Supervisor Canepa’s letter in PDF format
DAVID J. CANEPA
SUPERVISOR, FIFTH DISTRICT
COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
February 3, 2026
The Board of Trustees
San Mateo Community College District
3401 CSM Drive, San Mateo, CA 94402
Dear Board President Wayne Lee, Vice President Richard Holober, Trustee Dr. Lisa Petrides, Trustee Mike Guingona Trustee John Pimentel and Student Trustee Michael Llanell-Vararaj:
I am once again reaching out to call for better collective bargaining relations between management and the faculty union, AFT 1493, a request I formally made in writing to Chancellor Moreno and then President Mike Guingona in a letter dated December 12, 2025. I believe that good-faith negotiations centered on faculty and student welfare are the cornerstone of a thriving educational institution. Providing faculty with fair compensation not only strengthens the campus community but sets faculty up for success by allowing them to focus more on serving students and less on finding a second job to make ends meet, or spending hours commuting.
The San Mateo Community College District’s revenue has seen an average annual increase of 6.43% in the last 5 years. Meanwhile, faculty salaries have not achieved a proportionate improvement reflecting this revenue growth. As a result, in 2020-2025, faculty salary increases have lagged over 5% behind inflation. Despite this, SMCCCD is offering its faculty a 2.75% annual raise, an offer that would not help redress this historical pattern of what amounts to pay cuts for your faculty. In the context of SMCCCD’s decade-long violation of the 50% law, which has resulted in a cumulative $120 million dollar underpayment for your faculty over the last 10 years, this offer does not seem equitable. In light of SMCCCD’s basic aid status, the estimated 5% increase in the unrestricted general fund at the end of this fiscal year, and the high cost of living in San Mateo County, I urge the District to seriously rethink its economic offer to faculty, which I believe is vital for recruitment and retention of faculty members.
Further, it concerns me that your district is refusing to bargain with AFT 1493 to include academic freedom protection in the faculty contract. For faculty to be able to maintain their integrity in teaching the discipline they are trained in, and to provide SMCCCD students with the full academic rigor that they deserve, I urge the district to bargain with AFT 1493 to include academic freedom language in the contract, as is the case in all other Bay Area community college districts.
The area’s wealth has greatly benefited many, including SMCCCD. Your District can and should provide compensation that allows your faculty to live with dignity in this area, so they can focus on serving students instead of spending time on long commutes. Thank you in ·advance for working cooperatively with the faculty in your district. I can be reached at (415) 513-9410 if you would like to discuss it further.
In friendship,
DAVID J. CANEPA