The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors officially swore in two new members on Tuesday, making it a female majority on the board.
Former congresswoman Jackie Speier and former East Palo Alto city councilmember Lisa Gauthier took oaths as the newest supervisors, replacing termed-out members Dave Pine and Warren Slocum.
Speier is returning to the board more than 40 years after kicking off her lengthy political career as a supervisor for the county.
She represented the county in the state Senate and Assembly before serving as a U.S. Congresswoman for 15 years. She retired from Congress in 2023.
She took her oath while wearing the same jacket that she wore in 1981 when she was first sworn into office on the board.
“Let me begin by saying how thrilled I am to be home again today,” Speier said to the board after swearing in. “After 40 years of serving on all levels of government, I came to the realization that politics is really local. If you want to get something done, serve locally. It’s a privilege now to have the opportunity to do that again.”
Speier won the seat in the March 2024 primary election, defeating Millbrae city councilmember Ann Schneider with 69% of the vote. Speier now represents District 1, which spans South San Francisco to the San Mateo Highlands neighborhood.
‘Let’s go and do the work’
Gauthier then stated the oath of office, wearing a hot pink pantsuit and one of her signature butterfly brooches.
“As I sit here today, I think I am my mother’s and my ancestors wildest dreams,” she said after being sworn in by her daughter and grandson. “There’s a lot of work to be done. Let’s go and do the work.”
Gauthier, a Black woman, served on the East Palo Alto City Council for 12 years, including three times as mayor. As a new supervisor, she represents District 4, which encompasses Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and the unincorporated community of North Fair Oaks.
District 5 Supervisor David Canepa was also promoted to president of the board while District 2 Supervisor Noelia Corzo was appointed to the role of vice president.
The addition of Speier and Gauthier means that the Board of Supervisors is now a female majority. Before they joined, Corzo was the only woman among the five-member board.
“Now we have a board that is much more reflective of our county than I think it might ever have been before,” Corzo said in welcoming the new supervisors.
“We do have significant challenges ahead of us this year and I’m confident that together with our collective experience, wisdom, compassion and commitment to work together, not only will we meet those challenges, but we will make this county one of the greatest places to live for our residents,” Corzo said.
