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What couldn’t be determined several months ago was finally decided Tuesday night in the race for the San Mateo County District 4 supervisor seat.
According to semi-official results from the San Mateo County Elections office, Lisa Gauthier was winning handily over Antonio López. As of 2:18 on Nov. 6, Gauthier was ahead by 4,634 with 58.17% of the vote, and López received 41.83%.
Gauthier was pleased with the starting tally on Tuesday but felt many more ballots remained to be counted.
“I’m very optimistic and hoping that it will continue to trend the way it’s going so far,” she said.
She believed her experience in local government played a key role in the race.
“I’ve been an elected official longer than my opponent,” she said. “My experience was really important to people when I talked to them.”
López could not immediately be reached for comment.
In her campaign, Gauthier focused on her extensive public service experience and commitment to tackling affordable housing issues and homelessness.
She has spent a dozen years on the East Palo Alto council, serving multiple terms as mayor and vice mayor.
Gauthier acknowledged a growing homelessness crisis on the Peninsula, particularly in Redwood City, and believed that collaboration among city, county and nonprofit groups is critical to address the challenge effectively.
She also touted her environmental advocacy. Protecting the environment has been “my history and background,” Gauthier said, noting that she is a founding member of the climate-change mitigation organization OneShoreline. She also cited her involvement with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and other sustainability efforts.
Regarding law enforcement, she took a measured approach when referring to statewide Proposition 36, which would increase sentences for certain drug and theft offenses.
While criminals need to be held accountable, she said, overcrowding jails isn’t the solution.
She expressed concern over allowing offenses to go unchecked but was cautious about immediately upping charges to felony status. The severity of charges needs to be carefully considered, she said.
López, the current mayor of East Palo Alto, campaigned to tackle homelessness, close economic disparities, and boost public services.
Like his opponent, López was concerned about an increase in homelessness in the county and wanted to see cities collaborate and share resources such as shelters and meal programs.
López also believed that the county is not paying enough attention to childcare issues. Investing in childcare is a way to ease the burden on families and unlock opportunities for people to stay in the workforce, he said.
If elected as a supervisor, López said, he planned to focus his first 100 days in office on priorities such as supporting economic and infrastructure development in cities like Redwood City, aiding small businesses, especially those struggling post-pandemic, and addressing wildfire mitigation.
District 4 covers an area of approximately 33 square miles and encompasses Redwood City, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and the unincorporated community of North Fair Oaks. More than 142,000 people reside in the district.
Among the issues particular to the district are sea-level rise, housing, public safety, the ongoing gap between the affluent and poor, and the expanding technology sector.
This is a developing story. Results will be updated as they come in.
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