After the deaths of Yanira Serrano in 2014 and Sandra Harmon in 2020, both mentally ill women who were tragically killed by law enforcement, Harvey along with Mayor Jimenez pushed for the establishment of CARES (Crisis Assistance Response & Evaluation Services Program). This program provides a non-law enforcement professional response to 911 and 988 calls involving mental health crises. Instead of an armed response, CARES responds with two mental health professionals who are bilingual and trained to deal with such crises. The CARES program has already been recognized as saving several lives which almost certainly would have been ended had the response been an armed one instead of being led by mental health professionals.

Harvey has a PhD in physics from Stony Brook University and before retiring worked as a Senior Analyst at the SLAC National Laboratory in Menlo Park. Because of this technical background he is well aware of the devastating effect of climate change on our environment and has helped pass the City’s Climate Action Plan. He has worked to preserve Open Space in the West of Railroad Planned Unit Development and the Wavecrest PUD. He is a founding Director on the Board of Peninsula Clean Energy which has fought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. PCE has brought 100% greenhouse-gas-free energy to Half Moon Bay and has electricity rates lower than those of PG&E. PCE has made many presentations to our City about their incentive programs to promote green energy through home electrification, e-bike rebates, and installation of EV charging stations.

Harvey has long been concerned with public safety policy. He worked with the Council to refer the Sandra Harmon shooting to the Attorney General. After nothing came of that, he along with Mayor Jimenez authored a white paper reviewing our current policy as well as detailing a potential course forward for Half Moon Bay. Harvey has also worked to insure a change in leadership for the Sheriff’s Office.  We have already experienced an improvement in transparency with our Coastside Captain’s involvement with the City Council, ride alongs with our Deputies and significant presence on social media.

More recently he has joined with the Council as being the first to endorse Fixin’ San Mateo’s effort to establish police oversight of the San Mateo County Sheriff. Mayor Jimenez and Harvey were recently honored for this work.

The shootings of seven farmworkers last year brought to light the appalling conditions that many of our farmworkers have suffered under. In addition our underserved essential workers, undocumented immigrants and people of color are in need of help from our Council. Harvey has championed support for ALAS (Ayudando Latinos A Soñar), Abundant Grace Coastside Worker, Coastside Hope and other nonprofits through the City’s Community Services Nonprofit Grant Program. This program has evolved to support organizations whose mission is to provide essential safety net services. He has worked to get dignified senior farmworker housing built at 555 Kelly Avenue and has supported the County program to build 47 units of farmworker housing at 880 Stone Pine. This project will house many of those affected by last year’s shootings. He has supported the only homeless shelter on the Coastside which has helped many formerly unhoused people get into permanent supportive housing. He has worked to implement rent stabilization—Half Moon Bay is only one of two cities in the County to implement this sorely needed rent control.