San Mateo County’s piece of $1.1 billion awarded in a lawsuit over lead paint will probably be enough money to remove it from all local homes that still have it, said County Counsel John Beiers.
The county’s piece of the ruling announced Monday is not yet in hand — the three companies ordered to pay the money have vowed to appeal the preliminary ruling and the original lawsuit alone took 13 years to resolve since the initial filing. But once those avenues are exhausted and if the plaintiffs prevail, Beiers said the county will launch “a very deliberate process” with the Board of Supervisors, the Health System and the Department of Housing over how to best utilize the money such as whether the county will proactively seek out affected homes or have occupants contact the county.
The intent of the award from Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra and NL Industries was to help rid lead paint from an estimated 5 million homes in the 10 cities and counties, including San Mateo County, which sued...
