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In any election, voters deserve clarity, fairness and respect for the rule of law. That standard should apply just as strongly in the current race for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools on the June ballot.
By all available facts, Chelsea Bonini has done what the law requires. Her candidacy has been accepted by the San Mateo County Registrar and Elections Division, and her credentials have been reviewed by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing — the very body charged with determining whether an individual meets California’s legal standards for educational leadership.
That is not a matter of opinion. It is the process established under California law.
Reasonable people can disagree about candidates’ ideas, priorities and leadership styles. That is the essence of democracy. But questioning a candidate’s basic eligibility after the appropriate authorities have reviewed and accepted it — without pursuing a formal legal challenge — undermines public confidence in the system we all rely on.
If there are those who genuinely believe the law has been misapplied, there is a clear and appropriate path forward: the courts. That is how disputes over eligibility are resolved in a society governed by law — not through repeated public insinuations that sidestep due process.
Equally troubling is the tone of some of the criticism. Suggesting that a candidate’s lawful participation in an election is the product of “privilege,” rather than the outcome of established legal procedures, risks reducing serious civic discourse to personal attacks. That does not elevate the conversation; it diminishes it.
Elections should be contests of vision, experience and ideas — not efforts to delegitimize opponents outside the framework of the law. When we blur that line, we do a disservice not only to the candidates, but to voters who deserve a campaign focused on the future of our schools, not distractions about process that has already been duly followed.
The bottom line is simple: The proper authorities have spoken. Bonini is on the ballot. She has the right to present her case to the voters, just like any other candidate.
Let the campaign move forward on the merits. Let voters decide. And let’s conduct this election with the level of fairness and respect that our community — and our democratic institutions — deserve.
Jim Lawrence is the former mayor of Foster City. The views expressed here are his own and not those of any organization with which he is affiliated.
I wish the article gave a bit more background.