Mueller vying for San Mateo County’s District 3

Mueller is not new to public policy, having been elected to the Menlo Park City Council by an at-large vote in 2012 and again in 2016. He was elected for a third time in 2020 in an unopposed race for District 5, the first district elections for his district but the second for the city.

Before joining the council, Mueller was appointed to the city’s Transportation Commission and has volunteered with the county’s Surfrider Foundation and as a board member with the housing nonprofit LifeMoves.

While being an elected official wasn’t Mueller’s initial goal, he said a role in public service has always been in the cards. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in bioresource sciences, he went to law school to the University of California Hastings College of Law and interned with the Public Law Research Institute in San Francisco with hopes of helping draft public policy.

While in a trial advocacy class, however, Mueller said he discovered a passion for trial law and went on to spend a decade defending families like his. Today he works as in-house attorney and director of technology applications for IEM, an emergency response and service company in Silicon Valley.

Mueller’s early life

Originally from Southern California, Mueller grew up as one of seven siblings living in a crowded three-bedroom home. While space was limited, he said the abundance of love and joy was not. Neither were the lessons of responsibility and caring for one’s community he adopted from his parents.

When Mueller was in the fourth grade his father became disabled, ending his career as a dentist. His mother, initially a homemaker, began taking night classes and started to work to support the family, often being mistreated at the jobs she picked up, Mueller recounted.

His father went on to become a deacon with the Catholic church and, in turn, Mueller spent much of his time participating in food drives and charity events.

“The combination of watching my mom working so hard to hold the house together and him trying to take what had happened and still try to help people was something that inspired all the kids to really want to make the world better,” Mueller said.

Coming from a big family — which grew even bigger after his siblings, about 13 years his senior, and their families moved into their small home — has influenced the way Mueller approaches problem solving and public policy.

Rather than “beat around the bush,” Mueller said he’s learned to be direct and to let go of any negative tension that may arise during heated conversations. But he’s also learned to sit back and listen.

“In a big family there’s no time to hold grudges and I feel the same way about public policy. The most important thing is to be focused on serving the public and making the best decision possible,” Mueller said.

Serving his community

The approach has been used during Mueller’s tenure on the council as he worked on initiatives like opposing a rollback of the city’s Specific Plan in 2014, pushing forward with parklet projects in the same year and being one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to establish reach codes, all-electric building guidelines aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

If elected to represent District 3, which largely encompasses unincorporated coastal and wooded rural county land, Mueller said he would bring that same mentality and a district office to the area. Doing so would make sure residents can easily access their representative, for many the only elected official they have, he said.

“If you need to talk to your supervisor you probably don’t have an hour to drive to Redwood City. Those that need to talk to me most need me there,” Mueller said, referencing the drive from the coast to County Center in Redwood City where supervisor offices are located.

Among Mueller’s top concerns is stabilizing the coastal agriculture ranch economy, he said, noting the multifaceted issue involves investing into farmworker housing and water infrastructure while supporting branding and coastal tourism.

Increased wildfire risks, the need for a coastal infrastructure plan, grant writing support and a focus on addressing debts in the county’s health system are also top of mind for the candidate who says he’s ready to get to work day one, having learned to run a supervisor office while previously working as chief of staff for Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.

His vision and supporters

Others have cosigned Mueller’s assertions that he’s the best for the job. Among his most notable endorsements is U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto; California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; current San Mateo County supervisors Dave Pine and Warren Slocum; Belinda Arriaga, the founder of the Farmworker Advocate; the California Nurses Association; the San Mateo County Labor Council; and the San Mateo County Firefighters Local 2400.

The candidate is running against Steven Booker, political director and community affairs liaison for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union; Virginia Chang Kiraly, San Mateo County Harbor District Board commissioner and Menlo Park Fire Protection District board member; and San Carlos Councilmember Laura Parmer-Lohan. Each will also appear in a profile of their own and in issue-specific stories still to come.

Ultimately, Mueller shared an optimistic vision for taking on the supervisor’s role, being left by outgoing Supervisor Don Horsley. The challenges that face District 3 and the county as a whole appear more like “a wonderful opportunity to help people solve problems affecting their lives in a deep and meaningful way,” Mueller said.

“If you don’t see the future as a beautifully wonderful place, public policy is not for you,” Mueller said. “At the end of the day it’s about solving the problem for people, it’s about serving them and being a solution to that problem.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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