Mark Church Bio

Mark Church has served as San Mateo County’s Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer since January 2011. He leads the largest consolidated department in California overseeing the constitutional offices of Assessor, County Clerk, Recorder, and Elections. With a career in public service spanning three decades, including terms as President and Member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and Mayor and Councilmember of Millbrae, Church is recognized as one of the most experienced and forward-thinking public officials in the state.

Under his leadership, the department has earned 22 local, state, national, and international awards recognizing excellence in innovation, customer service, and expanded public access to government services. Church’s philosophy of service is guided by the department’s motto, “People First.” He believes the core purpose of government is to serve the community with integrity, innovation, and accountability. The department’s Strategic Plan reflects these values and serves as a roadmap for all operational and budgetary decisions.

As Assessor, Church oversees the ninth-largest assessment roll in California, with a total assessed value exceeding $341 billion. With more than 15 million square feet of major commercial development projected over the next five years, he has led the department’s transformation to meet increasing demands through automation, innovation, and the strategic use of artificial intelligence.

Church led the multi-year development and implementation of the Assessor Property Assessment System (APAS), replacing a 25-year-old legacy system that could no longer support the County’s assessment roll. Built on a secure, scalable Salesforce cloud platform and updated regularly, APAS modernizes the management of property ownership, characteristics, and assessment values while ensuring the system never becomes obsolete. This forward-looking approach streamlines workflows, strengthens cross-department collaboration, improves service to cities, schools, special districts, and taxpayers, eliminating the need for costly system replacements. 

Under Church’s leadership, San Mateo County also implemented an advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) that enhanced data accuracy, integration, and operational efficiency across assessment, recording, and elections functions. This system improved spatial analysis, decision-making, and public access to critical information, setting a new standard for the use of geospatial technology in county government. The initiative earned national recognition from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and international recognition from Esri, the world’s leading GIS organization, highlighting San Mateo County’s leadership in leveraging technology to improve transparency, service delivery, and public trust. 

In addition, Church led the development of a mobile-responsive website that provides secure, 24/7 public access to essential county services from any device. This platform modernized service delivery, improved accessibility, and expanded public access to information and services anytime, anywhere.

Since taking office in 2011, Church has successfully overseen the administration of 42 elections. He has guided San Mateo County through several historic firsts in election administration, positioning the County as a statewide and national leader for modern, inclusive elections.

In 2015, Church led San Mateo County in conducting California’s first countywide all-mailed ballot election under Assembly Bill 2028 (AB 2028). He was instrumental in the passage of AB 2028, providing expert testimony before the California Legislature and helping shape policy that expanded voter access and modernized election administration. The success of this landmark election, demonstrated by increased participation among young voters and language-minority communities, helped pave the way for California’s transformative Voter’s Choice Act (SB 450), which changed how elections are conducted by authorizing counties throughout the state to conduct elections by mail.

Continuing his commitment to equity and accessibility, Church launched California’s first Remote Accessible Vote by Mail (RAVBM) system, ensuring visually impaired and disabled voters could cast their votes independently and securely. He expanded voter inclusion initiatives through partnerships with community-based organizations to engage underserved communities, earning the prestigious U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) Clearinghouse Award for Outstanding Innovations in Elections: Embracing Equity and Inclusion.

The County also received national recognition from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for best practices in recruiting, training, and retaining poll workers, and for developing one of the nation’s first digital “I Voted” stickers. Additionally, in 2021, San Mateo County was also recognized by the Commission for Outstanding Innovations in Election Cybersecurity for implementing advanced security tools such as CradlePoint routers, Tenex e-pollbooks, remote device management, and real-time GPS tracking of ballot drop boxes, making San Mateo County a leader in secure, technology-driven elections.

In his role as County Clerk-Recorder, Church has modernized the way the public records and accesses official documents. He led the implementation of an upgraded electronic recording system that transitioned the office from paper-based recordings to 76 percent of all submitted documents being recorded electronically, significantly increasing efficiency. He also introduced self-service kiosks that have reduced wait times and improved customer service. As a result, the department now supports approximately 28,000 annual walk-in customers and processes up to 240,000 recorded documents each year, greatly enhancing public access to land records and vital records.

A third-generation Californian, Church was born and raised in San Mateo County. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, graduating magna cum laude from the University of the Pacific, and received his Juris Doctor from McGeorge School of Law. He lives in the county with his wife and children. Public service runs in the family. His father, Marvin Church, served as Millbrae Mayor and later as San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer for two decades (1967–1987).