Incumbent, opponent run for San Mateo County supervisor representing District 3: 
Supervisor Ray Mueller runs for reelection, defending seat against Joaquin Jimenez, former Half Moon Bay councilmember

Mueller was elected to be supervisor in 2022 with 62% of the vote, running against Laura Parmer-Lohan. His term has gone “from crisis to crisis,” he said, from storms and the mass shooting in January 2023 to the removal of former Sheriff Christina Corpus in 2025 and now state vehicle license fee funding trouble.

This time around, Mueller said he’s running for reelection to continue the hard work. 

“There’s a huge list of work that we’ve accomplished,” Mueller said. “We’ve done the work and we’re continuing to do the work. I would be blessed to continue to do it.” 

A former endorser of Mueller in the previous election, Jimenez has stepped into the race because he believes the elected supervisor has not followed through on promises to the coastside. 

“I believe it is the best interest of that community we serve,” Jimenez said. “Changes have not happened, I’m very interested in making those changes that the people need.” 

Jimenez previously served on the Half Moon Bay City Council and was mayor in 2024 until he lost the race for reelection later that year. Jimenez was an avid proponent of affordable housing in the area, and lost his seat to an opponent more cautious about plans for growth.

During his time representing Half Moon Bay, and after, Jimenez felt the coastside was the “stepchild” always getting the “last end.” 

“County officials do a lot of talking and not a lot of action,” Jimenez said. “One of the biggest issues we have on the coastside, from Pacifica to Pescadero, has been neglected in many ways.” 

As a unique district in San Mateo County, considering its expansiveness, agricultural areas and the coastside, there are challenges District 3 supervisors must consider. 

Telecommunications challenges remain an issue, as does the lack of an emergency room on the coastside, Mueller said. Housing must continue to be developed, and ensuring quality water supply must be prioritized, he said. 

“There’s a list of 100 critical infrastructure projects,” Mueller said. “There’s no shortage.” 

In the next few years, Mueller is set to focus on bringing farmworker housing up to code — a continuation of the effort to identify haphazard living conditions following the mass shooting in 2023. It will also be critical to establish cell service near Tunitas Creek Beach and fix the patchwork coastside emergency responses, Mueller said. 

Jimenez hopes to focus on growing the farming and ranching industries. Some ideas Jimenez has is to open a dairy farm on the coast and bring more economic growth to the agriculture business. 

Providing opportunities to new farmers and increasing the visibility of the community will be key. Creating programs providing vocational training to high schoolers and pipelines to union work are goals of his. 

Also, Jimenez said it will be critical to promote quality public transportation to and from the coastside, considering State Route 92 is the only major in and out of the area. 

Corpus removal

The effort to remove Corpus from her elected position as San Mateo County sheriff was a major divider between Mueller and Jimenez. 

While the supervisor was at the forefront working with his colleagues in becoming the first county to remove an elected sheriff from office, Jimenez was an avid defender of one of the first Latina sheriffs in California.

The money spent on removing Corpus from office could have better been used elsewhere, Jimenez said. 

“Those millions of dollars of removing an elected official instead of doing a recall that would’ve been more democratic, that would’ve been a much better deal,” Jimenez said. 

While Jimenez said he’s “not familiar with the budget of the county,” he believes the money has been spent poorly. The county’s checkbook is a major reason Jimenez is running for the role, believing he can do more for his community with the right backing and funds.

That budget will be critical to navigate efficiently, Mueller said, who said it’s no longer the time to do excessive, creative things. 

“We need to be focusing our dollars and not wasting on nice to have, but focused on need to have,” Mueller said. 

What distinguishes Jimenez from the incumbent supervisor is that he’s on the ground, familiar and friendly with the farmworkers and residents on the coast. They have his personal cellphone number, he said. 

“Elected officials need to be responsible and be present for the people,” Jimenez said. “It’s easy to just gather for a celebration.” 

In response, Mueller said “people gotta say something when they’re campaigning.”