
Supervisor Lisa Gauthier: Sheriff Appointment Crisis, Combating Over Policing, and District Priorities
From The Game by Mark Simon and Bob Marks
November 7, 2025 · 36 min · Episode 20
About this episode
Supervisor Lisa Gauthier discusses the sheriff appointment crisis and district priorities in San Mateo County.
Mark Simon and Bob Marks welcome Supervisor Lisa Gauthier to discuss the demanding political landscape of San Mateo County. Supervisor Gauthier served 12 years on the East Palo Alto City Council from 2012 to 2024, including serving as mayor during the pandemic. After being elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2024, she immediately became involved in the ongoing controversy regarding former Sheriff Christina Corpus.Supervisor Gauthier details the high-profile process to appoint a new sheriff, noting that the situation has been a "huge distraction" from necessary county work and has been "weighing heavy on everyone". She explains the Board’s decision to pursue an appointment rather than a special election, citing that an election would cost additional resources and money. Furthermore, Gauthier felt an immediate appointment was fairer, as a short-timeline election favors popular candidates who already possess resources.The Board recently held a four-hour hearing with the applicants. Gauthier believes that two candidates show "a lot of promise": Ken Binder (the former undersheriff in Santa Clara County) and David Lazar (the assistant chief of police in San Francisco). She is…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mark Simon, Bob Marks
Guest: Lisa Gauthier
Topics covered
- Sheriff Appointment
- Over Policing
- District Priorities
- Political Landscape
- Public Safety
- Leadership Qualities
Keywords
- Sheriff Appointment
- Lisa Gauthier
- San Mateo County
- Over Policing
- Public Hearing
- Leadership Qualities
- Ken Binder
- David Lazar
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: East Palo Alto City Council, Board of Supervisors
Places: San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco
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