Mark DeSaulnier
Encyclopedia
Mark James DeSaulnier is an American
politician
and a Democratic member of the California Legislature representing California's 7th State Senate district
since December 2008. From 2006 to 2008, DeSaulnier represented California's 11th State Assembly district
. Previously, he served as a Contra Costa County supervisor (district 4, 1994–2006) and on the Concord City Council (1991–1994).
In March 2009, DeSaulnier announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in the special election for the 10th congressional district
after the resignation of the incumbent Ellen Tauscher
. DeSaulnier received endorsements from Congresswoman Tauscher and Congressman George Miller for the seat. In the September 1 primary election, DeSaulnier came in second, after John Garamendi
.
, DeSaulnier earned a Bachelor of Arts
in History
from the College of the Holy Cross
. He traveled cross-country to California in the early 1970s and eventually settled in Concord. As a young man, DeSaulnier worked as a probation officer, a truck driver and a hotel services employee. DeSaulnier was a member of both the Teamsters International Union and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. His jobs allowed his early exposure to the challenges of working families and the power of organized labor to create equity among employers and employees. A small businessman, DeSaulnier owned and operated several restaurants in the greater Bay Area before taking office in the Legislature in 2006. He is a member of the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the Contra Costa Council. DeSaulnier lives in Concord where he raised his two adult sons, Tristan and Tucker. He is an avid runner and has completed twenty-one marathons.
Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program Advisory Committee.
In early 1994, Republican Governor Pete Wilson
appointed DeSaulnier, then a fellow Republican, to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors district 4, filling a vacancy caused by the resignation of Supervisor Sunne McPeak. DeSaulnier served on the Board of Supervisors until 2006. He was elected in 1994 and re-elected in 1998 and 2002. In June 1998, he received 98.4 percent of the vote against write-in candidates. In March 2002, he retained his seat with 79 percent of the vote against challenger Dione Mustard.
Although the Board of Supervisors is a non-partisan office, DeSaulnier was active in Republican party affairs during much of his tenure as county supervisor. In September 1998, for example, he donated $200.00 to the United Republican Finance Committee of the Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee, thereby aiding Dan Lungren
(R) in the gubernatorial race against Gray Davis
(D), Matt Fong
(R) in his U.S. Senate race against Sen. Barbara Boxer
(D), Charles Ball
(R) in his congressional race against Rep. Ellen Tauscher
(D), and Allen Payton (R) in his Assembly race against Assemblyman Tom Torlakson
(D). Many of the candidates that DeSaulnier aided supported the anti-union Proposition 226 on the June 1998 statewide ballot.
During DeSaulnier's tenure on the Board of Supervisors, he sponsored the Industrial Safety Ordinance and the Refinery Flare Rule for local refineries and chemical facilities. DeSaulnier served on the executive boards of the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He was appointed to represent the Bay Area on the California Air Resources Board by the Air District (1997–2006).
As a member of the Air Resources Board, DeSaulnier supported strong environmental regulations, including cleaner-burning gasoline, lower-emission vehicles (LEVs), the identification of diesel exhaust as a toxic air contaminant, dioxin monitoring in the Bay Area, the banning of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline, the identification of secondhand smoke as a carcinogen, the reduction of emissions from dairy farms, the phase-out of rice straw in the central valley and the reduction of emissions from cruise ships.
On a county level, DeSaulnier introduced a Women's Health Program to serve the health-care needs of all women in Contra Costa County. He also established the annual Children and Families' Budget, a separate County budget that reviews and measures the effectiveness of County programs in these areas. His other projects for children include AfterSchool4All, the Future Fund and the Children and Families Committee of the Board of Supervisors.
The Contra Costa Times
editorial board was critical of DeSaulnier's record as county supervisor. An editorial published in 2009 stated, "Many of the financial problems that afflict Contra Costa County today stem directly from decisions DeSaulnier championed while he was supervisor. Most notably, in 2002, at a time when the county faced a $31.5 million shortfall, was already laying off workers and was already experiencing increased public employee pension costs, DeSaulnier supported unsustainable pension increases that hiked benefits for public safety workers by as much as 50 percent. The plan allowed public safety workers to retire at age 50 with a pension worth 3 percent of their salary for each year served. Such excessive public employee union benefits have strained some local jurisdictions to the brink of bankruptcy."
., US Senator Barbara Boxer
and California Senator Tom Torlakson. DeSaulnier won a decisive victory in the 2006 general election against Republican Arne Simonsen
and Libertarian Cory Nott with 66% of all votes cast.
In the Assembly, DeSaulnier chaired the Committee on Transportation and the Select Committees on Growth Management and Air Quality. He was also a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Human Services, Rules and Labor and Employment.
DeSaulnier authored or co-authored over 40 bills during the 2007-2008 legislative session. His bills addressed truancy among school children, preschool access, suicide prevention, childhood obesity, reducing air pollution, smoke-free workplaces, and the creation of opportunities for at-risk youth.
One bill introduced by DeSaulnier, AB 1617, would have restricted tobacco
smokers from purchasing tobacco products via the internet. The bill was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger
. Another DeSaulnier bill, AB 2235, which would require that a biometric feature be incorporated into all new handguns sold in California
to keep guns out of the hands of thieves and children. For this, DeSaulnier received an F rating from the National Rifle Association
.
For the Live Earth
concert in July 2007, DeSaulnier delivered the Democratic weekly radio address on steps people can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
initially was to challenge DeSaulnier for the Senate seat, but dropped out of the race. In the 2008 general election, DeSaulnier received 66.6% of the vote against Republican Christian Amsberry.
In the Senate, DeSaulnier is the chair of the Labor and Industrial Relations committee, and a member of the Health, Transportation and Housing, and Appropriations committees. He is also the chair of the select committees on Constitutional Reform and Growth Management.
DeSaulnier has authored over 20 bills that address the ability of workers to designate their treating physician prior to an injury, providing for greater prescription drug safety, supporting increased funding for alcohol-abuse programs, expanding electronic recycling and funding for climate protection. DeSaulnier also supports Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR)3 to propose to California voters the question of whether to call a convention to reform the state constitution.
In September 2009, DeSaulnier amended SB 88 to attempt to restrict the ability of local governments to shed pension programs through bankruptcy protection.
Leadership Program and Symposium on Affordable Housing (2003).
Speaker, Japanese Automotive Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan
Co-chair, World Fuel Cell Conference in Lucerne
, Switzerland
(2002).
Study tours: Participated in two transportation-land use study tours sponsored by the German Marshall Fund
to promote trans-Atlantic dialogue around the issues of smart growth
, regional planning, air pollution and transportation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a Democratic member of the California Legislature representing California's 7th State Senate district
California's 7th State Senate district
California's 7th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier of Concord.-District profile:...
since December 2008. From 2006 to 2008, DeSaulnier represented California's 11th State Assembly district
California's 11th State Assembly district
California's 11th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Susan Bonilla of Concord.-District profile:...
. Previously, he served as a Contra Costa County supervisor (district 4, 1994–2006) and on the Concord City Council (1991–1994).
In March 2009, DeSaulnier announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in the special election for the 10th congressional district
California's 10th congressional district special election, 2009
California's 10th congressional district special election, 2009 was held on November 3, 2009, to fill the vacancy caused in California's 10th congressional district by the resignation of Ellen Tauscher...
after the resignation of the incumbent Ellen Tauscher
Ellen Tauscher
Ellen O'Kane Tauscher is an American politician and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs...
. DeSaulnier received endorsements from Congresswoman Tauscher and Congressman George Miller for the seat. In the September 1 primary election, DeSaulnier came in second, after John Garamendi
John Garamendi
John Raymond Garamendi is the U.S. Representative for , serving since November 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Garamendi was the California State Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998, and the California State Insurance...
.
Background
Born in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, DeSaulnier earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
. He traveled cross-country to California in the early 1970s and eventually settled in Concord. As a young man, DeSaulnier worked as a probation officer, a truck driver and a hotel services employee. DeSaulnier was a member of both the Teamsters International Union and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union. His jobs allowed his early exposure to the challenges of working families and the power of organized labor to create equity among employers and employees. A small businessman, DeSaulnier owned and operated several restaurants in the greater Bay Area before taking office in the Legislature in 2006. He is a member of the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the Contra Costa Council. DeSaulnier lives in Concord where he raised his two adult sons, Tristan and Tucker. He is an avid runner and has completed twenty-one marathons.
Local government
DeSaulnier was appointed to the Concord Planning Commission in 1988. In 1991, he was elected to the Concord City Council and served as mayor of Concord in 1993. He was also a member of the University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program Advisory Committee.
In early 1994, Republican Governor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
appointed DeSaulnier, then a fellow Republican, to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors district 4, filling a vacancy caused by the resignation of Supervisor Sunne McPeak. DeSaulnier served on the Board of Supervisors until 2006. He was elected in 1994 and re-elected in 1998 and 2002. In June 1998, he received 98.4 percent of the vote against write-in candidates. In March 2002, he retained his seat with 79 percent of the vote against challenger Dione Mustard.
Although the Board of Supervisors is a non-partisan office, DeSaulnier was active in Republican party affairs during much of his tenure as county supervisor. In September 1998, for example, he donated $200.00 to the United Republican Finance Committee of the Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee, thereby aiding Dan Lungren
Dan Lungren
Daniel Edward "Dan" Lungren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district covers most of Sacramento County and part of Solano County, as well as all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties...
(R) in the gubernatorial race against Gray Davis
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...
(D), Matt Fong
Matt Fong
Matthew Kipling Fong was a Republican who served as the 30th California State Treasurer and was also the adopted son of Democrat March Fong Eu, the 25th California Secretary of State....
(R) in his U.S. Senate race against Sen. Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
(D), Charles Ball
Charles Ball
Charles Ball was an African-American slave from Maryland, best known for his account as a fugitive slave, The Life and Adventures of Charles Ball .-Biography:...
(R) in his congressional race against Rep. Ellen Tauscher
Ellen Tauscher
Ellen O'Kane Tauscher is an American politician and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs...
(D), and Allen Payton (R) in his Assembly race against Assemblyman Tom Torlakson
Tom Torlakson
Thomas A. "Tom" Torlakson is an American politician from California. In 2010, he was elected to the position of California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the highest education post in California...
(D). Many of the candidates that DeSaulnier aided supported the anti-union Proposition 226 on the June 1998 statewide ballot.
During DeSaulnier's tenure on the Board of Supervisors, he sponsored the Industrial Safety Ordinance and the Refinery Flare Rule for local refineries and chemical facilities. DeSaulnier served on the executive boards of the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He was appointed to represent the Bay Area on the California Air Resources Board by the Air District (1997–2006).
As a member of the Air Resources Board, DeSaulnier supported strong environmental regulations, including cleaner-burning gasoline, lower-emission vehicles (LEVs), the identification of diesel exhaust as a toxic air contaminant, dioxin monitoring in the Bay Area, the banning of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline, the identification of secondhand smoke as a carcinogen, the reduction of emissions from dairy farms, the phase-out of rice straw in the central valley and the reduction of emissions from cruise ships.
On a county level, DeSaulnier introduced a Women's Health Program to serve the health-care needs of all women in Contra Costa County. He also established the annual Children and Families' Budget, a separate County budget that reviews and measures the effectiveness of County programs in these areas. His other projects for children include AfterSchool4All, the Future Fund and the Children and Families Committee of the Board of Supervisors.
The Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
editorial board was critical of DeSaulnier's record as county supervisor. An editorial published in 2009 stated, "Many of the financial problems that afflict Contra Costa County today stem directly from decisions DeSaulnier championed while he was supervisor. Most notably, in 2002, at a time when the county faced a $31.5 million shortfall, was already laying off workers and was already experiencing increased public employee pension costs, DeSaulnier supported unsustainable pension increases that hiked benefits for public safety workers by as much as 50 percent. The plan allowed public safety workers to retire at age 50 with a pension worth 3 percent of their salary for each year served. Such excessive public employee union benefits have strained some local jurisdictions to the brink of bankruptcy."
State Assembly
In the June 2006 Democratic primary, DeSaulnier carried 52% of the vote against Laura Canciamilla and two other opponents. DeSaulnier was endorsed by the SF Chronicle, the Contra Costa TimesContra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
., US Senator Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
and California Senator Tom Torlakson. DeSaulnier won a decisive victory in the 2006 general election against Republican Arne Simonsen
Arne Simonsen
Arne Simonsen is a Norwegian civil servant.He was born in Haugesund, and graduated as cand.mag. from the University of Bergen. He worked as a civil servant in Bergen municipality, the Norwegian Central Information Service, the Ministry of Church and Education, and the Norwegian Directorate of...
and Libertarian Cory Nott with 66% of all votes cast.
In the Assembly, DeSaulnier chaired the Committee on Transportation and the Select Committees on Growth Management and Air Quality. He was also a member of the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Human Services, Rules and Labor and Employment.
DeSaulnier authored or co-authored over 40 bills during the 2007-2008 legislative session. His bills addressed truancy among school children, preschool access, suicide prevention, childhood obesity, reducing air pollution, smoke-free workplaces, and the creation of opportunities for at-risk youth.
One bill introduced by DeSaulnier, AB 1617, would have restricted tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
smokers from purchasing tobacco products via the internet. The bill was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger is a German surname that means person from Schwarzenegg, which is both a town in Switzerland and a place in Land Salzburg in Austria...
. Another DeSaulnier bill, AB 2235, which would require that a biometric feature be incorporated into all new handguns sold in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to keep guns out of the hands of thieves and children. For this, DeSaulnier received an F rating from the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
.
For the Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
concert in July 2007, DeSaulnier delivered the Democratic weekly radio address on steps people can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
State Senate
DeSaulnier was elected to the California State Senate in November 2008, representing the 7th Senate district which includes most of Contra Costa County. DeSaulnier received early support from the Contra Costa Central Labor Council, the Contra Costa Building Trades Council and the California League of Conservation Voters. He received 98% of the vote in the June 2008 Democratic primary election against write-in candidates; former Assemblyman Joe CanciamillaJoe Canciamilla
Joseph Canciamilla is a Democratic politician who represented California's 11th State Assembly district from 2000 until 2006. Upon being term limited in 2006, Mr. Canciamilla briefly ran for California's 7th State Senate district in 2008 but eventually droppoed out in favor of the eventual winner,...
initially was to challenge DeSaulnier for the Senate seat, but dropped out of the race. In the 2008 general election, DeSaulnier received 66.6% of the vote against Republican Christian Amsberry.
In the Senate, DeSaulnier is the chair of the Labor and Industrial Relations committee, and a member of the Health, Transportation and Housing, and Appropriations committees. He is also the chair of the select committees on Constitutional Reform and Growth Management.
DeSaulnier has authored over 20 bills that address the ability of workers to designate their treating physician prior to an injury, providing for greater prescription drug safety, supporting increased funding for alcohol-abuse programs, expanding electronic recycling and funding for climate protection. DeSaulnier also supports Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR)3 to propose to California voters the question of whether to call a convention to reform the state constitution.
In September 2009, DeSaulnier amended SB 88 to attempt to restrict the ability of local governments to shed pension programs through bankruptcy protection.
Special programs
Fellow, Harvard John F. Kennedy School of GovernmentJohn F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
Leadership Program and Symposium on Affordable Housing (2003).
Speaker, Japanese Automotive Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan
Co-chair, World Fuel Cell Conference in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(2002).
Study tours: Participated in two transportation-land use study tours sponsored by the German Marshall Fund
German Marshall Fund
The German Marshall Fund of the United States is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between North America and Europe....
to promote trans-Atlantic dialogue around the issues of smart growth
Smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
, regional planning, air pollution and transportation.
External links
- Mark DeSaulnier for Congress Official Campaign Site
- Senator Mark DeSaulnier Official CA Government page
- http://cms.markdesaulnier.com/PublicationDetail.aspx?PublicationID=88
- http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=MCA64362
- http://www.cctextra.com/blogs/politicsblog/2007/06/desaulnier_officially_enters_s.html
- http://halfwaytoconcord.com/?s=desaulnier
- http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_2235&sess=CUR&house=B&author=desaulnier
- http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=3827
- http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_1601-1650/ab_1617_bill_20070223_introduced.html
- http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_1601-1650/ab_1617_cfa_20071114_165015_asm_floor.html