Speier may enter supervisor race

Close associates of Speier, who agreed to speak about her plans if they remained unidentified, said she has decided she will enter the race. This comes less than three scant years after she announced she was leaving Congress, opting out of certain reelection to an eighth term representing the bulk of San Mateo County in Congress. Instead, Speier endorsed Democratic Assemblymember Kevin Mullin, who won election to the seat last year.

Speier’s candidacy would have a dramatic impact on the race, positioning her immediately as the front-runner to fill the seat held by Dave Pine for the last 12 years; he is termed out and cannot seek another term.

Up to now, the race looked like a showdown between two city councilmembers, Gina Papan of Millbrae and Emily Beach of Burlingame.

For decades, public and private polling have shown Speier, a Democrat from Hillsborough, to be the most highly regarded political figure in the county. Her endorsement long has been sought and trumpeted by other candidates.

Given the nature of her unparalleled popularity, it is possible Speier’s candidacy could cause a shakeout in the race, with one of the other candidates dropping out.

Given that Speier has yet to declare her intentions publicly, I thought it would be unfair to ask Beach or Papan how this development might affect their respective candidacies.

Speier’s voluntary departure from Congress was more personal than political — the result of a commitment she had made to leave Washington in order to spend more time with family.

But those close to her say she has been restless since leaving office and that she still longed for public service.

Speier has launched the Jackie Speier Foundation, dedicated to ending child poverty in San Mateo County. She seeded the foundation with funds left over from her congressional campaign treasury and held a successful fundraising event last month.

Speier has been urged to run by longtime friends and allies, who have become alarmed by the seemingly leftward direction of the Board of Supervisors and a loss of civility and decorum among the supervisors, particularly Supervisor David Canepa, according to sources.

In April, during a debate at the board over the issue of cooperation with ICE, Canepa verbally attacked colleague Ray Mueller in an outburst that U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo called “shameful.” She also rebuked Canepa’s board colleagues for not calling out his behavior as unacceptable. In the same ICE debate, Canepa also sharply criticized ABC-7 investigative reporter Stephanie Sierra, who had conducted interviews with Canepa in which he seemed under-informed on the issue. Sierra is Speier’s daughter.

Speier served on the Board of Supervisors from 1980 until her election to the state Assembly in 1986. In 1998, she was elected to the state Senate; in 2008 to Congress.

Although Speier has never said this, several officials who have gone on to higher office say their time as a supervisor was the most rewarding and included none of the onerous requirements of Sacramento or Washington.

TOTAL RECALL: As the emotion-filled hearing on the Homekey project was winding down

Tuesday, an angry Millbrae Mayor Ann Schneider (if that is not redundant) approached Pine, who had just joined the 4-1 majority in approving the project to convert a La Quinta Inn to a permanent housing site for formerly homeless seniors and families. Pine’s microphone still was on and keen-eared Daily Journal ace Sierra Lopez heard the word “recall.”

Contacted a day later by phone, Schneider said she was telling Pine, “I have been trying to keep my community from recalling two councilmembers,” presumably Maurice Goodman and Angelina Cahalan, who voted against sending a letter to the county protesting the La Quinta proposal.

Schneider also said she “wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to recall me,” Pine said.

In related comments, Schneider launched an array of criticisms: toward Pine over the county sea-level rise initiative he has spearheaded, over the lack of appointments to the SFO Airport/Community Roundtable, at county government, and at the Daily Journal, which she said are part of countywide effort, she said, “to (bleep) on Millbrae,” although she did not bleep.

Schneider began our conversation by noting, “I’m mad as hell.”

This is always a good way to get what you want.

Pine, in characteristically low-key manner, said the La Quinta debate was a “very emotional subject. It was a tough vote for me, but I feel we did the right thing.”

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.