Just a little more on the Batmobile

Anyway, here is Touchstone on the board’s hiring of an investigator: “This makes no fiscal or legal sense. The board has no say in how the Sheriff’s Office is run.”

Well, now. The Board of Supervisors has complete authority over the sheriff’s budget. This is known in politics as the power of the purse. It would seem to indicate that the board has all the say it could want over how the Sheriff’s Office is run. By that measure, it makes complete fiscal sense.

Meanwhile, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who implied ignorance about his office’s decision to issue warrants, told the media he would have a decision about whether to pursue the case by the end of August or early September, which would seem to be, you know, now.

As for legal sensibilities, pressure is mounting on the board to enact some kind of civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office. None of the supervisors has publicly supported the proposal by ad hoc advocacy group Fixin’ San Mateo County, but the board voted 5-0 to explore civilian oversight and appointed a committee of Warren Slocum and Dave Pine.

But the endorsement list is long and hefty and includes U.S. representatives Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, Assemblymembers Kevin Mullin and Marc Berman and three of the four board candidates on the November ballot — District 3 opponents Menlo Park Councilmember Ray Mueller and San Carlos Councilmember Laura Parmer-Lohan; and District 2 candidate San Mateo-Foster City schools Trustee Noelia Corzo. Her opponent, Belmont Councilmember Charles Stone, is the lone holdout. Asked his position, Stone said, “ I think it’s fair to say that I have not connected with their team yet though we’ve tried and I hope to at some point in the near future. And that I’m not opposed to an oversight body but think there are significant details that need to be flushed out ahead of time.”

DISTRICT 2: Stone, formally kicked off his fall campaign last week at an event in the backyard of Diane Papan, San Mateo councilmember and soon-to-be state assemblymember. Papan was joined by Mullin, Supervisor Pine and former state Sen. Jerry Hill.

As the lineup indicates, the theme was unification behind Stone, who finished 853 votes ahead of Corzo in the June primary.

Mullin began his remarks by noting the presence of “a Mullin on Papan ground” — he won the Assembly seat in 2012 over Gina Papan, sister of the hostess.

“It is clear who is most qualified and ready to lead on Day One,” Mullin said. He added that Stone will win his hometown of Belmont and the two candidates are likely to split the vote in Foster City. “This election (will be) won right here in San Mateo,” he said, urging the 60-plus attendees to “crank it up in San Mateo.”

Hill, who represented District 2 when he was on the Board of Supervisors, said he supports Stone as “someone who has experience. That’s the key.” Hill praised Stone for his extensive work on several countywide and regional boards: “He has relationships, character, knowledge, wisdom, integrity.”

Stone also has the sole endorsement, announced on Tuesday, of the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Mar Monte, the political arm of the local Planned Parenthood. This comes at the same moment Corzo posted her latest online video asserting her own credentials on reproductive rights, including a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which, apparently, was insufficient to win the endorsement. “The interesting thing about being a woman and running for office is that I actually live the issues I’m defending, like a woman’s right to choose,” Corzo said.

ON THE GRID: City councils do like public policy fads, the latest being going all-electric and eliminating gas in new home construction and renovations. San Mateo is the most recent city to take this up.

I thought of this other day during the recent heat wave when the power went out at my home. It happened just as I was making dinner on my gas stove.

BEST OF INTENTIONS: Reading some recent local government reports, it occurred to me note: This page is intentionally not left blank.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.