2 vying for supervisor seat in District 1 in San Mateo County

Both have set their sights on representing District 1, an area covering all or most of Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Bruno and South San Francisco, each asserting they’re the best choice to address some of the most pressing matters for residents.

Housing and homelessness

The candidates stand opposed on a key county housing initiative — the purchase of the La Quinta Inn in Millbrae with the intention of transforming the hotel into permanent affordable housing. Speier said she supports the purchase and lauded County Executive Officer Mike Callagy for leading the county’s efforts to address homelessness.

Schneider, on the other hand, has long been vocal about her disapproval of the purchase, which she and other Millbrae residents and officials say will snatch away vital tax revenue from the city and increase burdens on public safety infrastructure. She and others have also criticized the county for how it went about buying the hotel, arguing county officials should have communicated its intentions with the city more.

If elected, Schneider said she’d work to rebuild trust between the county and Millbrae while leading other initiatives like addressing housing needs for foster youth and gathering data for how many county residents are living paycheck to paycheck.

“The county overreached. It abused its power with La Quinta,” Schneider said.

Public safety

Speaking on public safety and the county’s cooperation with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, Speier said she would have been aligned with Supervisor Ray Mueller when the board was deciding whether to adopt a policy that would prohibit county staff from using county resources to hand over residents to ICE.

Under the policy, ICE can still gain custody of county residents and deport them as long as they present a judicial warrant. Mueller had suggested the policy include a carve-out that would allow cooperation for inmates who committed murder, child molestation or rape, a suggestion with which Speier agreed.

“I feel strongly that if you commit heinous crimes, you don’t belong in this country,” Speier said.

Schneider appeared to agree with the suggestion as well, asserting there should be a “threshold or sliding scale” for the amount of harm someone commits and how quickly they can be removed. She suggested the “baddest of the bad guys go first and quickly” while more leniency is given to those she described as having fallen through the cracks.

Budgeting and internal reforms

When discussing the county’s financial footing, Schneider said she’d like to conduct an audit into the county’s spending. She noted officials were unable to fulfill a public records request addressing dollars going to just Millbrae and asserted that type of information should be available for all communities receiving money from the county.

Schneider said she’d also like to see block grants distributed directly to cities rather than through nonprofits. She and Speier also noted many of the county’s nonprofits are located in a single location, limiting their work. Much of the economic reforms Speier proposed revolved around making a more robust nonprofit system that allowed them to better communicate and serve the county.

Reviewing how the county spends Measure K dollars, from a half-cent sales tax, lifting every child out of poverty, and using her connections to encourage more local philanthropy are also top goals for Speier.

“I made it clear I was coming home to make good trouble. I didn’t know what that was going to be but I did know I was going to continue to stay engaged with the community,” Speier said. “This is it. I want to continue to do this thing I love.”

Both Speier and Schneider said they couldn’t speak directly to the county’s efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion — in recent years, supervisors hired Shireen Malekafzali to be the county’s chief equity officer who began to oversee the implementation of a variety of changes — but each noted they’ve worked on similar initiatives during their careers.

Schneider said she’d like to see environmental justice become more of a focus within the county’s DEI work and Speier said she’d push for reforms that would encourage residents to both live and work in the county rather be forced out due to the high cost of living.

Bridging gaps

Mending divides and rebuilding decorum is a key reason why Speier said she jumped into the race for supervisor. She suggested the board could consider developing a new code of conduct that would allow a speaker’s words to be taken down like it’s done in Congress.

After spending four decades in elected office, Speier said she’d also like to act as a mentor to others just beginning their political careers. As an elected Democrat, Speier also noted she’s worked across party lines to move legislation forward, underscoring her ability to bring unity to the county.

Schneider acknowledged a number of national issues have been driving divides locally whether that be the COVID-19 pandemic or the conflict in the Middle East. While working collaboratively can be “lovely,” she said people will sometimes need to agree to disagree. Her goal, she said, is to advocate for the residents of District 1 who she said are often ignored or forgotten.

“The county needs to understand and pay attention to District 1 and not assume we’re healthy and affluent,” Schneider said. “Some of us are, but not all.”

Other races

Vying to replace current board President Warren Slocum in District 4 — the southern portion of the county— are two East Palo Alto elected officials, Mayor Antonio López and Councilmember Lisa Gauthier; Maggie Cornejo, former Slocum staffer and current nonprofit administrator; Paul Bocanegra, activist and member of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission; and Celeste Brevard, project manager for Stanford University.

Supervisor David Canepa is running uncontested for reelection in District 5. Meanwhile, supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller will be up for reelection in 2026.

The Presidential Primary Election will be Tuesday, March 5. Vote By Mail ballots were sent out Monday, Feb. 5, and the voter registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 20.