Two candidates are running in the June 2 primary for San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer, a countywide role that oversees elections, public records and property assessments.
Jim Irizarry, the office’s second-in-command, is running against David Canepa, the former president of the board of supervisors, for the nonpartisan seat.
Since 2011, the position has been held by Mark Church, who decided not to run for reelection.
The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office is in charge of duties like performing wedding ceremonies; maintaining real property transactions; issuing birth, death and marriage certificates; and filing fictitious business name statements. The assessor is responsible for determining the assessed value of all taxable property in the county.
The Elections Officer oversees voter registration, voter roll accuracy, polling and voting logistics and equipment, and elections overall, aiming to ensure they are conducted fairly and in accordance with the law.
Canepa, a fourth-generation county resident with over two decades of public service experience, said he is running to “modernize this office and restore confidence in how it serves our community.”
Like Church, Canepa has also served as president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and as a mayor, a similar resume that Canepa has leveraged as evidence of his readiness for the role. Canepa served as mayor of Daly City, while Church was mayor of Millbrae.
Canepa helps oversee the county’s $5.5 billion budget and 5,800 employees and says he understands accountability, sound management and collaboration. He is currently serving in his third term on the Board of Supervisors, meaning that if he wins, he would leave his seat two years early.
His vision as chief elections officer is to encourage maximum participation among eligible voters and to protect the integrity of the democratic process through accuracy, transparency and modern technology.
As an assessor, he said he would work to reduce backlogs, ensure fair property tax administration, and help homeowners, especially seniors, receive the exemptions they deserve. As clerk-recorder, he intends to launch a free, online, public portal with access to millions of records dating back to the 1990s and to increase multilingual access to county documents.
Irizarry, a lifelong San Mateo County resident and the second-in-command to Church, is notably endorsed by Church, he said. He’s administered over 35 elections, closed 13 property tax assessment rolls and expanded voter access to youth, seniors and underrepresented communities.
Irizarry is committed to leading the office through technological transformation by modernizing service delivery and tapping artificial intelligence, while protecting jobs, he said. He’d also like to see modest property tax reforms for senior and younger residents, promote housing affordability, safeguard the vote-by-mail system and improve property assessment transparency.
Irizarry’s other endorsements include county supervisors Jackie Speier, Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller, and former Rep. Anna Eshoo, among other local leaders.
Canepa’s campaign has been endorsed by over a dozen local organizations, he said, including San Mateo County Democrats, San Mateo County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, and SEIU 521 — the labor union representing the office — as well as Civil Rights leader Dolores Huerta.
