San Mateo County’s assessor-county clerk-recorder and chief elections officer announced he will not seek reelection and a county supervisor has expressed interest in the seat.
Mark Church on Wednesday said he does not plan on running for a fifth term when his current term ends next January. On Thursday, Supervisor David Canepa announced he will run for the office.
“Mark Church has managed this multifaceted office with skill, dedication and professionalism and I will have big shoes to fill,” said Canepa in a statement released by his campaign office.
Church was first elected to the Millbrae City Council in 1995, where he served as mayor from 1997 to 1998. He was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 2000 and then was reelected in 2004 and 2008. He won the seat of assessor-county recorder in 2010, then went on to be reelected three more times.
“I can truthfully say that serving the people of San Mateo County has been the honor and privilege of my lifetime,” he said in a statement released by his office. “After three decades, I believe this is the right time to turn the page with gratitude and deep appreciation for the community I have been so fortunate to serve.”
The county assessor’s job is to appraise and assess all properties in the area. San Mateo County is the second-wealthiest in the state and its assessment roll is the ninth-largest, exceeding $340 billion in assessed value, Church said.
The clerk-recorder office maintains the county’s official public records and a chief elections officer oversees election integrity.
Canepa said if elected, he will improve outreach to homeowners and businesses, increase transparency in elections, and modernize the online service portal as county clerk-recorder.
Canepa was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2017 and has served as the mayor of Daly City, where he lives with his wife and young son.