Assemblymember Richard S. Gordon

In November 2012, Assemblyman Rich Gordon was elected to serve a second term in the California State Assembly to represent the newly drawn 24th Assembly District. Including much of Silicon Valley, the 24th Assembly District includes the communities of North Fair Oaks, Atherton, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Woodside, Portola Valley, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hill, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and the San Mateo County Coastside – from El Granada to the county border.

Assemblyman Gordon chairs the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protections, and is a member of the following Assembly Committees: Budget, Health, Local Government, Revenue & Taxation, and Joint Sunset Review. He also serves on the Select Committees on Biotechnology, Community Colleges, High Technology, and the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California. Assemblyman Gordon chairs the LBGT Caucus, co-chairs the Bay Area Caucus and is a member of the Environmental Caucus.

Assemblyman Gordon previously served for 13 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing the County's 3rd District. Prior to his service on the Board of Supervisors, Gordon served as a member of the County Board of Education from 1992 to 1997. Outside of the public arena, Assemblyman Gordon worked as executive director of a non-profit youth agency and as a minister in the United Methodist Church.

As a County Supervisor, Gordon worked to achieve government accountability by leading in the development of the County's outcome-based budgeting and was instrumental in the formation of regional partnerships including the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust. Gordon was actively involved in the creation of the Children's Health Initiative, which guarantees health care coverage for children. In 2008, Gordon served as President of the California State Association of Counties, which represents all 58 counties.

As a legislator, Assemblyman Gordon has been committed to ending the gridlock in Sacramento by trying to fix the dysfunction of the state's governing system and structure, ensuring that California invests in the education of its children, maintaining the state's position as a leader in environmental protection, and fighting for all of California's residents having access to healthcare. Recognizing that heightened partisanship has limited the ability of legislators to fully serve their constituents, Assemblyman Gordon has worked to forge relationships on both sides of the aisle and across all political spectrums. He has also seen personal success in Sacramento, where in his first term, Assemblyman Gordon was among the most productive legislators -- seeing 74 percent of bills introduced (or 26 bills) signed into law by the Governor.

Assemblyman Gordon is a fourth generation Californian - born and raised in San Mateo County. He completed high school in Orange County, and graduated from the University of Southern California. He has a Masters in Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University. He resides in an unincorporated neighborhood in Menlo Park with his husband, Dr. Dennis McShane. Assemblyman Gordon and Dr. McShane were married on August 16, 2008 and are now celebrating their 30th year of commitment to each other.

Visit Assemblyman Gordon's website: http://asmdc.org/members/a24/