No. San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is an independent special district. 

A special district is a local government "...created by the people of a community to deliver specialized services essential to their health, safety, economy and well-being. A community forms a special district, which are political subdivisions authorized through a state’s statutes, to provide specialized services the local city or county do not provide." (Learn more here and here)

Examples of special districts include many fire protection districts, water districts, and even open space districts and healthcare districts.

There are about 2 dozen other special districts in San Mateo County.  Most, like fire protection districts and water districts, serve a portion of the County.  You can explore other special districts in San Mateo County at this map.

If you live in one of the 13 cities that made up our original service boundary (Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, Woodside and San Mateo County at-large), a special election was passed in May 1982 by the citizens of these cities allowing for a Special Mosquito Control Tax. The cost for this special tax is a maximum amount of $3.74 per parcel to be charged each tax year. Along with the $3.74 per parcel amount, 0.0000185505 of each property tax dollar for this area is delineated for use by Mosquito and Vector Control.

If you live in the newly annexed areas of Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco and any unincorporated coastal areas in San Mateo County, a benefit assessment was voted on and passed by your citizens in January 2004. The benefit assessment amount was established at $15.00 per SFE (single family equivalent) per tax year. Factors to determine costs for multi-benefit dwellings (agricultural, commercial or multi-resident properties) are adjusted by the factors of acreage and benefit received by the entire property. All benefit amounts in these cities are allowed an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) based on the SF-Oakland-San Jose, All Urban Consumers Price Index rate published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The District’s Board of Trustees consists of 21 members, one from each city and one representative for the County at-large. Trustees are appointed by their respective City Council to govern the Mosquito and Vector Control District knowledgeably and effectively. 

The District’s day-to-day operations are managed by our District Manager.

The District’s predecessor, the Three Cities Mosquito Abatement District began providing services in San Mateo County in 1916. You can learn more about District history here.

Our geographical area currently includes all of San Mateo County.

A vector is any animal or insect that is capable of transmitting a disease or considered a public health nuisance. A vector-borne disease is any disease that is transmitted to humans by an animal.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.”

You can learn more about integrated pest management here (US EPA website) and here (Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California).