Support SMC Dems
If you support the work of the San Mateo County Democratic Party to promote Democratic values and strong Democratic candidates, please consider contributing to our party by making a contribution, renewing your ELECTED MEMBER or ALTERNATE membership, becoming an ASSOCIATE MEMBER. You can also buy Democratic swag from the campaign store.
Your contributions pay for our endorsement mailers, Democratic candidate support, our events, website, and support for our chartered Democratic clubs
Please make sure to fill out the information below and then press the Process Donation button.
November 2024 Endorsement Application for Candidates
The San Mateo County Democratic Party (SMCDems) invites Democrats running for city council, school district office, community college board, or open space district in San Mateo County to apply for the Democratic Party endorsement for the November 2024 election. SMCDems will also consider endorsements for ballot measures.
Candidate Endorsements
The requirements for endorsement are:
- Be a registered Democrat. To make sure, check here.
- Take the Fossil Fuel Pledge , that is included in the application process.
Here is the endorsement schedule:
- 7/23 SMCDems Candidate application online here
- 8/4 Candidate Endorsement Training
- 8/15 Candidate applications due
- 8/24 - 25 Candidate interviews
- 9/5 Candidate and ballot measure endorsement decisions made
To apply for the SMCDem Endorsement, please fill out our questionnaire. If you are logged into your Google account when you start the questionnaire, Google Forms should save your progress in the questionnaire as you go. However, we cannot guarantee that it will do so if you attempt to complete the questionnaire over multiple sessions. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you download the text (Google Doc/Word) version of the questionnaire and enter your answers to the narrative questions into the document. When you have finished entering your answers to the relevant questions, copy your answers from the document into the online Google Form and submit it. Please do not send additional documents, resumes, flyers or endorsement letters.
Applications are due on Thursday, August 15th at 10 PM. For races in which the filing date is extended, the application deadline will also be extended to Saturday, August 17th at 10 PM.
Eligible applicants will be scheduled for an interview on August 24th or August 25th from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM via Zoom. Please keep these dates open for your interview.
To find out more about the SMCDems endorsement process:
- Review the Endorsement Process document.
- Register for candidate training on Monday August 5th at 7 PM here.
You may want to watch the San Mateo and Santa Clara Democratic Party County's Candidate Training recordings.
Ballot Measure Endorsements
SMCDems will consider endorsing all local ballot measures. If you want our endorsement or don’t want our endorsement, contact the co-chairs.
It is our job to recruit, mentor, support, and elect good Democrats. We take great pride in the large numbers of our endorsed candidates that are elected and measures passed. In addition, we like to get to know and build relationships with the people who serve in these important elected positions. It is the backbone of why we exist as a County Democratic Party.
If you have any questions during this process, please contact the Endorsements Committee leadership:
Karen Maki, Endorsement Committee co-chair, SMCDCC Chair: [email protected]
Heather Zimmerman, Endorsement Committee co-chair, [email protected]
Press Releases
Jan. 21, 2025 San Mateo County Democratic Party Endorses Measure A
Posted by Jonathan Hull · January 22, 2025 2:01 PM · 1 reactionJuly 16, 2024 San Mateo County Democratic Party Opposes Millbrae Council Recall
Posted by Jonathan Hull · July 20, 2024 4:41 AM
July 16, 2024 San Mateo County Democratic Party Opposes Millbrae Council Recall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
April Vargas, (650) 344-1714
Victoria Sanchez De Alba, (650) 270-7810
San Mateo County Democratic Party Opposes Millbrae Council Recall
Supports Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman's Rights to Advocate for Housing Formerly Unhoused Families and Seniors Following County's Purchase of La Quinta Hotel without enduring a recallSAN MATEO, CA – July 3, 2024 – The San Mateo County (SMC) Democratic Party urges voters to stand against all attempts to recall elected officials who have not engaged in criminal or grossly unethical conduct. The SMC Democratic Party Central Committee reaffirms our pledge to support a "NO" vote in the Millbrae Recall Special Election, as stated in our April 2024 "Resolution in Protest of Millbrae Recall" (see the resolution below).
“Millbrae Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman face an unjust recall due to their support for the San Mateo County purchase of La Quinta Hotel to provide permanent housing for formerly unhoused families and seniors," said Karen Maki, Chair of the San Mateo County Democratic Party. “These Councilmembers were simply performing their duties, and their support for this project has led to some disagreement.”
Millbrae voters elected Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman in 2022. When their terms end in 2026, voters will have the opportunity to decide whether they want to reelect them.
Resolution in Protest of Millbrae Recall - Adopted April 18, 2024
WHEREAS the original intent for the recall tool was to create the ability to remove from elected office officials who were engaged in criminal or grossly unethical conduct, and it has become a tool to remove from office those elected officials with whom there is disagreement over decision; and
WHEREAS engaging community members in the recall process requires a level of vitriol in order to make the campaign successful and leads to divisiveness rather than a celebration of the diverse opinions that make an elected body, and community, healthy; and
WHEREAS the City of Millbrae prioritizes addressing disparities, promoting fairness, and providing equal access to resources as outlined in its social equity plan, yet Millbrae Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman, the subjects of the recall, have not been implicated in criminal or grossly unethical behavior, rather face recall due to their support of the San Mateo County purchase of La Quinta Hotel to provide permanent housing for formerly unhoused families and seniors, and the recall effort has divided the community and could deter future candidates from running for office; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee protests the recall against Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman and urge Millbrae voters to stand up for these two honorable elected officials; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee urges all voters to stand up against all attempts to recall elected officials who have not engaged in criminal or grossly unethical conduct.
Submitted by:
Alexis Lewis
Diana Reddy
Victoria Sanchez De Alba
About The San Mateo County Democratic Party:
The San Mateo County Democratic Party (SMC Dems) serves to promote Democratic Party candidates for elected office and local measures that are consistent with Democratic Party values. For more information, please visit: https://www.smcdems.org/
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Speakers
Speakers at Central Committee Meetings
July 18, 2024: How to Get California Back On the Clean Energy Track
Dave Rosenfeld, Executive Director of Solar Rights Alliance
Dave shares an updated report about the damaging effects of the CPUC rulings against rooftop solar and what can be done about them.
Youtube video
Slides: click here
May 16, 2024: Protecting Public Education: Your Voice Matters
Debra Strichartz, Cindy Sidaris, and Maureen Griffin
North County Citizens for Public Education
Their goal is to engage with other groups in the Bay Area to create an organized response in the battle to protect public education from the increasing efforts of right-wing groups to take over school boards, ban books, marginalize LGBTQ students, and impose their ideology on curriculum development.
Youtube video
Slides: click here March 21, 2024: Bay Alive - Sea Level Rise
Gita Dev, Vice Chair, Sierra Club Bay Alive Sea Level Rise Campaign
Gita Dev was born, grew up, and went to college in India and Rice University in Houston Texas. She studied architecture and has been a professional architect and principal with well-known firms. She founded her own firm and has served at all levels including the national level of the American Institute of Architects where she was elevated to a Fellow on the Institute .
When I first met her, she was chairing the chapter’s Sustainable Land Use Committee, which she still chairs. She and other volunteers hosted the Environmental Stewardship Program for a number of years at the Redwood City library. She is one of the leaders of the chapter’s largest conservation campaign, called Bay Alive. This year she was appointed overall chair of the Conservation Committees.
Youtube video
Gita Dev's slides: click here Feb. 15, 2024: CalCare: The Time is Now!
Dr. David Leibowitz, M.D., FACP and Dr. Yusra Hussain, M.D.,
Co-Chairs of the South Bay Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP)
The new CalCare Bill, AB 2200, was just introduced February 8, 2024 in the California Legislature. Dr. Leibowitz and Dr. Hussain will explain what the passage of this landmark bill will mean for all Californians. Dr. David Leibowitz is a hematologist-oncologist, recently retired from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and former Chair of PNHP-California. Before coming to California, David was Professor of Medicine and of Medical and Molecular Genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Yusra Hussain is board certified in internal medicine and geriatrics. She is an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford in the Department of General Internal Medicine and Population Health Sciences.
Youtube video
Dr. Leibowitz's slides: click here
Dr. Hussain's slides: click here
San Mateo County Democrats 2023 Fall Luncheon
The menu will be a choice of
- Veg panini (fresh basil, fresh mozzarella with fresh tomato on sourdough)
- Tres tacos (three tacos - chicken chili verde)
- Mojo's burger (with or without cheese)
One side: fries, onion rings or salad
One drink ticket
Please email your lunch selection to [email protected]
Endorsements for March 5, 2024 Primary
The San Mateo County Democratic Party is endorsing local candidates and ballot measures but is not endorsing any candidates for the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee.
Local Candidates
- Jackie Speier for San Mateo County Supervisor District 1
- Lisa Gauthier for San Mateo County Supervisor District 4
Ballot Measures
- Measure B: County Service Area No. 1 (Highlands): Special Tax Measure
- Measure C: Jefferson Elementary School District: Parcel Tax Measure
- Measure E: Woodside Elementary School: Bond Measure
- Measure G: Pacifica School District: Bond Measure
- Measure H: San Carlos School District: Bond Measure
2023 Summer Picnic Sponsorships
Thank you for purchasing a sponsorship to support the San Mateo County Central Committee's election office, campaign supports, and staff during the 2024 Primary and General Elections! Please help us rise together to elect DEMOCRATS in 2024!
Sponsorship Level *How your donation will help elect Democrats in 2024 $1000 10 days support by election volunteer organizer $500 200 Slate Cards to Promote Endorsed Candidates $250 Travel costs of canvassing in neighboring communities $100 40 Slate Cards to Promote Endorsed Candidates $50 Upgraded Zoom Account to support Phone Banking $25 New Tent for our local voter registration team $5 Campaign supplies such as flyers, water, snacks *all amounts are estimates of the tangible value and impact of your contribution
2023 SMC Dems CADEM Convention Luncheon
We are excited to gather during the upcoming CADEM Convention for lunch at 11:45 AM at El Cholo, 1037 S. Flower St. in Los Angeles.
Capacity is limited to 50 attendees, so buy your ticket and/or become a sponsor as soon as possible.
We hope you can take a lunch break to spend time catching up with fellow Dems and to hear from local elected officials and candidates in the upcoming 2022 Primary and General Election.
See you on May 27th.
Endorsements for Nov. 8, 2022 Election
The San Mateo County Democratic Party endorses the following local candidates and ballot measures in the Nov. 8, 2022 election.
Local Candidates
City Council:
- Atherton City Council - Rick Degolia, Stacy Miles Holland
- Belmont City Council, District 1 - Gina Latimerlo
- Belmont Mayor - Julia Mates
- Burlingame City Council, District 5 - Peter Stevenson
- Daly City Council - Manūfou Liaiga-Anoa'i, Pamela DiGiovanni, Ray Buenaventura
- East Palo City Council - Jeffrey Austin, Ruben Abrica
- Foster City Council - Evan Adams, Richa Awasthi
- Half Moon Bay City Council, District 4 - Debbie Ruddock
- Menlo Park City Council, District 4 - Betsy Nash
- Millbrae City Council, District 2 - Wayne Lee
- Pacifica City Council, District 2 - Robby Bancroft
- Portola Valley Town Council - Craig Hughes, Craig Taylor
- Redwood City Council, District 2 - Chris Sturken
- San Bruno City Council, District 4 - Auros Harman
- San Carlos City Council - Adam Rak, Pranita Venkatesh, Sara McDowell
- San Mateo City Council, District 1 - Lisa Nash
- San Mateo City Council, District 3 - Sarah Fields
- San Mateo City Council, District 5 - Adam Loraine
- South San Francisco City Council, District 1 - Mark Addiego
- South San Francisco City Council, District 5 - Eddie Flores
- Woodside Town Council, District 2 - Steve Lubin
School Board:
- Belmont-Redwood Shores School District - April Northrup
- Jefferson Elementary School District - Anthony Tsujisaka
- Ravenswood City School Board - Laura Nuñez, Mele Kasavu Latu, Tamara Sobomehin
- San Carlos School District, full - Ben Kornell, Neil A. Layton, Sarah Cassanago
- San Carlos School District, short - Sarah Johnson Kinahan, Tracy Park
- San Mateo Community College District, Area 2 - Michael Guingona
- San Mateo-Foster City School District, Area 1, full - Alison Proctor
- San Mateo-Foster City School District, At Large, short - Kenneth Chin
- Sequoia Union High School District, Area A - Suvarna Bhopale
- Sequoia Union High School District, Area D - Sathvik Nori
- South San Francisco Unified School District, District D - Amanda Anthony
County Offices:
- Member Board of Supervisors, District 3 - Ray Mueller
- San Mateo County Harbor District, District 3 - Kathryn V. Slater-Carter
Local Legislative Representation:
- Member of the State Assembly, 19th District - Phil Ting
- Member of the State Assembly, 23rd District - Marc Berman
- US Representative, 15th District - Kevin Mullin
- US Representative, 16th District - Anna Eshoo
Local Ballot Measures
City Ballot Measures - Support
- Measure K - City of Belmont: Transient Occupancy Tax Measure
- Measure L - City of East Palo Alto: Residential Rental Property Business Tax Measure
- Measure N - City of Millbrae: Transient Occupancy Tax Measure
- Measure O - City of Brisbane: Hotel Business License Tax Measure
- Measure P - City of Redwood City: Mayoral Term Charter Amendment Measure
- Measure Q - City of Pacifica: Fireworks Advisory Measure
- Measure U - City of Brisbane: Transactions and Use (Sales) Tax Measure
- Measure X - City of Burlingame: Business Licensing Measure
- Measure Y - City of Pacifica: Transactions and Use (Sales) Tax Measure
- Measure Z - City of Redwood City: Election Procedure Charter Amendment Measure
- Measure AA - City of South San Francisco: Affordable Housing Authorization Initiative
- Measure BB - City of San Bruno: Mayor and City Council Term Limit Measure
- Measure CC - City of San Mateo: Transfer Tax on Property Sales of $10 Million or More
- Measure DD - City of South San Francisco: Citizen-Sponsored Parcel Tax Initiative for Preschool for All
City Ballot Measure - Oppose
- Measure V - City of Menlo Park: Citizen-Sponsored Initiative Measure
School Bonds - Support
- Measure M - Bayshore Elementary School District: Parcel Tax Measure
- Measure R - La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District: Bond Measure
- Measure S - Redwood City School District: Bond Measure
- Measure T - South San Francisco Unified School District: Bond Measure
- Measure W - Sequoia Union High School District: Bond Measure
Endorsements for June 7, 2022 Election
The San Mateo County Democratic Party endorses the following local candidates and ballot measures in the June 7, 2022 election.
Local Candidates
County Sheriff – Christina Corpus
County Superintendent of Schools – Nancy Magee
County Supervisor, District 3 – Ray Mueller
County Treasurer Tax Collector – Sandie ArnottLocal Ballot Measures
Measure C – Belmont-Redwood Shores School District Parcel Tax
Measure E – Millbrae Elementary School District Bond
Measure G – Brisbane School District Parcel Tax
Measure H – Hillsborough City School District Bond
Measure I – Ravenswood City School District Bond
Measure J - Jefferson Elementary School District Bond
2022 SMC Dems CADEM Endorsing Convention Luncheon
We are so excited to gather in person during the upcoming CADEM Endorsing Convention, even though it’s virtual.
All Democrats are welcome to join, but capacity is limited to 100 attendees, so buy your ticket or become a Sponsor as soon as possible!
There is plenty of parking available, the venue is near public transit, and the food will be amazing, so we hope you can take a lunch break to spend time catching up with fellow Dems and to hear from local elected officials and candidates in the upcoming 2022 Primary and General Election!
See you on March 4th!
Chartered Democratic Clubs
Learn about issues, meet fellow Democrats in your community, and take action! Below you find a list of chartered Democratic Clubs in San Mateo County.
(Click here to learn more about the function of Democratic clubs. Information courtesy of the Peninsula Democratic Coalition.)
If you need to re-charter your club or would like to start a new club, you need to provide a roster of members in good standing, bylaws, and a payment for your club to be chartered before the July meeting. Payment is equal to $1 for each member in good standing. Please send a check to the San Mateo County Democratic Party, 63 Bovet Rd, #137, San Mateo, CA 94402.
Here are links to a sample set of bylaws and a template for completing the required roster.
Be sure to let us know as you begin the process. We are very happy to help you get organized as you are getting started with your new Democratic Club. Email us with any questions.
San Mateo County Officially Chartered Democratic Clubs
AAPI Alliance
Email: James Coleman [email protected]Coastside Democratic Club
Email: Barbara Dye [email protected]
Phone: 415-321-9476
Web: Coastside Democratic Club
Facebook: Coastside Democratic ClubFilipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County
Email: Juslyn Manalo [email protected]
Facebook: Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo CountyJewish Democratic Coalition of the Bay Area
Email: Dorene Kastelman (President) [email protected]
Web: jdcsv.com
Facebook: Jewish Democratic Club of Silicon ValleyPacifica-Daly City Democratic Club
Email: Mike O'Neill [email protected]
Phone: 650-302-2470
Facebook: Pacifica-Daly City Democratic ClubPeninsula Democratic Coalition
Email: Lorri Holzberg [email protected]
Address: PO Box 97, Los Altos, CA 94023-0097
Web: Peninsula Democratic Coalition
Facebook: Peninsula Democratic Coalition
Twitter: @PeninsulaDemsSan Mateo County Democracy for America
Email: Susie Raye [email protected]
Phone: (650) 573-7544
Web: San Mateo County Democracy for America
Facebook: San Mateo County Democracy for America
Meetings: The first Wednesday of every month, at 7 pm (Zoom)San Mateo County LatinX Democratic Club
Email: [email protected]
Join: San Mateo County LatinX Democratic Club
Web: San Mateo County LatinX Democratic ClubSan Mateo County Stonewall Democratic Club
Email: Caiti Busch [email protected]
Join: San Mateo County Stonewall Democratic Club
Facebook: San Mateo County Stonewall Democratic ClubOther Democratic Clubs
Peninsula Young Democrats
Email: Erin Chazer [email protected] or [email protected]
Facebook: Peninsula Young Democrats
Twitter: @PYDems
Volunteer
an Mateo County Democrats work together to elect fellow Democrats to office and promote Democratic values. If you would like work with us, please indicate below how you would like to participate.
Thank you.
Join
Our SMCDems community is open to all Democrats!
There are many ways to participate.
Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter from the Chair to find out about upcoming events, party news, volunteer opportunities, and much more. Keep up with the San Mateo County Dems and sign up below.
Attend our monthly meetings are held on the THIRD THURSDAY of every month at 7:00 PM. You can find out about this month's meeting here. All are welcome.
Join the San Mateo County Dems to participate in committees and candidate endorsement process. Become an Associate member today!
Joining one of our many chartered clubs.
Sign up as a volunteer. We have regular community activities.
Come make a difference in San Mateo County.
Associate Member Dues
- Yearly dues for associate members of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee are $25
- Dues must be paid by the member themselves.
