Unexpectedly hot race

There is a lot going on here.

Canepa is a formidable candidate. Among county officeholders, he is one of the best known, a product of years of efforts to attract media attention for virtually every issue (and nonissue) he could conjure.

He is widely liked, having gone to almost any gathering in the county; he has the political skill of affability.

That is, when he is not rubbing colleagues the wrong way. More on that in a moment.

When he ran unsuccessfully for Congress four years ago, he developed a unique and exclusive fundraising network built on years of relationships in his North County supervisorial district.

Now comes the news that Canepa has been endorsed by the formidable Central Labor Council.

Irizarry, on the other hand, has virtually no political profile. His candidacy came after weeks during which a net was cast far and wide for someone to challenge Canepa.

But Irizarry has two things going for him. First, he is the top assistant in the office, which will look pretty good on a ballot designation.

And, as widely liked as Canepa may be, he is profoundly disliked and distrusted by his colleagues and county insiders.

This explains the powerhouse lineup of endorsements that accompanied Irizarry’s announcement. Three of four of Canepa’s colleagues on the Board of Supervisors immediately endorsed Irizarry, including former Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who called him “the only qualified candidate.” The others are Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller. Also: Assemblymember Marc Berman, former Supervisor Dave Pine and former state Sen. Jerry Hill.

Here is something so rare I cannot recall ever seeing it: A race that pits the Labor Council against the political establishment. The challenge for the Irizarry backers is to create a candidacy from scratch.

Why should we care who is the assessor-clerk-recorder and chief elections officer? It is not a political job, it is not a platform for advancement. It is a governmental function, and a crucial responsibility that must rise above partisanship or personal ambitions.

But now, the job may be more critical than ever, because the assessor, etc., is the chief elections officer who administers all local elections.

Just this month, we saw federal agents raid the elections office in Fulton County, Georgia.

And Republicans are attempting to undermine mail-in balloting, which is the main means of voting in San Mateo County, and to require voters to present government-issued proof of citizenship.

It is quite possible these issues will land at the doorstep of this office, one way or another. How these candidates will choose to respond — to defend a voting system that is credible, unbiased and transparent — may well be the only issue of significance in this race.

IN OTHER NEWS: The Labor Council also endorsed in some other countywide races. The most notable is support for Hector Camacho, who is running against Chelsea Bonini for countywide Superintendent of Schools. Also: Tax Collector-Treasurer Sandie Arnott, Coroner Robert Foucrault, Controller Juan Raigoza, incumbents who appear to be running unopposed. … Some months ago, the Labor Council endorsed first-term incumbent Supervisors Corzo and Mueller. Mueller just drew an opponent, Joaquin Jimenez, who was elected to the Half Moon Bay Council in 2020, and lost reelection in 2024. Jimenez has had a succession of community-based jobs since then. But Jimenez may have achieved greater prominence in the last year as a vigorous defender of then-Sheriff Christina Corpus, and a steadfast critic of the effort and means by which she was ousted from office.

OPENING A DOOR: The trial of former San Mateo County Community College Chancellor Ron Galatolo ended with eight convictions — none of them about public corruption, despite a two-year drumbeat of unusual, public and harsh accusations by District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. The jury did not convict Galatolo of single charge related to his official duties, and, instead, hung on 18 of the corruption charges. Insiders say a majority of jurors had voted for acquittal.

It can only be described as a fiasco.

Wagstaffe is said to be running for a fifth term in 2028 — if elected he will be 80 at the end of his tenure. But the outcome of this high-profile case may be enough to draw an unprecedented challenge.