Question 1

County Assessor

Accepted Answer

As Assessor, David will:
 
Produce fair, accurate and timely property assessments for homeowners and businesses

Prioritize and protect local revenue for vital services for county residents, especially as our we continue to experience funding cuts at the state and federal levels

Improve outreach to ensure eligible homeowners including seniors, veterans, disabled persons and nonprofits receive the property tax exemptions for which they are qualified

Launch free/affordable estate planning programs for low/moderate-income and multi-lingual households, preserving property from probate costs.

Modernize assessment systems to save taxpayer dollars and improve accuracy

Question 2

Chief Elections Officer

Accepted Answer

Board President Canepa has advanced several policies to increase outreach and education to individuals with disabilities, individuals housed in temporary shelters including hotels and permanent supportive housing and young adults including first-time voters.
 
County employees also have the option to take an optional holiday named “Let San Mateo County Vote Day,” which is observed the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November under a policy Supervisor Canepa’s Office authored.
 
In 2024, Canepa launched a media outreach campaign to encourage voter participation in San Mateo County, emphasizing the importance of registering and casting ballots on Election Day. Highlighting the 70,000 eligible-yet-unregistered voters in the County, he also promoted Conditional Voter Registration, allowing residents to register and vote up until 8 p.m. on Election Day, ensuring every voice could be heard.

As Chief Elections Officer, David will:
 
Improve transparency and public trust in elections by
Providing clear communications about how elections work
Bolstering open processes for observers and media 
Audits to verify integrity
Spearheading public education campaigns to help voters recognize misinformation
 
Create a live voter data portal in San Mateo County to provide user-friendly, real-time info on voter registration, party info, city breakdowns, vote totals and more.

Monitor and counter false information on social media about voting procedures and results

Launch an Older Adult and Youth Ambassador program. Ambassadors would work to promote voter registration and civic engagement in their communities.

Question 3

Clerk and Recorder

Accepted Answer

As Clerk and Recorder, David will:
 
Upgrade the Online Service Portal
Make the department’s website more user-friendly and mobile-optimized with clear pathways for popular services, including:
​Birth/death certificates
Marriage licenses
Property records
​Voter registration
Add real-time status tracking for document requests.
 
Launch “Easy Access for Recorded Documents” to provide free online access to millions of records dating back to the 1990s
 
Increase Multilingual Access to County Documents
Expand support in key local languages (Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese)
Provide translated documents and videos explaining procedures