David Canepa’s campaign thriving

Indeed, Canepa is enjoying support from a cross-section of the county’s political establishment that has been largely unavailable to him since he ran for Congress against Kevin Mullin in 2020.

Some of this reflects a conventional wisdom that Canepa is an odds-on favorite to win one of the few remaining countywide offices due to a distinct set of political assets. He is widely known from a career marked by hyperactivity: He has attended hundreds, if not thousands, of public gatherings and has shown an unabashed hunger for attention from the regional news media on issues ranging from silly to earnest.

As much as insiders (including this one) have viewed his long-standing habits as largely self-promoting, the political and campaign benefits are undeniable.

The latest campaign finance statements filed this week show Canepa raised $158,000 since the first of the year, spent $89,000 and had $69,000 in cash on hand at the start of the critical final weeks of the campaign.

Nearly 100 people and organizations donated $1,000 to the campaign; he raised $17,450 from labor unions; a week ago, he picked up the endorsement of the San Mateo County Democratic Party, which was among the $1,000 donors, and the county Asian American Pacific Islander Alliance; and he received donations from such prominent local officials as Burlingame Councilmember Donna Colson ($500) and San Mateo Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash ($600). Not to mention high-powered attorney and political powerhouse Joe Cotchett ($1,000).

Canepa’s opponent, Jim Irizarry, who is the assistant assessor-clerk-recorder, had not filed his latest finance report as of the deadline for this column.

He said here two weeks ago that he had provided his campaign $125,000, and was “prepared to go to $200,000” as “seed money” for a race he said could cost as much as $350,000-$500,000. The latest finance documents show Irizarry has donated only $100,000.

The support from Corzo, Mueller and Speier has yet to manifest itself in donations either directly or by referral, raising questions about how much political capital they will expend to support Irizarry someone simply because they do not like Canepa.

All three are on Irizarry’s website as endorsers. Historically, an endorsement from Speier, if prominently featured in campaign materials, can be quite influential, especially in races down the ballot. Also endorsing: former Rep. Anna Eshoo, Assemblymember Marc Berman, former state Sen. Jerry Hill and three other nonpartisan countywide officeholders, Treasurer-Tax Collector Sandie Arnott, Controller Juan Raigoza and the current incumbent, Mark Church.

The challenge lies in getting word out to voters of these endorsements, and building a public profile for Irizarry.

If the insider thinking is that Canepa has a massive political edge, Irizarry has a title that may prove an equally massive advantage. He will appear on the ballot as the assistant assessor-clerk-recorder.

Irizarry’s website includes quotes from Speier and Church describing Irizarry as “the only qualified candidate,” a reference to the fact that he has held the assistant title for 13 years, albeit amid some controversy within the office.

A countywide race could cost as much as $500,000, as Irizarry suggested, but it appears neither is going to hit that amount.

If the two candidates remain largely equal in fundraising — whatever the source — then Irizarry’s ballot designation could carry considerable weight with voters who are largely unaware of this nonpartisan office, its duties and the campaign being waged by the two candidates.

A RISK PAYS OFF: It could be said that Mueller took considerable risk putting himself at the forefront of the effort to oust controversial Sheriff Christina Corpus. But it is having a political payoff, even if that was not why Mueller went after Corpus.

Mueller is seeking reelection to District 3, which meanders from Menlo Park to Pacifica. He has raised nearly $30,000, and has $34,000 in cash on hand; $7,000 of his donations are from law enforcement organizations outside the county, including Oakland, and Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

In contrast, his opponent, former Half Moon Bay Councilmember Joaquin Jimenez, has yet to file a campaign finance report. He may not exceed the $2,000 threshold required for filing. Jimenez has some signs up on the coastside and his campaign website asks for donations ranging from $25-$100.