San Mateo County is putting fresh money behind its promises to protect victims. Supervisors this week signed off on funding for eight new public-safety positions aimed at shoring up services for domestic-violence survivors, boosting anti-trafficking efforts and chewing through lingering forensic backlogs. The $831,829 package will add staff for the county's planned Family Justice Center along with two new criminalists to speed up DNA and controlled-substance testing, a response officials say reflects rising caseloads and growing pressure on victim services and lab capacity.
Board vote and new roles
In a 5-0 vote, the Board approved an $831,829 investment to "strengthen the County’s human trafficking initiative, provide staffing for the new Family Justice Center and add two criminalists," according to the County of San Mateo. The eight positions will create new public-safety and survivor-support roles across several county departments. The Sheriff’s Office is set to add one criminalist to the Forensic Biology DNA Unit and another to the Controlled Substances Unit to help whittle down testing backlogs that can stall cases.
Staffing the Family Justice Center
County leaders say the new hires are also key to staffing the Family Justice Center, a co-located, survivor-centered hub that will bring law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates and service providers together in a single space to limit retraumatization. "Staffing the Family Justice Center moves us one step closer to opening the doors to a clear path towards safety, healing and a life free of abuse," Board President Noelia Corzo said in a county release. The District Attorney’s Office has been tapped to lead the center’s development and earlier announced a director as planning continues in San Mateo, according to the DA's office.
Forensics and trafficking work
Officials say the two new criminalists are intended to cut into forensic testing delays that can slow prosecutions and survivors' cases, while other positions will expand public education and coordination around trafficking. The Daily Journal reported that the hires are designed to meet growing demand for DNA and controlled-substance analysis.
Part of a broader survivor strategy
The staffing move is the latest piece of a broader county strategy to support survivors. In December, supervisors approved a program that provides $1,000 monthly payments to certain domestic-violence survivors with children, a guaranteed-income pilot covered by CBS San Francisco. The new roles also follow earlier task forces and response teams formed after a 2023 surge in intimate-partner homicides, a spike and subsequent task force response documented by The San Francisco Chronicle.
