Biotech Industry Critical in San Mateo County, Politicians Say

Peninsula politicians and business advocates joined together Friday in Belmont to discuss ways to promote a regional economic development strategy, with a special emphasis on biotechnology.

San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley was joined by Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D- San Mateo), South San Francisco Mayor Kevin Mullin, Redwood City Council member Rosanne Foust, as well as other representatives from throughout San Mateo County, to discuss how to help local life science businesses succeed.

The meeting took place in a conference room at the San Mateo County Economic Development Association headquarters on Lakeshore Drive near Highway 101.

Mullin, who touted South San Francisco as "the birthplace of biotech," spoke about the benefit that the greater Bay Area experiences when local businesses do well.

"A rising tide floats all boats," Mullin said.

He has advocated for a collaboration between the local school system in South San Francisco and the biotech business community, he said. Mullin said he would like to see the relationship between both sectors grow in an effort to maintain local progress.

"We are uniquely positioned to keep momentum growing," Mullin said.

Mullin's father, Gene, former South San Francisco mayor and former state assemblyman, was part of the South San Francisco government when Genentech first came to the Bay Area.

He gave historical perspective as to why South San Francisco became the hub for biotech that is it today, which he mostly attributed to it being in between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, as well as being able to offer lots of land and space for a relatively cheap price at the time.

He admitted that in the late 1970s, when Genentech first expressed interest in coming to South San Francisco, the city government was not aware of the potential lucrative businesses opportunity that would be joining the city.

"We didn't know what we were getting at the time," Gene Mullin said.

Biotechnology generated $567 million in payroll in San Mateo County last year, Jerry Hill said. 

"There are a number of great companies doing great things here," he said. 

Hill said there are 350 biotechnology business located in the Bay Area that offer 15,000 jobs to local residents. But as the industry has grown in popularity and revenue-generating potential, regions outside the Bay Area have been willing to offer lucrative incentives to the businesses to relocate.

For example, South San Francisco-based Genentech, the crown jewel of the biotech industry both locally and abroad, has relocated some of its services to Oregon due in part to the the restrictive tax policy in place in California, Hill said.

Hill said he was sponsoring bills in the state legislature that would eliminate requirements for biotech companies to undergo redundant health inspections from state and federal agencies which demand unnecessary amounts of time.

Rosanne Foust said it was in the best interest of the greater Bay Area to ensure advocates are able to make San Mateo County a lucrative region for businesses, especially those in the biotech industry.

"We want to be enablers in San Mateo County," Foust said. "We don't want to impede business growth."

Don Horsley commented on the necessity of keeping abreast of developments in the local biotech industry in order to find opportunities for expansion.

He said the next time the group gets together it will invite local Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo in order to get a federal representation at the meeting.