The Game Is Back: 2026 Races, a New Sheriff, and a Board in Flux

About this episode

Mark Simon and Bob Marks return to discuss the political landscape ahead of the 2026 elections, including local leadership changes and key races.

The Game is back! After a brief hiatus, Mark Simon and Bob Marks return to break down what they missed — and what’s coming next in a fast-moving 2026 election year.They revisit the biggest local political story of 2025: the removal of Sheriff Christina Corpus and why new Sheriff Bender may be the stabilizing leader the department needs. They also dig into the dynamics on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors — including how trust, alliances, and personality conflicts may shape the next year.From there, Mark and Bob discuss Mark’s recent “most influential people in the county” columns and what they reveal about a leadership transition underway — plus why emerging communities and coalitions could play a bigger role in the future.They preview key 2026 races (including a surprisingly heated contest for County Assessor), debate whether certain offices are being politicized, and examine the charter review proposal to name the Board President the “mayor of San Mateo County.”The episode wraps with a broader look at the governor’s race and national politics heading into the midterms — including voter trends, immigration enforcement, and why “affordability” could become the defining…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mark Simon, Bob Marks

Topics covered

• 2026 election
• local politics
• Sheriff removal
• San Mateo County dynamics
• leadership transition
• voter trends
• affordability

Keywords

• Sheriff Bender
• Christina Corpus
• San Mateo County
• 2026 races
• political dynamics
• voter trends
• affordability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, San Mateo County

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