East Palo Alto Councilmember Lisa Gauthier led in the initial results for the District 4 seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening. As of midnight Wednesday, according to the last results reported, Gauthier had a 58% to 41% advantage over fellow East Palo Alto Councilmember Antonio Lopez.

This election is significant for East Palo Alto, which hasn’t had representation on the county board since Rose Jacobs Gibson, the first African American supervisor in San Mateo County, served from 1999 to 2013. District 4 covers East Palo Alto, Redwood City, Menlo Park, and the unincorporated area of North Fair Oaks.

“While I’m still processing the national election, I feel good about this one, but votes are still being counted,” Gauthier said. “I’m really proud of our team and all the work that went into knocking on doors and talking to voters.”

While mail-in ballots are still being counted, Gauthier said, “If we secure this win, it’ll be a chance to learn and make a difference.”

Gauthier said the first thing she would do is “to sit down with staff and get a clearer picture of what’s happening,” noting that “affordable housing, childcare, and public safety remain priorities.”

Gauthier’s hometown of East Palo Alto has transformed dramatically over the past decade. Previously labeled the nation’s “murder capital,” it recorded zero murders in 2023.

Gauthier, who was mayor during most of the period in which the city achieved its historic drop in violent crime, believes East Palo Alto’s collaborative approach to crime reduction could be scaled up districtwide.

Raised by a single mother, Gauthier has served 11 years in East Palo Alto’s city government as mayor, vice mayor, and council member. Her father was an Army veteran and union cement mason in the county.

Gauthier may join political veteran and former Congresswoman Jackie Speier on the board. Speier won the District 1 seat decisively against Millbrae Councilmember Ann Schneider in the March primary.

Outside her public role, Gauthier is a senior vice president of inclusion and belonging at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and a founding member of OneShoreline, which addresses climate change and sea level rise.