San Mateo County's flood district will ask its board Monday to approve a $500,000 contract for community engagement work tied to two new shoreline adaptation plans, according to the meeting agenda packet.
OneShoreline, officially the San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District, is recommending a three-year master services agreement with San Francisco-based InterEthnica, Inc. for outreach, multi-jurisdictional coordination and countywide communications and branding. The district is headquartered in San Mateo and serves communities across the county. The contract would run from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2029, with work authorized through individual task orders.
InterEthnica was chosen after a competitive process that drew 12 proposals. An interview panel unanimously selected the firm, which will use Cascadia Consulting Group as a technical subconsultant. The first task order on the table: $90,000 over two years for community engagement on the Brisbane Shoreline Resilience Plan.
Both the Brisbane plan and a separate Southern Bayside Cities Shoreline Resilience Plan are funded by the California Ocean Protection Council's Senate Bill 1 grant program. The board approved a $675,000 technical consulting contract with Moffatt & Nichol for the Brisbane plan at its June 22 meeting.
Board to recognize flood-supply pilot that reached 26 homes
The Monday agenda also includes a resolution thanking Climate Resilient Communities for its work on OneShoreline's Home Protection and Insurability Initiative, a pilot launched in late 2025 in response to rising home insurance costs across the county.
The pilot targeted 99 homes in the Belle Air neighborhood of San Bruno, within the San Bruno Creek Flood Zone. Up to 30 households were eligible for supplies. Staff from Climate Resilient Communities held in-person conversations with 56 of those households, completed intake with 28 and delivered flood protection supplies to 26 families starting in December 2025. Supplies included sump pumps, garage flood barriers and appliance platforms, with each household eligible for up to $1,500 worth of materials.
Twenty-six of the up to 30 households eligible to receive supplies ultimately received them.
CEO Len Materman's staff report indicates OneShoreline plans to extend the pilot to additional San Bruno households and expand into flood-prone neighborhoods of East Palo Alto in Year 2. The district's fiscal year 2026-27 budget includes roughly $50,000 to establish the program in East Palo Alto.
What's next
The seven-member board, chaired by Debbie Ruddock, meets at 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, at 1700 S. El Camino Real in San Mateo. The meeting is hybrid, with a Zoom option available. Staff is also planning to release a request for proposals for the Southern Bayside Cities plan consultant team the week of Aug. 24, with board approval expected in December.
