The top 10 most influential people

1). Julie Lind, head of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council. The council represents 105 unions and 95,000 workers, the largest politically active organization in the county. The CLC provides campaign workers and phone banks, can direct money to candidates, and the council’s official endorsement is highly impactful. Lind is politically savvy, direct to the point of bluntness, and has built unprecedented alliances between labor and business. She is respected and feared.

2). Rosanne Foust, president and CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association. A once-moribund organization, Foust took over in 2008 and SAMCEDA has grown into the leading, some would say exclusive, voice of business in the county. The association’s 140 members are the largest private employers in the county. SAMCEDA stays out of the political fray, but the organization’s role in policy, especially as it affects business, is central to most successful countywide initiatives. Foust’s positive, consensus-building manner has made her a sought-after figure on local boards and commissions.

3). Mike Callagy, San Mateo County executive officer. After 29 years with the San Mateo Police Department, Callagy became a deputy county manager in 2013 and the county’s top executive in 2018. He oversees a $5 billion budget and more than 5,000 employees. As the Board of Supervisors has become increasingly fractious, many countywide initiatives have emanated from Callagy’s office. He is widely liked and appreciated for his calm demeanor, his strong social conscience and his ability to weave through the conflicting interests of the supervisors.

4-5). (Tie) County Supervisor Jackie Speier and U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin. Speier, long the most popular figure in the county, remains in high public regard, but her influence is seen as diminished since she left Congress in 2022 and won a seat on the board in 2024. Within county government, she no longer commands acquiescence the way she used to.

Mullin, after eight years in the Assembly, succeeded Speier in Congress. He has been hampered by a Democratic minority in the House. He is seen as a little too low-key — in the current environment, some want him to be more outspokenly assertive in confronting Republican policies.

Speier and Mullin are examples of a political path that may be outdated: A long apprenticeship in local politics.

6-7). (Tie) Assemblymember Diane Papan and San Mateo Councilmember Nicole Fernandez. Papan, daughter of the late and legendary Lou Papan, was raised with a wealth of political sensibilities. After two terms on the San Mateo City Council, she jumped in 2022 to the Assembly seat vacated by Mullin. She is direct, assertive and has an innate understanding of the requirements of her job — fighting for local interests, and being available and approachable.

Fernandez, elected last year, is the quintessential political insider, having served as a local rep for a succession of state and local legislators. She was chair of the county Democratic Party and developed a reputation for working with progressives and moderates, and for political deftness.

8-9-10). (Tie) Burlingame Councilmember Donna Colson, and Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller. Colson’s presence on the list is, in part, a tribute to a city with no term limits. During her 10 years on the council, Colson has had increasingly important roles on countywide initiatives on housing, energy and sustainability, and public pensions. She is seen as smart, effective and constructive.

Corzo was able to broaden her appeal and influence because of the way she conducted herself during the yearlong sheriff’s controversy. Corzo’s outspoken criticism of one-time ally Christina Corpus helped catalyze the effort to oust her and dramatically raised the supervisor’s profile. Insiders are watching to see what she does with this heightened stature and whether it may be undermined by her progressive politics. She is seen as thoughtful, carefully articulate and deeply in touch with her own struggle to advance.

Mueller and Corzo bonded over the Corpus controversy, and Mueller is seen as the architect of the legal route by which the board was able to fire the sheriff. He works hard in his coastside district (the most challenging) to address disparate and outspoken interests. But on the board, he has proven adept at raising questions and voicing procedural disagreements that can unsettle some colleagues. He is smart and cautious.