San Mateo County has formed a Domestic Violence Task Force following the murders of five women this year at the hands of abusers, Supervisor Noelia Corzo announced Thursday.
This task force brings together county officials, survivors, advocates, and representatives from law enforcement, public health, education, the judiciary, and others with the urgent mission of save lives by identifying gaps in services and strengthening response and support systems.
The county noted in a statement that aside from the tragic mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, all five homicides this year in San Mateo County have been the result of domestic violence, according to law enforcement officials.
The names of the murdered women are: Grace Marie Kelly, 49, Daly City; Yesenia Lopez Hernandez, 41, Redwood City; Claribel Estrella, 41, San Mateo; Maria Romero-Molina, 30, South San Francisco; and Frances Lucero, 27, Daly City.
?These victims deserved safety. Their children deserve their mothers and to be free from violence. Intimate partner violence is a crisis that demands our experts come together, identify the gaps, and act now. Do we have the resources to prevent domestic violence and save lives? Corzo said.
They stated that the idea of creating a specific working group arose during a special meeting on Monday, September 18, of the San Mateo County Domestic Violence Council.
The task force, made up of a subgroup of members of the Council Against Domestic Violence, will report an action plan to the council and the community at large.
“These tragedies demand urgent community attention, and we are encouraged by the rapid response of local representatives and organizations,” said Lynn Schuette of Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, or CORA, San Mateo County's only agency dedicated exclusively to helping those affected by partner abuse problems.
The newly formed task force is made up of nine members of the Council on Domestic Violence: Noelia Corzo, county supervisor; Mike Callagy, county executive director; Christina Corpus, sheriff; Elisa Kuhl, director of victim services, District Attorney's Office; Karen Ferguson, Executive Director, CORA (Community to Overcome Relationship Abuse).
Also involved are the San Mateo Superior Court, Bay Area Legal Aid, San Mateo Medical Center, and the San Mateo County Board of Education.
Domestic violence affects about 10,000 people in San Mateo County each year, according to the Domestic Violence Council.
In that sense, learning about residents' experiences with domestic violence can help inform strategies to address intimate partner abuse. Yes
Given this, the county invites the public to share their stories during public comments at the next meeting of the Council against Domestic Violence, on Thursday, October 12 at 3:00 p.m.
Participation is available in person and virtually, and will be available when the agenda is published on www.smcgov.org/dvc/2023-domestic-violence-council-meetings.
If you or someone you know is experiencing dating violence in San Mateo County, which can take many forms, including coercive control, stalking, and verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse, please contact the toll-free number. CORA 24 hours a day. hotline at 1-800-300-1080 or seek help at corasupport.org.
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