Will Noelia Corzo have an opponent in 2026?

Corzo was a vocal member of “defund police movement” after the killing of George Floyd. She wanted police officers removed from the districts’ middle schools where they were often assigned so minority children would get to know police officers as friends, someone you could go to for help rather than run away from in fear.

Corzo has also made waves on the Board of Supervisors. Rough waves. 

She is not like her predecessor Carole Groom who worked diligently to forge consensus. Members of the Board of Supervisors are traditionally a collegial lot. They may not all agree on all issues but they remain friendly to and respectful of each other. Corzo has broken that tradition by verbal attacks on her colleagues. Some hope that when Jackie Speier joins the board in November things will get back to normal.

How popular is Corzo today? If she has a well-known and respected opponent would she be in danger of losing her seat? She is a favorite of the progressive members of the community. But recently there has been pushback from several big name politicians such as Jerry Hill who is advocating for more moderate ones.

Would Hill be interested in returning to the board, where he served before being elected to the California Assembly? If not Hill, what about San Mateo Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash? She has the experience, the network of supporters and donors and has a bright political future after the City Council. And there may be others who might enter the race. After all, being a member of the Board of Supervisors is a job. You have three assistants. You are well paid. And the work load is up to you.

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I am surprised if not amused that “historic preservation” has become such a dirty word for a few in San Mateo city politics. When I first was elected to the City Council the first person to lobby me was Mitch Postel, head of the San Mateo County History Museum. He told me that A.P Giannini, the founder of the Bank of America and a business legend, once lived in San Mateo.  He’s an icon and his house, which I later visited, was very modest except it was on a large piece of land set back from the street (El Cerrito). Then I had a visit from Keith Weber, a historic preservationist. He wanted to know if I knew about the history of downtown. Even though I had lived in the city, many years I did not. He said San Mateo had a history in its architecture which needed to be preserved.

I spent many years trying to prevent the Giannini home from being torn down. So far, so good.  Please City Council, let us keep it this way even though it is only a few blocks from downtown and a perfect location for a high rise or several duplexes.

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I was excited when James Coleman, a Bernie social democrat, was elected to the South San Francisco City Council. It was more his age rather than his politics which I admired. It’s important for young people to be elected to public office. They are the future. And I made it a point to meet and at least talk to the many young progressives who now fill San Mateo’s boards and commissions. Today, I don’t always agree with many of their positions but that’s because I have a different perspective. Call me old fashioned, but I believe if you want to get things done, you need to figure out a way to work together with your colleagues.

As for Corzo, one can hope she shifts tactics. Not working well with others is never productive and leads to the kind of total government dysfunction we see in Congress. Our county faces big challenges and we deserve better.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo.

Her column runs Mondays. She can be

reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.