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Politics & Government

How Can You Help? Here's How

Foster City Councilmember Charlie Bronitsky answers the often-asked question, how can locals help the City through these difficult times?

 

People who live and work in Foster City just love it here.

It’s safe, has beautiful parks and lagoons, the streets and facilities are well maintained, and the people who work here are committed to our residents and businesses. So of course, people love to live and work in Foster City.

Often, when I am attending an event, someone will ask me how they can help maintain the quality of life we enjoy in Foster City, so I thought it would be worthwhile listing some ways that each of us can help maintain and grow Foster City in these difficult economic times.

Sponsor Foster City - One of the easiest ways to help Foster City is to be a sponsor for one your favorite events. Do you just love the summer concerts, or maybe the 4th of July Festival? You can help us to keep those programs going by becoming a sponsor.

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Our Parks and Recreation Department has sponsorship programs for these and other events throughout the year. Your donation can be large or small, and is even tax deductible. Foster City has a foundation called, not surprisingly, the Foster City Foundation, and donations are tax deductible. Sponsorship is also a great way to get your business known and recognized locally, as sponsorships are publicly acknowledged at the event. Sponsorship is an easy way to help.

Shop Foster City - Shopping and dining in Foster City helps through sales tax. From super retailer Costco to the great local Foster City retail shops and restaurants, shopping and eating in Foster City - rather than shopping and eating out of town - helps us maintain our City.

There are some great restaurants in Foster City. From time to time during my comments at the end of Council meetings, I recommend a Foster City restaurant that I have eaten at recently and had a great meal at. Eat and shop locally - you will not be disappointed, and doing so helps.

Stay in Foster City - Do you have friends or family coming to see the Bay Area? Get them to stay in one of our wonderful hotels. Hotels generate revenue through the transient occupancy tax. Foster City has the lowest transient occupancy tax in the county, yet we have world-class hotel amenities. Besides, it's easier to travel around the Bay with your guests when you can all come back to the same place at the end of the day.

Work with Foster City – We have a number of citizen advisory committees that help the City Council look at detailed issues and make recommendations. Often there are vacancies on these committees. Perhaps you have ideas for our City that you want to share and help to grow. Joining a citizen advisory committee is a great way to get that done.

Enjoy Foster City - Helping out can take as little effort as enjoying our events and facilities. Come to a summer concert event and throw a dollar (or five) into the kitty. Drive to the 4th of July festival and kick in $10 for parking. Take a recreation class or play in a sports league - there are tons of them and they are all lots of fun. I have been playing bocce for the past few years and it is a blast!

As you can see there are many ways that you can help. This beautiful summer is a great time to get started. I can tell you from personal experience that you will not be disappointed.

These are my thoughts and suggestions. You can always share your ideas with me by e-mail at cbronitsky@fostercity.org or call me at 650-286-3504.

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