Who Will Succeed Jackie Speier? Election Day Arrives In San Mateo

SAN MATEO, CA — Tuesday is the last day to vote in California’s primary, and there are high stakes in San Mateo as voters will determine new representatives in both Congress and the state Assembly.

There are open seats in both the 15th Congressional District, a redrawn district held by the outgoing Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), and the 21st Assembly District, a redrawn district held by the outgoing Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco).

In a game of local political musical chairs, the 21st Assembly District seat is open after Mullin announced he wouldn't seek reelection and instead run to represent the area in Congress, with Speier stepping away from her seat after this year.

Speier announced that she wouldn't be running for reelection after representing most of San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco since 2008. Her predecessor, Tom Lantos, had held the seat from 1991-2008. The redrawn district stretches from San Francisco down to East Palo Alto, with parts of Menlo Park and Atherton included.

Patch conducted questionnaires with all six candidates running for the 15th Congressional District. Find their profiles below:

• Emily Beach
• David Canepa
• Jim Garrity
• Gus Mattammal
• Kevin Mullin
• Ferenc Pataki

The 21st Assembly District was redrawn similar to what was referred to previously as the 22nd District, stretching from South San Francisco to East Palo Alto.

The moves mean a majority of the Peninsula will have fresh representation in both the state Assembly and Congress for the first time in more than a decade, as Mullin has held the seat since 2012.

Patch conducted questionnaires with five of the seven candidates running for the 15th Congressional District (Mark Gilham and Maurice Goodman did not respond to requests).
Find their profiles below:

• James Coleman
• Giselle Hale
• Alison Madden
• Tiana Solé
• Diane Papan