Supervisor Jerry Hill

Supervisor Jerry Hill

Jerry Hill is a third generation San Franciscan who has lived in San Mateo County for the past 30 years. He is a business owner and licensed commercial pilot who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Lifetime Secondary Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. Jerry was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in June 1998, to represent the 2nd District, which includes San Mateo, Foster City, and Belmont. He took office on January 4, 1999, starting a new chapter in a life devoted to community service.

As a member of the Board of Supervisors, Jerry serves as the Board’s liaison to the Commission on Disabilities, the Historical Association, and the Private Industry Council. He sits on the board of directors of the San Mateo County Transit District (Samtrans), the Local Agency Formation Commission, and is President of the San Mateo County General Hospital Board. He also serves as an alternate to the Airport Community Roundtable, the City/County Association of Governments, the California State Association of Counties and Summer Jobs for Youth.

At Jerry’s request, the Board of Supervisors created the position of County Liaison to Cities of San Mateo County and he was appointed the first liaison. Recognizing the need for ongoing communication, the County liaison will work to enhance cooperation between the County and 20 cities within its jurisdiction for those wide-ranging issues which may not otherwise be addressed by other bodies.

Prior to his election to the Board of Supervisors, Jerry served for 7 years as member of the San Mateo City Council and was Mayor in 1994. Soon after being elected to the city council, Jerry began holding regular meetings with members of the San Mateo/Foster City School District Board in an attempt to build communication and an ongoing mutually beneficial relationship. In the same spirit of cooperation and consensus building, Jerry worked to integrate the neighborhood homeowners associations into the mainstream of city government and create a balance between the needs of the business community and the residents of San Mateo.

Mindful of the health and well being of the residents of San Mateo, Jerry led the implementation of a tough anti-smoking ordinance for the City which prohibited smoking in the workplace and restaurants. He worked tirelessly with neighboring cities to create comparable measures.

Jerry is a strong proponent of open government with active citizen participation and is an ardent financial and budgetary critic. As Mayor, Jerry introduced the monthly "Mayor’s Business Owners Roundtable" and was instrumental in the establishment of the city’s "Economic Health Advisory Committee."

When the city manager proposed either raising taxes or reducing city services, Jerry located $2.2 million of budget cuts without laying off employees or cutting services. Another example of Jerry’s drive for responsible government is his fight to close San Mateo’s police crime lab. San Mateo was the only city in San Mateo County with a crime lab that had an operating budget of $250,000 annually, even though the County provided all crime lab services to cities at no cost. With the money saved, the city was able to hire four new police officers.

In 1995 Jerry led the effort to increase hours at San Mateo’s main library in order to provide better customer service. This occurred at the same time that other cities were cutting library hours. Jerry also located a flaw in the internal controls used to protect the City of San Mateo’s investments, which left the city vulnerable to possible embezzlement.

Jerry has always been an active participant in the community. He is the founding President and current Advisory Board member of Leadership San Mateo/Foster City/Hillsborough/Burlingame, a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Early Learning Center and is a member of San Mateo Rotary, San Mateo Chamber of Commerce, Burlingame Chamber of Commerce, Redwood City/San Mateo Chamber of Commerce, University of California Alumni Association, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Italy, National Federation of Independent Business, Society of American Magicians, and League of Women Voters.

He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Women’s Center, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the City/County Association of Governments and its Congestion Management/Air Quality Committee and Executive Committee. He is also a member of the San Mateo County Homeless Task Force and the Steering Committee of the County Economic Development Program of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association.

Jerry resides in San Mateo with his wife Sky, and his daughter Taryn.