Meet Mark Nagales, Candidate For San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

Mark Nagales is vying for a seat representing the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in District 5.

As county elections officials begin mailing ballots, voters will prepare to decide between candidates running for several offices and Patch has put together local voter guides and candidate profiles.

Subscribe

Learn more about Mark Nagales:

Age: 46

What is your educational background?

I attended local public schools in North San Mateo County and graduated in 2003 from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in History and Political Science.

What is your professional background?

I am a Principal Government & Community Relations Representative for BART, managing outreach and government affairs in San Francisco and San Mateo County. Previously, as San Mateo County Outreach Coordinator for Project Sentinel, I educated tenants and landlords on their rights and responsibilities. My public service background also includes serving as an Aide to Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Assemblymembers Gene Mullin and Fran Pavley.

Have you ever held public office, whether appointive or elective?

First elected to the South San Francisco City Council in 2018 citywide, I won reelection in District 2 in 2020 and 2024. I serve on the San Mateo County Transportation Authority Board, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board, and as a delegate to the SMC Democratic Party. Previously, I chaired both the South San Francisco Planning Commission (2015–2018) and Parks & Recreation Commission (2008–2015).

What are the top three issues facing your district/constituents right now?

I am running for Supervisor to bring proven leadership to District 5 and deliver the progress San Mateo County deserves. First, we must resolve the VLF funding crisis; restoring over $200M in Vehicle License Fee revenue is vital to protect essential safety-net services like rental assistance, emergency response, and infrastructure. Second, I will expand affordable housing and tenant protections. I led the effort for South San Francisco to become a state-designated housing-friendly city, and our city passed an Article 34 exemption. I will advocate for a countywide Article 34 workaround to scale housing production. Third, I will advance economic mobility by implementing strategies that support working families, drawing on my record with Guaranteed Basic Income, affordable childcare, and workforce pipelines.

What is one specific policy you would implement in your first 100 days?

I've always been a strong advocate for affordable housing, and we need to continue to build more affordable housing to address the affordability crisis. I've led the effort to have South San Francisco recognized by California as a housing-friendly city, one of only two cities in San Mateo County with this designation. In 2024, South San Francisco was awarded a $28 million grant by the State to build affordable housing. I also spearheaded South San Francisco's emergency rental assistance program—the first in San Mateo County. Since 2020, we've successfully saved more than 300 households from being evicted. I will bring that experience and track record to the county level to make real progress on these issues. To build the housing we desperately need, I will back and advocate for a countywide workaround to Article 34. My city of South San Francisco is currently the only city in the county to pass an Article 34 exemption; passing a similar county measure would pre-approve developing affordable units up to 1% of total existing county housing annually without needing repetitive ballot measures.

What is your plan to reduce homelessness, and how would you measure success after one year?

San Mateo County's average median income for a family of 4 is now $200,000, which means that affordable housing is unattainable. On top of that, San Mateo County's latest homeless count showed a 5% increase in the unhoused population. Addressing homelessness requires an integrated approach that pairs proactive eviction prevention with expanded supportive housing that offer comprehensive wraparound services.

As Councilmember, I have always supported our YMCA Core Service Agency and led initiatives to help our most vulnerable neighbors stay in their homes and provide support to the unhoused. In 2020, prior to COVID-19, I spearheaded South San Francisco's emergency rental assistance program—the first in San Mateo County. We invested over $1 million, successfully preventing eviction for more than 300 households.

I will foster stronger collaboration and education with cities throughout San Mateo County to successfully implement state and county initiatives like Homekey, building on the successful collaborations in South San Francisco, Redwood City, and San Mateo, which has accommodated Homekey housing and services.

We can measure success through clear metrics: reducing overall unsheltered numbers in the next homeless count, increasing transitions into permanent housing, lowering first-time homelessness rates, and maintaining high long-term housing retention.

What is one specific change you would make to improve public safety?

As Supervisor, I would promote policies that effectively address public safety responses to mental health crises. In 2021, South San Francisco was one of four cities in San Mateo County to launch a pilot program to embed a mental health clinician within the SSFPD to aid individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and deescalate those situations. The program has been a success and we have since made the mental health clinician a permanent position. As Supervisor, I would also focus funding on housing-aligned behavioral health supports, crisis intervention, and other early interventions to keep individuals out of emergency rooms and the criminal justice system.

How would you improve transparency or accountability in local government?

As Supervisor, I would establish transparent, outcome-based parameters for district allocations to ensure every dollar directly supports working families. For example, the Board of Supervisors is ultimately responsible for setting priorities and allocating Measure K funds.
My approach will be grounded in clear criteria: 1) Alignment: How well does this project align with addressing urgent gaps due to federal and state impacts? 2) Service Area: How does this project meet pressing needs in the County and/or District 5? 3) Equity: Does this project serve communities with the most need? 4) Impact: Will this project make a measurable impact in an area of need?

Why are you a better choice than your opponents?

What distinguishes me is that I am a policy-maker. I have spent my career taking direct legislative action to deliver real, tangible results for our community, including:

* Emergency Rental Assistance: In 2020, prior to COVID-19, I spearheaded South San Francisco's emergency rental assistance program—the first in San Mateo County. We invested over $1 million, successfully preventing eviction for more than 300 households.

* Guaranteed Basic Income: In 2021, I led the effort to launch the County's first GBI pilot program, providing $500 a month to 160 vulnerable families to cover essential needs like food, rent, and medicine. Our successful model inspired the County to develop its own GBI program for expectant mothers.

* Comprehensive Tenant Protections: This year, I helped pass robust anti-displacement measures, including local preference for affordable housing, mandated six-month rent payouts for displaced mobile home and SRO residents, and upfront relocation assistance for tenants in substandard housing.

I've proven that you can stand firm on pro-labor standards and tenant protections while building coalitions to get major initiatives passed. I offer District 5 an experienced, battle-tested leader who delivers on housing, good union jobs, and safety-net protections.

What changes, if any, would you support regarding the role of federal immigration enforcement agencies, including ICE, and how they interact with state and/or local governments?

San Mateo County's strength comes from its diversity, and I firmly reject rhetoric that demonizes our immigrant communities. My priority is ensuring our local law enforcement focuses on local public safety, which requires community trust. I fully support keeping our local law enforcement separate from federal ICE operations so that all residents feel safe reporting crimes and cooperating with police without fear of deportation. Our local resources must remain dedicated to protecting all members of our community and fostering safety through trust. The city council is also looking into policies to ban ICE detention centers from being built in South San Francisco, based on legislation that Congressman Sam Liccardo has introduced. We've also partnered with the Legal Aid Society to have free clinics at our Economic Advancement Center to provide assistance to our immigrant population. We have and will continue to host know your rights workshops to help our immigrant families.

What role do you believe government should play in regulating or supporting the development and use of artificial intelligence?

I support robust state and local legislation to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV) to protect workers, public safety, and community rights. Unregulated AVs and automated systems directly threaten stable union jobs across transit, logistics, waste management, and construction—removing critical human judgment from our streets and eroding fair wages under the guise of cost-cutting.

Local government also has a key role to play in managing AI's broader societal impacts. I support policies that safeguard worker rights against invasive algorithmic monitoring, ensure high standards of transparency and human oversight when government agencies adopt new technology, and enforce strict data privacy standards to protect residents against synthetic fraud and deceptive deepfakes.

On the County level, we can lead by establishing strict procurement standards, requiring County-contracted projects to mandate trained human operators and ensuring any municipal AI tools meet high standards for fairness, security, and human oversight. I will advocate for a County AI/AV Task Force uniting labor leaders, public safety officials, and tech experts to advise the Board of Supervisors on responsible, human-centered technology integration that puts community well-being first.