General Fund revenue category chart.
General Fund expenditures
$200.9M
Total shown in the General Fund expenditure category chart.

Where the money comes from

General Fund revenue sources are shown as compact full-dollar amounts for readability.

Property Taxes
$87.2M
Sales Tax
$37.7M
Charges for Services
$24.4M
Utility Users Tax
$12.0M
Other Taxes & Fees
$11.1M
Other Revenues
$8.4M
Interest Earnings/Rentals
$7.0M
Licenses & Permits
$5.7M
Intergovernmental
$5.1M
Transient Occupancy Tax
$5.1M
Library & Recreation Revenues
$2.7M
Fines & Forfeitures
$0.4M
Source: FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget, Budget in Brief, PDF pages 88-93.
Detailed budget review, staffing, capital projects, and department-level schedules remain available in the official City budget document.
The official source is the adopted budget document; some Budget in Brief text retains recommended-budget wording.
Official Redwood City budget source