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PRESS RELEASE and STAFF REPORT. From from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisor’s meeting on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 at 9:00am as a hybrid meeting. Agenda. Staff Report for Item #23.
Press Release from District 3 Supervisor Mueller on June 10th, 2025.
Redwood City – Supervisors Jackie Speier and Ray Mueller will provide $160,000 in Measure K funds to re-establish a human trafficking cybercrimes pilot program in the District Attorney’s office. The resolution was passed 4-0 during the Board of Supervisors meeting on June 10 (Supervisor Corzo was absent). The county had a human trafficking unit housed in the sheriff’s office until 2022.
Human trafficking for sex and labor are among the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises. With the Superbowl and World Cup happening in the Bay Area next year, law enforcement is expecting an increase in trafficking activities.
“We need to be prepared to combat modern-day slavery, not just for major sporting events, but for the trafficking that takes place in our county behind closed doors every day,” Supervisor Speier said. “I initiated a zero-tolerance policy in the county in 2012 and I am committed to re-establishing it. We have the tools to address this crime, let’s use them.”
“The fight against human trafficking must evolve with the way these crimes are committed—online and in the shadows,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller. “This program is an investment in technology and expertise to identify traffickers and protect victims in our community. With major global events headed to our region, we must act with urgency and purpose to prevent exploitation and bring perpetrators to justice.”
Speier and Mueller’s request for $160,000 in Measure K district-discretionary funds will allow for the District Attorney’s Office to establish and fund staffing to execute a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit dedicated exclusively to the identification of human trafficking activities taking place online that can then be brought to full prosecution in San Mateo County. The services funded will be implemented through December 31, 2026.
Staff Report for Item #23
Measure K: Adopt a resolution: A) Authorizing the use of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $160,000 evenly split between Districts 1 and 3, to allow the District Attorney’s Office to establish and fund a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program in the District Attorney’s Office; and B) Authorizing and approving the Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program and authorizing the District Attorney, or designee, to oversee implementation of the program.
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds – Supervisorial Districts 1 and 3
RECOMMENDATION
Measure K: Adopt a resolution:
A) Authorizing the use of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $160,000 evenly split between Districts 1 and 3, to allow the District Attorney’s Office to establish and fund a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program in the District Attorney’s Office; and
B) Authorizing and approving the Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program and authorizing the District Attorney, or designee, to oversee implementation of the program.
BACKGROUND
Measure K is the half-cent general sales tax initially approved by San Mateo County voters in November 2012 and extended in November 2016 for a total of thirty years.
The Board of Supervisors (Board) held study sessions on Measure K expenditures and approved funds for the fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 budget cycle, divided equally among the five supervisorial districts, for one-time district-discretionary needs and projects. Districts 1 and 3 have submitted a request to use their district-discretionary Measure K funds as shown below and described in the Project Summary section of this memorandum:
| District/Project | Amount |
| District 1 (Supervisor Speier) and 3 (Supervisor Mueller) – Implement a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program in the District Attorney’s Office. | $160,000 |
This item is consistent with the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Human trafficking is among the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150 billion-a-year global industry. Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery, profits from the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations. Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or other forms of commercial exploitation.
California, as a border state with a significant immigrant population and the world’s fourth largest economy, is one of the nation’s top destination states for trafficking human beings. This Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the proclamation that commits the County San Mateo to reduce the conditions that enable exploitation, foster resilience, and create environments where individuals are safeguarded against human trafficking and other forms of violence.
In a January 2018 report by nonprofit Thorn, “The Role of Technology in Domestic Minor Sex Traffic,” 55% of respondents reported meeting their trafficker online. According to the Human Trafficking Institute’s 2020 Federal Human Trafficking Report, of the victims identified in federal sex trafficking cases between 2000 and 2020, 30% were recruited online. Advancements in technology have created and expanded the marketplace for human trafficking. Technology has reshaped how commerce takes place and removing it from the public arena, which has expanded the ease of entrapment and commercially exploiting individuals and children.
This request for $160,000 in Measure K district-discretionary funds will allow for the District Attorney’s Office to establish and fund staffing to execute a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit dedicated exclusively to the identification of human trafficking activities taking place online that can then be brought to full prosecution in San Mateo County. The services funded will be implemented through December 31, 2026.
Total Measure K Request: Not to Exceed $160,000
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
| Description | Target |
| Establish and fund a Human Trafficking Cybercrimes Unit Pilot Program in the District Attorney’s Office. | Complete |
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific Fiscal Year 2025 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget. Unspent funds from the FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget related to this project will be rolled forward and transferred to the District Attorney’s Office during the September Revisions process and included in the FY 2025-26 budget package to the Board.
Author: mdrag
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